There are times when the ways of God seem absolutely ridiculous. When you think to yourself, “How on earth is He gonna pull this off using these people and these circumstances?” And yet He always does – in miraculous ways.
These are my favorite stories, both ancient and new. Stories of God working in ways and through people and things that can do nothing but bring glory to Him. Such is the story of David…
I Samuel 17. Israel is being threatened by the Philistines, their long time nemeses. In particular, there’s a big guy among them, Goliath, who comes out every day cursing the Israelite army in his arrogant, booming voice for all to hear. This man is nine feet tall and massive with enormous amounts of armor weighing close to two hundred pounds. And he’s yelling for someone to come and fight him, promising that if the Israelite soldier can kill him, the Philstines will become slaves to Israel. But if Goliath kills the Israelite, then the opposite will be true. Needless to say, no one was quick to come forward to volunteer for the job. Except for one kid – David, son of Jesse.
When David heard Goliath’s rants, he was indignant. How dare anyone “defy the armies of the Living God?” The only way that he was within earshot of Goliath’s words is because he was taking lunch to his brothers who were on the battle line. He wasn’t even supposed to be there and his brothers were miffed that he’d shown up. But Saul, the king, was intrigued and sent for David.
Confidently and directly, David basically said, “Don’t let this guy get to you. I’ll go out and fight him.” I wonder if Saul held back a huge laugh at this. This is a shepherd boy who has no war experience whatsoever. And Goliath has been a warrior for longer than David’s life. But David’s confidence doesn’t waver. He knows that God has provided experiences in his past that have prepared him for this. In protecting his sheep, he singlehandedly killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. He felt that this Philistine was no different – an enemy whom David wanted to protect his people from. He knew that his God was bigger than any Philistine and could defeat him even through a lowly shepherd.
Saul gave him his blessing. But he was still not fully convinced. He loaded David up with armor. Heavy stuff that David was not used to. It wasn’t his style. It wasn’t who he was. So he took them off and went for what he knew – his staff and some rocks and a sling. Simple stuff to which he was much more accustomed.
Now, is it any wonder that Goliath mocked him when he came out to meet him? Little David, looking naked compared to this giant enemy covered in full armor. Inexperience versus professional. Sensitive heart versus killer instinct. By all appearances he had no offensive or defensive weapons. And Goliath cursed and made fun of him, certain that this would be his easiest fight yet. But David had a secret offensive weapon that would give him no need for any defensive measures. God was on his side.
v. 45-47 – “David said to the Philistine, ‘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. This day the Lord will hand you over to me and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head….And the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
I love that. He went in with a confidence not in himself but in his God. He knew that the battle had nothing to do with him. It was the Lord’s battle and so God would bring the outcome that He desired, even if the odds denied it. And what was David’s motivation? Just to overtake the Philistines? No. His first priority was that everyone would know that there was a God and it was that God who would give the Philistines over to the Israelites. And he would use one single, simple rock to do the job. How awesome is that????
Sometimes things in life seem big. Sometimes they ARE big. Way bigger than us. Ugly and foul and nasty. And they look intimidating and scary and too strong to be fought with. But look what God showed us through David. He knew David didn’t have the strength to fight that giant. David was never meant to fight that monster. God was going to do that. All David had to do was show up for the battle. To be courageous and confident in His Lord fighting for him. The stone he hurled represented that willingness to stand, but God gave the glorious outcome. God doesn’t ask us to fight through this life. He asks us to trust Him to fight for us. We are not strong enough or big enough to fight the enemy. We stand with Him and He gives the victory.
I claim this for not only the tough things in life but also the steps of faith that God leads me to take into great things. Fear can rule in these situations, too. Fear of failure. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of not being enough. But fear dissipates when we realize that God is just asking for us to be available and willing and He Himself will produce the results He is excited to reveal.
Thanks, David, for a lesson from your God rocks….
