Inexperience

Today's passage: I Samuel 17:31-58
     "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  I Timothy 4:12
     How insulted must Goliath have been!  Not only did Israel send this kid out to do a man's job, but an unarmored kid without fighting weapons.  Goliath's armor bearer who went before him carrying his shield was probably even taller than David.  Goliath was furious.  It was as if Israel did not take him seriously.  It was as if this was a practical joke they were playing on a proven warrior.  It is not a joke.  Israel fully expects to see David demolished.  His brothers are already writing a note home to Dad to let him know they tried to stop him, but as the baby brother who tended to get his way, he wouldn't listen.  The medics have their first aid kits nearby knowing they will not have a chance to use them before David expires.  They don't even bother with the stretchers because Goliath will kill anyone who tries to go near David's body.  Goliath has already said that David's carcass will be vulture meat.
     The Israelite and Philistine soldiers hear Goliath and David shouting to each other across the valley.  Goliath is muttering and ranting because a boy stands before him.  But David seems confident, poised, as if he had killed thousands of giants.  David claims the battle for Jehovah and assures Goliath he will be the vulture food this day.
     Goliath ambles toward David, his hefty figure weighed down by his armor.  He almost looks as if he moves in slow motion.  David, unhindered by any armor moves swiftly.  He is agile as he whips the sling around his head.  Goliath lifts his heavy sword and slashes downward, but David's small stature and speed become an advantage, because Goliath misses.  He has to determine where David has moved so he can attempt to slash at him again.  The hillside soldiers watch this scene as if an elephant is lumbering at a pesky flea.  The flea's movements are so quick, that the elephant no soon turns around than the flea is behind him.  David catapults a stone which buries deep into Goliath's forehead.  Ding, dong the witch is dead, oh no, that's another story.  Goliath's armor bearer scurries out of the way as his large shadow hovers closer to the ground.  Armor rattles and creaks as his massive body slams against the rocky terrain.  A breathless David stands on the giant back, unsheaths his sword, and decapitates Goliath with his own weapon. 
     Stunned, the Israelite soldiers process what has just happened, armor up, and pursue the remaining Philistine army.  The Philistines, on the other hand, have already left camp.  They have not had to fight a battle for a considerable while now since they've had a champion to fight all of their battles for them.  They have been lazy and have not bothered to train.  They do not think their fighting will match up all that well with the trained Israelites, and they are right.  Some of them are able to reach the safety of Ekron, but many of the Philistines never make it home alive.
     Saul is curious about David.  This young man who has played a harp in his palace, obviously had some hidden talents.  He knew David, but he wasn't all that familiar with the family.  My study Bible says that he didn't really care about the origins of a harp player, but now that his daughter would be marrying this giant killer, he would want to know who would be related to the royal family.  Which kind of makes me wonder why any father would offer their daughter as a trophy anyway?  I mean, I know that would be great motivation for a soldier, but what if he was a mercenary?  Would you really want to give your daughter over to that kind of man?  At least, even if David was from a nobody family, he loved God.  Saul would not have to worry about her spiritual well-being, not as if that was something Saul would actually factor in when it came to giving his daughters in marriage. 
     David had more to contend with than just going up against Goliath.  He had to battle prejudices against his youth.  Everyone thought he was too young to do the job.  Experience is respected, sometimes revered.  But God did not choose someone who had experience.  He chose David, because it doesn't really matter how old or young someone is, it matters how surrendered they are.  David had given his whole heart to God.  It was because of David's inexperience as a soldier, that God could get all the glory.  It was because David's dependence, that God could help him win the battle.  An experienced soldier might have relied on his training, an untrained soldier would have to rely on God.  When I feel like I am experienced enough to handle a situation or do a job, it may be because of that very reason that God does not use me.  Because who will get the glory in that situation?  When I feel ill-equipped to respond, it may be the very thing God wants to accomplish the task, because I know I can't do it without Him.  I will surely be in prayer and I will surely let Him lead.  I may have natural talents, but God does not always choose to use those, sometimes He uses the unnatural talents, so that He is glorified.  My inexperience may show, my inabilities may surface, but God will give me the sufficiency I need when the time comes.  If I look at others and think, "I could have done that so much better because I have this talent and I have that skill" that is exactly when God will elect someone else.  Why?  Because when accomplishment comes despite abilities, there is only One who can claim success.  There is only One who can take the credit.  When I feel too young, too inexperienced, too skill-less to accomplish something, I can remember David who may have felt the same way too, only he had the confidence in the God who would do the conquering.  My inexperience may show, but it will show Him greater.
 

A Test of True Character

Today's passage:  I Samuel 13:13-I Samuel 14:23
     "And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised:  it may be that the LORD will work for us:  for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few."
     For all of Saul's faults, he must have been a good father.  Either that, or Jonathan had great character despite his father.  That happens sometimes.  Although parents are important figures in children's lives, not everybody is blessed with Godly parents who teach their children from the Bible.  Yet, some children can overcome this by finding the Lord themselves and living for Him despite the opposition in their home.  I find these young people remarkable.  That can't be an easy task.  It shows something though.  It shows that despite the odds, God can overcome any situation.
     In the last several verses of Chapter 13, Samuel tells Saul that his disobedience has cost him the throne for future generations.  Now, I'm guessing Jonathan would have heard about this.  I'm thinking he was none too pleased with his father's willfullness, because his disobedience had actually brought the punishment more on Jonathan than on Saul himself.  Maybe Jonathan wonders if he can change God's mind?  I'm not saying he is trying to, but maybe he wants to prove to God that he would be a worthy king.  And he most definitely would. Jonathan has so many good qualities, you kind of have to wonder how he came by them.  Not saying Saul did not have any, but this young man is just brimming with possibilities.  Jonathan has a pure heart, free of vengeance or jealousy (we see that when he befriends the future king who will take his place).  He has a confidence without pride.  He has a heart to serve God, and has faith that God will deliver him.  After Jonathan enlists his armor bearer alone to go and fight the Philistines, God allows him to defeat hundreds of men.  Who would go on a mission like that?  The armor bearer tells Jonathan, "Whatever you think, I'm with you."  What?  Jonathan had charisma (like his father).  But he had something his father did not have, he had a conviction that they were God's people and that God would deliver them.  Jonathan did have a plan first, a testing of the waters to see if God wanted them to do this thing.  He didn't just assume God was on their side, because after all, God had not been exactly pleased with Saul's actions as of late.  He told his armor bearer that once they showed themselves to the Philistines, if the Philistines said to wait for them to come over and fight, he would know that God was not in this.  But if they said, "Come over here." then that would be their cue that God wanted them to fight.  Sounds completely opposite from what I would have determined.  I would think, "If they say they are coming over, then I have backup with the Israelite soldiers.  If they say, you come over here, I'm doomed."  Jonathan's bravery allowed him to convince this lone armor bearer to go with him and engage the Philistines in a one-sided battle that led to an Israelite victory.  That's amazing!

Jonathan and his armorbearer attack the Philistines--Taken from Standard Bible Readers, Book Four
By Lillie A. Faris, Illustrated by O.A. Stemler and Bess Bruce Cleaveland
 The Standard Publishing Company, 1927

  Was Jonathan trying to win God's favor?  Maybe.  I can imagine that Jonathan wanted God to know that he was on His side, even if his father proved not to be.  I can guess Jonathan would have wanted to be the next king.  It is what he had been training to do.  Have you ever tried to convince God of something?  Have you ever tried to convince God that really, if You rethink this plan, it would work out better?   Jonathan would have made an excellent king.  Why would God not have allowed the punishment to fall squarely on Saul, and allow Jonathan to have the throne?  Here's the thing.  I think we see more of Jonathan's character because he would not be the next king, more than if he had been.  I see a young man who responds with graciousness to David, who should have been his enemy.  I see a young man who does not plot and scheme to get around God's will, but accepts it.  Now, maybe he doesn't at first, and that may be why he takes on this daredevil attack with the Philistines, to convince God, but when that doesn't work, he doesn't respond with, "Well, what did I do that for?"  Every thing has a purpose in our lives.  That promotion I wanted?  It went to someone else, how did I respond?  The new house I put a bid on, but was not accepted?  What was my attitude?  The paper I deserved an A on but the teacher gave me a C instead?  Did I grumble about it?  God develops character in us, and these situations in our life fully displays it.  Jonathan did not become king because God wanted to show us how to react when we don't get something we think we deserve (by the way, we don't deserve anything, that is another part of God's grace, that He allows us to have anything).  He put someone in the Bible to be the example of a gracious loser.  He put someone in the Bible to help us see that our first response is not always the right one, that we can be a better example when we lose out.  I'm just glad God didn't start with letting Jonathan lose this particular battle.  God uses Jonathan, not because he was a king, but because he didn't get to be.
      What situations have I grumbled about, what opportunities have I lost that I thought I deserved?  My real character shows when I lose.