Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 17:32-33, Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
In spite of all the discouraging words that came from his own family, David now finds himself standing before King Saul. Even though the report went out that someone actually spoke words standing up against the giant, no one had actually accepted the challenge issued by Goliath. Here, before the king, David steps forth and accepts Goliath’s challenge, but is met with resistance. The resistance came from one who made a judgment based on David’s appearance. Here was this young man, a teenager, who was willing to fight against a man who was not only a giant, but a seasoned warrior. How often have we made a judgment about what another person was capable of, simply because of their outward appearance, or even their age? We sometimes make assumptions about others without knowing their story. David had a story that no one but God knew about, and now Saul was about to find out. In verses 34-37 David read David’s response, “But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ 37 Moreover David said, ‘The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’” As David continued to speak, he spoke with more and more boldness. His initial response to Goliath’s threats was more of an inquiry, “Is anyone going to do anything about this? Is there not a cause?” (My paraphrase.) Now standing before the king, he volunteers to fight Goliath, but then makes the bold statement that he would kill Goliath. Where did this boldness come from? Well, it came from what God had already done in David’s life. Here is where it is of great importance for us to always remember how God is working in our lives. While David humbly served his family keeping the sheep, God used it as a training ground to prepare David for this very moment in time. As he began recalling how God delivered him from the lion and the bear, he conveying to King Saul that he was certain that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. This was the major difference in how Saul and David were looking at this situation. Saul approached this from a natural point-of-view, which compared David’s physical being and lack of military experience with Goliath’s physical stature and military experience. David, on the other hand, saw this as God’s fight, and was already quite aware of God’s ability to deliver him from challenges that were bigger and stronger than he was. David’s willingness to step forward and meet this challenge, that no one else would undertake, had nothing to do with being a prideful young man. It had everything to do with a young man, who based on what he had already seen God do in life, had the kind of faith that made him believe that nothing was impossible with God. How do we view the challenges in our life, especially when our faith is challenged? Do we cower from an enemy that is bigger and stronger than we are? The devils most certainly are stronger and bigger than we are, but we have Jesus on our side, if we are born again believers. We have been given spiritual armor in Ephesians 6 to help us stay in the fight. When we face such challenges, do we see it for what it is and immediately go to prayerfully putting on our armor? Are we doing this every single day as we go out into the world? Because quite honestly, every day that we go out into the world, whether we are going to work, running errands, or just out trying to enjoy our day, we may encounter a challenge from any number of giants. How will we respond? Will we run and hide, or will we go forward in the Name of Jesus and allow Him to conquer some giants in our lives?
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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