Have you ever felt as though you don’t quite know where God wants to use you, and you often feel awkward where you’re presently serving? Perhaps it’s because you’ve been pushed into an area of service that doesn’t suit how the Lord has made you and equipped you, and who you really are inside.
This morning, we’re going to discover how every believer is uniquely made (Ps 139:14), and that each has a special place where they fit in the Lord’s kingdom service. Once we understand how we’re created, then we will be able to find our purpose and calling. And when we come to understand that God can use who we are in Christ, we’ll acquire the confidence to become truly effective for the Lord.
In our message, we’ll look at the account of David and Goliath; and as we do, we’ll learn something that will provide us with confidence in serving God. However, before we begin, I would like to share some of the background information obtained from the beginning verses of our chapter.
Saul and Israel had come face-to-face with the Philistine army at a place called Sochoh (1 Sm 17:1). The Bible says, “The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them” (17:3). The Philistines possessed a champion fighter in their army, and his name was Goliath (17:4). He was “way taller” than any averaged size person; so tall that he was called a giant. Goliath stood before Israel and shouted:
Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants (1 Samuel 17:9).
The Bible says, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1 Sm 17:11). Goliath went out every morning and evening for forty days, challenging someone from the Israelite army to fight him, but no one would come out (17:16); that is, until David, and he wasn’t even a soldier in the Israelite army!
The Lord Specially Equipped David (vv. 32-37)
David was able to challenge Goliath because he knew who he was in the Lord. He refused to allow the opinion of others to keep him on the sidelines. David knew he had the Spirit of the Lord upon Him (1 Sm 16:13), and that by the Holy Spirit he could overcome any obstacle by God’s grace (Zec 4:6-7). In defense of his capability, David expressed his special equipping from the Lord. Let’s look at verses 32-37:
Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” (1 Samuel 17:32-37).
According to the text, David was only a youth (1 Sm 17:33); however, this young man declared, “Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine” (17:32). For someone who was just a teenager, he was incredibly confident in the face of this warrior giant.
Some people would have seen David’s declaration as youthful stupidity and arrogance; however, what he was showing was confidence. David was confident for who knew “who he was” and “Whose he was.” He knew the way he had been fashioned, and was well aware of the skills that had prepared him; and he knew Whom he worshipped and Who was responsible for his preparation, which was the Lord of heaven and earth.
Even though David was confident in what God had given him, we see how King Saul only looked at David for what he “didn’t” have, instead of what he “did” have (1 Sm 17:33). David possessed a special set of skills bestowed by the Lord, some given even before birth (cf. Job 31:15, Jeremiah 1:5).
David’s skill-set that he would use in fighting this giant came from his experience. We read that he kept sheep (1 Sm 17:34). During his time as a shepherd he learned how to defend his flock and fight off wild creatures such as a lion and a bear.
A lion and a bear are creatures that are bigger than a human being. A male lion can weigh between 330-550 pounds, can stand four feet tall at the shoulder, and can measure up to eight feet long.(1) Goliath’s “height was six cubits and a span (1 Sm 17:4), which, taking the cubit at twenty-one inches, is equal to ten and one half feet.”(2)
The bear that David likely would have fought was the Asiatic black bear. A male can weigh as much as 240-330 pounds, and grow from four to six feet in length.(3) These animals were enormous and yet David did “hand-to-paw combat,” for we read that he grabbed them by the hair (1 Sm 17:35).
David was more prepared to fight something gigantic than King Saul was, or any other soldier for that matter. He declared his competence when he stated that Goliath would be no different than the lion or the bear (1 Sm 17:36).
God fashioned David ahead of time to fight the giant, and not only to fight a giant, but to reign as king of Israel (2 Sm 7:8; Ps 78:70-72). David was fashioned “by the Lord” into a fearless leader while he was a lowly shepherd.
They key is that “God fashioned him,” and knowing how the Lord has made us will help in finding our own calling, and operating in that calling by God’s grace. Understanding how we are made will enable us to walk in freedom and confidence in our particular area of service.
Saul Pushed His Own Equipment on David (vv. 38-39)
So, we’ve learned how the Lord fashioned David in a special way. Next, we’ll see something alarming; something that goes against how the Lord had created him. If you’ll recall, Saul didn’t recognize David’s gifting as being unique and acquired from the Lord. What we will come to discover is how Saul tried to force him into another mold or a different mold. Let’s look at verses 38-39:
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off (1 Samuel 17:38-39).
We read that Saul placed on David a bronze helmet, and chain mail (maille). A helmet made of bronze would have been very heavy. I know when I used to go caving on long trips with multiple headlamps on my helmet that my neck would become sore and I would begin to get a headache from all the weight.
Chain mail is a “flexible armor made of joined metal links or scales.”(4) It looks like woven metal rings, and it’s similar to the shark suits that divers wear. One craftsman, while speaking about European chain mail, stated, “The heaviest [chain mail] shirt I know of is in Edinburgh and weighs 14kg; most surviving shirts are lighter than this.”(5) The weight of 14 kilograms is about 31 pounds.
The weight of Goliath’s chain mail coat was declared to be “five thousand shekels” (1 Sm 17:5), which was 125 pounds.(6) We’re told nothing of the weight of Saul’s armor, but it was probably much lighter than Goliath’s. Even so, it had to have been extremely heavy!
These pieces of armor were burdensome and clumsy to David. The Bible says that David “tried to walk” in these things - he made an attempt - but he concluded, “I cannot walk with these” (1 Sm 17:39).
This was a generous offer that Saul had made. It suggested that Saul wanted David to do well; however, the bottom line is that David couldn’t fit in Saul’s armor. He couldn’t succeed with someone else’s “equipment,” and likewise, we can’t succeed with someone else’s “equipping.”
David couldn’t walk in Saul’s armor or hardly move. We read that he hadn’t tested Saul’s armor (1 Sm 17:39). He hadn’t trained with these implements of warfare, nor was he accustomed to them. David had only trained with a staff and a slingshot (17:40).
I want to ask you, how many times has someone tried to fit you into some category, or place of service within the church, or even a job or career, that didn’t feel right and where you were restricted and clumsy, unable to perform to the best of your ability? How many times have you, of your own ambition, tried to fit into an area where you weren’t gifted, either in church or in the job market?
Just as we can’t fit in another person’s armor, we can’t serve with another person’s equipping. When David saw that the awkward equipment and pieces of armor weren’t working, “David took them off” (1 Sm 17:39). Perhaps we need to get rid of some things that aren’t working for us.
You Must Use Your Own Unique Equipping (vv. 40-44)
We need to get out of those places that are awkward, and find something that suits our own unique calling. We need to get rid of the ill-fitting fashion that we’ve tried to squeeze into that’s strangling the life out of us, and begin operating in conformity to the image of Christ. We need to be who we are in Christ, and utilize our own special equipping. This is what David decided was the best course of action. Let’s look at verses 40-44:
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” (1 Samuel 17:40-44).
We see an emphasis placed on David using “his own” items (1 Sm 17:40). David used his staff (17:40) and a shepherd’s bag, which was probably his bag. Inside the bag was a pouch, which was one that he had (17:40), and he carried his sling (17:40) in his hand. David used what he had been equipped with all along. He used his own equipment instead of what Saul tried to force on him.
David made certain that he wouldn’t be forced into another mold; however, as with King Saul, the Philistine identified only what David did not have (1 Sm 17:42). David appeared to be inadequate. He was “young” and not trained in battle; he had a good complexion (17:42), so he appeared sheltered from the rough life of a soldier living on the frontlines.
Goliath thought that David was just a child; one who believed he was playing games with a puppy dog in his back yard (1 Sm 17:43). Surely, he thought, David didn’t realize the severity of the situation and how he was actually in battle in a position to possibly die.
The giant looked down on David, because he saw a different mold then one you would typically see on the battlefield. When we use what God’s given us, people may hurl insults at us. They may curse us (1 Sm 17:33) and say that we’re crazy; however, we need to stand confident as David, and use the equipping that God has allotted us.
God Will Use You in the Victory (vv. 45-51)
If we don’t know who we are in Christ and how we’ve been fashioned, then we can never effectively use the tools that God has given us. We will be like a hammer trying to drive screws. David discovered that when he acted as himself, and utilized his unique skills, that God used him in a mighty way. Let’s look at verses 45-51:
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.”
“And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it (1 Samuel 17:45-51).
I wish to point out two things here: 1.) When we use our own special equipping, God will work through us; and 2.) when we use our own unique skills, God will use us to win the victory!
First of all, we see David’s confidence demonstrated again. He was confident because he knew that when he used what God had given him, that God would be backing him, and that he would be victorious.
David knew the Lord would be with him for he declared, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (1 Sm 17:45). We also see how he believed he would be successful as he cried out, “The battle is the Lord’s” (17:47). David knew that God would be at work through his own equipping and abilities, and because God was the One doing the fighting, the battle would be won.
Secondly, we see that David used his own bag (1 Sm 17:49); or rather, the equipment that was specifically his. He put his unique calling into action, and when he saw the Philistine he charged into battle without hesitation. Just think about David’s gung-ho behavior. How much do we trust what God has given us?
I must point out that David didn’t charge into battle blindly, for he had already assessed the situation (1 Sm 17:34-36). Are you confident enough with what God has entrusted to you, and where you fit in ministry, that you’ll jump right in serving? If you’re not, then perhaps you’re trying to fit in the wrong area of service.
We see that David “ran” toward the Philistine, took a stone and slung it at him, hitting him squarely between the eyes, and Goliath fell down dead (1 Sm 17:48-50). If we really trust the Lord then we’ll take our special gifts and confidently dive in; and when we utilize what He’s given us, then we will find success and victory.
Time of Reflection
If you’ve ever experienced difficulty or awkwardness in serving the Lord, or in any other area of life, then it’s my hope that you’ve received something this morning that will motivate you toward victory. I believe you’ll find great freedom in knowing that you can be successful in just being yourself, or being who you are in Christ. Just be you; of course with tact, and Christ-likeness.
Think about Jesus. He broke everyone’s expectations coming as a humble servant, yet humility and submission is what it took for Him to willingly go to the cross and lay down His life to pay the price for our sins. Jesus won the victory because He stayed faithful to His own unique calling.
Jesus won the victory over sin and death; and this same victory can be yours, if you will trust in Him as Savior and Lord. If you will confess your faith in Jesus Christ, you will be forgiven of your sins and receive eternal life. You will also come to know how God has uniquely equipped you; and you’ll come to know the heavenly Father in a close and personal way as you serve Him with your special gifts.
NOTES
(1) “Lion,” MSN Encarta: encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761566718/Lion.html (Accessed January 27, 2010).
(2) “Cubit,” Easton’s Bible Dictionary, on Power Bible CD-ROM (Bronson, MI: Online Publishing, Inc., 2007).
(3) “Asiatic Black Bear,” Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic_Black_Bear (Accessed January 27, 2010).
(4) “Chain Mail,” Dictionary.com: dictionary.reference.com/browse/chain+mail (Accessed January 27, 2010).
(5) “Butted Mail: A Mail Makers Guide,” homepage.ntlworld.com/trevor.barker/farisles/guilds/armour/mail.htm (Accessed January 27, 2010).
(6) God’s Word Translation (1995); this version reads, “He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he wore a bronze coat of armor scales weighing 125 pounds” (1 Sm 17:5).
