Little Billy, a Jewish boy, was failing his math lessons. His parents tried everything they could to get him to do better in this subject, but he continued to fail. At last, they took him down to the Catholic School, and enrolled him. After the first day, Billy came home and went up to his room, closed the door, and went to work on his math. His parents could hardly get him down for dinner. After dinner, he went back and "hit the books again." When his report card came next time, he laid it on the table for his parents to find. When his mother read it, she was amazed. He had an "A" in math. She questioned him about it wondering how such a change had come about. She asked him if it were the teachers, or the kind of books they used, but he said "no." Then why the change in his math scores? He said, "That first day at school, I looked up on the wall, and I saw a man nailed to a plus sign, and I knew that they were not fooling around here. So I went to work on my math."
The legendary Lou Holtz said, “Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
As we continue to look at David, we will discover a boy of 15 who has grasped this knowledge of ability, motivation, and attitude. David is able to accomplish these things because he has a heart for God. His inner being desires to please God more than to please himself.
Last week we discovered that David was chosen by God to replace Saul as king of Israel. He was chosen because, “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
As the story continues the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and been replaced with a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.”
One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem is a talented harp player.”
. So David went to Saul and whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away. Saul came to love David very much but remember Saul’s heart was far from God. His love was based on the relief that David brought him.
David split his time between serving Saul and continuing to tend to his father’s sheep. Saul and the Israelite army had gone to battle against the Philistines. David’s three oldest brothers had joined the army and followed Saul into battle.
David had been away from King Saul for at least forty days. His father told him to take some food for them and their commander. Jesse’s desire was to check on his sons and see how they were doing.
When David arrives, he sees a giant of a man taunting the entire Israelite army. His name is Goliath. He stands 9 feet 9 inches tall. His armor and weaponry weigh in excess of 700 pounds. Goliath offers them a challenge.
“Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!”
When David hears these taunts he asks, “Who is this pagan Philistine that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?”
David doesn’t get it. Why is there fear of one man? He finds Saul and declares he will face Goliath. He informs Saul, “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”
Saul decided to allow David to fight the giant. In order to offer David some protection, put his own metal tunic on him, then a coat of armor, and a bronze helmet. Remember, Saul stood head and shoulders above everyone around him. David was a lad of 15. He couldn’t even walk with such a burdensome garment on. So he shed them.
Instead, David chose to take his shepherds staff, five smooth stones, and his sling in his hand to approach Goliath. Goliath was insulted. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick? Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!”
But David responded, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road.
David had what it took to get the job done. He had the ability to conquer the giant. He had fought off lions and bears with his bare hands and a club. He had snatched lambs from their jaws. But he knew where his ability come from.
1 Samuel 17:37 “ ‘The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!’
Saul finally consented. ‘All right, go ahead,’ he said. ‘And may the Lord be with you!’” When a person has a heart for God, they recognize where their abilities come from.
George Reeves played Superman on television in the 50’s. In about every episode it seemed the bad guys would unload their gun on him. The bullets would bounce harmlessly of his chest. What I never did understand was why, when the bad guys threw the empty gun at him he ducked.
Due to his portrayal on TV Reeves was cautious in his interaction with the young children who were fans of “The Adventures of Superman” because they often tried to test his "invulnerability" by assaulting him. At one appearance, a young boy came up to Reeves, pulled out a pistol and pointed it at him. The boy had taken the weapon, a Lugar that his father had brought home from World War II, to see if "Superman" really was invulnerable. Reeves convinced the boy to give him the gun by saying that someone else would get hurt when the bullets bounced off "Superman".
George Reeves was a hypocrite, playing a role that made him invincible. But the reality was that he did not have the ability to bounce bullets off his chest.
Ephesians 3:20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
When a person has a heart for God, there is a power within him to be able to accomplish great things for God. When we, like David, declare to our problems “I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies” we will see great results in our battles. When our desire is not self-recognition but rather declaring like David “everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people” God will be glorified. And a heart for God desires nothing more.
David was motivated to kill the giant.
1 Samuel 17:26 “David asked the soldiers standing nearby, ‘What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?’”
David is incensed. Why is the entire army of the living God standing before this one man in fear? As soon as David arrived, he saw the entire Israelite army running away in fright. He had faced the most ferocious of animals to protect sheep. He recognized this ability came from God. This was one man, however be it a rather large man. But they were an entire army. They could have stormed into the valley, killed this man, and routed the Philistines. Instead, they trembled in terror. David’s motivation to kill the giant was to show God’s great power.
There is a fable about a dog who loved to chase other animals. He bragged about his great running skill and said he could catch anything. Well, it wasn’t long until his boastful claims were put to the test by a certain rabbit. With ease, the little creature outran his barking pursuer. The other animals, watching with glee, began to laugh. The dog excused himself, however, by saying, "You forget, I was only running for fun. He was running for his life!" The moral of the story, “Motivation is the most important factor in everything we do.” When a person has a heart for God, serving him is the motivation in everything they do.
Also we have a responsibility to each other. Hebrews 10:24 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.”
David motivated the entire Israeli army to attack and destroy the Philistines. We are to motivate each other to love one another and do good deeds. I became involved in ministering to the homeless because someone I knew was involved in ministering to the homeless. Motivation is designed to be contagious if administered correctly.
David had the proper attitude when he killed the giant.
1 Samuel 17:45-48 “David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!’
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him.”
Notice two things. David is fully aware of the source of victory. “I come to in the name of the Lord---Today the Lord will conquer you---The Lord rescues his people---This is the Lord’s battle.”
David recognized something that everyone else was missing. This was not only a physical battle but a spiritual battle also. Saul’s men were not prepared to fight because they did not have a heart for God. If they had then Goliath would not have been allowed to defy God. Rather their heart was selfish and uncaring. They were actually content to stand on a mountaintop and allow God’s name to be defiled.
But David’s heart was seeking God constantly. He felt God’s presence wherever he was. He felt him in the pasture with the sheep and now felt him in the battlefield. He knew that the same God who given him victories over little things would give him victory over the major things. David knew that he was an instrument to bring glory to God and he allowed God to use him as such.
Also notice he ran to meet Goliath. He didn’t hesitate to offer a sacrifice or a quick prayer. He didn’t plot a strategy or examine an escape route. All it took was Goliath taking one-step toward him and David attacked. When a person has a heart for God, they do not need to fear what life offers them.
Psalm 91 is called the Soldier’s Psalm. In World War I, the 91st Brigade recited the 91st Psalm daily. This brigade engaged in three of the war’s bloodiest battles. Other units suffered up to 90% casualties, but the 91st Brigade did not suffer a single combat-related death.
In a more recent account, an Army mom was helping her son’s unit get ready to deploy. Because of what this unit does and where they would be, they were expecting extremely high casualties- 50% of the unit killed in action or severely injured. This praying mom gave the soldiers bandanas printed with Psalm 91 and made them promise to say this psalm every day.
During their deployment, day after day both officers and soldiers gathered and prayed this psalm. The unit was attacked almost daily with IEDs, mortars, or snipers. Countless devices never detonated, mortars exploded nearby with no shrapnel injuries, and their humvees were ambushed with no harm. After almost a year in Iraq, all 150 soldiers came back, with not even an injury.
Psalm 91
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
David wrote this Psalm. It reflected his attitude toward God. The soldiers who prayed this every morning reflected their attitude toward God. They had a heart to please God and glorify him. When a person surrenders their inner being to God then they will be confident in his protection.
So we end today with these questions. What are our abilities that God has given us? Do we use them to glorify him or to seek glory or ourselves?
What motivates us to move forward? Are we motivated to please God or our own selfish desires?
What is our attitude toward God? Do we trust him or doubt that He will be there in our time of need.
If David had not trusted in the ability that God had given him to protect the sheep, if David had not been motivated by his desire to see God glorified, if David had not had the right attitude toward the faithfulness of God, Goliath would have squashed.
Ability, motivation, and attitude! We must develop them.
