This morning in my Bible reading, I read 1 Samuel 16-17. These accounts about David being chosen as king of Israel and then defeating Goliath are familiar to Christians and non alike, but I love re-reading them from time to time to see what new insights God can bring from the portions of His Word our minds tend to gloss over because we “know that story already.”
I appreciate God humbling the “know-it-already” tendencies in my humanity. Here are the little nuggets I was either reminded of or learned this morning.
- David wasn’t considered worthy of being brought before Samuel as a viable option for king by his own father. Yet, God knew his heart and chose him in spite of what others thought of David.
- God used David’s talents to introduce him to King Saul. The Bible doesn’t say that David was a popular musician, but he did practice his talent in playing the harp, and it caught the ear of just the right guy (one of the king’s advisers) and the adviser remembered to mention David’s talent to the king when he needed it most.
- David didn’t leave behind his obligations to his family even though he had obligations to the king. He went back and forth between shepherding and being the king’s personal musician and armor bearer. He wasn’t above tending sheep even when he had a coveted position in the kingdom.
- David had already been chosen by God to become king and had a relationship with the kingdom when the whole Goliath incident came about. This means that God had already done several things in David’s life to show him He was in control of David’s future. (Note: I had some questions about this after reading the end of chapter 17 when Saul appeared to not know who David was. There are several theories on this, and even if David hadn’t met Saul yet, God had still done several things to prove His abilities to David beforehand. David referenced the lion and the bear earlier in chapter 17, for instance.)
That’s what God gave me to mull over from His Word today. What’s He encouraging and challenging you with today?
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