Drawing our attention to v. 16 ‘For forty days the Philistine (Goliath) came forward every morning and evening and took his stand...’ We will pause to question. Why was there inactivity of an arduous forty days in a heated time of war? Why were Saul and his commanders giving excuses? What excuses did they give?
The Israelites were bowing into the trap of excuses, even when the boat of opportunity struck them at their heels. The boat of opportunity, indeed, was to declare that Jehovah God was mightier than Goliath. Even when they could grow in hope and trust in the Lord God Almighty, they chose not to.
But there was David, who gave no excuses in his youth. He engaged, seized and struck the Philistine, knowing that God’s covering was upon him. In v. 32 David said to Saul – ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.’ Here, David volunteered himself. Then in v. 36 he named his courage – ‘Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear.’ Never, never did David give any excuse that the lions and the bears were too formidable to overcome, too implacable an enemy. He never idled when the lion and the bear attacked his sheep. Instead, he fought them. Head-on.
Victory!
To pursue growth, start volunteering.
4) Start initiating
2 Samuel 23:16 reads, ‘So the three mighty men broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well…’
Skill, ability, knowledge, understanding - the means of attaining all these are through initiating. The three mighty men, out of their own will, risked their lives and opened a blood path when David longed for water. From their example, we see not only their faithfulness, but their determination in the frontline of initiation.
