David and Goliath's story is a familiar one to most of us, but let's take a closer look at the patterns David recognized.
The Israelite and the Philistine armies stood on opposite mountains with a valley between them. As usual, the Israelites were outnumbered. For 40 days, the Philistines' champion stood in the valley and challenged the Israelites to send someone to fight him. Goliath was 9 1/2 feet tall and an intimidating sight.
David arrives at the battle scene with provisions for his three older brothers. He was the youngest son out of eight boys, which would make him about 13 years old.
His family didn't think much of him. He was given the job of shepherd, which was usually not assigned to a son. When he came home and told them about how he killed a lion, they didn't believe him. They didn't believe him when he said he killed a bear.
While he was at the battleground, Goliath once again issued his challenge. David inquired about what reward would be given for defeating the giant. King Saul heard about the young man who was outraged that this Philistine was coming against the army of Almighty God.
When Saul saw he was serious, he put his own armor on David. Now, Saul was a big man and David was much smaller in stature. David had no experience with this equipment, and decided to go with his tried and true weapon.
Because of what he'd done in the past, David believed God would deliver the giant into his hand. As far as he was concerned, Goliath was a dead man. He recognized the pattern of God's deliverance: first the lion, then the bear, and now this enemy of his people.
What lessons can we learn from this story to defeat the "giants" in our own lives? To hear the entire message, please visit our website and click on the Media Tab. You can listen online, download it to your MP3 player, or podcast.
Are you facing problems that seem insurmountable? Does the Bible teach principles that can be applied to our situations? Come on out to Zoe Christian Fellowship for dynamic praise and worship, Biblical teaching, and a warm family welcome. We're located at 1111 Easton Rd., Route 611, in Warrington, PA. We look forward to meeting you!
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