1 Samuel 17:11

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

1 Samuel 17:11

When not viewed through the eyes of faith, our difficulties often seem insurmountable.

The Philistines have returned: It’s a reoccurring theme in the reigns of Saul and David. The Philistines were Israel’s archetypal foes – enemies who continuously harassed and threatened God’s people. But they were often used by God as the backdrop against which He demonstrated His power and provision for His covenant people. It’s the same story with the trials and difficulties that God allows to come into our lives: they reoccur regularly and they are used by God as a means of showing us His power and provision. David will show us that faith is the key to dealing with difficulties – whether Philistines or hard circumstances or stubborn sin or loss.

Saul and Jonathan had recently dealt the Philistines a severe blow. (1 Sam. 13,14) But these implacable enemies had once again invaded Israelite territory, and they brought their gigantic champion, Goliath, with them. Goliath challenged the army of Israel to send a champion against him in single combat, in a winner-take-all competition. But Saul and his army, overcome by fear, cowered in their tents, unwilling to take up the challenge. Why?

Admittedly, Goliath was an imposing, even frightening, figure. He was well over 9 feet tall, wore 150 lbs. of “scale armor,” carried a spear with a 20 lb. iron head and was an experienced warrior. The guy was a tank! But why did Israel hesitate? There was no rule saying single combat was necessary. They could simply have attacked the Philistine army as they had before. In fact, since Israel had faced the Philistines frequently over the years, it seems likely that they had seen Goliath before and he had presented no great difficulty. Besides, Israel had its own “giant,” an experienced warrior-king who stood “head and shoulders” above his fellow Israelites, Saul.

But Saul was the problem. Remember his spiritual condition at this point: he had been forsaken by God and the Holy Spirit had departed from him. He was a spiritual lame duck – still bearing the title of king, but no longer God’s anointed. Incapable of faith and now bereft of the Spirit’s power and Samuel's guidance, Saul had taken the field in his own strength and it wasn’t enough. He was terrified, and his cowardice had infected the entire army of Israel. [As a sidebar, notice that leadership can be negative as well as positive, and that it tends to determine the perspective of those who follow. This is especially true of spiritual leadership – a church never rises above its leaders. So pray for your elders and those who lead the church that they would be men of great faith.]

The situation cried out for a man of faith – a man who could see what was truly happening. And onto the scene stepped David. Looking through the eyes of faith, David didn’t see a giant, he saw a blaspheming enemy of God’s people; he didn’t see an insurmountable obstacle, he saw an opportunity for the Lord to demonstrate His power.

You see, faith doesn’t calculate on the same basis as unbelief. Unbelief (personified by Saul) looks only at the human resources at hand, weighing them against the size of the obstacle. In Saul’s view, an inexperienced boy couldn’t possibly prevail against this gigantic, battle-hardened warrior. (17:33) But David’s calculations of faith yielded an entirely different result. He started with the victories God had given him in the past (17:34,35), added to them the importance God places on His own glory and honor (17:36) and concluded that this battle was already won, because it was God’s fight. David’s personal strength and resources were not the issue. The only question his faith asked was whether God was in it, because if God was in it, then victory was assured. David was simply willing to be the means through which God worked. By faith he grasped that “power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9)

This is a lesson taught throughout the Bible. But it is a lesson many Christians today have never learned. I fear that in our day, few Christians have David’s faith – even though we have the full revelation of Jesus Christ, and have all been given the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. What about you? Have you learned the calculus of faith yet? In following God’s will, God’s power + a weak and willing vessel = the manifestation of glory of God (regardless of the size of the obstacle). The church of Jesus Christ cries out for men and women of faith. May you be part of God’s answer to that cry!