February 17, 2024

I Samuel 17.32, 40, 48, 50  (NIV)
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” . . . Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. . . . As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. . . . So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone.

Great acts of faith are seldom born out of calm calculation.*

Here is David, a shepherd boy sent on an errand to the front lines of battle - and he’s trying to cheer everyone up. “Come on, guys. Don’t be so glum. I’ll take care of this for you.” Can’t you just see the budding psalmist in this scene? David is an encourager as well as a very brave young man.

 

Just how brave is he? First, let’s examine his preparations for battle. Why did he take five stones? If the first one missed, did he think he would get another try? There is speculation that he took five stones because he knew that Goliath had four brothers. What! He wasn’t just bravely going into battle against one giant? He thought he was going to have to deal with five of them? Did I say that David was brave?

So what did David do after he armed himself? He “ran quickly . . . to meet him.” He didn’t just wait for the giant to come to him – he was proactive. As I was reading this story, I couldn’t help but think of the scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indiana Jones meets up with an assassin in an alley. The guy is armed to the teeth with sabers and knives. He is all flash and dash and intimidation as he swishes his blades in the air. Instead of being alarmed, Indy just rolls his eyes, pulls out his gun and shoots. As delusional as that assassin, the Philistines thought their armor and weapons, giants and taunting, were going to save them from a young man who knew who his Deliverer was.

If we, like David, know and trust our Deliverer, we can be brave and ready for battle, too.

The hero pedestal is a precarious place on which to stand. . . [but] God has used heroic men and women throughout history to lead his people and serve his purposes.*

*Quote sources available upon request.