David and Goliath

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 17:38-40

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,
39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

Saul did what every king would do. Seek to protect his investment. Provide what he could to help. Give his new soldier every worldly advantage. 

What struck me this morning is that David allowed him to provide these supposed benefits. Saul clothed David with armor. Heavy armor for a young teen who was not experienced in wearing it! 

There is one additional place in the Bible that speaks of a helmet of bronze and a coat of mail. It was the description of what Goliath wore when he entered into battle.

1 Samuel 17:5 He (Goliath) had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.

King Saul sought to level the playing field for David. The king supplied the same protection and weaponry the enemy had. 

But David put it off. He actually took the king’s armor off. What a strange thing to do in the eyes of the king. He rejected the king’s protection. But you see he had to take the armor off in order to retain the protection he sought.

He had not tested this new fangled armor. But he had tested the sling and staff. His hours of being all alone in the field with his sheep afforded him time to master his skills and gain confidence in his chosen method of warfare. He was not a carbon copy of every other man on the field that day. He was one who was comfortable being different! This speaks of David’s stability and self knowledge, of his willingness to stand on his convictions.

Don’t be afraid to be different! Do not be conformed to the giant!

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