When David was faced with the challenge of fighting gigantic Goliath, we can see that if he had not believed in himself and believed in God’s ability to help him, he would not have stepped up to it. This is because he faced opposition from the following quarters:
Opposition from Family
When David arrived on the battlefield, the first person who opposed him was his oldest brother Eliab.
The Bible tells us that when Eliab heard David asking the soldiers who had been unable to fight Goliath, “What shall be done for the person who kills this Philistine?” (1 Samuel 17:26) he became angry.
Eliab did not like the fact that David was engaged in an adult conversation with other men and he came to belittle him by asking him, Why did you come down here? And who did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? (1 Samuel 17:28)
He phrased his questions this way because he wanted to bring David down to the wilderness level, read unknown, obscure level, where he thought he belonged and remove him from the battlefield where history was being made as Goliath and the Philistines fought Saul and the Israelites.
Eliab also wanted those men who were engaging in this conversation of national importance with David to know that David was essentially a nobody since he was just a shepherd and not a soldier. His brother’s choice of words also suggested that he wanted them to know that not only was David just a shepherd, but he was a shepherd of just a few sheep and he did his sheep herding in a wilderness or in the middle or nowhere.
In modern day language, this might be equated to someone asking a shopkeeper inquiring about a multi-million dollar business deal, “Why did you come here to this important meeting in this big city? And who did you leave your small shop in the middle of nowhere?”
If you have been the victim of such public demeaning, learn from David because he turned away from Eliab. (1 Samuel 17:30) Therefore, turn away from the people who want to keep you trapped in your small situation in the middle of obscurity when you know that you have it within you to solve big problems and get your great rewards because the reward for killing Goliath was Great riches, a princess for a wife and tax exemption. (1 Samuel 17:25)
In addition, David’s brother was not only content with showing the other army officers that David was a nobody, but he also wanted to show them that he was a bad nobody. This is because as he referred to David, he said, I know your pride and the insolence of your heart. (1 Samuel 17:28)
Eliab probably accused David of pride and insolence because he may have heard David bragging of killing lions and bears all by himself and he wanted to shut him up before he opened his mouth and begun testifying of his grave feats.
Therefore, if you are accused of being proud because you speak about the achievements that God has enabled you to attain, turn away from your haters and keep testifying because They overcame him by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. (Revelation 12:11)
We can see that this Scripture became true for David because he convinced King Saul that he was able to fight Goliath by telling him the testimonies of killing lions and bears. Therefore, turn away from all your critics even if you share the same DNA with them.
In defense of David’s brother, I would like to point out that David did not look like what he spoke of himself. We can see this from the fact that when Goliath looked at him, he disdained him because he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. (1 Samuel 17:28)
These are not the words you would expect to be used to describe a person who listed on their CV lion killer and bear slayer. Therefore, if you know the greatness that God has placed inside you, believe in yourself and do not let the demeaning perceptions of others who just don't see it, minimize you.
David’s father also probably did not see a lion killer and bear slayer in his youngest son because he sent him as a messenger to take dried grain and loaves of bread (1 Samuel 17:28) to his three older brothers who were in the army fighting the Philistines in the Valley of Elah.
Therefore, even if you are considered the least important in your family or clan or county, do not despise yourself. Stand firm in the confidence of what God has made you to be.
Opposition from Authority
David faced two types of opposition from authority when he rose up to fight Goliath.
The first opposition was direct opposition which happened when he told King Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of Goliath for your servant will go and fight him” (1 Samuel 17:32) because Saul discouraged him by telling him, You are not able to fight him because you are a youth while he has been a man of war from his youth. (1 Samuel 17:33)
But Saul’s words did not discourage David for he replied, Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and delivered the lamb from its mouth and when it rose against me, I struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them. (1 Samuel 17:33-36)
But David did not just end there. He had to finish by expressing his confidence in God’s ability to help him because he concluded, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:37)
Therefore, if people in authority oppose or discourage you as you step up to fulfill your destiny or take up responsibilities that you know you are well able to fulfill, do not take their words to heart when you know what God has placed the ability in your heart.
Emulate David who did not let Saul’s words that he was an inexperienced youth sink into his heart when he knew in his heart that he was a youthful but experienced lion killer and bear slayer. He stood his ground and respectfully argued his case by referring to himself as ‘Your Servant’ when speaking to Saul the King.
David also tried to explain the source of his success by bringing God into the picture and attributing his success to Him. As a result, Saul told him, Go and may the Lord be with you. (1 Samuel 17:37)
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The second type of opposition that David faced from authority in the person of King Saul was indirect opposition.
This is because when Saul approved of David fighting Goliath, he tried to improve him by putting a bronze helmet on his head and clothing him with a coat of mail. (1 Samuel 17:38)
By doing this he was, in essence, saying that he did not approve of David’s methods. But, David recognized that he had to be true to himself and have confidence in his proven methods because he removed them and told Saul, I cannot walk with these because I have not tested them and took them off. (1 Samuel 17:39)
David understood that he had to believe in his skills and tools even if his staff, sling and five stones may have seemed archaic in the eyes of the entire army when compared not only to King Saul’s helmet and mail coat but also to Goliath's bronze helmet, coat of mail that weighed 5000 shekels, bronze armor covering his legs, bronze javelin and spear with a spear head that weighed 600 shekels. (I Samuel 17:5-7)
In fact, even Goliath was insulted when he saw the weapons that David had chosen to use to fight him because he asked him, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? (1 Samuel 17:43)
But, understand that while Goliath saw sticks as David’s weapons of warfare, David knew those were not his real weapons because he said, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. (1 Samuel 17:45)
By this statement, David was further stating his confidence in God because he continued and declared that The battle is the Lord’s (1 Samuel 17:47) meaning that it was the Lord who would fight for him and that The Lord does not save with sword and spear. (1 Samuel 17:47)
Therefore, place your confidence in God’s ability to help you and understand that The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. (2 Corinthians 10:4) They are not the physical guns or the sticks and stones that Goliath was seeing in David’s hands. Recognize instead that our real weapons, though not physical, are spiritual and Mighty through God for the pulling down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4) like Goliath.
Therefore, instead of putting on Saul’s bronze helmet and coat of mail, ensure that you have Put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11) which consists of the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the Sword of the spirit which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17) so that you can Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10) like David.
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