Posts
Based
on 1 Samuel 17:32-49
First
delivered June 24, 2018
Rev.
Dr. Kevin Orr
Israel found themselves in a
stalemate. They were squared up against the army of the Philistines on land
that had a high level of economic and strategic importance. It was land that
Israel really needed to secure. But nobody wanted to fight. Both the
Philistines and Israel held steady. It was as if everyone was waiting for the
other side to blink, or to accidentally shoot an arrow to trigger the battle.
But no one was budging. They just all stood there, frozen, not knowing what to
do.
This stalemate on the battlefield
revealed the frustration that everyone in Israel must have felt during this
time of transition. What I mean is, there was no leadership. Saul was still
technically their king. He should have been out there, leading the charge. But
he was nowhere to be seen. He was abdicating his responsibility. Yet one more
sign of his failure as a king. And because he was not assuming his position of
leadership everything was at a standstill. Israel was stuck. In times of
transition, including transitions of leadership, there is great potential to
get stuck in place. With nobody calling the shots, nobody knows what to do or
whether they should make a move. Being stuck like this, with no leadership and
no direction, is very frustrating.
There is something else with
transition that this deadlock reveals and that is fear. It appears that the
Israelites were afraid of this well-organized and solid Philistine army. And
they were certainly afraid of their champion Goliath. Israel’s future did not
look good. They feared for their lives. Everyone was afraid to fight Goliath
one-on-one, knowing for sure they would be killed. They feared becoming an
enslaved people again. They were afraid of losing all that they had gained.
Leaderless and with no good options. That’s a good recipe for fear.
Well, if David has any fear, it does
not block him from responding. He is by no means frozen in place. Maybe it was
his youthful exuberance. Maybe he was naïve about the predicament that Israel
found themselves in. Or maybe it was because he already knew that he was a king
in waiting, anointed, filled with the Spirit, and confident of his future as
well as the future of Israel. Whatever it was, David was not intimidated by
Goliath or the Philistine army. Instead, in this context of frustration and
fear, David was full of confidence. He had a serious amount of intestinal
fortitude.
Where does his confidence come from?
Surely his confidence was not placed in Saul. And he may not have had a lot of
confidence in Israel’s army. He seemed to have a bit of confidence in himself.
At least that’s what he is projecting to Saul when he expresses doubt that
David has the capacity to face down and defeat Goliath. David said that there
were times when he had to face down lions and bears as a shepherd. If one of
those beasts took one of his sheep he would smash it in the mouth and take that
sheep out of their jaws. And if they confronted him he could kill that lion or
bear with his bare hands. Really? That sounds a bit preposterous. But I don’t
think David’s confidence only was in his fighting abilities against wild
beasts.
No, his confidence was rooted in
God. He knew that the God that had led Israel out of slavery in Egypt, who had
worked all kinds of powerful signs and wonders, who had led Israel to this
point of possessing the land of promise, that surely God would somehow make a
way out of no way to deliver Israel from this Philistine army and their
champion Goliath. It didn’t matter how dire the situation looked. God was
greater than the Philistines and their gods. So that is why David was so
confident that he could beat Goliath. He knew that the battle belongs to the
Lord.
However, David also knew that this
battle that the Lord would win had to be fought by Israel. God wasn’t going to
bring a big hand down from the sky and fling the Philistines aside like they
were a bunch of toy soldiers. No, Israel would have to engage the Philistines
in battle. Or, more specifically, someone was going to have to confront
Goliath. God would take out Goliath. But it would be through the effort of
David, since no one else was stepping up.
When we go through times of
transition, either as an individual, a family, or even as a church, David
demonstrates for us the value of having confidence in God. No matter how
frustrating or fearful a time of transition is, God is sufficient. God is able
to make a way out of no way. Not by magic. Not by coercion. God gets us through
times of transition by working through the efforts of those who place their
confidence in God. That’s so important in the uncertain times of transition: to
put your confidence in God and then act. Find a place where help is needed,
where you can contribute, and dig in. It is those who have confidence in God
who have to step up.
So with confidence in God, David
steps up to do what needs done, which is to face down and kill Goliath. David
doesn’t just run out there on his own, however. He knows the protocol. He needs
Saul’s permission since he is still the king after all, even though he isn’t
acting very king-like. Saul tries to talk David out of it but probably not too
hard. I doubt if Saul wants to be shown up by some kid. Saul knew this was a
fool’s errand, no matter what David said about the battle belonging to the Lord
or his supposed ability to kill lions and bears with his own hands. It’s
probably for the best. David the shepherd boy would be the sacrificial lamb.
Israel would be enslaved by the Philistines. Hopefully Saul will be able to
work out some deal to at least stay alive. They would all muddle through
somehow. So Saul has David try on his armor and strap on his sword. It may give
the boy some protection. And, who knows. This may work out for Saul. See, if
David goes out there wearing Saul’s armor, including having the visor down on
the helmet so no one can see his face, Israel may think that is Saul out there
facing down Goliath. But when “Saul” gets killed and everyone is in a panic,
Saul could run away and hide somewhere to bide his time. Maybe someday he will
be able to put together a mercenary army who could then go in there and wipe
out the Philistines when they least expect it. Then he would deliver the people
from slavery and be a great hero.
But, that’s not going to happen.
David tries Saul’s stuff on but it’s not a good fit. It weighs him down. It
doesn’t feel right. And David isn’t a swordsman so that won’t do him any good.
No, David decides to let Saul keep his things. David will confront Goliath with
his own clothing and his own gear. He’s no warrior. He doesn’t need to pretend
he is someone else. David has the wisdom to know he just needs to be himself.
David knew he didn’t need to be someone else. He knew that God could use him to
win this battle just as he was. So whatever ruse Saul might have been planning
doesn’t pan out. David was confident that God could use him just as he was to
win this battle.
But, you know, it was a smart move
for David to stick with who he is because it gave David an advantage over
Goliath. For one thing, not being weighed down with all that armor, David could
move quickly. It would be easier for him to dodge Goliath’s blows with his
great sword. But, the chance of Goliath even getting that close would be
avoided because David’s weapon of choice was not something that he would need
to be close to Goliath to use. No, David’s slingshot was basically a missile
launcher. He would be able to hit Goliath far away from his swing. David would
be able to take down Goliath before Goliath could ever get in range to do any
damage to him. Goliath, of course, helped David out by not lowering the visor
on his helmet, leaving his big forehead vulnerable for a well-placed river
stone. And with one shot, Goliath goes down. I would say God might have had a
little hand in nudging that stone along.
But now look. After this great
victory, of David taking down the mighty Goliath, the people don’t grab a
throne and a crown and put David on it. No, he still is a king in waiting.
Saul, their “leader” who was hanging out in his tent while all this was going
on remains their king. The time of transition continues in spite of this great
triumph of David’s. Transitions can take a lot longer than we wish. People in
positions of power and authority don’t drift away quickly or easily. And now
that David has accomplished this great feat of valor, he now has Saul’s attention
in a big way. Let’s just say Saul isn’t as enthusiastic as everyone else. David
has proved himself to be a threat. And for quite some time after this victory
on the battle field, Saul will seek out ways to get rid of David. So, yes, one
victory wasn’t enough to end this time of transition for the people Israel.
Transitions can be frustrating. They can be scary. And they can stretch out for
a long while.
So, whenever we find ourselves in
times of transition, whether that be a change in employment, or a change of
bosses, or a change in relationship status, say from married to widowhood, able
bodied to disabled in some way, whatever that change is, what can we learn from
David?
The first thing we learn is to trust
in God. No matter what transition you are having to move through, no matter how
frustrating or scary, believe that God is able. Believe that God always desires
what is the very best for you. Believe that God is on your side, fighting
alongside you, always at work trying to make a way forward that will be a great
blessing for you. It’s important to put your trust in other people who care
about you. It’s important to trust your own instincts and abilities. But most
important of all, trust in God, who is our deliverer, our rock, our anchor in the
storms of transition.
Second, do not be afraid. Or, if
that’s not realistic, try not to let your fears freeze you into inaction or to
panic. Courage is the capacity to act in spite of fear. Fear has its benefits.
It prevents us from doing stupid stuff. It is an alarm bell signifying that
there is danger. Fear is a built in warning system for us. But that doesn’t
mean that when the fear alarm goes off we need to curl into a ball, close and
lock the doors of our life and hide until the fear goes away. Times of
transition are scary because we are moving into the unknown. It’s prudent to be
careful when you venture into the unknown. But not venturing in is not an
option. Transitions happen to us and we have to make our way through them the
best we can. Fear reminds us that we are in a dangerous space. But we have to
find the intestinal fortitude, helped along by our trust in God, to move
forward in spite of our fear. That’s what courage is.
Trust in God. Do not be afraid. And
third, be yourself. Do what you can
to move forward in times of transition. David knew he didn’t need to be a
mighty warrior to take out Goliath. He was convinced that God could use him for
that purpose just as he was, a shepherd boy. If you have some courage and are
true to yourself, God can work with that. But you do have to do something.
Don’t be like the Israelite army and just stand around. Look around and see
what is a positive productive thing you can do in whatever transition you find
yourself and do that. God is right there with you to help you as you respond
the best way you know how. And don’t say things like, “But, I’m not (fill in
the blank)” or “but I can’t (fill in the blank).” If you trust God and act with
courage, then you are making yourself available for what God wants to
accomplish through you. God can work with you just as you are. You don’t have
to be anyone other than yourself.
And finally, remember that times of
transition can last longer than you would like. Most of us crave order and
certainty. We have our routines. We have our relationships that mean so much to
us. We have our skills and abilities that we count on to function. And when we
lose any of this and we enter into a time of transition, it throws our lives
out of whack. No one wants to live in a time of chaos and uncertainty for long.
But, guess what. Transitions are going to take as long as they need to take and
we have little say on how long that is. And if you think about it our lives are
just one long transition from one phase of life to the next, until our life
ends and we enter into the transition into the life to come. So maybe we
shouldn’t think that if we just hold on and muddle through somehow everything
will sort itself out and life will be well ordered and certain. I kind of think
such a life doesn’t last long. No, I think we all need to settle in to the
reality that our whole life is one big transition. So to make it through, let’s
take the lessons from David: trust God, do not be afraid, be yourself and do
what you can do. And settle in for
the lifelong adventure of transitions.
