1 Samuel 17:38-39
Verse 39 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.
While meeting with David, Saul knew there was no persuading the boy to just go home quietly and so he tells David to use his own armor. 1 Samuel 9:2 says, “His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.” If the king was heads and shoulders above the other men of Israel, how much more he would have been taller than David. David putting on Saul’s armor would have been like a boy putting on dad’s shirt and shoes, floppy and difficult to walk in.
David wasn’t a soldier and so wasn’t even use to the everyday soldier’s gear but the king had the best gear available to men and so it was like two steps above what the shepherd boy was used to. In fact, earlier in 1 Samuel it says that only Saul and his son, Jonathan, had swords or spears in all of Israel (1 Samuel 13:19-22). Swords and spears were a far cry from the sling that the boy was used to.
David was a shepherd, he was likely more used to communicating with his flock than with others. He felt more comfortable in the presence of the animals because he understood the position, but that didn’t stop him from going totally out of his comfort zone to address the giant of Gath. David knew that there was no way he could wear the armor and so he tells Saul that it isn’t going to work. Though David felt more comfortable talking to the critters, he wasn’t afraid to speak the truth to the king.
Maybe David didn’t fear talking to the king because he was used to talking to the King of Kings. We know this because of David’s many psalms and the fact that he knew God in such a personal way that he was offended for God when he heard the taunt of the Philistine champion. But the thing we need to remember is that he was called for this moment. Although David likely couldn’t see it at the time, this was part of his preparation for being the king of God’s chosen people. He wasn’t called to be the warrior that Saul was, he was called to be a shepherd warrior, a man after God’s own heart.
We aren’t called to other people’s callings either and sometimes that is one of the hardest things to remember. We need to serve where and how God has called us to serve, those are the things He equips us for.
Making It Personal
Where in your life are you doing something that He may not have equipped you for? Where are you not serving that He did quip you for? Is the serving you do, done for your glory or His?
Making It Personal Kids
What are some things that you think Jesus gave you special abilities to do? Are there things that Jesus didn’t give you abilities to do? What are you going to do today to serve Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for calling us to serve You. It is hard not to want what others are gifted in, but we ask that You would help us be more content with who You made us to be and help us serve You as You equip us to serve. In Jesus’ name, amen.