Towering over Goliath

        The Stature Of David The Sheperd Grew When He Began Arming The People With A Victorious God Given Identity

        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. ( I Samuel 17:38-39 NKJV ) As a result of the sovereignty of God ( as well as his skill on the harp ) David now finds himself in the service of Saul. And as we continue on in I Samuel his first great feat as the Lords servant is about to take place against one of the Bibles most notable characters, Goliath of the Philistines.
        While not even Saul was willing to take on the 9 foot tall giant David is nevertheless given the opportunity to do so though he eschews the traditional means on how such a battle was waged; opting instead for those things he as a sheperd protecting his sheep from wild beasts was more comfortable and successful with, ( his sling and stones ). As our opening verse makes reference to Saul attempts to protect David with the armor of warfare according to his understanding of such things. Initially David seeks to go along, but ultimately declines stating that he could not walk with them, for he had not ” tested ” them. The King James Version here uses the word ” proved “. The Amplified Bible simply translates this as ” used to “. The Hebrew word used here is ” Nasah ” which carries with it ” the idea of testing the quality of someone or something through a demonstration of stress “. Obviously given what was at stake here it was important that David not only have faith in the Lord for this endeavor, but that it would be undertaken because of his confident and proven skills in defeating an enemy which he seemingly did not have when weighed down with  armor that Saul offered him. And in what should not be a surprise to us Davids thinking here does not stray from the spiritual truth that God through His word seeks to teach us. For just the existence of such Goliath like circumstances in ones life would bring to the surface of almost all people a near hopeless fear that says, ” This is to much for me ” At the same time being placed in such a vulnerable position should hopefully cause one to immediately turn and call on the Lord. For when first finding out of Goliath Davids response to all within earshot was to ask in I Samuel 17:26, ” who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God ” ? Such a statement was actually spoken from the faithfilled position of one who personally knew of Gods love and favor as well as one who refused to dissconnect Gods past faithfulness for Israel from its precarious present.
        Beginning in Ephesians 6:13 the apostle Paul tells us of our need to take up the ” whole armor of God “. Continuing on in verse 17 he goes on to say, ” And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God”. As in ancient times it is important today to be willing to go to war to preserve freedom. Consequently, it is also wise to be prepared for such things as well as equipped with the most effective means to succeed. So to are such things applicable in spiritual warfare. While David was witness to his countrymen fearfully scattering at the mere threats of Goliath because Israels future king already had an intimate knowledge of Gods abiding love he also must have recognized that his fellow countrymen did not. And not unlike a pastor seeking to influence his flock through victorious words of the faith the types of armor David ultimately did prefer were more related to the promise of Gods victory. ( especially that which related to salvation) And despite the faithfilled scriptural platitudes that should be applied towards the work we seek to do for the Lord on the earth from a human standpoint the water of the word remains essential in order to clean and minister to our flawed selves during such a process. ( Ephesians 5:26 ) For as the Israelites fled Goliath they hardly epitomized an army of the living God nevertheless the earthly sword they could not even bring themselves to use on the 9 foot giant was faithfully replaced by an inspired heavenly One and its ” proven” ability to victoriously tower over even our most fearsome adversaries !

O.N.RIDER is seminary educated and living in Baltimore MD

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