Choose Your Weapon

Photo by Awais Jamil on Unsplash

38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.

(1 Samuel 17:38-42)

Because of God's displeasure with King Saul, an evil spirit tormented the king regularly. On the recommendation of one of Saul's servants, David - known to be a gifted player of the lyre - was brought in to soothe the king's spirit. Every time David played, the king experienced relief. As the battle within Saul (between who he was called to be and who he had become) was taking hold, a battle was also beginning to rage in the land, and the opponents were fierce. Bigger, stronger, and seemingly better equipped, the Philistines relished taunting the Israelites.

David could have considered the reasons that he should not get involved: he was not a soldier, he was too young, he was too small. When he volunteered to fight the biggest and loudest of them all, David couldn't even manage the bulky armor that Saul had him try on. But David knew who he was: he was a shepherd who had fought a lion and a bear to protect his father's sheep, and - although Saul didn't know - he was chosen by God to be the next king. David understood God to be greater than his most formidable opponent, and he trusted that the God who had called him would protect him as he fought for God's people.

God is greater than the giants we face - rather internal, like Saul, or external, like David. Our faith in God, and our trust in God's promises, are our most powerful weapons.

3 Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds.

(2 Corinthians 10:3-4)