What gives you hope? What gives you hope in people? Much of the time I feel like we need a good dose of restoration to maintain and develop our faith. That's not just our faith in God but our faith in people too. I feel like we need to feed the soul routinely so that we can be optimistic during doubtful times. Restorative moments are nutrients for the spirit and I think they are just as quintessential as nutrients for the body.
When I see people helping people it gives me hope. When I see the underdog make come out on top it give me hope. When I see government policies helping and accommodating people I receive hope. When I see church groups serving people it gives me hope. I am often revived with an amount of hope when I witness young people doing volunteer work with zeal and excitement. (Especially when they are not told to). I receive hope when I see God’s work through the most unlikely person. It gives me hope when I witness God’s work making a difference in people. These things not only give me hope but they give me confidence. And, I am not talking about confidence in myself. I am talking about confidence in God.
Do other people give you hope? Does that hope build confidence in God’s presence? Perhaps your confidence strengthens the faith in other people. David’s confidence in battle developed a lot of hope and faith in the people of Israel. It was hope they needed. You see, there hope was starting to diminish. They had little confidence in themselves and they had nearly forgotten about the Living God. They had put themselves in a position that could have been a means to an end. There was only one direction they could go; there was no turning back. And, that road was uncertain and dark. At the end of that road stood a large and powerful Philistine army ready to crush king Saul and the Israelites (God’s people).
Saul was the king of Israel. He was the king that seems like God didn’t want them to have. Before Saul there was not a king. Yahweh was the King of Israel. God protected them and met all of their needs. But for Israel, it wasn’t enough. They wanted a king so that they could be like the other nations. Reluctantly, God gave them one. They did not realize that they could not have God's rule over them and a king to rule over them. Since they wanted to take matters away from God and into their own hands, problems emerged. Before, the Philistines were unsuccessful at attacking Israel. But, now that God turned control over to their new king, the Philistines were coming to take over.
As Samuel promised the elders of Israel years before this event, they were suffering from the spoils of war. Men were dying in battle and the women were becoming slaves of war. To make matters worse, they were losing. The significance in them losing to the Philistines is much greater than just losing any war. You see, when a nation is defeated, everything about them is defeated, even the god they worship. The enemy knew the Israelites worshiped the Living God and if they defeated them it would show that God was either weak or not on their side.
On the lines of battle the Israelites stood frightened, worried, anxious, and alone because they did not feel like God was with them. They were facing what seemed to be definite defeat. To make matters worse, a large intimidating leader of the Philistine army emerged to the battle line and started taunting them. Many of us know the story. Goliath tells them to send their best warrior and he will defeat him to prove his strength. But, there’s much more to it than that. He knows that the Israelites are vulnerable. He knows that there is a chance that God is no longer with them because he sees his chance of victory. He knows that they are wounded physically, emotionally, and spiritually so he throws salt on the wounds because he knows he has the opportunity to hurt them even more without lifting a finger. He does this by defying the one thing they have left to hold onto. He defies God. He says, “You’re God hates you and forsakes you. Who cares because your God can’t even defeat my army. Your God is weak. Look at this! How much stronger are my gods than yours? Your God has run from battle because of fear. Since your God is too weak to fight me, send me the best warrior you’ve got. I will defeat him too.”
The Israelites placed a lot of trust in their king, Saul. But, Saul was failing as a leader. He was not allowing God to rule. But, God knew this would happen. God warned them of it, but they did not listen. Saul had become Israel’s problem. He was overzealous and eager to lead but he had no concern for his people. For that, they were at the brink of destruction. They had lost hope in their king and they were losing hope in God.
Isn’t it easy to lose hope when everything around us is crumbling down? Isn’t it hard to have confidence in what God is doing or will do when it feels like God is not doing anything for us? Then, of course something or somebody comes along and damages our spirit. You might hear something along the lines of, “I am doing fine without God.” “Why waste your time with it?” “Where is your God now?” Or, “What good is prayer when your prayers aren’t answered?” It is like salt on a big gaping wound. They are those big giant challenges that make us lose hope and confidence. That is the enemy. It’s our own personal giants that we have to face, the ones that scare us, the ones that haunt us, the ones that break us down. When we witness the enemy closing in and making advances we become even more fearful, we question whether or not we are on the right side, and at times we feel like we won’t survive. Do you know that feeling? Have you been there? I am not talking about physical battle; I am talking about the emotional ones we fight regularly. And, doesn’t it always seem like the enemy knows when to attack, when we are the most vulnerable. To make it even worse, the enemy is not afraid of the best warrior.
But, there is good news. The enemy might be powerful, smart, and know a little something about God’s people; but the enemy assumes too much.
David was just a shepherd, a young boy full of God’s zeal. A man after God’s own heart, they called him. His love, trust, and ambition for the Living God were greater than anyone he knew. He wanted to represent God in all that he did.
During the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites David was just an extra hand. He, along with all of the other men and women transported food, supplies, and munitions to the front lines for the soldiers. David wanted to fight but he was too young and not strong enough according to the military standards. Despite his size and age, while delivering supplies he worked his way up to the battlefront and witnesses something that really stirred him. He saw something that created fire and anger in him. He witnessed a man defying and insulting his beloved God, Yahweh. A Philistine, the enemy stood and insulted the God of Abraham and there was nothing in this world that could have angered David any more. To make matters worse, the Israelites, David’s people stood and watched and did nothing while this man cursed God. They did nothing! Though a young shepherd boy, David grabbed the attention of Israel’s army and with the rhetoric of a king in charge stood up for his God with confidence. He said, “Wow, can you believe the balls on this guy? Who does he think he is? I’ll say this; he got some nerve insulting the Living God like that! He has no idea what's about to happen to him and his entire army. He has no idea that they are about to fail miserably! Obviously he does not know that God is about to put an end to his life and this whole battle” This young boy's confidence continues by reprimanding his people for not moving forward with faith. He tells them, “Why do you let this guy say these things? Where is your faith?”
David’s older brothers were among the people fighting for Israel and they heard what their younger sibling was saying. They became angry and told him to go back to tending his sheep in the wilderness. Someone reported to king Saul about this young boy stirring up the battlefront so he sent for David. David requested that Saul allow him to fight the giant but Saul did not grant his request. The king told him that he was too young and the Philistine was too strong. But David knew that Saul's love for God and his people was failing and the only way to reverse these problems was for God to show them that God is present and for them. Let me remind you, Israel’s failure would be a sign that God turned away from them. David would not have it. Finally he persuaded the king to allow him to fight the Philistine. If Saul was going to let this boy go into battle he wanted the enemy to see that he was sending a soldier, not a shepherd. So, he loaded him up with armor, mail, and weapons and sent him on his way. David was so confident in God’s armor and protection, he knew he did not need the armor of the world. Upon leaving the king, he dropped all of the weapons and ornaments that the king gave him. He picked up his shepherd staff, grabbed a few rocks from a creek, and made his way to the front lines of battle.
The giant philistine laughed at him. He cursed David by his own pagan gods but David stood tall and proud that he was there for one purpose, to show all those who witnessed the strength of the Living God. He said, “You come here with sword, shield, and thick armor. I come here with something much greater, the Living God. You are unprepared for battle. You will be defeated.” Goliath advanced and David pulled a stone from his pocket, launched it at the giant, and killed him.
This was not just a battle won by the Israelites. This was not simply a battle. This was God’s stand and outcome in the face of the enemy. When all hope was failing, when the people of Israel were losing hope, when the enemy was gaining ground, when their king, Saul was losing hope and evil was coming over him one young boy’s obedience, confidence, and trust manifested God’s rule. He was just a young shepherd with no experience in government, war, or politics. What he had was simple--confidence that God would deliver.
The David and Goliath story is not really a “David and Goliath story”. In other words it is not simply the story of an underdog winning. This is a “God verses God’s people” story. God’s people were losing touch with God. Saul, the king of Israel that the leaders insisted that they have was losing touch with God. They did not put faith in God that God would deliver them from the enemy. They wanted to do it themselves. By doing this they nearly failed. But, God gave them the chance to experience God’s power. To give them a better understanding of it, God let them witness it through a young shepherd boy. God used the least of them to represent the best warrior. God used David to restore hope for God’s people. God used David’s confidence to restore hope, faith, and trust in God for God’s people.
What restores your hope, your faith, and your trust in God’s will? Perhaps it is God’s work through God’s people. Perhaps it is a believer’s full confidence that God will protect and lead us through the most difficult circumstance such as when we have to face giants. Of course, I am not talking about actual giant people, but the things that truly intimidate us. I am talking about the things that challenge our faith in God. But, when we have confidence in God to deliver us, what is there to fear?
So, if it takes God’s work through God’s people to restore hope, faith, and trust in God’s will what does that mean for us? It means God uses us. We are not just the fearful Israelites; we are also the confident Davids. God calls us to the battlefront to show God’s strength. We must be courageous and confident in what God does through us because God uses those attributes to restore and recreate faith in people. Yes, we restore faith in humanity. We stand with our neighbors against the things that intimidate them. We show the world what God can do through people. We show confidence as a representation of God. We are God’s means for change and restoration.
If you noticed, God chose the least for the greatest task. That tells me that God calls all. No believer is too young or too old. God’s sovereignty has no bounds.
Our Living God is greater than all. There is nothing greater. When we trust in that power and have confidence in it, it becomes present. In the end, when we overcome our giants, the world will see and the world will know that God is great than anything that intimidates us. The world will know through your faith.
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