Then David said to the Philistine, “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 (1 Samuel 17:45).
I 1 Samuel 17, you find the Israelite and the Philistine armies facing one another in a valley ready to fight. Mountains surrounded the armies, with the Israelites camped in the mountains on one side of the river valley, and the Philistines camped on the opposite side.
In between the two armies stood a man named Goliath, a Philistine. Goliath was a descendant of the race of giants in the land of Canaan. He was the offspring of fallen angels and men (See Genesis 6). Goliath stood a bit over 13 feet tall. He weighed between 400 and 600 pounds. His body armor weighed around 300 pounds. He ominously taunted the Israelites each morning and night for forty days. No man in the Israelite army dared fight him, for fighting him meant certain death.
David was a shepherd boy who had been sent by his father to deliver some food to his three older brothers who were in the Israeli army. As David gave them the food, Goliath came out to challenge the Israelites as he had for many days.
David became enraged that this giant of a man was holding the entire Israeli army captive. After obtaining permission from King Saul, and after being disdained by his brothers, David went into the valley to challenge the huge hulk of a man. He carried only his shepherd’s rod and his sling with a pouch for stones.
David was only a boy with red hair and freckles. The giant was infuriated that Israel would send a small boy to challenge him. But David was not naïve. As a shepherd, he had killed a lion and bear when they attacked his flock. He had become skilled in the use of the sling.
Some armies of his day would go to battle armed with only slings. A sling was a powerful weapon in trained hands. Some men were so skilled with the use of a sling that they could hit any small target from a great distance. The sling could be used with such force that a stone could pierce heavy armor and easily kill in battle.
David had no doubt honed his skill in using a sling, and had also developed his faith in God. When he approached Goliath, he did so knowing that God’s power and ability was on him as a covenant man with Almighty God. He also knew that with God on his side, this towering giant was defenseless. He remembered how he with his sling had killed a raging lion, and a fierce bear. He believed that if God had protected him from the mouth of the lion and the paw of the bear, then certainly God would be with him in this conflict.
The stone landed in an opening in Goliath’s helmet at his forehead and the giant bit dust. David’s covenant God had come to his aid once again.
As you face your life giants, realize that you have a better covenant with God than David had that is established on better promises! If God can deliver David from what looked like impossible odds of being killed, certainly he can deliver you from what looks like a life disaster.
Feed on God’s Word and develop your faith in His absolute integrity. He will not forsake you in your tough times. Develop your faith by exercising it every day. The Father’s desire is to fight and win the battle for you as you stand in uncompromising faith. What the Father did for David He is willing to do for you. Expect miracles!
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