David, a teenage shepherd boy, did not shrink from battle in the midst of the pressure because he knew God’s will and God’s heart!
Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. (1 Samuel 17:1-3)
And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them.And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. (22-24)
And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” 33-37
David was a simple young man who was disregarded by his own when it came to fighting the giant. On the other hand, his older brothers were skilled and trained military men who were afraid of fighting Goliath. Their training did not supply them with courage, neither did it gain them the victory over the enemy. David’s brothers may have had the technical skills, but David had the courage to fight Goliath and win the battle.
God trained David from the inside out. He was a courageous young man because he knew God’s will. David was sure that the uncircumcised Philistine (Goliath) could not defy the armies of God! He knew that it was God’s will for His people to win the battle over the ungodly. He was not intimidated by the size of the enemy nor did he feel inferior for his lack of military training.
We live in a world of degrees, certification, training, and expertise. It seems like everything requires years of study and developing a level of expertise. That mindset has also crept in the body of Christ, and some think that unless you have special theological training, you are not qualified to teach or preach the word of God. It’s unfortunate that some theologians have intellectual expertise in the word of God but not an encounter with the God of the Bible. Their learning has not been mixed with faith to be effective in their lives. Their heart is not awakened by the truth that makes them bold and courageous.
David knew God’s will, and it gave him the conviction and the boldness to risk his life. His heart was connected to the Lord’s heart. He took God at His word and trusted God’s character. The will of God had come alive in David’s heart. He had interacted with the God of the Bible. It wasn’t just a head knowledge for David. He had learned to commune with God in the secret place. When he was all alone shepherding the sheep, he had his conversations with the Lord. Therefore, he was courageous to act upon God’s will despite of being the only one willing to fight Goliath.
You may be required to show courage this week! Are you willing to stand alone and act upon what the Lord is leading you to do?
