“GO, AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU!”

 1 Samuel 17:31-37                    (ESV)

“[31] When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. [32] And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” [33] And Saul said to David, YOU ARE NOT ABLE to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” [34] But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And WHEN THERE CAME A LION, OR A BEAR, and took a lamb from the flock, [35] I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. [36] Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, FOR HE HAS DEFIED THE ARMIES OF THE LIVING GOD.” [37] And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “GO, AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU!””

My wife and I were BLESSED with tickets to watch a production entitled DAVID recently.  It is a recounting of the life and times of a mortal man who was known as “a man after GODS OWN HEART in 1 Samuel 13:14.  In my early years, one of the first BIBLE accounts I remember is how David defeated Goliath AFTER he was in the field perfecting his art with a “sling”.  The initial act of the total production is entitled DAVID SENT TO THE FIELDS.  

David was a young teenager at the time he was SENT TO THE FIELDS, but he was CHOSEN BY THE ALMIGHTY, so his age wouldn’t play a factor the outcome of his life.  

King Saul must have been “apprehensive” to approach Goliath because of the SIZE of his foe, Goliath?  But David KNEW in his heart that the enemy could never be victorious over his CREATOR!!!  

David was CONFIDENT that Goliath NO MATCH for HIS GOD!  But how did he KNOW???  He had ALREADY struck down lions and bears and he KNEW that “this uncircumcised Philistine” would be no different!  And just as he predicted, he SLEW Goliath with a sling and a stone!!!

The crux of the entire matter is that not only King Saul, but NO ONE ELSE trusted that a sling and a stone could save the nation of Israel from its adversaries!  Their vision was clouded by their enemy, but David was SEEING GOD as HE TRULY was!!  We need to have our EYES OPENED to SEE that we need to “GO, AND THE LORD BE WITH YOU” has NEVER been defeated….AND NEVER WILL BE!!!