In yesterday’s post about God equipping the called, I mentioned David, the man after God’s own heart. David makes for an interesting character study. He is known as the shepherd boy, the slayer of Goliath, Saul’s court musician, a warrior, an outlaw, a King, an adulterer, and the man who conquered Jerusalem. He wrote a large number of the psalms. He wasn’t perfect, but he listened to God and was obedient. He didn’t kill Saul (God’s annointed) despite having the opportunity to when Saul was trying to kill him. Yes, he had an affair and tried to cover it up by having the woman’s husband sent to the front line where he would be killed, but he also repented and accepted the consequences of that.
But it’s his start in life I want to look at here. David was the 8th son of Jesse. When looking for the next King of the Israelites, God sends Samuel to look at the sons of Jesse. Jesse lines up his first 7 sons, with David out in the field looking after the flock. Samuel looks at the outward appearance, and thinks the oldest son looks the part, but God looks at the heart, and the heart that he chooses is David, who isn’t even there. So David is chosen to be the next king when Saul dies.
Fast forward a bit and Saul’s army is facing the Phillistine army. Every day a giant Phillistine comes out and taunts the Israelites, saying that if any warrior can take him on in single combat and win, the Phillistines will surrender.
David is not part of the army, but his brothers are. Jesse sens David to find out how his brothers are doing and deliver some food. While David is there he hears the challenge. David doesn’t seem impressed. In fact, he seems affronted that anyone should defy the armies of God’s people. Condensing the story slightly, he offers to slay the giant.
Remember, he is destined to become king, although I’m not sure how many people knew that at this point. He is destined to become king, but spends his time either looking after sheep or playing the lyre in Saul’s court. Neither suggest an experienced warrior…
But David knows God. Its almost like he wants to defend God’s honour. And he knows that, when looking after the flock, he can take on wolves and bears. That’s an important piece of information for me. A hired hand wouldn’t risk their life for a sheep, but David does. Any time a sheep gets carried off, David rescues it. He cares for them all.
When David offers to fight Goliath, Saul originally dresses David in his armour. But David isn’t as tall as Saul so it doesn’t fit. And David doesn’t fight like Saul so it isn’t really a good idea. David trusts his own skills and God’s guidance. He chooses 5 stones for his sling and approaches the giant. And claiming victory in the name of the Lord, he loads one stone into his sling and kills Goliath.
I think this is an important point too. David is the courageous hero who fights in God’s name, and the whole army has seen that. Until then, he was a shepherd boy and a musician. God had to provide the opportunity for others to see who David was and what he brought to the table.
God calls people and equips them, but they also have some skills already. And sometimes those skills are not obvious until God gives them the opportunity to shine. Is God calling you into something that others can’t see yet? Because if that’s the case, you need to trust that call and step up and meet your (hopefully not literal) Goliath. David wasn’t perfect, he changed and evolved and God equipped him at each stage of his life. But David had to be prepared to offer what he did have at each stage, even when all he had was 5 stones, a sling, decent accuracy and a whole lot of faith. What have you got to offer? You may not think it much, but God can use it to slay giants if you let him.
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