I Samuel 17:31-40
This text above tells us about the preparation that preceded the encounter between David and the giant Goliath. To know the story fully, read the chapter from the beginning. The virtues and values demonstrated by David can only have a divine origin. For David, matters of life were addressed in connection with the glory of God: this is the secret that David transmits to us.
King Saul needed to speak with someone. His horror was visible and his army was terrorized. What would be the outcome of that situation? David goes straight to the subject by demonstrating the certainty that God would be with him. The Bible tells us that “without faith, it is impossible to please God,” Hebrews 11:6, and David did not lack faith. Another virtue demonstrated by him is that he knew appearances meant nothing. The stature of the soldier, his armor, and weapons, would have no worth without divine help. Conviction needs to be confirmed by experience. Looking to have Saul calm down, David gives an account of his experiences with God. They were experiences that maybe not even his father or brothers knew he had. Imagine David telling them what he could do with his sling; would they believe in his aim? Would they believe him that after hitting a lion’s head and a bear’s head he would grab them with his hands and kill them?
The most precious virtue was David’s dependence on God. He affirmed: “The Lord who delivered me from the lion’s claws and the bear’s claws will certainly deliver me from the hands of this Philistine.” Our human resources will have no worth if we do not place them in God’s hands. For those who experience such
Walk with God, do everything for His glory, and He will take care of the rest.
“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2).
