Welcome to the Daily Disciple Podcast, where we seek daily to be with and to become like Jesus, our teacher. Welcome to the Daily Disciple Podcast. I'm so happy you've tuned in and that you want to chat just a little bit about what it looks like to be a daily disciple of Jesus. That's what we're doing.
We're following Jesus. It's the greatest adventure that there is. It's the adventure into abundant life, and Jesus called it the kingdom of the heavens. And so we're going to talk a bit about what it means to be a daily disciple, and we're going to look at one of the most famous stories in the history of the world.
And maybe you've not heard of the story of David and Goliath. Probably you have. Almost everyone has. It's become, although it's historical, it's become mythical.
And there's things that we say just casually, like, you know, you need to face your giants or face the giant. That all comes from this story in the 10th century or so BC about little David and his slingshot approaching this enormous Goliath of Gath. And this story really is the story that put David on the map in ancient Israel, in Israelite society, in the eyes of Saul, the king. I mean, this story put David on the map.
It's an incredible, incredible story. Now, here's what happened in the ancient world. And if you've seen movies like Troy, you saw an excerpt of this, but very often if armies did not want to kill off a whole bunch of men because of what that would have done to life and family and farming and economy and everything else, then the two heroes, the two strongest men from each army would meet there on the battle lines. They would fight.
And whoever was victorious would have the victory of the entire battle. Very common practice in the ancient world saved a lot of lives. Let's just have the two champions fight it out. And what we don't often know, even if we know that, is that when the two champions were fighting, everyone understood that it was the God of Israel and the God of the Philistines that were actually fighting.
So you got to see which God was more powerful based on which hero won the battle. So that is kind of the backdrop between the Israelites and the Philistines here in this story. And I want to title this podcast, You're Not Ready. Okay, that's the title of the podcast.
You're Not Ready. Now, why would I title the podcast You're Not Ready when it's about David having a victory, this great victory over Goliath? Well, nobody thought David was ready. Everybody told David that he wasn't ready, that he wasn't equipped, that he wasn't capable, that he wasn't able, that he shouldn't do this.
This is crazy. And so let's just pause for a moment and let's think about how in our lives, that's a very prevalent message. You're not ready. You're not capable.
You can't do this. You're not equipped. You're not educated enough, whatever it might be. And maybe we could think for a minute where this becomes really, really practical in our lives.
Who and what has been covertly or overtly said to you? Who or what has been explicitly communicated to you or implicitly communicated to you that had a way of speaking deep into your heart, your mind. You're not equipped. You can't do this.
You're not ready. You don't have the verbal skills. You don't have the personality. You don't have the charisma, the leadership, the Bible knowledge.
You really haven't been trained. This is too big for you. This job, this role, this thing, this conversation, whatever. If we could think about how we have heard you're not ready and in what context we heard it, this story, this historical but also mythical story, I think will really, really come to light.
So if we could just ponder that for just a moment. Now, Israel and the Philistines are there and Goliath comes out, you know, every day defying the armies of the living God. Remember, because it's really two gods that are fighting. Do you have a champion?
Send out your champion. No one's going to face Goliath. No one's going to face Goliath. Now, little David is sent by his father to bring some cheese and supplies to his brothers, his older brothers, that are there on the battle lines because they're in Saul's army.
So David shows up in 1 Samuel 17 verse 28. When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men about facing Goliath, David's older brother says to him, Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? Now listen to the stain of that.
David's family, David's older brother, Eliab, when David was considering stepping into this battle, his older brother made fun of him in front of the other men with disdain, basically saying, You're not ready. You don't have what it takes. Who did you leave those few sheep with? The only thing you're good for is watching a few sheep.
That's the message from the family. Well, David persists and he gets into Saul's presence. And in verse 33, Saul, the king, the king, the Lord's anointed, says to David, You're not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him. You're just a young man.
He's been a warrior since his youth. You're not capable. You're not ready. There's no way.
This is crazy. Even suggesting it is ridiculous. So from the older brother to the king. And because David persists, Saul says, Okay, but if you go out, verse 38, you're going to need to dress up in my tunic, put on my bronze helmet, wear my garb, fasten my sword on you.
And that's the only way you even have a chance of going out there. Basically, if you do what I would do. So don't do what you would do. Don't do what you would do, David, because you're not equipped.
You're not ready. You're too young. You can't do this. This is not something you should step into.
Your brother said so. I said so. Everybody agrees. But if you're going to do it, don't do it like you would do it.
Do it like I or another warrior would do it. Put on my armor. And David looks at Saul and he says, I can't go in these. I'm not used to them.
This is not me. And David, in verse 40, he took his staff in his hand. He chose five smooth stones from the stream. And you probably know the rest of the story.
He went out there and he said to Goliath, You come at me with sword and spear and shield, but I come at you with a few stones. I come at you in the power of the living God. And notice David doesn't say, I come at you with a few stones. You come at me with a sword and spear and shield, but I come at you with a few stones.
He doesn't say that because he knows what's going on. These are two gods battling it out. One true God and one false god. And David says, doesn't matter what you come at me with.
I come at you in the power of the living God. But at the same time, David came in the power of the living God with five smooth stones. That's David. David was good with a slingshot.
That's David. His brother Eliab was right in a sense. This seems a little bit foolish. What you've been doing is watching sheep.
There's some truth in that. That's why it stings. Saul says, you're not able to go. You're too young.
David was young. There's some truth in it. That's why it stings. And David was told, if you're going to have any success at all, probably not.
But if you're going to have any success at all, then wear my armor. Don't do it like you would do it. Do it like I or a warrior would do it. There's some wisdom in that.
That's why it stings. But David went out to fight Goliath in the way he was called to do it. In a sense, he wasn't equipped. He went in the power of the living God.
And in a sense, he was equipped because he went out and did this, this adventure, this mission, this conversation, this adventure, whatever it might be in the way that God had uniquely called him to do it. Although everyone said that he couldn't, that he wasn't equipped, David stepped into this battle and he stepped into it in the unique way that he was called, in the unique way that he was equipped. And he put a stone in the sling and he spun it around and he let go and it lodged right in the giant's forehead and the giant fell to the ground with a crash. And the David went over and grabbed Goliath's sword and lopped off Goliath's head.
Great victory for Israel. Great victory for the God of Israel. This puts David on the map. David was told that he was not equipped, that he was not ready.
That's the message that many of us have heard. So what does it look like to step into it anyway? To face the giant. Not with Saul's armor, because that doesn't fit us, but with whatever your five smooth stones would be.
And it's probably time to face that giant with those uniquely your five smooth stones. We'll talk soon. Thanks for listening to the Daily Disciple Podcast. We truly hope that you are encouraged by it today.
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