Giant killing faith through obedience and stewardship

By Micah Mabbitt

This week I had the opportunity to join the Simple Truth’s Bible Study. We studied the story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17, focusing on David’s faith, stewardship, love, honor, and obedience. In chapter 17, we find that David’s three oldest brothers have followed Saul into battle against the Philistines (v.13). Goliath had been taunting the armies of Israel for 40 days, morning and evening (v. 16). Pastor Jana pointed out that this is a subtle reminder that the enemy is persistent and can come at you morning and evening. 

Let’s keep going. Verse 20 says, “David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him”. David showed stewardship with his current flock. He also was obedient to his father and did not procrastinate going to his brothers. When David arrives at the battle where his brothers are, it seems that he is surprised at what he finds. Goliath had been defying the Israelites’ God, and no one had taken action against him. These are men trained in battle and who should be courageous. Yet the men were afraid of what they saw. Verses 24-25 say, “All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men of Israel said, ‘Have you seen this man who has come up?’” David was the only man there who had the courage and faith to address the issue that was right in the Israelites’ faces. No one wanted to fight Goliath and take action, but when David stepped up and said he would, the men discouraged him, saying he was too young. Even his brother, Eliab, stated that David had his agenda and he wasn’t doing these things for the benefit of Israel (v. 28).

If the men weren’t brave enough, Saul was too old, and David too young, who was going to fight Goliath? Who was going to win this battle? If none of the Israelites took action, they would be taken captive by the Philistines. However, David was bold. He mentions twice in the story that Goliath was uncircumcised. For the Israelites, uncircumcision showed a lack of covenant with God. David had faith in God and believed in the covenant. David had prepared for this battle long before it began. He fought lions and bears when they attacked his flock. He seems to have stewarded his time well by honing his skills with his sling and cultivating his relationship with God. He knew he couldn’t win this battle on his own; he only could claim victory through the Lord’s hand (v. 37, 46). Faith, stewardship, and obedience are shown through the words of David. God had been preparing everything for the time of this battle as well. He prepared David; He knew that the men’s hearts would fail them; He prepared the valley where they fought. Pastor Doug pointed out how long it would have taken for the stones to become smooth and to end up in the stream where David chose them. How amazing is it that God cared about each little detail? 

He cares about the details of your life this much. He cares about what battles you are facing, the fears you have, your stewardship, your faith, and your obedience. Will you be too afraid of what God is calling you to and discourage others as well? How are you stewarding your time, skills, and the resources you have been provided with? Are you inattentive to the ways God is working each detail in your life? 

I encourage you to reset your focus. Recognize the things God has placed under your stewardship and evaluate how you’re doing. Think about the last time you exercised your faith; how did that impact you, your relationship with God, and those around you? How can you create more of those moments? Be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and obey them as soon as they happen. These few adjustments will help grow your relationship with God.