1 Samuel 17 -- God At Work In A Kid's Life

I liked how my commentary segmented this chapter:

 

God GUIDED David – He arranged it for David to come to the war camp on the final day of Samson’s taunting of the Israelite army before a real battle would occur.  The Israelites were so fearful that they might otherwise have lost.

 

God ENCOURAGED David – He didn’t let the discouraging words of David’s brothers cause David to quit.  God had empowered and encouraged him in the past, as a lion and a bear had attacked David’s sheep.  David knew that it wasn’t by his own power that he’d killed the attackers, and now he had God’s Spirit living in him as he faced his biggest giant yet.

 

God ENABLED David – David came to the contest in the name of the Lord.  David did what he did for the glory of God.  He wanted all the earth to know that the true and living God was Israel’s God.  David told Goliath that God was the one enabling him to win the battle, and that He doesn’t need swords and spears.  God guided the stone to the perfect spot and David’s giant was slain and God received all the glory.

 

Father, that’s the kind of heart I want all the time – one that depends on You and is assured by You and enabled by You.  You’ve done mighty things in my life as well – things than can only be explained by Your intervention.  Help me to continue to trust You based on Your past faithfulness to me, and help me to tell the world what You’ve done, just as David did.

 

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford