Who Is Your Hero?

Who Is Your Hero?

READ 1 Samuel 17:1-58

SITUATION Earlier passages confirmed that Goliath came from an area that had many tall people. Even though it wasn't unusual for two armies to send out their best soldiers to fight in place of and all-out war, the Israelites had no one to compare to nine-foot-tall Goliath.

OBSERVATION Though the Israelites feared losing to Goliath, they forgot who had called them to enter the Promised Land. Though they had seen God fight for them in many previous battle, they had neglected to trust him in this one. David's focus was not on the size of the enemy, but on God.

INSPIRATION There are certain things anyone knows not to do . . . . You don't fight a lion with a toothpick. You don't sneeze into the wind. You don't go bear hunting with a cork gun. And you don't send a shepherd boy to battle a giant.

You don't, that is, unless you are out of options. Saul was. And it is when we are out of options that we are most ready for God's surprises.

Was Saul ever surprised!

The king tried to give David some equipment, "What do you want, boy? Shield? Sword? Grenades? Rifles? A helicopter? We'll make a Rambo out of you."

David had something else in mind. Five smooth small stones and an ordinary leather sling.

The soldiers gasped. Saul sighed. Goliath jeered. David swung. And God made his point, "Anyone who under-estimates what God can do with the ordinary has rocks in his head." (From The Applause of Heaven by Max Lucado)


APPLICATION What battle are you facing this week? Even if it's bigger than you can handle. It's not bigger than God can handle. Proceed with His backing.

EXPLORATION Don't be Afraid -- Deuteronomy 31:6; Isaiah 46:4; Daniel 6:27; Matthew 10:28-31; John 14:27; 2 Corinthians 1:10; Philippians 4:6; Hebrews 13:6.

The Devotional Bible - Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, Max Lucado General Editor, New Century Version, Thomas Nelson Publishers

TAKE AWAY POINTS TO CONSIDER

THE LAW OF VICTORY:

David Defeats Goliath and Everyone Wins

John C. Maxwell

1 Samuel 17:19-58

Victory is always fun. No one likes to lose. But when a leader practices the Law of Victory, it impacts more than the leader: It affects everyone around the leader:

Consider David in his battle with Goliath. By practicing this law, he transformed the once-paralyzed Israelite soldiers into a force capable of defeating the "invincible" Philistine army.

Here's how he did it:

1. His perceptive differed from others.
He didn't see what everyone else saw, an invincible giant. He saw an opportunity.

2. His methods differed from others.
He decided to use proven weapons that he knew would work, not the conventional ones.

3. His conviction differed from others.
He recognized Goliath had no covenant with God, while he felt passionately committed to God's covenant.

4. His motives differed from others.
He heard Goliath's threats against the God of Israel and knew God could beat him.

5. His vision differed from others.
He wanted to make Yahweh know to the world as the most powerful God on earth.

6. His experience differed from others.
He brought to the battlefield past victories over a lion and bear, not months of paralyzing fear.

7. His attitude differed from others.
He saw Goliath not as a threat too big to hit, but as a target too big too miss!

The Maxwell Leadership Bible - Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God by John C. Maxwell, Thomas Nelson Bibles, ISBN 0-7180-0660-7, page 342