“the Whole Story” Series

1 Samuel 17:31-37

“When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

A few days ago, my four-year-old, Boone, and I were kicking a ball around in the backyard. I accidentally kicked the ball past him, and it went under our deck. So, we ran over to see how far it went under and how we were going to get it back. I leaned down and reached under the deck for the ball, but it was just out of reach. I told Boone I would have to get a long stick to reach it because I could not fit. Without hesitation, he told me he could get it and before I could turn around, he was already crawling under the deck and crawling back out with the ball. He knew he could fit under the deck and he was confident he could get the ball back. He was the right shape and size for the job, and I was not.

In today’s scripture, we find David convincing Saul to let him go fight Goliath. I can only imagine what Saul was thinking. He was about to send David, a young man, who had never been in battle, to fight against a great warrior who was over 9 feet tall. And this was not just a battle to see who the better warrior was, it had the freedom of the Israelites and Philistines riding on it.

Have you ever been putting a puzzle together, and looked forever for a certain piece only to find out the piece was completely different than you had imagined? David was a piece of this puzzle that nobody thought would fit. When David saw the situation and heard Goliath taunting the Israelites, he knew he was the right “shape” for this piece of God’s story. All the training he had done against wild animals had brought him to this moment, and he was confident in the Lord’s power and faithfulness. He was confident that he was going to win.

I challenge you today to ask the Lord to reveal to you how you can use your shape to bring glory to his kingdom. Everyone’s shape is going to be a little different. But if we all recognize our shape, and work together for Christ, we can bring His kingdom here to earth and to those around us who desperately need Jesus.

While using the HEAR method as you spend time with today’s passage, consider this: 

I Samuel 17:48-51

“When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.”

1 Samuel 16:21-23

“And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.”

Ronald Youngblood calls this passage the “literary, historical, and theological crux of 1 Samuel as a whole.”* It is the literal middle of 1 Samuel and the crossing point of leadership as Saul began his descent and David his rise as Israel’s ruler.

1 Samuel 16:4-13

“Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

“When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

When my grandfather first showed me how to plow a garden, he instructed me to do two things. 1. If you are holding the plow, hold it with both hands. 2. If you are driving the tractor or working the mule, keep your eyes on the end of the row. That will keep you from plowing crooked.

When God instructed Samuel to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be king, God was looking at the end of the row. Samuel’s job was to keep both hands on the plow and follow where God was leading.

We only see what we see with our eyes, but God sees everything else. It is when we are in constant communication with God that we are able to see what God sees.

The people chose Saul and were left disappointed, but God chose David and the kingdom flourished. So, keep your eyes on Jesus and you will plow a straight row. 

1 Samuel 16:1

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

John 17:15-16

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Can I be real for a minute? In this season of life for my family and myself, circumstances are difficult. I constantly find myself praying for God to remove the challenging circumstances and it’s exhausting when I don’t get what I want. How can I be effective for God living like this?

Some of you face similar situations. Maybe you hate your job or have a difficult boss. Maybe you lost your job and are struggling to support your family. Maybe you received a report that has turned your world upside down. Maybe you’re going through relational problems with children, a spouse/significant other, or parents. Maybe you suffer from depression or anxiety. Whatever circumstance you are facing, do you find yourself praying for God to remove it? Don’t you just want it gone? Don’t you just want life to get better?

In John 17 as Jesus prays for His disciples and ultimately all believers, notice how He prays. He prays that the Father would not take them out of the world but that He would protect them from the evil one as they live in the world. How comforting to know that Jesus is praying for us who are actively following Him (John 17:6)! Jesus is actively interceding for His disciples and praying that the circumstances of life would not be removed, necessarily, but that, ultimately, His people would find joy in Him. Look at John 17:13. Jesus prays for our protection (v. 11), so that “…they may have the full measure of my joy within them.”

One of my favorite verses to cling to when facing challenging circumstances or temptations is Psalm 16:11- “You make known to me the path of life. In your presence, there is fullness of joy…” That’s exactly what Jesus is praying for here in John 17. He’s praying for our joy to be complete in Him so we can live life on mission for His glory. God has a purpose and a mission for us here in this world. We are not of the world just as Jesus was not of the world, but we are sent to live in the world as Jesus was sent to live in this world to bring glory to his name (John 17:10). We aren’t promised to have circumstances removed in our life. We are promised, however, that we will find joy in Christ and in the presence of God despite our circumstances and we can trust this truth because we have Jesus Christ, the Son of God, praying for us on our behalf in Heaven. That’s not to say we can’t pray for God to remove the trials we face. We should always bring our supplications to God. And God graciously gives us everything we need. But we should reorient our prayers to focus on finding joy in Christ as we trust His promises through our circumstances. God promises to protect us (in keeping our joy complete) when we trust in Him to deliver us through our circumstances. As disciples of Christ, we will face challenging circumstances. Let it be our goal then, in those circumstances, to seek joy and the protection of God in Christ whenever we face difficulties. Remember and be encouraged that God WILL protect us and give us all joy in Christ when we are in His presence even here in this world today!

• What circumstances are you facing that rob you of joy in Christ?
• What does God promise to do for you in those circumstances?
• Pray and meditate on God’s promises and trust that He will give you a full measure of Christ’s joy as you listen to His Word and obey.