1 Samuel 17: 34-37,45-49
34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
45Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
This was definitely a favorite story of mine, growing up. A little boy defeating a giant? I think that is one way to catch and keep a child's attention in sunday school. Now, it is, to me, a great story of faith. David was "only" a shepherd. Clearly, his family did not think that one day he would kill a Philistine..and they certainly did not think he would do it when he was young. Before the faith aspect, it also shows how God prepares us for what is to come. David told Saul that in the past he had been confronted by both a lion and a bear. Two different obstacles, on two different occasions, but each time, because of God, David was able to defeat them and save his lamb. Perhaps, at the time, David thought it was something incredible or something only in coincidence, but NOW he realizes that the lion and the bear were to prepare him for facing Goliath. Although they were big obstacles, they were only to train him for something bigger that was coming. And David realized this and told him, God delivered them into my hands, and He will do the same with the Philistine. Which brings us back to faith. It reminds me of how the Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. David had faith and knew that since God did it for Him in the past, He would do it for Him on that day.He also recognized that no matter the trial or tribulation, God is with you. David also pointed out a distinct difference between Goliath and himself, which is also important to mention. Sometimes we will do something and it will fall apart, will not work no matter what we do..and then we try it again and it works! We may not realize it at the time (sometimes I do..sometimes I realize it after the fact), but the reason it finally works is because this time we allowed God to come in on it. Instead of trying to do it ourselves or getting the help of the world, we gave it to Him. I mean to say, not that we dont need others help, but we need God's first. Another thing, which I have been making a point to remember to do, though at times I still forget, is that David gave all credit and praise to God. I think I read somewhere that even if you dont think you have anything to be thankful for, thank Him at least for waking you up in the morning! That's very true..that's one of, if not the best thing that the Lord continues to do for us- putting breath in our bodies. David said that the battle was God's and when he won, everyone would know that it was because of the Lord. Everything the Lord does, no matter how big or small, we need to give Him credit. Praise Him and thank Him..everyday.
Love & Blessings,
*** DS Adeola Oyelabi***
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