Devotion 1.7.16

Five Smooth Stones.  "And there came from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze." (1 Samuel 17)  Goliath was massive, even by today's standards, standing over 9 feet tall and carrying armor weighing 125 pounds.

Five Smooth Stones.  "All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.... And David said to the men who stood by him, 'What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?  For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?'" (1 Samuel)

Five Smooth Stones.  "And Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight 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.'" (1 Samuel)

David is outraged as he stands with the "men" of Israel.  "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" we hear him ask.  Can you almost see him standing in the army camp looking about him as the men stand, appearing listless and in fear?  David sees God for who He is, the living God, and these armies are not defying Israel, but the living God.  He stands up and makes his case, and yet the leaders see every reason he shouldn't be the man to fight Goliath. As Malcolm Gladwell notes, Goliath may have actually been the underdog in this fight, not David.

When are we Goliath, and when are we David?  When are we arrogant with our surroundings and when are we confident in our living God?  When do we demand to be respected because of who we believe we are and when are we humble servants of Christ?  When do we dismiss someone because of our "expertise and experience," and when do we have the courage to take a stand as David does because of our love for the living God?

Pray that we know our living God and that we honor his name.  Pray that we never shrink from our responsibility as men of God.  Pray that we use the power and authority of Christ as humble servants and that Christ, our smooth stone, be our guide when we are in need in our valleys of life and our guide when we are on peaks. 

Hope Men's Ministry