Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – 1 Samuel 17:32-51
Set – 1 Samuel 17; Psalms 9
Go! – 1 Samuel 17; Psalms 9; Matthew 2
1 Samuel 17:32-51
David (to Saul): 32 Don’t let anyone be frightened because of that man. I am your servant, and I will go and fight with him.Saul: 33 Don’t be ridiculous—you can’t fight the Philistine. You’re only a youth, and he has been a warrior since his childhood. You lack age and experience.
David: 34 I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, 35 I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it. 36 I have killed both a lion and a bear; and as your servant I will kill this uncircumcised Philistine, too, since he has dared to taunt the armies of the living God.
37 The Eternal One, who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.
Saul: Go then, and may the Eternal One be with you!
38 So Saul outfitted David in the king’s own armor: a bronze helmet to protect his head and a coat of mail to protect his chest. 39 David strapped on Saul’s sword outside the armor and then discovered he could not move because he was not used to the restrictions of the weighty armor.
David: I’m not used to these things. How can I attack an enemy when I can’t even walk? So he removed every bit of Saul’s armor. He would fight the Philistine as he had fought those lions and bears.
40 He took his staff in his hand and went to the stream to choose five smooth stones, which he kept in a pouch in his shepherd’s bag. He had his sling ready as he approached the Philistine.
41 The Philistine, with his shield-bearer in front of him, came closer to David. 42 When he saw that David was only a healthy and handsome boy, Goliath’s eyes filled with contempt.
Goliath: 43 Am I a dog that you come to beat me with a stick?
And he cursed David, invoking the names of his Philistine gods.
Goliath: 44 Come here, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields.
David: 45 You come to me carrying a sword and spear and javelin as your weapons, but I come armed with the name of the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, the True God of the armies of Israel, the One you have insulted. 46 This very day, the Eternal One will give you into my hands. I will strike you down and cut off your head, and I will feed the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields with the flesh of your Philistine warriors. Then all the land will know the True God is with Israel, 47 and all of those gathered here will know that the Eternal One does not save by sword and spear. The battle is the Eternal One’s, and He will give you into our hands.
48 When the Philistine stood up and approached, David ran toward the line of battle to meet him. 49 As quick as a flash, he reached into his bag, put a stone in his sling, and launched it at the Philistine, hitting him in the head. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and the Philistine fell face-first onto the ground.
50 That was how David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a single stone, striking him down, ending his life without a sword in his hand.
51 Then David ran to the Philistine and stood over his lifeless body. He pulled the man’s sword from its scabbard and finished him by cutting off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they knew they would be next, so they ran away.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Most people know the story of David and Goliath. It has become an analogy for many underdogs in competition against a foe expected to easily win against them whether in sports, industry, or life. And it’s a great analogy. There are a few things to remember about the story, though.
Did David win the contest by his intimidation? Not a chance. David was a youth. He stood less than six feet tall and Goliath stood over nine feet tall. It’s hard for someone two-thirds your height to intimidate you by physical prowess.
Did David win by his skill? Partly, but I put him in the tribe that is noted for being able to hit a hair with a slingshot from a hundred yards. I gave him the skill. I also put the right stones in the creek and the right windage on the field of battle to assist that stone hit its mark that day.
Did David win by his trash talk and “psych” Goliath? I don’t think so. He just stated facts as he knew them and Goliath as he knew them. It’s just that David knew Me and Goliath thought he knew his gods of wood and stone. There’s not much to a god made of wood or stone. Not much they can do for you. David knew Me, so his trash talk wasn’t trash talk. David just told it like it was.
Well, the results speak for themselves. David won the battle against not just Goliath, but against the Philistine army in the field that day. With My help, his enemies saw their champion humiliated and killed within minutes and discovered they had no chance against the power wielded by those who carry out My will. The same holds true throughout the ages. It isn’t an underdog analogy. It’s the reality of a living God intervening in the lives of His children. I won’t let you suffer defeat when you obey Me.
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