That All May Know

The following devotional is adapted from a sermon titled "That All My Know," given by Rev. Jennifer Mullins at Gayton Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia on October 13, 2024:

Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 17:32-37; 41-50

David and Goliath is one of the top recognizable stories around the world, whether in secular or religious circles. So recognizable that it is a popular trope in pop culture. For example, have you ever seen or heard a story or show that depicts:

The little guy standing up to a bully... A ragtag, underdog team winning the championship against the favored yet despised team... A small lawyer winning a case for a small town against a large corporation...

These are the David and Goliath stories we all know. We love the fearful becoming courageous, the weak becoming strong. After all, we want the giants in our own lives to fall. It inspires us.

Yet this is not the actual point of David and Goliath.

Instead, here are 4 major lessons more importantly gleaned from this story:
1) GOD USES THE YOUNG. Philippians 4:13 is a perfect summary of the core message of the David and Goliath story. David lived in the shadow of his older brothers, and was probably around middle-school age at the time of his slaying Goliath. All throughout Scripture, the young are chosen to serve and lead through God's purpose: Samuel, the boy with five loaves and two fish, the Virgin Mary... We know God uses the faith of the young as much as the faith of the old (1 Tim 4:12). We must remember that youth are not the future of the church, they are the now of the church! As once-popular Christian artist Ray Boltz sung, "when others see a shepherd boy, God may see a king." God works through anyone who is faithful. Do you believe in the faithful youth as God believes in them? Do you invest in them by encouraging them, praying for and with them, modeling faith in action for them, providing opportunities to develop their leadership (Deut 6:5-9, Matt 9:14)?

2) WE HAVE THE SAME GOD AS DAVID. Jesus tells us in Luke 1:37, "With God nothing is impossible." Our God does miracles! A boy takes out a giant. A virgin gives birth. A wrapped corpse walks out alive again. We must place our faith in this same God of David, Mary, Lazarus... We will forget this over and over, but we must be intentional about remembering Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever"! He still moves mountains and slays giants!

3) LISTEN TO GOD'S VOICE ONLY. What we listen to over and over informs our actions and reactions. For 40 days and nights, the Israelites listened to the Philistine taunts and insults—and they cowered. When David arrives with fresh ears, he is upset, but because of his love for his God, it ignited him to do something. He was not going to stand for it. He knew, and so do we, that, "Greater is He who lives in us than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4) We don't need to listen to everything we hear. Instead, we can guard our hearts and minds with God's Word. After all, how we think frames our actions and our actions make up our life. If we listen to the wrong messages, we ultimately risk how we live out our lives. Deut 30:20 instructs us, "love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him."

4) WE MUST BELIEVE THAT IT IS ALL FOR GOD'S GLORY, NOT OUR OWN. David is NOT the hero of this story, but the Lord! David, if he stood here today, would shirk and despise being called the hero of the story as he himself proclaimed that his objective was that the whole world would know that God is the Lord (v. 46). We, too, are to be passionate that all may know God and His glory. Note that David did not try to encourage the army or his brothers. Instead, he is upset that his God was being defied and taunted. He was driven by a zeal for God's glory. We are to cry out to God in asking, seeking, and knocking, but do we also want our prayerful petitions to be fulfilled to proclaim His glory and that all may know Him? Or Is our intent simply to want obstacles gone? Are you aiming to passionately proclaim His victory and glory in your life in everything God accomplishes through you?

God is the only one who can save David, the Israelites, you, and me. Ultimately He sent a piece of Himself to suffer and die for our sins and be raised to life again so that we can live in His grace. Ephesians 2:8-9 reminds us that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, therefore what better reason do we have to make Him known and proclaim His name and power? May we seek to live for Him so that all may know His goodness and power.