Doing What You Do Best, Week 11 Day 2, 1 Samuel 16-17

Doing What You Do Best, Week 11 Day 2, 1 Samuel 16-17

I find the story of how became king David very interesting.  Perhaps it’s how I was first taught the story.  Maybe it’s some deep seated personal bias or issue.  But it seems to me that David is often portrayed as an unusual candidate for the position of king.  But I don’t see it that way.

First, he doesn’t just take over the position right from the start.  He goes through in incredibly long “internship” process.

He starts out by learning about “life in the castle” as it were.  Saul, suffering the effects of an evil spirit needs to have his spirit soothed.  So David gets his first exposure to the king, and it probably isn’t the best role model.  And while the position may be a tough one, he’s certainly qualified.  He knows how to play the harp.  But then there are his other qualifications: brave, a warrior, speaks well, a fine looking man and the Lord is with him.  Hum, sounds kind of over qualified to just play the harp.  But he gets the job.  Cue the harp music. He also had armor-bearer duties.  And hey, it’s a part time job to boot.  Still spends time back home watching sheep and such.

Then comes the whole Goliath thing, and David isn’t even on the radar of this one.  He’s off tending sheep while Saul and his troops spend 40 days quaking in their boots.  Then David shows up and gets the story of what’s going on.  And once David hears the score he volunteers to fight the giant.

Now this is that part that I don’t get.  Saul says that David is only a boy and Goliath has been fighting his whole life.  But wasn’t David described just a little while ago as a warrior?   Did they forget about that?  David didn’t forget.  He remembers the lion and bear he fought defending his sheep.  David gives the credit for those victories to God.  And he’s willing to trust God to give him victory over Goliath.  So he’s hired. 

One problem.  Maybe David’s ready, but Saul’s armor isn’t.  Turns out David is a size normal where Saul is a king size.  So David ditches the armor and the sword and goes with what he know, his sling.

And there’s I think the main point of the story.  Remember David’s initial qualifications:  plays the harp, brave, a warrior speaks well, a fine looking man and the Lord is with him.  He’s been playing the harp.  Now’s it’s time to use the brave warrior.  So maybe David’s never fought a giant, but he also isn’t really covering any new ground.  He fought the bear and won.  He fought that lion and won.  And he knows that he won them not on his own, but with God.  So this is new ground in that it’s Goliath.  But it’s familiar ground in that he’s fight a beast with a weapon that he knows how to use trusting the same God that he’s always trusted.

So, from everyone else’s point of view this is crazy.  A kid against a giant.  No armor.  No sword.  No experience.  No chance.

For David this is same thing, different day.  Facing a giant?  Okay that’s not normal.  But he does it in his normal clothes. Does it armed with just his faithful and well used sling.  Oh, and God.  Yeah he’s going into battle with God, just like he always has.

So, from a human point of view, David might not be all that qualified to fight Goliath.  The armor doesn’t fit.  Hasn’t been to giant facing school.  From God’s point of view he’s just the right man for the job.  David is brave and a warrior with a history of facing long odds while trusting in God.  Just what’s needed to face a giant, or even become king.  Although that part will be a long time coming.

Clearly God doesn’t look at our qualifications the same way that we do. “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” If we truly desire to follow God, He will use the gifts He’s given us, the qualifications that we do have, and our willingness to serve, to bring us to the place where He wants us, where He needs us.  He even use things that don’t look like qualifications to us, our issues, our problems, our short comings, as tools to be used in His service.

Play the harp?  Yeah God can use that.  Good with a sling shot?  He can use that too.  But the first question is this, where is your heart?  If it belongs to God then you have every skill, every tool, every trait that He needs for you to start your journey.  You can begin a walk of faithful service that will take your life today and use it for His will and His purpose.

God, I can look back on my life and see what look like some pretty strange starting points.  Small and seemingly inconsequential bits and pieces of me and my life that were a starting place, a stepping stone to things I certainly never would have thought of.  Lord, I thankful that You gave me a heart for You.  That heart has opened up the rest of my life to serving You.  And often in ways that I never would have dreamed of.  Thanks for not see me as the world sees me.  Thanks for see my heart.  And thanks for using me in ways I never would have thought of.  And most of all God, Thank You for being the center of my life.  Amen

Leonard