“David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone.” 1 Samuel 17:50
On
e thing every shepherd carried was his sling. This small weapon was tucked safely in his belt where he could easily reach for it. He also carried several smooth stones from a riverbed and tucked them in his shepherd’s bag or pouch. Since the shepherd’s job was lonely and boring, he had much time to practice slinging stones. After a while he could become very accurate. Judges 20:16 tells us that there were 700 left-handed soldiers from the tribe of Benjamin, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.
The sling was made of leather strips attached to a small pouch. The shepherd placed a stone in the pouch, poked a finger through one of the strips and grabbed the other in his clenched fist. Then he would swing the sling above his head. At just the right moment he would release the strip from his palm and hurl the stone through the air. It took much practice to become accurate with such a crude weapon. Oftentimes the shepherd would use his sling to shoot a stone in front of a straying sheep’s head to startle it back to the flock. At other times the sling was used to ward off dangerous intruders.
The Bible tells us about one shepherd boy who used his sling for a very different purpose. That shepherd was David. We enjoy the account of how David faced the mighty Goliath with only a sling and five smooth stones in his shepherd’s bag. Goliath had frightened the entire army of Israel. It took young David to find the courage to stand up to the mighty giant.
Why could David do what the other soldiers could not? Why could he fearlessly stand up to the mighty giant? The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 17:34-37: “David said to Saul, ‘Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’” David was confident that the Lord would do his fighting for him, no matter how big a giant he was facing.
Do we have David’s confidence? Are we convinced that God will fight our giants for us? We know the Lord has promised to protect us. He promises us in his Word: “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). We should remember that God is our sling and our stone. It is he who provides the ammunition to fight every enemy and handle every problem.
Gracious Lord, how can we ever thank you for the love, and protection you provide for us. We know we do not deserve such care, yet we humbly ask that you continue to mercifully protect and guard us from the assaults of Satan. Amen.
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