Thoughts for the week - Pastor Larry Quinnell

It is likely that all of us have heard or read the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel chapter 17. David ran an errand for his father, bringing food for his brothers. The oldest, Eliab, immediately challenged David as the motivation for visiting the battlefield. David was likely little more than a boy, based on “ruddy complexion,” meaning red or not shaving yet. Goliath was a giant! We can calculate Goliath’s height at about 9 feet 9 inches tall. His armor alone weighed about 126 pounds. Goliath was a terrifying sight to behold!

We know more about how we are built now, and there is a pituitary gland behind the eyes that causes many things to happen in the body, one of which is growth. If a tumor develops there, this could cause excess secretions of a growth hormone. In addition, the tumor can cause significant vision problems. This could explain Goliath’s condition.

Every day for 40 days (a biblical time of testing), Goliath taunted the army of Israel. No one in Israel wanted to fight Goliath. David heard the taunt, and thought how dare this Philistine defame the name of the one true God! David volunteered to fight the giant. The Israel army soldiers took David to the king, where King Saul, himself a tall man, head and shoulders above anyone else, wanted to outfit David with the King’s armor and sword. David tried it on, but none of it fit, and he was not comfortable enough to fight in it. Wisely, David declared that he had fought off the lion and the bear in defending the flock. He could do the same with the giant.

David picked up 5 smooth stones and went to the battlefield. If Goliath’s condition was one also of poor vision, which may explain why he had a shield bearer (who may have also been his walking guide), when David ran toward Goliath, loading his sling, Goliath may not have been able to track the movement. It could also be that the giant could not see the sling being whirled or the stone flying.

There are some encouragements that we can take away from this well-known biblical story:

1. Like Eliab, there may be those who are closest to you who will not believe that God can change you and use you for His Glory. We have to accept that those who know the worst of us, may not believe in us, nor in the God we believe. They could be our biggest cheerleaders, but there are times that they are the ones who want to discourage us the most.
2. Only fight the battles that the Lord has for you. To do otherwise is to invite calamity for our arrogance. But once it is the Lord’s battle, and we are engaged, we need to give it everything we have.
3. David knew that he was loved, blessed, and gifted. We can expect God to use all of us, our experiences, our abilities, our skills, our talents, and our gifts in His battles. When the disciples left Jesus at the well in Samaria, they went to the local village and brought back lunch. The Samaritan woman went back to the village, and used her sordid past as a platform for testimony to declare the glory of Jesus as the promised Messiah. She brought back a village who became believers themselves.
4. Sometimes we try to fight the battles that God has given us with someone else’ armor. Another’s armor will not fit, will not be comfortable, and will not be effective. We need to outfit ourselves with our own experiences with God. When we can declare: “I have witnessed the faithfulness of God. I have experienced the strengthening of God. I have felt the comfort of God.”, we are giving a testimony of a personal God!
5. David knew to measure this giant against the size of God. We tend to measure our giants against our own strengths. We also need to remember that David had to face and defeat the giant (as do we), with a pebble. But a pebble with the power of the finger of God behind it is enough!

As each of us faces our own personal giants in this season of turmoil, fear, and uncertainty, we can acknowledge that God is living, active, and it is He who wants to work in us and through us to His great pleasure! We can stand in victory because of our faith in God.

Praise God that He will not take us to a battlefield, without giving us all of the resources required for victory!