"But as for me..." - Psalm 59:16 (TPT)

Saul was Israel’s King by default, Israel had rejected the Lord as their King and wanted a figurehead as King to be like all the other nations around them, so Saul was their choice and so the Lord gave them a king. 

But Saul had a hard time remaining faithful to the Lord and His commands as God instructed Him what to do concerning His battles. God would give specific instructions with what to do with the booty or spoils from Saul’s campaigns, and frequently, Saul would disobey and do what He thought best, ignoring the spiritual and tactical aspects of his decisions. Saul was a man of passion and drive, which became his undoing in the end. 

Through Saul’s disobedience, the Lord allowed an afflicting spirit to harass Saul which caused him much distress and paranoia. Meanwhile, at this time, God was grooming a new kind of King, one that was not focused on drive and ambition like Saul, but one that would focus upon devotion and love for the Lord.

Of course, I am speaking of David. David was different, he had developed a relationship with the Lord on a profoundly personal level, and when it came to serving the Lord, David did it with all of his heart. David was one of the most different people you could ever meet, even though David was small in stature, his faith in the Lord was tremendously large.  

As a young boy, David was a shepherd, which taught him to think on his feet and to respond to dangerous situations with his wits and what he had with him. David became adept at using a sling to defend himself and his flock when wild animals threatened to either kill him or his flock. 

David knew that a defensive posture was one of utilizing the skills he possessed to keep the wild animals at bay. 

One of David’s most exceptional traits was his unwavering faith in trusting the Lord for His strength and protection.  

David’s main weapon was his lyre, when the sheep were resting; he would play on this instrument before the Lord, the music he made became a reinforcement of his faith in the Lord and the Lord spoke to him through it, we have many of the Psalms (songs) in which David sang at various times in his life which testify to this fact.

When the situation arose with Goliath, David did not hesitate, for his confidence was in the Lord, not in fear. Saul attempted to give David proper battle armament to go against Goliath, but David chose not to use any of the protection from Saul. What David chose was the word of the Lord against Goliath and five smooth stones. 

When Goliath began to attack David verbally, David saw this from a spiritual perspective as Goliath attacking the Lord’s favored people. 

David did not challenge Goliath directly at first with his sling; he challenged Goliath first with the word of the Lord. It was only when Goliath’s anger was directed at David, and Goliath began to approach him that David took a defensive position. 

But the battle had already been won with the pronouncement from David to Goliath about the Lord’s victory. David took one of the five stones and slung it at Goliath. 

What is amazing is the stone struck Goliath on his temple, which is symbolic for Yahweh-God who always strikes down false gods which occupy one’s headspace which is His holy temple or habitation, primarily, when the word of the Lord had been spoken beforehand which David did speak, Goliath chose to reject it. When struck by the truth, Goliath fell stunned to the ground on his knees and David took Goliath’s sword and dispatched his head as a trophy of God’s victory.

David became elevated in the eyes of the people as one who hears the Lord and was not afraid to proclaim what He says. All of this stems back to David being the shepherd, he knew how to protect his sheep, and it was the Lord who was his strength. Part of David’s battle strategy was worship, David recognized that singing to the Lord reinforced his love for the Lord, and the Lord responded in kind to David by being his shield and armor when the Lord's words were declared to his enemies.

David was to be God’s megaphone to the nations around Israel, that the Lord-Yahweh was the true God and that He wanted to reclaim all of the disinherited nations. Israel was always to be God’s favored nation to call other nations back into favor with Him. Still, Israel continually lost its way and became prideful of its favored position and missed it's true call of God, which was to restore all the nations unto Himself.

David was a type and a shadow of Jesus, but being human, he was prone to mistakes and failures, which were evident in his life. In spite of his moral shortcomings, David was a man after God’s own heart, which characterized his relationship with the Lord, and in turn, describes us. God is calling us to bring all nations back to himself in our lifetime so that the Lord may rule and reign on the earth in the lives of His people.

And he said to them, “As you go into all the world, preach openly the wonderful news of the gospel to the entire human race! 
Mark 16:15 (TPT)

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The true gospel message is that Jesus Christ has come to bring all men and women unto Himself that we can know the grace and freedom of being in Christ.  We are no longer under God's wrath, but we are forgiven and drawn close to Him.  We are also overcomers of each and everything that rises up against us, do you have "Goliaths" in your life?  We merely have to proclaim it as David did, ours is the victory in Christ for He has already won every battle.  Everything will bow the knee to Jesus, every sickness, every disease, every demon, every man, woman, and child.

“The authority of the name of Jesus causes every knee to bow in reverence! Everything and everyone will one day submit to this name—in the heavenly realm, in the earthly realm, and in the demonic realm. And every tongue will proclaim in every language: “Jesus Christ is Lord Yahweh,” bringing glory and honor to God, his Father!”  
Philippians 2:10-11 (TPT)

This isn't forced submission, this is the revelation of the love of God, it is who He is!   Anyone who truly encounters God understands that they are loved beyond measure and His grace is freely given to everyone regardless of what they have done in their past.  That is why it is called Good News!

Be Blessed;

Stephen Barnett