David was anointed King in front of his seven older brothers who all had been rejected – they may have been good-looking, too, but their hearts weren’t right. We see an example of that in the story of David and Goliath.
The king promised great wealth, his daughter in marriage, and a familial exemption from taxes to the man who killed Goliath. David heard some men talking about this and started asking questions. His older brother got angry, railed on him for leaving the sheep, and said, “I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” First, David was not conceited; second it was the brother’s heart that was wicked; and third, David was sent to the battlefield with supplies for them.
David turned away from his brother and continued asking questions of others. Saul sent for him and David told Saul that he could slay Goliath as easily as he had protected the sheep from lions and bears. He also affirmed his power by giving credit to God and stating his belief that God would deliver him from the giant, Goliath.
David was pretty gutsy in facing Goliath and he showed his confidence not with arrogance, but with the truth of the power that dwelt within him. I am a little shocked at David’s bold challenge as he said to Goliath, “I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.” This teen was full of adolescent testosterone, of course, but he prefaced that promise with the fact that “This day the Lord will hand you over to me”. Great faith for a teen, right?
One small stone was all it took. Shot from a sling, it sank into Goliath’s forehead like a bullet and dropped him face down on the ground.
And, yes, teen David did go over to the fallen Philistine and with Goliath’s own sword he cut off his head.
(Next Saturday: teen Solomon)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.