If I had to pick one Old Testament story to teach from for the rest of my life, I would pick David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17).聽
It is familiar, easy to understand and full of lessons about important themes like fear, trust, faith, God and the nature of man.
As I read through the incident one more time last week, I was struck by a new thought: 鈥淲hy did Saul allow David to fight Goliath?鈥澛� Saul knew what was on the line.聽 The challenge stated that each army, the Philistines and the Israelites, would chose a warrior and they would fight each other.聽
The loser鈥檚 country would then become the slave of the winner. With all that hung in the balance, why did Saul allow his nation to be represented by a shepherd boy with no fighting experience when he literally had an entire army of fighting men at his disposal?
Here is my guess. I think Saul sent David because he suddenly realized that David was God鈥檚 man for this job. He understood that God had picked and prepared David for that moment. Certainly, that was David鈥檚 argument. When told about how he had protected his father鈥檚 sheep by killing bears and lions, he emphasized that fact that God was with him (verses 34-37).聽
To David, and apparently to Saul, these events were not flukes. Rather they were practice.
This theory carries even more weight when you remember how Saul became king. He did not seek the position. He was not from royal blood. He became king only because God chose him (1 Samuel 9).聽
Saul understands, from personal experience, that sometimes there is only one person for a specific job.
What has this got to do with us? Well, I wonder if we have forgotten to look for God鈥檚 purpose in our lives. Maybe faith has become so focused on what we do and on our personal choices that we have forgotten that God prepares us and positions us to do certain tasks for him that only we can do. After all, 鈥淲e are God鈥檚 handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do鈥� (Ephesians 2:10).
God has opened some doors that only you can walk through. Are you ready? (Romans 12:1-8)
