April 4, 2012

SCRIPTURE
1 Samuel 17:38-40 - Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.  David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.


OBSERVATION
This comes as Saul was falling out of favor as king of Israel in God's eyes, and David was rising as the anointed one to be the next king. It is also, of course, the beginning of the David and Goliath story.  David has volunteered to go and take on Goliath as he believes he is protected by God.  Saul finally agrees to let him go, then dresses him in Saul's own battle gear. David walks around in it for a minute, then shrugs the gear off because he can't move; then he leaves to meet with Goliath, and ultimately slays him using only his slingshot and a stone.


APPLICATION
I thought of why this detail would be included in the Bible, and believing that God has left all the details in for a reason, this is my supposition:  We are all called to do battle daily, but we are called to do our OWN battle, in our own skins, using our own skills as weapons.  I find that sometimes I try to take on the attitudes and "armor" of the people around me that I admire, but God has equipped us all uniquely, differently from anyone else, for a reason, and when I do stray away from what is naturally me, it feels artificial and unwieldy.  David had been skilled in using his slingshot and his stones in the fields, and he knew that in order to capitalize on what he was good at, he needed to be clothed in his normal attire.  Anything else would be false and would interfere with his mission.  When I see people around me that handle situations with an attitude or a mechanism that I don't possess or isn't natural to me, it's ok to appreciate that fact, but I should be wary of trying on the armor of others because it is tailored to their lives, not mine.  That's not to say we can't hone our skills and practice with new things, but we shouldn't go out and face an opponent (such as daily life!) wearing something we are not sure how to use.


PRAYER
God, allow me to recognize my own capabilities and skills and use them according to Your will.  Help me to refrain from borrowing from others what is not meant to be for me - keep me focused on my mission and the tools I have and am comfortable with, knowing that it is Your power that backs them up and that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, not through my own efforts. In your name, Amen.


More information about 1 Samuel:  http://biblica.com/niv/study-bible/1-samuel/