Monday, April 15, 2024

         David’s battle with Goliath is an unforgettable story.  Many worthy Bible studies have been based upon this clash between the Philistine champion and the man after God’s own heart.  You may recall from this story that Goliath taunted and trash-talked the army of Israel for forty days.  The Bible says that this giant bellowed his insults and mockery every morning and every evening for forty long days.  Imagine listening to that noise and boasting!  Israel had no answer.  No one would step forward to oppose Goliath.  Why?  Fear was likely one reason.  And likely there was this expectation that somebody somewhere in the ranks of Israel’s army would at last stand to oppose Goliath and take on the challenge of defeating him.  We can easily picture everyone looking around at each other expecting someone to step forward to take the challenge.  1 Samuel 17:11 says, “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”  They were scared and disoriented.  No one really knew what to do.  And then, at last, David stepped forward.
            David heard the defiance, the taunts, the pride and the derision that seethed from Goliath’s lips.  The Bible says that “whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear” (1 Samuel 17:24).  Not taking any more belittling from this giant, David agreed to take on the fight.  Most of the betting odds would have been on Goliath.  But David properly characterized the nature of this battle.  He said, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17:45).  And there was the key to victory—the name of the Lord Almighty.  David rested confidently in God’s power and provision.  He knew that God would see him through to victory just as God had blessed him in the past when battles had to be fought.
            Today, we live by the name of the Lord.  Those saved by faith in Christ are His children.  We do not have to live by or in our power alone.  We do not have to fight enemies or slay giants by our power.  We know that God will provide.  One of our sources for faith today and tomorrow is the presence of answered promises and blessings from the past.  We often sing the word “O God our help in ages past, our hope for years to come.”  The hymn teaches us that we can trust God because He keeps His Word and He has proven Himself to be faithful and good.  We can trust God with tomorrow because He has proven Himself to be faithful in many yesterdays. 
            David wisely said, “for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands” (1 Samuel 17:47b).  All battles in life can be entrusted to the Lord.  We can hand him any foe or fear, battle or big shot, stress or storm.  God is able.  He is decisively and definitively able to do all that we can ask or imagine and even more than we can possibly conceive with human minds and wits alone.  Remember Paul’s confident words to the Ephesian Christians.  The apostle wrote, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).  If life goes sideways, remember these words and promises from Paul.  Remember David’s courage and confidence that God would give him victory. 
            The good news is David defeated Goliath—by one stone.  This soon-to-be-king knew that the praise and glory belonged to God and God alone.  When Saul, the incumbent king at the time, asked David who he was.  This shepherd boy replied, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem” (1 Samuel 17:58b).  David did not gloat.  He did not run victory lapses.  He did not embellish his resume.  He did not boast of his many victories.  He stated his name and let it go.  He even took the title servant and identified himself by his family lineage.  It was God who gave the victory and David knew this.  When God gives you a victory, stay humble and give glory to Him.  Bow before Him and take no bow of your own.  Celebrate what He has done and given.  Have a great Monday!  Remember you can share our worship any time at youtube.com/FirstBaptistKannapolis.