1 Samuel 17:39

New International Version

David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.

For Encouragement

It is hard to believe King Saul. The man had cowered before Goliath for forty days (1 Sam. 17:4-11, 16), yet he dressed David in his armor to do what he had failed to accomplish (38). Saul was a giant of his own (9:2), but the Philistine champion intimidated him and his army for forty days. Why then did he want David to be like him? David didn’t need the blessing of a man who couldn’t trust God enough to face the giant in His name (37b)? But that’s how people are and want you to be.

People want others to conform to their pattern of life. They urge people to see life through their eyes, speak like them, fear and dress like them. Their relentless pressure can bend even the strongest will, trapping the vulnerable in the game of peer pressure. This force is sly and suffocating, squeezing out independent thought and locking away initiative. It is a jailer with a grip as tight as a bear’s embrace. Teenagers are especially vulnerable, but adults are not immune.

David resisted this pressure by rejecting King Saul’s armor (v. 39). At ease with his own armory, David stepped forward to face Goliath with absolute confidence in God. “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied,” he said (40, 45).

That’s the believer’s posture, which drives away fear and overcomes every obstacle. It is faith born out of self-assurance in Christ (Rom. 8:37) and a total dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 1:7). It is David’s testimony to Christ as the believer’s mighty warrior, and a warning against every opposition. It also encourages those intimidated by people and situations to step out of their shell and fight for Jesus’ honor (Eph. 6:10-18).

Therefore, before you consider becoming like somebody in life, remember King Saul’s fear before Goliath and contrast it with David’s courage, armed with the power of God that toppled the giant. Then you can choose to be yourself in Christ or to walk in the likeness of another person.

As Chuck Swindoll comments, “When God is involved, anything can happen. The One who directed the stone between Goliath’s eyes, divided the Red Sea, and brought His Son back from the dead takes delight in the incredible!” God takes delight in you who steps out with confident trust in Jesus and none other.

Pray with Me

Lord, thank you for courage in Christ Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit to confront the giants in our lives. Help us be ourselves in your full armor in every situation.

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