06/11/2023 - THE ATTITUDE OF ONE SAVED

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Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17.40

The child of God never doubts when he is about to take action. Because he lives in the divine presence, he has already prayed and handed the problem over to the Lord, so he is sure of how to proceed. David did not wait for the giant to attack, so he set out towards him. The son of Jesse knew that he was God’s chosen one and that the war belonged to the Most High. So, who would come out victorious? If you still don’t know whether to go to battle, pray, because the enemy cannot prevail over your life or your initiative. Take a stand as a leader!

When David was tending his sheep, the lion that came along knew that he was the shepherd. The son of Jesse went after the animal as the master of the battle and killed it. If he cried and waited to attack, it would be too late. Similarly, he acted against the bear that attacked his flock, and the outcome was the same (1 Samuel 17:34-37). For David, that big man was no more frightening than the two animals most feared by all people. Thus, the man of God would be victorious!

According to the Bible, the servant of the Most High is bold as a lion, but he who tries to use the Lord to his advantage does not gain victory, for he denies that the Father goes ahead to make him victorious in the battles. The Word says: The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1). Intrepidity is the absence of fear, and the fearful Christian is similar to some Israelites who could not be in that war (Deuteronomy 20:5-8).

From what we have seen in the previous paragraph, it is not the number of people that will win the war, but the quality of the fighters. When the giant saw David’s courage in confronting him, though he scorned it, he must have been afraid, for he had never seen such bravery before. A young red-haired man among tawny men was already astonishing, and the fact that he had a gentle presence, but with courage to fight him, must have made Goliath confused under that situation. No doubt this strengthened the young shepherd’s trust in God!

Not knowing how to act, the giant showed a lack of concentration, something necessary in war, and moved on to cursing, showing a childish attitude. Now, at that point, the two were evenly matched. Then David smiled when he heard the threats, because the Word guarantees: I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12.3). “Now it’s easy,” David must have thought, “he’s already lost!”

Of the five stones the boy picked up, only one was needed, because his aim was accurate. Before throwing it, David noticed that there was a flaw in the Philistine soldier’s “perfect” armor. On Goliath’s forehead, there was a bare part, like a half-moon. The stone thrown by the young man entered precisely through this gap into the enemy’s forehead. After this blow, the giant could not withstand the force of his throwing arm and fell to the ground. David finished him off!

We have a lot to learn from God’s Word, so that we are not defeated or have partial victory. We have already entered the fight to win, so we need to be close to the Father. Our battle is holy and ordained by the Lord for His glory (Ephesians 6:10-13)!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares