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May 14, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
David's First Giant, by Phil Ware
David bent over and reached down into the brook that ran through the
Valley of Elah. The water ran swiftly over the rocky bed of this
seasonal creek. The water had already begun to dry up from the use of
the two armies over the last 40 days and with the passage of spring
into early summer. One by one, David carefully chose the smooth stones
for his sling -- five of them. He put all five into his shepherd's bag.
He grabbed his sling in one hand and carried his staff in the other as
he approached the giant of Philistia named Goliath.
This life-story out of Israel's past, part of the faith and family
heritage of Jesus, is one of the most beloved in Scripture by people of
all ages (1 Samuel 17:1-58). Courage conquers cowardice. Youthful
idealism triumphs over complacent realism. Faith is victorious over
fear. The little guy slays the giant. The nobody is wildly successful
as warriors of note sit it out on the sidelines. David will be Israel's
king: his faith and his fame will do publicly what God's choice had
done privately through Samuel.
However, before David can slay Goliath, he had to first overcome
another giant: his importance as a young man was discounted by
everyone. David was the youngest of eight sons. He was not even
considered important enough to invite to the consecration service with
Samuel, Jesse, and his older seven brothers -- he was off doing "boys
work," tending the family sheep (1 Samuel 16:4-11). David came to the
Valley of Elah, where his oldest three brothers were stationed with the
army of Saul. He was simply the "gopher" -- the boy bringing food to
his brothers and their commanders. He was not even noticed until he
inserted himself in the discussion.
David spoke of his shock at the blasphemous posturing of Goliath and
his frustration with the lack of response from God's warriors.
"Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the
armies of the living God?" (1 Samuel 17:26)
Offended that his kid brother would say anything, David's oldest
brother, Eliab, fired back a scathing and belittling flurry of words
intended to shame David and put him in his place.
"Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few
sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how
wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle" (1
Samuel 18:28).
David's first giant was the giant of low expectations. In the eyes of
pretty much all those around him, David was just a youth -- a shepherd
boy. He was just an idealistic kid-poet and solo-singer for a bunch of
woolies in the wilderness. He didn't know how to wear armor, much less
face the giants of "the real adult world." He was barely worthy to
chase sheep and fetch the lunch of real warriors. He was not old enough
or big enough to fight the real battles of God, faith, and real men --
least not till Goliath lay dead in the Valley of Elah.
David's first giant was the giant of low expectations because he was
young. This is not a giant found in the camp of the enemy, but a close
to home giant. This giant often afflicts older generations as we look
upon our young. Paul would warn Timothy centuries later to not let this
happen to him (1 Timothy 4:12). Unfortunately, this same giant is found
in many of our churches, parachurch organizations, and ministries
today.
For some reason, people of faith often prefer to make the mistakes of
complacency, delay, over-analysis, bad timing, and gridlock, rather
than make the mistakes of youthful idealism. We would rather bore our
young adults to death protecting them from the dangers of the adult
world and leaving them without challenging examples of vibrant and
risky faith. We would rather pander to their whims than challenge them
to leave the kids table and join us at the adult table of faith,
passion, decision, courage, and service.
For all the deficits that King Saul brought to the people of God in his
later years, he made one very crucial and good decision. He gave David
the opportunity to show his faith and lead God's people to victory.
Saul showed his support by trying to outfit David for battle. He
extended a public blessing on David as he went to face the giant. He
risked the battle with real lives at stake to a young man without
apparent experience. The real question is whether we will do the same
with the young adult visionaries of our day?
Shouldn't Saul's words ring in our ears and challenge us to call our
young adult believers forward in leadership?
I pray that our words will be, "Go, and the LORD be with you" and
that we will do all we can to equip them to serve, and go with them
to serve the Kingdom of God! (1 Samuel 17:37).
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LIFE Questions:
These are questions designed for you to discuss with others in a small
group, house church, friendship circle, or share with our
Heartlight.org community on the blog. I'd love to hear from you:
http://thephilfiles.com
Why do we expect so little spiritual maturity out of our young people
when we see deep spiritual depth in young adults in Scripture like Mary
the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26-56), Timothy (Acts 16:1-5; 1
Thessalonians 3:1-5; Philippians 2:19-23; 1 Timothy 4:12), King Josiah
(2 Kings 22:1-20; 2 Kings 23:1-3), as well as King David?
How do we include our young adults in the discussions about the future,
leadership, and outreach to the lost of our culture?
Why do we expect so little spiritual maturity out of our young
people?
* Why is it so hard for us to let young adults step up to leadership
roles in the work of the Kingdom?
* Why is idealism often associated with youth and contrasted with the
wise pragmatism of age?
* How do we find a place for both of these in our work for the
Kingdom?
Matthew's gospel talks about experiencing God as Immanuel through Jesus
in four ways: (1) through Scripture centered on Jesus as its
fulfillment (Matthew 1:23); (2) through radical community where
confession, forgiveness, and accountability are practiced openly (Matthew
18:20); (3) through service to others in need (Matthew 25:40); and (4)
through mission across cultures to walk along side people until they
give their lives fully to Christ in obedient living (Matthew 28:18-20).
* How can these four avenues of experiencing Jesus become an
opportunity for our young believers in Jesus to grow and become
ready for leadership?
* Why is each of these important in different ways and in different
stages of our discipleship journey?
* Which of these is most important for our young believers in Christ
right now?
* Which of these are young adult believers in your circle of
influence most ready to help lead the people of God today right
now?
---------
(c) 2009 Phil Ware <phil@heartlight.org>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Don't Let Them!
http://www.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/todaysverse.cgi?day=20000412
* When I Was Your Age
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200106/20010626_yourage.html
* The Wait
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200201/20020108_wait.html
* Southern Hills Church of Christ
http://www.southernhillschurch.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200905/20090514_firstgiant.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
EVERY MAN'S BATTLE: WINNING THE WAR ON SEXUAL TEMPTATION ONE VICTORY AT A TIME, by Stephen Arterburn, et. al.
In this compassionate brother-to-brother guide, the authors tackle
sexual temptation head-on, offering a practical battle plan for
men--married or single--who desire to live by God's standard.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?250
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