Mountain Movers

"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David..." (Hebrews 11:32)

Other than Jesus, David is mentioned more than anyone else in the Bible. Of all his brothers, he was the one least likely to rise to prominence. However, in God's sight, he was the one who stood head and shoulders above anyone else at that time. There are many examples in the Bible where David demonstrated his faith in a powerful way. Let's look at the one act of faith that first got David noticed.

God began a search for someone to lead His people since He had found fault with and rejected Israel's first king, Saul, because he no longer led the people in a spiritual manner. God chose Samuel to carry out a search for Saul's successor. God led Samuel to Jesse, who lived in Bethlehem along with his eight sons. When Samuel arrived there, he saw some impressive individuals. That's when God had a few words for him.

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Sam 16:7)

Samuel chose David, the youngest of all the sons, to be God's anointed leader. David was then brought to Saul where he became his servant. David quickly gained Saul's favor.

Not long after that, the Israelites were about to face the challenge of their lifetime. The Philistine army approached the Israelites ready to declare war against them. They brought with them a champion named Goliath, who was nine feet tall. Goliath challenged Israel to find one warrior to fight him. The loser of the battle would subject their army to become the servants of the winner. The Bible says in 1 Samuel 17:11, that "on hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified."

At this point, the Israelites had given up all hope. For forty days, Goliath came towards the Israelite army shouting his defiance and further instilling fear into the Israelites. Only David was willing to stand up against the Philistine giant. Why? Because David was indignant at how this man was insulting the armies of the Living God.

While David wanted to remove this disgrace from God's people, he encountered only opposition from his older brother. In fact, his brother called him conceited and wicked. When David told King Saul that he wanted to fight Goliath, Saul was initially reluctant. After all, Goliath was a dominant juggernaut of a warrior whereas David was just a boy who had never tasted combat.

Yet David was able to convince Saul that he would conquer Goliath because the Lord would deliver him victory just as He had done many times in the past. Saul was persuaded and prepared David for battle.

As David and Goliath met one another, Goliath ridiculed the Israelites for bringing a boy against him. He despised and cursed David and God. Yet David remained more confident than ever.

This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. (1 Samuel 17:46)

David had such a consuming passion for God that nothing would deter him from proving that God is sovereign and worthy of all glory. He ran to the battle line, took out a stone and slung it towards Goliath. Within seconds, the stone sank into the forehead of Goliath and he dropped dead to the ground.

Once the Philistines saw their hero had fallen, they ran away. The Israelites pursued them and triumphed over them. That day, David won a great victory for God.

We can glean many insights from David's life and his acts of faith. First, he was full of faith because he deeply understood the character of God. He knew that the Lord was a God of deliverance. He had seen God rescue him many times in the past and, as a result, would do so again.

David also understood that God had an unconquerable power. He was fully convinced that there was no way Goliath could win because the ultimate strength was in the Living God.

David focused on God and not the crowds. Goliath tried to psych David out. His own brothers openly opposed his actions. Furthermore, the leader of the Israelite army did not initially express belief that David was capable of overcoming Goliath. None of that mattered. Only God's opinion counted. Only David saw that at the time. However, in the end, he was able to convince the entire Israelite army of how powerful God really was.

David expected God to give him victory. In Psalm 5:3, he waited in expectation for God to answer his prayers. Why? Because he knew that was what both he and God wanted. He lived out Hebrews 11:6 knowing that God had rewards prepared ahead of time for the faithful.

David was willing to go to any length to please God. Everything David did was whole-hearted because he found his strength in God. And God blessed his efforts in an incredible way.

While David was blessed because of his faith, Saul's lack of faith was his downfall. Contrary to the usual order of things where a King pulls rank over commoners, this time God honored a mere soldier rather than the powerful king.

In the next chapter, we will examine the life and faith of Samuel. He was the one who originally "discovered" David and brought him to Saul. Samuel lived a life of wholehearted devotion and commitment to God. He began ministering before God as a small boy and continued his ministry until he was on his deathbed.