In the narrative we have of the David and Goliath event it’s so easy to read it and think ‘oh yes, I know this story, we did it in Sunday School’. So we reduce it down. We slot it away as a story with lessons in it.
What an injustice to this whole historical moment!
God doesn’t just pick randomly out of a list of qualified people. He knows whom he calls.
1 Samuel 17
In the previous chapter, David is called, and more specifically, anointed with oil. Samuel had prophetically told Jesse, his father;
‘I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prude in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him’.
1 Samuel 16:18
His character, his ways, his thinking, everything had already been known by God.
By the time he comes into the situation of Chapter 17, David is no small ignorant child with the Almighty God triumphing over all. David has been walking with God, proving what that means. It is like the scripture says later on ‘By THEE, I have run through a troop..’.
David trusted God because he had proven him over and over and over again. The Strength of Israel was known to him.
So when he sees the enemy distaining the God of Israel, and he saw that everyone that should have known better was fearful, he was moved from a place of absolute confidence.
He didn’t have to pray himself into it.
He didn’t have to get an agreement with other people.
This God that had helped him against the lion and the bear, could deal with this bragging giant.
But it would take DAVID to do it.
He had to know that authority. That command. That power.
As for the rest, what was their excuse? They knew God had shown himself with signs and wonders to get their families out of Egypt. He had delivered them from enemies for years over the course of judges.
Why are believers so fickle with their faith? So ready to fall apart with fear?
They do not know their God. They do not discipline their minds to faith. They do not believe the word of God. They do not believe GOD! They are always waiting for ‘someone’ to rescue them, to inspire them, to encourage them.
Thank God for his longsuffering and patient nature. We would be lost without him.
The other people, even from the place of fear, still tried to instruct David how to do it successfully. ‘Use the Armour’… but David said no, I haven’t proven that.
We like to make a lot of David’s youth but honestly, what we should be making a lot out of is the way he walks with God – that is what we are looking at, that is what we want for ourselves. To love God like that. To be totally and utterly confident in him.
You may know the story but you must read it line by line. Read it out loud. Imagine it. Think of the feeling of the environment.
This is a place of war and intimidation.
Are the end times going to be any different?
There will be no rapture to protect the Christians. Revelation is clear. People will die for their faith before that first resurrection. And why would we be looking for an escape? God is ours, we trust in him.
1 Samuel 18
David and Jonathan – a bond in the spirit happens. The love. The love of the brethren. The love that we find in Christ. That cements people together in his kingdom. Absolutely stunningly beautiful here.
Saul’s jealousy is against David. These are spiritual principles at play.
The enemy, the one jealous for that anointing, that calling, will seek to destroy you in all forms. And even those around you, that love you, could fall into the trap of judging you.
But here Jonathan is of a kind.
We see the derailment of Saul. But the constant phrase in this chapter about David is:
‘And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him’
1 Samuel 18:14
David is so humble, so committed to serving the King, even though the King was jealous and plotting to harm him.
1 Samuel 19
Saul is plotting to kill and he is recruiting helpers. His son is strategizing how to save David. Even David’s wife, Saul’s daughter, has to help protect him.
And where does David go?
To Samuel. To the man of God. And look what happens! OMG. Stunning.
The Spirit of God, the prophesying – and it’s running over, affecting anyone that comes into its radius. The whole place must have been filled with that beautiful anointing of God.
Even Saul cannot escape its potency.
Now THAT is what the church should be like.
