five smooth stones

My daughter, Courtney's, alma mater is Virginia Commonwealth University.  They have come out of nowhere to defeat five giants of the collegiate basketball world to go to the championships series in Houston next week.  This reminded me of David conquering Goliath and the "five smooth stones" in David's bag might be compared to the five smooth players VCU puts out on the floor throughout their games.  Maybe you have giants in your life: disease, distress, depression.  These are giants that you can't conquer in your own strength.  Remember David, and his total confidence in the Lord.  Regardless of the natural difficulty you face you will be more than a conqueror if you go to battle with the Rock of Ages at your side.  I hope you'll enjoy this Reader's Digest version of David and Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:⁴ Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! ⁵ He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. ⁶ He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. ⁷ The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver's beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield.

 ⁸ Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. "Why are you all coming out to fight?" he called. "I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! ⁹ If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! ¹⁰ I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!" ¹¹ When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

²⁸ But when David's oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. 

 

 ³² "Don't worry about this Philistine," David told Saul. "I'll go fight him!"

 ³³ "Don't be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There's no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You're only a boy, and he's been a man of war since his youth."

 

³⁶ I have done this to both lions and bears, and I'll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! ³⁷The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!"

 

⁴⁰ He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd's bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd's staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

 

⁴⁵ David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

 

⁴⁹ Reaching into his shepherd's bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.

 ⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.

 

blessings,

Rob Smith