Only a boy named David.
He left the sheepfold to deliver food to his brothers, at his father’s request, fighting the Philistines. He arrives as enemies go out to the battle line. In the crowd of Israelite men, he finds his brothers and gives them greetings. The crowd grows silent as a giant of a man raised his voice, armor clanking, yet effortlessly he walked to the edge of the line,
“Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, ”I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”
Something stirred in David, Who was this man to speak of Israel so? Does he not know we have a Living God?
The men began to mumble, whispering what would be given to the man who fought Goliath. Davids asks, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?
Eliab, the eldest of Jesse’s sons, rebukes David. He chastises him for leaving the sheep and coming to watch the battle. They part and David continues through the crowd repeating his question, What shall be done…? And the men reply the same as before.
It seems this young man is making a rallying cry in an effort to motivate the troops to action–someone must stand up!
Eventually, he is brought before Saul and says,
“Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
******
This boy, among trained warriors and king, is the only one willing to stand up against an enemy of God and Israel. Is he simply arrogant? Does he think he has something the rest of the army lacks?
What David has that the rest did not was perspective. Significance brings perspective. David knew he was young. He knew he was just a shepherd boy. But he had also seen God deliver him from lions and bears.
David doesn’t say, “I will deliver Israel,” but instead “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
He shuns the armor and walks out to the battle line with his simple possessions: a shaft, a sling, and 5 stones.
Goliath mocks him.
David, firm in the Truth replies,
“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
And the Lord did.
With the swing of one stone, Goliath fell. David cut off his head and the Philistines retreated with the Israelites in hot pursuit.
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What this 31 days of significance is already showing me is that it’s not up to us.
God delivers, God provides and he seems to enjoy displaying His glory in the weakest means possible. Just look at Nehemiah, Esther, Gideon, and David…insignificant in the eyes of the world. Powerless. Oppressed. Young. Weak.
But with God the world’s perspective doesn’t matter. God doesn’t care how the world measures you.
He calls you to do something and then provides the means. Me, you, the person in the pew behind you–we’re the conduit, not the power.
It’s not about what we can bring to the table. God doesn’t need our help. I believe he uses us for His glory…to show that even with the weakest tool He is still Almighty.
But I also think that the Lord crafts us into his plan to show us something…to increase our faith, to show us His trustworthiness and faithfulness.
We walk in significance when we realize
it’s not up to us. It’s not about us.
For the battle is the Lord’s. He is Deliverer.
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This series has been speaking directly to where I am. Thank you!
This. is. so. good.
“With God the world’s perspective doesn’t matter. God doesn’t care how the world measures you…It’s not about what we can bring to the table. God doesn’t need our help.”