1. Moving on to 1 Samuel 13, the Bible starts to show us Saul’s actions as king (1 Samuel 13:1-23).

   1. The Bible says he was 30 years old when he became the king and he was in charge for 40 years.

   2. He was a good military commander and his son, Jonathan, was also one of his commanders.

   3. The Bible shows us that Saul and his army were badly outnumbered by the Philistines who also had superior weapons.

      1. As a result, the children of Israel hid in the caves and rocks to escape the Philistines.

      2. Some even crossed the Jordan River to go into hiding in the nearby lands of Gad and Gilead.

      3. Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel to arrive to offer an animal sacrifice to the Lord.

      4. God wanted Saul to wait seven days.

      5. Saul became impatient and offered the sacrifice himself!

      6. This seemed like an innocent thing, but it was not!

      7. He was not authorized by God to offer an animal sacrifice!

      8. God designated Samuel to do so!

      9. Unfortunately, this disobedience to God cost Saul dearly!

      10. The Bible says, “10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. 11 “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Mikmash, 12 I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.” 13 “You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14 But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command” (1 Samuel 13:10-14 New International Version).

      11. As you can see, God highly values obedience to His commandments.

          1. God would soon remove Saul from being king due to his disobedience and replace him with someone else.

   4. How does this relate to us?

      1. Well, it tells us that God expects the same thing from us.

      2. He will be with us as long as we are obedient to Him (Isaiah 59:2; 1 Peter 3:12).

      3. Yes, we must believe in Him and what He says to please Him, but we must obey Him as well (Hebrews 11:6).

      4. This is why James 2:20 tells us faith without works is dead.

      5. “Works” is the King James Version’s way of describing obedience.

      6. James even said we must be doers of the God’s Word and not hearers only (James 1:22).

      7. So, never believe the false teachings out there in the world that say all you have to do to be saved is believe.

      8. Yes, you must believe, but you must obey as well to pleasing to God and be saved (Matthew 7:21).

2. Moving forward, 1 Samuel 14 shows us God delivering the children of Israel in battle against the Philistines starting with Jonathan and his armor bearer (1 Samuel 14:1-13).

   1. Remember, the children of Israel were hiding in caves in fear of the Philistines.

   2. However, two brave souls led the charge in defeating the Philistines.

   3. Those two people were Jonathan and his armor bearer.

   4. Keep in mind, Jonathan was Saul’s son.

   5. The Bible paints a different picture of Jonathan than Saul.

   6. Jonathan was a man of faith that God was pleased with.

   7. The Bible says, “1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father…4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba. 6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few. 7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul” (1 Samuel 14:1, 4-7 New International Version).

   8. Notice, the faith of Jonathan and his armor bearer. 

   9. They both believed in the power of the Lord to deliver them.

   10. Remember, their faith is an example for us.

   11. If we do not have faith in God and His power to help us, He will not help us (Hebrews 11:6).

   12. Thus, God is moved to action when we believe in Him and His power to do anything that is according to His Will (1 John 5:14-15).

   13. Nothing is impossible for the Lord to accomplish for Jonathan, his armor bearer, or you (Luke 1:37)!

   14. The Bible also gives us the result of the battle.

   15. It says, “8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel” (1 Samuel 14:8-12 New International Version).

   16. As you can see, God gave Jonathan and the armor bearer the sign they wanted.

   17. The Bible shows us that God empowered them to defeat the Philistines indeed!

   18. The Bible says that Jonathan and his armor bearer killed 20 men by themselves (1 Samuel 14:13-14)!

   19. This means God had to have been with them as they were outnumbered 10 to 1

   20. Thus, this was a miracle provided by God!

   21. Just in case you wondering, what the armor bearer was, the Holman Christian Dictionary says the following things about them, “Armor bearers accompanied the military leaders to bring along extra weapons and defensive equipment that would be expended during a battle (arrows, javelins, shields). They sometimes aided the soldier as well by positioning their shields for them, as in the case of Goliath, and at times killing those enemy soldiers who were left helplessly wounded by preceding combatants” (Fredericks, 1991).

   22. They provided a lot of help for a solider like Jonathan.

   23. They put shields of defense up to block soldiers from attacking the soldier from the blind side.

   24. They provided extra weapons and killed enemy soldiers.

   25. Thus, Jonathan’s armor bearer was a true friend to Jonathan and a great source of help in battle!

   26. We should be the armor bearer of our brothers and sisters in Christ by giving to them in their time of need, saying encouraging words, and praying for them!

       1. We are our brother’s keeper and should always think this way!

3. The story gets better regarding the children of Israel’s defeat of the Philistines (1 Samuel 14:14-22)

   1. The Bible says that God intervened against the Philistine army, Himself, and reads, “15 Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God. 16 Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there. 18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.) 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords. 21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit. 23 So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven” (1 Samuel 14:15-23 New International Version).

   2. What do we learn from this scene in the Bible?

   3. We learn that God can directly intervene against one’s enemies.

   4. Also, we learn that our faithfulness to God can lead to blessings for other people.

   5. Remember, Jonathan and the armor bearer moved God to help them be victorious as the first wave of attack against the Philistines.

   6. After that, God moved to create further havoc to the Philistine army.

   7. Again, all of this was started by the faith of two men!

   8. Their faith started the whole process of deliverance for the children of Israel.

   9. Always remember, “You never know how your faith will be a blessing to someone else!”

   10. Never underestimate the faith and prayers of one or two people, because prayer is a powerful help for Christians to call down God’s blessings on each other (James 5:16)!

4. After the battle with the Philistines, the ruthlessness of Saul begins to come to light (1 Samuel 14:24-47).

   1. The Bible says, “24 Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food” (1 Samuel 14:24 New International Version).

   2. This was cruel, because the men were active men of war.

      1. Thus, they needed food for energy and their health.

      2. Causing them to fast for no reason, but a personal issue was plain selfishness on the part of Saul.

      3. It would have also made his troops too weak to fight later on.

   3. Keep in mind that God may exalt you to positions of leadership in the church, in the home, and/or on the job one day!

      1. Always remember to have compassion on others no matter what!

      2. God provides compassion to us if we provide compassion on others.

      3. If we don’t show compassion for others, we will be without God’s help in our times of need (Matthew 5:7).

      4. Always remember that!

   4. Returning to our Bible story, Jonathan did not know about the oath and ate some honey left on the ground and his body was refreshed from it.

      1. The other soldiers confronted him about it and advised him of the oath on the men.

      2. Jonathan advised the soldiers that his father Saul’s oath was wrong.

      3. The children of Israel then took the spoils of war, killed the animals gotten from the Philistines, and ate the animals with the blood still in the carcasses!

      4. It was a sin for them to eat things with blood in it.

      5. It is also a sin for us to do the same (Leviticus 3:17; Acts 15:20).

   5. The Bible also pictures Saul praying to God to see if he should continue to fight the Philistines.

      1. The Lord did not answer him, because there was sin in the camp.

      2. Remember 1 Peter 3:21 that says, “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (New International Version).

      3. In order for our prayers to be answered after we have sinned, we must repent (change from our sinful ways), confess our fault to God, and ask for forgiveness to get back in a favorable status with God (Acts 8:22; 1 John 1:7-10).

      4. If we are not in God’s favor, He will not answer our prayers.

      5. This was the case for Saul and his army.

      6. The sin of eating blood kept God from answering Saul’s prayer (1 Samuel 14:37).

   6. Getting back to our Bible story, Saul threatened to kill the person in the army who sinned even if it was his son, Jonathan.

      1. Through casting lots, Saul found out that Jonathan had tasted a little honey.

      2. He threatened to kill his own son, but the other soldiers would not let Saul harm Jonathan.

      3. That day Saul stopped chasing the Philistines.

   7. The Bible goes on to say that Saul was blessed to defeat many neighboring armies during his history as king.

5. 1 Samuel 15 shows the further disobedience of Saul as king of Israel and his rejection by God for the same (1 Samuel 15:1-9).

   1. God gave Saul the clear instructions of 1 Samuel 15:1-3, which reads as follows, “1 Samuel said to Saul, “I am the one the Lord sent to anoint you king over his people Israel; so listen now to the message from the Lord. 2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt. 3 Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys” (New International Version).

   2. Let’s see how Saul reacted to the commandment of God.

      1. The Bible says, “7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed” (1 Samuel 15:1-9 New International Version).

      2. What did Saul do wrong?

      3. Well, he half-way obeyed God, which makes him totally disobedient.

      4. He destroyed everything except the king of Amalekites and the best of the animals taken in war.

      5. God expressed His dissatisfaction with Saul to Samuel.

      6. The Bible says, “10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was angry, and he cried out to the Lord all that night” (1 Samuel 15:10-11 New International Version).

      7. Remember, we must do all things God commands to please Him!

      8. We cannot give Him our second best and expect Him to be pleased with us as you will see in a moment during Samuel’s confrontation with Saul.

6. After Saul’s disobedience, we find out God’s displeasure with him through Samuel (1 Samuel 15:13-31).

   1. The Bible says, “13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.” 14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?” 15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” 16 “Enough!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.” “Tell me,” Saul replied. 17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; wage war against them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?” 20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.” 22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” 24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned. I violated the Lord’s command and your instructions. I was afraid of the men and so I gave in to them. 25 Now I beg you, forgive my sin and come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord.” 26 But Samuel said to him, “I will not go back with you. You have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you as king over Israel!” 27 As Samuel turned to leave, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. 28 Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to one of your neighbors—to one better than you. 29 He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.” 30 Saul replied, “I have sinned. But please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel; come back with me, so that I may worship the Lord your God.” 31 So Samuel went back with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Lord” (1 Samuel 15:13-30 New International Version).

   2. As was mentioned earlier, God does not want half-obedience.

      1. On top of that, He values full obedience and there is no substitute for it.

      2. For example, we can be good givers to others, but if we are not living obedient to God, these efforts become worthless.

      3. We can also be kind to others very frequently, but if we do not clean up rebellious sin in our lives, then this will be no use in saving us at the judgment day.

      4. We can feed the hungry, but this would even be in vain if we are not living as a Christian as an individual through obedience (Matthew 7:21-23).

   3. We also learn about the negative power of peer pressure.

      1. Remember, Saul blamed the taking of the animals alive on the pressure from his soldiers not to destroy them.

      2. Some Bible scholars believe that Saul was lying and just wanted to cover up his own greed by blaming everything on his soldiers.

      3. This is a strong possibility and will not be ruled out.

      4. However, if we are to take his comments at face value that he yielded to the pressure from his soldiers, we still learn a valuable lesson.

      5. That lesson is that we cannot let anyone influence us to do evil things.

      6. It is better to retain God as one’s friend than to please earthly friends with bad intentions!

      7. Keep in mind that evil deeds come with costs.

      8. In this case, Saul would pay dearly for disobeying God.

      9. God would take him away as king and replace him with another man that God would be pleased with instead!

      10. Remember, the bad influences in our lives persuade us to take on behaviors that can lead to jail time, disease, sinful addictions that can be hard to break for years, and all sorts of negative consequences we do not have to experience if we would just obey God and not peer pressure!

      11. It pays greatly to obey God and defy negative peers.

   4. The end of 1 Samuel 15 shows us Samuel completing the command of God by killing the Amalekite king himself (1 Samuel 15:32-35).

7. 1 Samuel 16 shows us the selection of the second king of Israel after God rejected Saul as king (1 Samuel 16:1-23).

   1. The Bible says, “1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” 2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?” 5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice” (1 Samuel 16:1-1-5 New International Version).

   2. While in Bethlehem, Samuel saw a man named “Eliab” that he thought was fit to be a king (1 Samuel 16:6).

      1. However, God rejected him as king.

         1. The Lord said, “…Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7 New International Version).

         2. This teaches us about the eternal wisdom of God.

         3. God is the only One who can see a person’s heart.

         4. He is the only One who can read minds.

         5. Thus, you and I do not need to speculate about what other people are thinking or their intentions.

         6. We often assume wrong and we cause problems for other people by making the wrong assumptions.

         7. We must communicate with others to get along with them.

         8. Always remember this point as it will help you keep more harmonious relationships with others (Matthew 18:15-17).

   3. While in Bethlehem and at the house of Jesse, Samuel went through seven of his sons without finding the king (1 Samuel (1 Samuel 16:7-13).

      1. After asking if there were any more sons left, Samuel find out that the youngest son had not been brought before him.

      2. The Bible says, “12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” 13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah” (1 Samuel 16:12-13 New International Version).

      3. As you can see, the Lord had David anointed.

         1. Anointed means to pour oil on the head symbolizing selection to the office of king.

         2. Also, the Bible says that the Holy Spirit was given to David.

         3. As we studied earlier in this lesson, the gift of the Holy Spirit is key to serving God better.

         4. He is our Helper to teach and strengthen us to do the service of God in the right way (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21; Ephesians 3:16; Acts 2:38).

   4. Although David was anointed to be the next king of Israel, he was humble enough to wait his turn and work for Saul (1 Samuel 16:14-23).

      1. David was called to serve Saul, because an evil spiritual was troubling him.

      2. David had the ability to play the lyre instrument and when he did, the evil spirit stopped tormenting Saul.

      3. The lyre was a harp like instrument.

      4. Thus, David was being good to Saul.

      5. His music soothed Saul and he served as his armor bearer.

8. 1 Samuel 17 is a very famous chapter in the Bible and details the triumph of David over Goliath.

   1. The Philistines had a mighty warrior named “Goliath.”

   2. He was a giant of a man.

      1. The New International Version has a footnote estimating his height as 9 foot 9 inches tall (1 Samuel 17:4-7).

      2. To this date, the tallest player to play NBA basketball was Manute Bol.

      3. Mr. Bol was listed at only 7 feet 7 inches tall!

      4. This means that Goliath was at least 2 feet taller than the biggest NBA player ever!

      5. He must have been an intimidating sight indeed!

      6. But that is not all!

      7. He was armed with a spear and body armor!

      8. From the Biblical description, he was the closest thing to a human tank of his time!

      9. He seemed to be an unbeatable enemy!

      10. In addition, Goliath was a trash talker.

      11. He used intimidating words to challenge the children of Israel.

      12. He said, “8…Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other” (1 Samuel 17:8-10 New International Version).

      13. As you can see, Goliath issued a one-on-one challenge to the children of Israel to find a man that could kill him.

      14. If he lost, then the children of Israel as a whole would be the victors.

      15. If not, then the Philistines would become the oppressors of the children of Israel!

      16. As you can tell, the children of Israel were extremely scared of Goliath.

      17. No one would step up the challenge of an one-on-one fight with him!

9. We will see the most unlikely person step up to the plate and challenge Goliath (1 Samuel 17:11-31).

   1. That must unlikely person was David.

   2. David was a young man who tended sheep.

   3. He was the youngest brother of all his siblings.

   4. His three oldest brothers were already warriors in Saul’s army.

   5. The Bible says that Goliath taunted the children of Israel for forty days and no one would step up the challenge (1 Samuel 17:16).

   6. The amazing part of this chapter is seeing God’s providence at work again.

      1. This time he was working in the life David.

      2. Remember, God can use ordinary things to make extraordinary things happen.

      3. In this case, God sent David to bring food to his older brothers who were at the battle with the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:17-19).

      4. When David reached the army of the children of Israel, he witnessed the trash talking of Goliath.

      5. He also witnessed the terror of the children of Israel as they ran off from the giant (1 Samuel 17:20-24)!

      6. Let’s read some of the passages of Scripture coming straight from the Bible and reads as follows, “25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “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.” 29 “Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him” (1 Samuel 17:25-31 New International Version).

   7. Notice the faith of David when he said, “…Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26 New International Version).

      1. In so many words, David was saying, “I do not care about how big this giant is!  I do not fear him!  The Lord is in control; not Goliath!”

      2. Remember, this is the attitude that we all must have as Christians.

      3. We will run into many situations in life that seem like they are the size of Goliath; striking fear in our hearts.

      4. However, you must understand that fear and faith cannot exist together.

      5. All power belongs to God over all things (Matthew 28:18-20; John 1:1-3, 14)!

      6. Thus, whatever God sends us to, He is with us and no matter what happens, we will be the victor in the end!

      7. This is why Jesus says, “…if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20 New International Version).

      8. When God empowers us to do things, it will get done no matter what obstacle gets in the way.

      9. Always keep this in mind to stay encouraged when Goliath size problems enter your life.

      10. Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37).

      11. Nothing is impossible for you to conquer when God moves in your life as well.

      12. You will see this in a moment via the life of David.

10. Moving on, we see King Saul sending for David (1 Samuel 17:32-40).

    1. The Bible documents the conversation between Saul and David.

       1. It says, “32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 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. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you” (1 Samuel 17:32-37).

          1. As you can see, Saul did not have confidence in David at first, because David was young.

          2. We do not know his age, but it was obvious that he was not in the age group of the soldiers.

          3. However, it did not matter to David whether or not Saul had confidence in him!

          4. David had confidence in the Lord; which gave him confidence in himself.

          5. Take inspiration from David.

          6. There are many things people will doubt that you can do.

          7. However, you still take the risk and do good things for the Lord that others doubt you on.

          8. Don’t let negative comments stop you from achieving godly goals in your life!

          9. The devil will always try to stop you by causing people to say discouraging things about you.

          10. Don’t let this stuff trouble you.

          11. The devil is defeated when you believe in God and all that He can empower you to do!

          12. Also, be encouraged by David’s example of God delivering him in the past to let him know that God can do it again.

          13. Remember, David said, “34…Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 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. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:34-36 New International Version)!

          14. Never forget what God has done for you in the past so that your faith remains strong in future difficult situations in your life.

          15. If God delivered you once, He can do it again.

          16. If God delivered David from a lion and a bear, how could Goliath stand against him?

          17. The power is in God!

          18. Always remember that!

    2. Returning to David’s and Saul’s conversation, Saul gave David his armor and sword, but David refused them.

       1. Instead, David just took his shepherd’s walking stick, five smooth stones with him, and his slingshot (1 Samuel 17:38-40).

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