Courage and Confidence

"Then Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.' But David said to Saul, 'Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.' And David said, '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.'" 1 Samuel 17.33-37a

Eliab is not the only one who doesn't want David fighting Goliath. When David goes before Saul, the king is not willing to let him go out to fight. Saul points out that Goliath is a seasoned warrior, and David is just a boy. However, David is no stranger to combat. As a shepherd he was responsible to the protection of the sheep. Sheep have no natural defenses and are easy pickings for a predator like a lion or a bear, that is why they have a shepherd.

David tells Saul about the times when one of the sheep was taken, and David did what any good shepherd would do. He went after the lion or the bear, fought it and killed it, rescuing the sheep. He tells Saul that he has faced dangerous opponents before, and that this Philistine will be the same as the lion and bear that now lay dead. Goliath has insulted God, and David knows that God will deliver him from Goliath because he is standing up for God.

Men, we all face battles throughout our lives, and I believe that those small battles are preparation for when we must fight a giant. It started with a lion, then a bear, and then it becomes a nine and a half foot man. But just as God was with you, during the training battles, He will be with you against the giant. The smaller battles we face in life help us to learn to trust in God. They help us to learn how to fight and to develop the skills necessary to take on the giant. The training gives us the confidence in God to have the courage to fight, and slay, the giant.

Let us be men who fight the battles we encounter, learning to trust in God as we do. Let us be men who are willing to fight the giant because we know that God will be with us as we stand for Him. Let us be men or courage and confidence.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor