1 Samuel 17

David vs Goliath--I love this story!

v. 11--Saul, dismayed and terrified. Just what I look for in a leader.

v. 12--David, the son of an Ephrathite. David's daddy was Jesse, whose daddy was Obed, whose mommy and daddy were Ruth and Boaz!

v. 16--Forty days! Have you ever been away from home for forty days? Our family just returned from a 13-day vacation, and I was worn out. We should be extremely mindful of the families whose loved ones are fighting the war on terror. They are making extreme sacrifices for our freedom!

v. 24--The Israelite army ran in fear. They are a reflection of their leadership. This makes me stop to reflect on my own leadership style. Sometimes the people following me flake out on me. (I'm not talking about you; so don't take any of this personally.) Anyway, instead of blaming it on their lack of commitment, maybe I should take a look at how I have trained my followers to respond to situations.

v. 25--So, if the soldiers were so excited about what Saul would give the hero, why wasn't anyone stepping up to the challenge? Beware of the salesman who will not taste his own wares!

v. 26--"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Way to go, David! He knew God was living because He had talked to him personally through the Spirit. Do you know that God is living today? He is, and He is waiting for you to begin a personal relationship with Him.

v. 28-30--Sibling rivalry is as old as Cain and Abel! Does anyone have any helpful advice for helping brothers and sisters learn to get along? I remember my mom making my brother and I sit on the couch and hold hands if we were fighting. That cured us fairly fast. I also remember my brother being a pest in jr. high, and I remember vividly the last time I was able to take him down in a headlock. I had to take him by surprise because he was bigger than me!

v. 32-37--How could David have such confidence? Because his confidence was in the power of God, not in his own strength. God had been faithful to deliver David many times, and David had the faith to believe he would do it again. My husband and I were talking about this story, and his thought was that David probably said to himself, "If I want to have a kingdom to inherit, then I better stand up and fight this Philistine!"

v. 40--David took his staff, five smooth stones, and his slingshot. Cool. I'm trying to think about what this looks like in my life. David chose not to use the biggest and the best equipment. Instead, he stuck to the basics, the tools of his trade, the tools he had seen God use in his life. The world tries to tell me that I have to have all the latest technology to be effective. While that may be true in some circumstances, most of the time I should rely on God to provide what I need rather than spending all my energy on trying to get ahead in life.

v. 41-44--Goliath is such a bully. LORD, give me the courage of David to stand against the bullies in my life.

v. 45-47--David's bravado is very inspiring! "I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty." "This day the LORD will hand you over to me." "The whole world will know that there is a God in Israel." "The battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." LORD, may the whole world know that You are God! May I proclaim Your Name boldly, even in the face of my enemies.

v. 51--This is such a guy's story! Not for the faint of heart (or stomach).

v. 52--Can you hear the men shout?!!

v. 55-58--I want to know the rest of the story. Why didn't Saul know who David was if David had been serving in his court? Probably kings didn't get overly personal with their servants, huh. Well, from here on out, Saul will definitely become aware of just who this little boy from Bethlehem is!

I hope you don't mind that I've been taking the chapters one at a time for awhile. I just don't want to miss any of the good stuff. Next time we try to press a little further by taking on 1 Samuel 18-20. Thanks for sticking with me!