In the following verse King Saul and David are talking about David wanting to fight Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:32-37 – 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”
Now this post is on one thing in which 20 or more could be written. I’m going to concentrate today on how God prepared a boy to fight and take out one of the toughest warriors of their day.
David was the youngest of 8 sons that belonged to Jesse. He tended the sheep for his father’s flock.
During that time he had dangerous Sheppard duties. I know I would be freaked out at my age if I was tending sheep and a lion came along.
He was the protector of the flock and I’m sure he practiced slinging stones from his sling all day long. It appears to me it was the kind of job which gave him time to practice as well as time to meditate on the Lord.
When the lion and the bear came around, he had built the confidence to confront his enemies. However, don’t miss the fact that God had him out there as a Sheppard in the first place. David had a willing heart to serve God.
Now David found himself on the battle lines. He knew that God already rescued him from the lion and the bear. No small task there. He also knew that God would give him victory over Goliath.
They tried to put armor on him. They tried to give him a shield and a helmet. They tried to give him a heavy sword to use.
None of this was familiar to him. It wasn’t how he trained. It wasn’t how God how prepared him up to this point. David was ready for battle based on his trust for God. He trusted that God would give him victory and he trusted that God had prepared him to fight.
He didn’t count on God giving Goliath a heart attack, although God was capable of doing that. No, God had prepared him prior to this fight, from his responsibility of protecting the sheep.
We have a responsibility to continue to prepare for what God has planned for us. If we’re not ready and our hearts are not right, we get passed over like David’s seven older brothers.
Prepare yourselves. How? By studying God’s Word as often as you can.
By studying God’s Word you prepare for that lost sole that is seeking God and needs your help. By preparing you’re less apt to get swept away by some slick talking guy that’s not teaching the correct things about God whose Son is Jesus Christ.
Every one of us has some sort of talent that can be used for God. No talent is too small. If you use a small talent for Jesus, it’s better than an amazing one someone has that isn’t.
Prepare for the things God has in store for you, because if you’re not prepared, or willing and able, he can’t use you in the battle.