Friday, April 13, 2012

April 14, 2012

What should you expect from a God who knows no limits and can do anything He wants any time and anywhere?
 
 
That is a very important question that deserves some honest, thoughtful and biblical answers. To find some answers we are studying the story of David and Goliath to see if we can learn what he expected of God when he confronted Goliath.

In our last post we discovered that David expected a godly viewpoint. Because of that he saw Goliath differently that all of the others. They saw a giant that was too big to fight and he saw a giant that was too big to miss!

This morning we will see the second expectation David had of God. He expected godly valor as he confronted the giant. David behaved differently toward Goliath because he believed differently about him.

“When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran away from him in great fear.”  V. 24

“As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.”  V. 48

Why did David have such courage when the soldiers, who were battle tested, didn’t?

1)       His Experience

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Vv. 34-37
David was confident in His public battle because he had tested God in his private battles. As a shepherd caring for his sheep he had rescued them from the attack of a bear and later when a lion attacked his flock he also killed it.

I am sure that the first time David had to fight a lion or a bear, they seemed like a giant to him. But when he was able to take them on and kill them with the help of the Lord, they became less frightening - and so did the giant!
 
 
God won't allow you to face a giant until you have trusted Him and proven Him against some bears or lions. Confidence in God is gained through winning private victories in your personal battles.
 
 
Let me ask you, “How are your private battles? How are you handling your personal giants – or lions – or bears?”

God expects you to trust Him to win your personal private battles before you trust Him to give you public victories!

2)       His Expectation

“David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and 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. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” Vv. 44-47


He knew this was the Lord’s battle so he knew that the Lord would give him the victory.

He expected God to win the battle because he knew – he fought for the right principle – he fought for the right purpose and – he fought with spiritual power.


David won a major victory on the public battlefield because he was winning on his private personal battlefield. God was able to help him publicly because David had allowed God to help him privately.

The fact is if you aren’t winning the private personal battles the public battles will eventually expose you and bring you down!