I recently spent the better part of an hour reciting to my wife the woes of my life. I felt overwhelmed by commitments and deadlines. I'd been sick. There was tension at the church between some of my friends. A married couple whom I had counseled chose to ignore my advice and file for divorce. And then, to top it off, I received a manuscript from my editor that was bloody with red ink. I looked for a chapter that didn't need a rewrite. There wasn't one.
Groan.
After several minutes of my ranting, Denalyn asked me: "Is God in this anywhere?"
(I hate it when she does that.) I wasn't thinking about God. I wasn't consulting God. I wasn't turning to God. I wasn't talking about God.
David, on the other hand, couldn't stop talking about him. Every time he opened his mouth, he mentioned God.
He told the men:
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? — 1 Samuel 17:26
He told King Saul:
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. — 1 Samuel 17:37
And he told Goliath:
You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have reviled. This day will the Lord deliver you into my hand. And I will strike you down and cut off your head. Then I will give the corpses of the Philistine camp this day to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And then all this assembly will know that it is not by sword and spear that the Lord saves. For the battle belongs to the Lord, and He will give you into our hands. — 1 Samuel 17:45–47 MEV
Saul offered David his armor. David refused. He was more comfortable with his sling and creek-bed stones. So, while Goliath was sharpening his sword, David was selecting the rocks. The kind that fit snuggly in the pouch of the sling. The kind that whistle like missiles through the air. The kind that cracks open the skull of a hardheaded giant like Goliath.
No one placed a bet on David. No one. Not the brothers. Not his kinsmen. Not Saul the king. No one gave David a fighting chance.
They did not know what we know. This battle wasn't David's to fight; it was God's.
Remember his resolve?
The battle belongs to the Lord. — 1 Samuel 17:47 MEV
Brawny Goliath scoffed at scrawny David.
Do you think that I am just a dog? Can you knock me down with a little stick? — v. 43 Easy
David loaded a stone. Goliath raised his sword. The shepherd swung. The giant smirked. The rock flew. The skull cracked and the duel ended as quickly as it began. Goliath collapsed. David guillotined him. The Israelites, suddenly infused with courage, overtook their enemies, and a new day began for Israel.
All because David knew this: The battle belonged to the Lord. What about you?
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