Verse of the Day 2/11 - 1 Samuel 17:47

Through the Bible - Isaiah 50-52, Mark 12:28-44

 

Good morning,

Yesterday we considered how the eyes of the Lord go to and fro, constantly searching for a few good men, whose hearts will be devoted, committed to do His will.  Today, we'll reinforce the thought that "He doesn't need an army to guarantee a win".

 

The Bible is full of examples of this, in fact it is His way.  With David He used one good "young man" to defeat Goliath and send the armies of the Philistines running.  God whittled down Gideon's force to 300 men from an army of 10,000 to defeat the Midianites.  Abram rounded up a force of 318 men to defeat the four kings of the east in order to rescue his nephew Lot.

 

For today's verse we'll go to 1 Samuel 17 where young David has a few choice words for Goliath and other Philistines within ear shot who had been mocking the Israelites and more importantly the God of the Israelites.

 

1 Sam 17:47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."   NKJV

Gideon and Abram assembled a force and made a surprise attack by night.  You might say that David made a surprise attack of his own in broad daylight.  In each of these cases "God's force" of a few good men were something to be reckoned with, the God behind them and before them needed to be taken into account.

 

J.M. Boice writes, "As in Abram's day, it was not the size, training, armament, or deployment of the force.  It was the Lord who gave victory.  That is the spirit in which Christians must fight - whether his is a military, moral, or spiritual battle.  He must be bold.  He must be prepared.  But above all, He must go in the strength of God."

 

What battles are you facing today at home, school, the workplace or anywhere?  Be one of His few good men.  Be bold, be prepared, and go in the strength of God.  We'll finish with the rest of the story, the rest of the song from yesterday, "A Few Good Men".

 

He calls the broken derelict whose life has been renewed

He calls the one who has the strength to stand up for the truth

Enlistment lines are open and He wants you to come in -

He just needs a few good men.

 

In Christ,
Mike
mikevw@bellsouth.net
http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com
Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV
1 Sam 17:38-52

 

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

 

41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David,  with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth,  ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, "Am I  a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh  to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field." 45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with  a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,  whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.  And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day  to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth,  that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that  the Lord saves not with sword and spear.  For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."

 

48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

 

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine  and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead,  they fled.
ESV