Use Your Divine Weapons
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go out and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
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, 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. . . . The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”. . . .
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in there,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. I Samuel 17:32-40
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, 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. . . . The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”. . . .
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in there,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. I Samuel 17:32-40
“You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man and he has been a fighter from his youth.” Translation: “You will be toast for Goliath.”
That was a succinct natural assessment of David, the young teenager, going out to fight a seasoned military giant who was over nine feet tall and who single-handedly defied the Living God and put His soldiers to flight! But David was undeterred. His response was based on an intimate relationship with the LORD under whose wings he abided. He said: “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” David had an unwavering faith in God.
The next stage of the conversation with Saul was even more revealing of David’s confidence in God. Saul felt David needed to go out and fight in his armor. David tried it out and said: “I cannot go in these because I am not used to them.” With that, he went out and picked five smooth stones from the stream and headed off to face Goliath with his shepherd’s staff and sling in his hand. David did not depend on Saul’s armor; he depended fully on God’s armor!
David remembered that it was the armor of God that protected him from the bear and the lion and he would rather continue to depend on it and nothing else.
The truth is, when we start off in life, marriage, career or ministry, we have very little to depend on except prayers and our faith in God. That is typically the only armor we wear. We constantly run to God. But somewhere along the line, we become successful, experienced and sophisticated and so we dump the divine armor and put on “Saul’s” armor.
Can I give you a word of advice? The Bible says the weapons we fight with are divine, not of this world. Never feel so experienced that you jettison your divine armor for anything else!
That was a succinct natural assessment of David, the young teenager, going out to fight a seasoned military giant who was over nine feet tall and who single-handedly defied the Living God and put His soldiers to flight! But David was undeterred. His response was based on an intimate relationship with the LORD under whose wings he abided. He said: “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” David had an unwavering faith in God.
The next stage of the conversation with Saul was even more revealing of David’s confidence in God. Saul felt David needed to go out and fight in his armor. David tried it out and said: “I cannot go in these because I am not used to them.” With that, he went out and picked five smooth stones from the stream and headed off to face Goliath with his shepherd’s staff and sling in his hand. David did not depend on Saul’s armor; he depended fully on God’s armor!
David remembered that it was the armor of God that protected him from the bear and the lion and he would rather continue to depend on it and nothing else.
The truth is, when we start off in life, marriage, career or ministry, we have very little to depend on except prayers and our faith in God. That is typically the only armor we wear. We constantly run to God. But somewhere along the line, we become successful, experienced and sophisticated and so we dump the divine armor and put on “Saul’s” armor.
Can I give you a word of advice? The Bible says the weapons we fight with are divine, not of this world. Never feel so experienced that you jettison your divine armor for anything else!
Prayer: Father, please help me never to depend on any armor but you alone. Amen