Who Do You Think You Are?

When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 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.” 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, 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. 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.” 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!” (1 Samuel 17:31-37 ESV). David’s humble position in the social hierarchy continues to show as the Goliath story begins. He is demeaned by his older brother for even showing up near the battle, and when brought to King Saul he is hit with a definitive: “You are not able.” There is no evidence in the story that David had been given some divine premonition of the outcome of the battle, but David believed that the God who had delivered him from the lion and the bear yesterday would deliver him from the giant today. Even when Saul offered his armor and weapons, David goes back to what he knows. He takes his sling and some rocks to face the undefeated giant believing the difference would be the Lord. There will always be those who challenge us with the taunt of “Who do you think you are?” None of us are immune to the doubt and ridicule of attempting what seems impossible. This is especially true in our faith. Like David, we are not asked to create trust out of nowhere; we have been given reason to believe. Though the voices and circumstances that surround us may sound like “You are not able,” the God who has delivered us before will keep on delivering. We believe God will work his redemptive purposes in us and through us for his people, because he has done it for millennia. It may be financial challenges in a recession, it may be war challenges in a divided world, or soul hurt that does not seem to disappear, but we move forward through the circumstances into battle, believing in the God who has delivered us rather than the challenging voices or mocking enemies that surround us. After all, Jesus has defeated the greatest of our enemies. Death has been defeated forever!