Fight With What You Know
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." - 1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV)
1 Samuel 17:38-40, 45 (NIV)
When David arrived at the battlefield, he wasn’t there as a soldier. He wasn’t part of Saul’s army, and he certainly wasn’t looking for a fight. He was simply running an errand for his father, bringing food to his three older brothers and carrying back a report of how they were doing. But when David heard Goliath’s taunts against the armies of Israel and against the living God, something stirred within him. While seasoned warriors stood frozen in fear, David volunteered to face the giant.
The problem, of course, was that David was a shepherd, not a trained warrior. Goliath was a giant of a man (some commentaries say almost 10 feet tall!), battle-tested and fully armed. His shield bearer even walked before him.
Humanly speaking, David was completely outmatched. Saul recognized the danger and attempted to help by dressing David in his own royal armor. The king placed his helmet on David’s head and clothed him with armor fit for battle.
But David couldn’t even walk in it. David says: “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” (1 Samuel 17:39).
The armor wasn’t bad armor. Saul wasn’t trying to hinder David. The problem was that David had never tested it. He wasn’t familiar with it. It wasn’t how God had prepared him. David had learned dependence on God while tending sheep, protecting the flock from lions and bears, and spending long hours in the presence of the Lord. So he took off the armor, picked up his shepherd’s staff, gathered five smooth stones, and carried his sling into battle.
In many ways, David’s rejection of Saul’s armor pictures a rejection of worldly dependence. He refused to place his confidence in what looked strong, impressive, and conventional. Instead, he chose what he knew: the faithfulness and power of God.
As David approached Goliath, he declared, “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” (1 Samuel 17:45). David understood something that neither Saul nor the Israelite army seemed to grasp in that moment. The battle was not ultimately between David and Goliath. The battle belonged to the Lord.
The same principle applies to us today. We also face an enemy, though our battle is not against flesh and blood. Scripture reminds us that our struggle is against spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12). Because of that, worldly weapons will never secure spiritual victories. We cannot overcome spiritual opposition through human strength, self-sufficiency, clever strategies, or earthly resources alone.
Instead, we must take up the armor of God and place our full dependence upon Him.
The good news is that we do not fight for victory; we fight from victory. Through Christ, the decisive battle has already been won. The God who delivered Israel through the faith of a shepherd boy is the same God who fights for His people today.
David fought with what he knew. He knew the power, faithfulness, and presence of God. We should do the same. The weapons God has given us may not look impressive to the world, but they carry divine power. As Paul reminds us, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to destroy strongholds.” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
When the giants stand before you, don’t place your trust in the world’s armor. Fight with what you know. Trust the God who has proven Himself faithful. Depend on the One who fights your battles. The victory belongs to Him.
bytaylormcgee
