March 1

I Samuel 16 – 17

Isn’t interesting to see how God’s path is placed before David? He is simply out tending to the sheep. We know that he was living his “everyday, normal life” in a way that honored God because I Samuel 13:14 says that he was a “man after God’s own heart”.

Samuel was sent on a mission to anoint a new king for Israel. He thought he knew what he was looking for, but God had to redirect his thoughts. I Samuel 16:7 explains “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” David was anointed.

We read that the Spirit of the LORD came upon David and that the Spirit of the LORD left Saul. Saul was tormented by an evil spirit, and God’s path for David led him straight to Saul. David did not go looking for Saul. Saul sent his attendants for David. Saul liked David because he brought peace to Saul that he could not explain.

Again, we see David simply living his “everyday, normal life” when he is sent to check on his older brothers who had followed Saul into war against the Philistines. Here he comes in contact with Goliath – “an uncircumcised Philistine who defied the armies of the living God.”

He must have been a sight. All of the Israelite men were afraid of him. Remember in
I Samuel 13:16-22 we were told that the Philistines controlled the iron and bronze in the country. The Israelites, with the exception of Saul and Jonathan, did not have swords or spears. And here comes Goliath with a bronze helmet, a bronze coat of scale armor, bronze leg protectors, a bronze javelin, a spear, and a shield. Slightly intimidating? Not to mention that he was HUGE!

David’s response shows his heart. No one – AND I MEAN, NO ONE – is going to belittle his God. David recognized that by simply living his “everyday, normal life”, God had prepared him for this moment. He had the skills necessary (even though they didn’t seem that impressive), but, more importantly, he had God.

Now here is the cool part of the story…the symbolism. Picture this. You have David – the one who cares for sheep – the one whose name means “beloved” – the one who is after God’s own heart VERSUS Goliath who definitely represents the uncircumcised, evil in the world led by Satan. The cool thing is not only the fact that David won – but how he won.

Remember in Genesis 3 when God was giving Satan his punishment in the garden for deceiving Eve? God said, “He will crush your head.” How did David kill Goliath? He crushed his head. YES! God still triumphs over Satan! His story continues. The battle between God and Satan continues, but as David said, “The battle is the Lord’s.”