David and Goliath

[Pilgrim1951]

During my morning devotions this morning, I was reading in 1Samuel about David facing and killing the giant, Goliath. I always get a thrill when I get to the part where David tells Goliath, “You come to me with a sword, 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 and take your head from you…Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”1Samuel 17:45-47



Once more as I read these passages, I was in awe. But then the Lord began to show me some other things:

1. David did not just suddenly have the tremendous faith to face this impossible situation. When Saul tried to talk him out of going up against Goliath, David sited to him earlier tests of faith, …”Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from it’s mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by it’s beard, and struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God…The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1Samuel 17:34-37 God had built his faith over time until he was ready to receive the faith from God it would take to face the giant and slay him.



2. David did not just show up there on his own. Circumstances (pre-arranged by God), and obedience to his father, Jesse, placed him there. 1Samuel 16:1-23, 1Samuel 17:12-20



3. He went to battle with only the weapons that God provided. When Saul put his own armor and helmet on David, he couldn’t even walk under the weight of it, it was so heavy, oversized and cumbersome. 1Samuel 17:38-40. How many times have we gone forward in obedience to something God has told us to do, only to take our own man-made weapons with us (perhaps our own will and impatience, deciding on our own what the results should be), and then wonder why the result lacks power and somehow, the Lord has not been glorified in the way He originally intended. David would have been mowed down immediately if he had kept the borrowed armor. God’s armor was all he needed.



4. David’s heart was right before God – “For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1Samuel 16:7. I don’t know about you, but I am so grateful for God’s mercy and grace. That He looks at my heart and not my outward appearance, gives me such hope. Because I know that only He can change my heart. I can’t do it, I can only offer up myself as a living sacrifice, and He does the rest. Praise God!



http://www.all-about-your-dog.com/working-dogs.html

 

[Wakeup2god]

Good post Pilgrim.

David was good at encouraging himself in the Lord. He did it at Ziklag when facing opposition. Here's something on Giant killing.

How to kill a giant​

​

Take stock of your strengths and weaknesses. Don’t rely on the next mans strengths. Use that which God has equipped you with. If you learnt to use the sling shot whilst tending sheep then use it. Don’t attempt to wear someone else’s armour.

Choose some stones. In other words, once you’ve identified your own strengths carefully choose the right projectile. Slings don’t fire arrows! What is the right stone for your sling. A favourite verse or maybe the words to a song?

Confront the problem face to face. Don’t bury your head in the sand and hope it will go away, it never does. Don’t trust in the plans of men. Trust God. When He says He’ll never leave you nor forsake you He means it. You are never alone.

Aim for the head. After all the enemy does. His strongest form of attack is through your mind. When confronted by Satan in the wilderness Jesus answered him with scripture. The mind is a battle field. Win the battle of the mind before it reaches the physical.

Take no prisoners. David beheaded Goliath. There was no coming back for him.

 

[angelwind]

I have just read thru 1 and 2 Samuel too. I was thinking that when David killed the lion and the bear...he did not know a Goliath was in his future. Each "small" giant we choose to stand and face...pick our stones...looking to the Lord for ourselves and not leaning on the strength and gifts that others have...all of these prepare and fit us for the "bigger" battles in life.

David was probably alone with his sheep...just he and God together..."learning the ropes"...before he had a more public battle that put the lives of men in the outcome...not just sheep.

PS...I am always sad when I reach the pages that tell of David's death. Never seems to be different for me...he was a passionate warrior King for the Lord.

 

[HumbleBee]

Wonderful posts people! Here's a message I just read earlier today! TY JESUS for such confirmation and insights!
by Victoria Boyson
Web: www.boyson.org

TAKE A STAND

So often we are afraid to stand up to our enemy. Satan terrorizes us and we let him get away with it. The children of Israel were of afraid of Goliath until the Lord raised up David who simply trusted in God. David knew that, "The Lord who delivered [him] from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear [would] deliver [him] from the hand of [the] Philistine" (I Samuel 17:37).

David saw that something had to be done with this arrogant Philistine saying, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (I Samuel 17:26b)

He trusted that if he went up against Goliath, he would beat him, not because of who he was, but because God was on his side backing him up. He knew he had only to step out and fight against his enemy, and God would give him the victory.

"As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle-line to meet him" (I Samuel 17:48). He ran quickly toward the battle because his faith in God was strong. The victory had nothing to do with David, but it had everything to do with his God. David threw the stone, but God killed the giant. After Goliath was killed, the Philistines ran away, not because they feared David, but because they feared David's God.

We, too, can go boldly into battle, because we have a great God who loves us and who will defend us. We can, like David, face the things we fear, and God will be standing by our side ready to defeat our enemies if only we will step out in faith and stand up to them.


FEAR NO EVIL

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

If you entered into a war in the natural realm with vastly greater weapons than your enemy, you would have no fear. If you had a missile and they had only a pistol, you would not fear your enemy. You would be assured of an overwhelming victory before you even engaged them in battle.

So it is with us as the children of God. When we stand in battle, we can be assured of victory, because we have a powerful weapon . . . God. When God is on our side, however great the odds against us are in the natural, we need not fear our enemy. God is our defender, and no matter how our enemy may boast, we can have peace. We will not fear, because HE is with us, and we can find comfort in His rod and safety in His staff.

God is on our side, therefore, we have no reason to fear evil. All we must do is stand strong in faith against our adversary, and God will give us the victory. If we simply "throw the stone," God will take care of the giant!

It is not about us, the enemy, or the battle, but it is all about God who loves us. He wants to see His children stand strong, not because they are confident in themselves, but because they are confident in Him.


OUR GREAT BIG GOD

If in every situation you entered you were confident that God was there with you, you would not fear anything. Again, in Psalm 23:4 it says, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me." Our bravery is based on His power and strength. We are strengthened by the Creator of the universe standing by our side and nothing shall by any means harm us.

No one is more powerful than God and He is always with us ready to defend. We have nothing to fear because, even in the face of death, our Almighty Father will devour our enemies. There is NO power greater than our God; He is our strength and shield. Our enemies tremble in fear before us as they see the power of God radiating from inside us.


KNOWING GOD

When David went up against Goliath, he was offended by the insults Goliath hurled at Israel. He asked, "Who is the uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" (I Samuel 17:26). He could not understand why they were fearing Goliath. It wasn't presumption that made David speak out, but he knew the power of his God. He knew God was with him and with Israel and he was confident in that fact.

He knew if God were with him, no matter how tall Goliath stood, he stood taller. Why did he have such confidence and others did not? Because he knew God! While David was out defending his sheep, the Lord proved His power to him as he fought against lions and bears. He had developed a relationship with God in the wilderness and had experienced His faithfulness.

God brought him out into the fields where they could be alone together. During the time He spent with David, God was able to convince him that he was a giant killer! He convinced David that he was special to Him, and because of their relationship, he would be blessed.

Beloved, you don't need to fear anything with God on your side. Stand guard over your heart to keep fear from entering in and destroying your faith in Him, for fear is the enemy of faith.

Pray this with me:

Dear Father,
Please forgive me for fearing anything but You. I pray that You would manifest Your power through me so that others might trust in You

 

[IKTCA]

Sister Pilgrim1951:
Since I read your post this morning, I have been thinking about David all day. As I reflect on his life as recorded in the bible - as much as I can remember - I come to the realization that he truly lived the way that God wanted.

I look back my life. There were times of anxiety, wanting to know what I must do and what I must be. After waiting for 10 years, I finally received an assignment from the Lord. Restlessness and anxiety disappeared. I settled in my routine, doing what the Lord told me to do.

Now I am becoming somewhat restless again. It's not because I want a different or greater assignment. It is because I do not know to what extent I must do the assignment.

A heart not wholly devoted to the Lord is bound to be pecked and chipped by the enemy. I am noticing it's happening to me for the first time. Though it was happening all along, I just wasn't sensitive enough to notice it. So I know I must devote more of me to the Lord. But to what extent must I do this? At what level of devotion will I not be stolen of peace and thanksgiving?

As Sisters AW and HB pointed out, one must be alone before the Lord to know what he desires. And that's what I must do. If you remember me in your prayers, please strengthen me. I want to be where the Lord wants me to be when I breathe my last, as David became what God wanted him to be.

Brother Rupert (iktca1951)

 

[TheOriginalWhitehorse]

What strikes me about the David and Goliath story is that David didn't play by Goliath's rules. There's the story behind the story at work here. There's the surface meaning that the world could see, and then there was the true, hidden meaning which only the spiritual eye can see, and so Goliath and the Philistines lost the battle.

You see, Goliath was busy looking at what his physical eye could see, and he spent inordinate amounts of time doing so. He issued mockery after taunt after foolhardy threat. He challenged David. He scorned David.
But the problem wasn't that David didn't have. The problem was that Goliath couldn't see what David had. And David didn't take Goliath's advice, or his challenge. He looked to the Lord-which Goliath didn't have.

And so David won the battle.