Daily Devotional for Friday, July 28

Saul’s Reservation

“And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth,” (1 Samuel 17:33).

Have you ever heard of the saying that it does not matter what size the dog is in the fight, but what size the fight is in the dog? When I was young, we had a small dog that would routinely run large dogs off our property, though it seemingly did not make any sense. Some dogs do not seem to know how small they are and the assumed danger they may be in when they go up against other big dogs. Similarly, David did not realize his size or the assumed danger that would befall him if he would go up against this huge warrior named Goliath.

The conventional wisdom told King Saul that David was too little and inexperienced to go up against Goliath. David, however, did not see the size and experience of Goliath as much as he saw one who had defied the armies of God and brought reproach upon Israel (1 Samuel 17:10, 11, 26). So often in our world, the enemies of God are trying to make us cower and intimidate us into submission. But our God has already won the battle because the battle belongs to Him and is not conditioned upon us and our ability but upon Him (1 Samuel 17:47). Like the Apostle Paul told young Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity,” (1 Timothy 4:12). We can never back away from the good fight of faith.

JUST A THOUGHT: What fight will you face though others tell you that you cannot win? “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,” (Philippians 4:13).

Tim Chambers