Smooth Stones – Week 2

Joke:  A priest was walking along the corridor of the parochial school near the preschool wing when a group of little ones were trotting by on the way to the cafeteria. One little lad of about three or four stopped and looked at him in his clerical clothes and asked, “Why do you dress funny?” He told him he was a priest and this is the uniform priests wear. Then the boy pointed to the priest’s collar tab and asked, “Do you have an owie?” The priest was perplexed till he realized that to him the collar tab looked like a band-aid. So the priest took it out and handed it to the boy to show him. On the back of the tab are letters giving the name of the manufacturer. The little guy felt the letters, and the priest asked, “Do you know what those words say?”  “Yes, I do,” said the lad who was not old enough to read. Peering intently at the letters he said, “Kills ticks and fleas up to six months!”

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Five Smooth Stones – Week 2: God Gets the Glory

David was an unlikely hero, but let me borrow a familiar phrase from the Scripture’s David was chosen for such a time as this.  And this week, I want us to look at what made David special and unique, discovering along the way that God often chooses those who are physically weak or inexperienced to prove His strength and faithfulness.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (NIV): Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 (TPT): 26 Brothers and sisters, consider who you were when God called you to salvation. Not many of you were wise scholars by human standards, nor were many of you in positions of power. Not many of you were considered the elite when you answered God’s call. 27 But God chose those whom the world considers foolish to shame those who think they are wise, and God chose the puny and powerless to shame the high and mighty. 28 He chose the lowly, the laughable in the world’s eyes—nobodies—so that he would shame the somebodies. For he chose what is regarded as insignificant in order to supersede what is regarded as prominent, 29 so that there would be no place for prideful boasting in God’s presence.

Last week, we started a new sermon series “5 Smooth Stones.”  Through it we are looking at the story of David and Goliath.   You know the story that’s all about the Israelite army coming up against one of their enemies, the Philistines.

Last week we unpacked a little bit about Goliath as well as our enemy, the devil, who the Bible says is actively seeking people to devour.

But just in case you never thought about it this way, ultimately it is a story of God’s power to deliver His people.

So, today I want to spend some time learning more about the chosen man of God who would bring about this deliverance.

Oh before we  really get started here’s a quick King David joke. . .Where does King David keep his armies?  In his sleevies!

If I were to ask you to make a list of what you think about when you hear the name David what would be on it?   Beyond the David and Goliath part, what would be on that list?

Maybe. . .

• Shepherd
• King
• A man after God’s own heart

Sometimes I think when we read about people like David we forget just how ordinary he really was.

He had brothers, he had chores to do.    David wasn’t some superhuman Marvel comics type character.  He was an ordinary boy with an extraordinary calling.

So, let’s jump in together to learn a bit about David. Once again we are looking at 1 Samuel 17  starting with verse 12. . .

1 Samuel 17:12–28 (NIV): Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand. 17 Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah  of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.” 20 Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear. 25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

In this passage we learn what David was like and what he spent his time doing.  We already know that soon he will be the one to take on and defeat the giant, Goliath. But who really was the man of God chosen to fight?

The first thing we learn is that. . .

David was Young

We learn in verse 14, “David was the youngest son.”

Maybe you remember the story of David’s anointing by Samuel to become the next king of Israel following Saul’s death.  Just one chapter earlier, Samuel the prophet shows up at Jesse’s house he’s the father of David.  He is there because God has chosen one of Jesse’s sons to serve as the next king of Israel, but Samuel doesn’t yet know which one. Jesse brings out all of his sons, except the one God chose. . .David.

When Samuel moves past all the sons and then inquires about David, Jesse says, “there is still the youngest. But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.”

As if to say, “Oh David, don’t worry about him, he’s just out tending to the family’s livestock in the fields. He’s not the one you’re looking for, he’s just a young shepherd boy.”

You see, David was overlooked because he was the youngest, all of his brothers were taller, bigger, stronger, and more “king-like,” at least by human standards. But there is a key phrase the Lord says to Samuel during this scene in chapter 16. . .

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV): But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

What a powerful statement God makes to the prophet Samuel! God does not judge people like we do, God looks deeper, He looks at the heart.

That statement is not only powerful but oh so true.  Our natural tendency is to “judge a book by its cover,”  Samuel was doing it, we do it, even though we are constantly told not to.

And I don’t know about you but if I’m being honest with myself there have been times I made a judgement call about someone before I got to know them, but after talking with them and getting to know them I realized that I was completely wrong.

And to this day I have relationships with incredible people that never would have happened if I had held to my initial thought about them.

And I love this, consistently throughout scripture, God chooses to use people who are the youngest, weakest, poorest, least educated, marginalized, abandoned and forgotten about.

If you find yourself in one of those categories today, regardless of what culture has defined you as, the Bible makes it clear that God intends to use you for more than you know.

God seems to delight in using the weak and unexpected things of the world to humble the powerful. And at the end of the day it’s all for His glory, not ours.

The second point about David is this. . .

He was Looked Down Upon

Even though God chose to use David for great things, like the battle with Goliath, it did not stop people from doubting him.

Even those closest to him, people who you’d think would be the first to advocate for and support him still doubted him.

In verse 28, out of all the people to make a statement of doubt toward David, it was his own brother who really went after David when he showed up on the battlefield.

Look at it. . .

1 Samuel 17:28 (NIV): When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

Sounds like Eliab didn’t even want David around.

The verse says he burned in anger towards his brother.

I’m not sure why maybe he felt threatened by him being there. . .maybe his presence simply caught him off guard.

Whatever the reason, it’s clear to see that even someone within his own family was looking down on him. He goes so far as to call him conceited and mentioned how wicked hearted he was.

Talk about sibling rivalry.

Was it because of his youthful age? His inexperience? Did his brother really think David came only to watch the battle?

It’s a tense scene, with a reminder that oftentimes we look down upon those younger than us. We can see them as a hindrance or an obstacle to whatever goal we want to achieve.

I had someone that came to our church but struggled with my leadership because I was younger than he was.

But I love what Paul tells his spiritual son Timothy. . .

1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV): Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.

This is the apostle Paul writing to a young leader named Timothy.

Paul seems to understand the reality that people will find ways to look down on you, especially when you’re young. They will criticize certain aspects of your life. They will talk behind your back. They will try to give you tons of reasons why you cannot do something great for God.

William Carey has said, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”

He doesn’t say when your old and wiser than most.  He just says as the Nike slogan tells us, Just do it.

And I love Pauls’ encouragement to Timothy to, “Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”

Now let me point out here that Paul also tells Timothy not to let a novice preach, but understand that has nothing to do with a physical age.  It has to do with a maturity in the Spirit.

Back to David. . .

Regardless of how others decided to define him, David knew God chose him for a moment like this one.  David successfully defended his Father’s flock many times in the wilderness, had taken on a lion and a bear, and he was about to set an undeniable example of faith and courage for the whole army to witness.

You see, David’s perspective on the larger scale throughout this story seems to be due to his profound focus, and we get a glimpse of where his focus was in 1 Samuel 17:26.

1 Samuel 17:26 (NIV): David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Next point about David is that. . .

David Was God-Focused

Did you catch the last thing David asks in this verse? “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

That statement is so important because it shows us David’s focus was never on the army, nor on the opponent. David doesn’t refer to Goliath as one who is allowed to defy the armies of Saul, or Israel.

Instead, he refers to him as one who defies the armies of the living God. David’s faith in God was so much bigger than the giant he faced.

And church hear this, there is nothing, no one, no circumstance that is bigger then the God we serve.   The problem for so many of us is that our focus is on the giant, on the storm, on the circumstance or situation instead of on the God who is able to help in our time of need.

It’s passages like these in 1 Samuel 17 that show us why David was called a “man after God’s own heart.”

I wonder what would shift in our own lives, in our marriages, in our families, in our friendships, and even in our workplaces, if we decided to maintain a focus on God above all other things.

I don’t just mean saying we have our sights set on pleasing and honoring God, or only doing so if it aligns with our will and ways.

We must make the decision, as David did, to be so focused on God’s Kingdom, even if we recognize someone or something coming against it.

There will always be “Goliaths” in our lives seeking to incite fear and doubt in the minds and hearts of the people of God. But what happens if we believe, like David did, that the almighty God is bigger and more powerful than any “giant” who comes.

So, let me ask you today what, or who, are the “giants” in your life?

What are the things or situations that make you feel completely inadequate, insufficient, and unable?

Remember, part of what empowered David was his understanding of who he was before God. He understood he was part of God’s people, he was a beloved son. We’ve got to remain, attached to the vine, and to the truth.

Look at this. . .let me read this from the Passion Translation

John 15:5 (TPT): 5 “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from me you are powerless.

So press into Jesus this week and stay focused on God.

Remember who you are because of Him. And remember what God says about you always trumps any lie the enemy or anyone else speaks over you.

And at the end of the day, when all is said and done, it’s all for His glory.  But it will also be for your good.

Prayer

Join us again next week as we learn about all we need.