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Hi there. Welcome to Don't Miss this, a scripture study podcast with Dave Butler and Grace Freeman.
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Each week, we point out things in the scriptures that we love and think you don't want to miss.
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Thanks for listening. Hi, everyone. I'm Dave Butler.
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And I'm Grace Freeman.
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Welcome to Don't Miss this, y'.
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All.
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This is your favorite lesson of the whole year.
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It's mostly David's favorite lesson of the whole year, but we'll all love it too. But I want you to know, this is like Christmas.
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Listen, you wait four years for this. I know my name is David and we're talking about David. I understand, but I genuinely feel a connection to David. It's not based in fact, it's only based in feelings. I understand that, but when I go to the city of David in Jerusalem, I genuinely feel offended when they ask me to pay the ticket to get in.
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Do you. You show your id.
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I just love. I love David. I love. I love his story. I love every. I just love him. I love him. Anyways, I'm so excited to have our. My favorite. My favorite guy. P.S. if you have your journal, open up, because if. If you don't have your journal, you can still get them. I don't know what month it is. June. We're halfway through the year. Yeah, it's fine. Yeah. And they're discounted, you know, so. Because you only get to use. Well, you could use the whole thing, but we're only halfway through the year. But anyways, that's are on a discount. So if you go to good newsbrand co dot com, you can still get it. All the things that we use for the scriptures, in case you're jumping in halfway through the year. But there we do a name, a Hebrew name from the Bible, every single lesson. And David's is this week, obviously. And his name means beloved of the Lord or dearly loved. It's like, did my parents know? Did they know that? They were just. They gave me the best Hebrew name that there ever was. I just. I love it when I. When we go to Israel, we have this guy who makes like custom rings and necklaces for you, and he'll put Hebrew words on them. And so I put David on my ring says David. But I meant it for it to say this. Oh, fully loved. Beloved means fully loved of the Lord. So I just. I love it. I love it. And there's that scripture in the book of Acts. David is a man after God's own heart. And I just. I just love this story. There's so many good parts. So we're excited to jump in. We're in the book of 1 Samuel, y'. All. I can't remember what we put in last week into our. That one's for next week. But. Okay, these are the pieces that you wanna put on your timeline to understand where we are. This was supposed to go on last week. Maybe I already said it and it fell off, but it's three kings, because I think we did. Because we're getting into the. The king section. Remember last week we had our. Which you're going to put on also the symbol that represents Saul. So there are going to be three kings over the united group, Kingdom of Israel, all the tribes together. The first one was Saul. It's the swords. Because he just was known for his battles. David also is known for his battles, but his symbol is the sling in the rock. Okay. If you don't know why you're about to be so excited. So put the three kings on there and then put Saul's symbol. And then David's symbol for today goes on there because he is, spoiler alert, gonna become the second king. So that's where we want to start. So open up your journal and then open up your scriptures to 1st Samuel 16. This was technically in last week's lesson, but we just saved it for today because we're doing all of David's story.
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It felt weird to do an introduction of David and then a stop.
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Yeah, yeah. But so 1st Samuel 16 is. You remember last time, Saul has fallen out of favor. Like, he cares too much about what other people think, and that's sort of his fatal flaw. Remember last time we said nobody in scripture is all good or all bad. We just are following the journey of mortality. But he is no longer fit to be king. That doesn't mean he's not loved by the Lord. It doesn't mean that he doesn't have other opportunities. It just means that he is no longer fit to be the king of. Of Israel, which I think is really important. Right. Because I think there's a lot of times when we would. You might say, like, oh, I may. Maybe I'm not fit for a certain responsibility or for a certain whatever. This season doesn't mean I'm not loved. Doesn't mean I have no good qualities. It just means, like, oh, for that particular cause, you're not fit. A missionary might be an example of that, where you're just like, oh, maybe you're not, you know, fit at this current time to, you know, be, you know, a Full time missionary because of, you know, choices that you made or mistakes that you made or whatever. Again, doesn't mean you have no good qualities. It doesn't mean that the Lord doesn't trust or love you. It just means at that particular time you're not fit for that. So we see that with Saul and a new king is going to be chosen. And that happens in 1st Samuel 16. So Samuel, who is the prophet at the time, goes to, is led to the city of Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. And he gets there and he goes to that place and he says, can I see your sons? And there's this great line at the beginning of the chapter. It's in verse one. I will go to Jesse, the Bethlehemite. I where did it go? For I have provided me a king among his sons. And I just like that. You're already getting to the Great lesson of 1st Samuel 16 where God says to Samuel, you will see just a bunch of boys, but I see a king in their midst. That lesson that we're about to find in one of the most famous scriptures in the Old Testament about that God just sees things differently. He sees beauty and he sees potential where you and I just don't see it. And that's exactly what happens. Because Samuel is supposed to pick who the next king is and he brings out the boys and he looks at one of the boys, the oldest son, in verse 6, and he was like, oh, that's him for sure. You know, I can tell that that's going to be the king of Israel. And then the Lord teaches him, don't look on his countenance or on the height of his stature. For the Lord does not see as a man sees. For you look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. And I just like, I think it's in the NLT version, the translation I love so much that it just said God sees things differently. And I like that line for situations, for people, for potential, for disasters. You know, I just like knowing that God sees things differently than we do. And I think that mostly about myself, like, I can get really caught up on. I look in the mirror and I know I'm fully, fully aware of my mistakes, my, my shortcomings, my whatever, fill in the blank there. And I just love knowing that, okay, that's true, but that's how you see yourself. And you should know that God sees differently. Or I might look at a situation and I think this has no hope. This has, this is not, this is dead in the water. And, and to Know, God sees that differently. And I know we're talking about hearts and people here, but I just like to expand into situations and just remember that God sees things differently and, and that's. I think that's good first and foremost to like, take that. When we see people, we can't help but see the outward appearance. That's, you know, unless we're given the eyes of God, which sometimes he gives us. Right. I remember Elaine Dalton saying, one of the gifts that was given to me when I was set apart as the young women's president of the church was to see people the way God sees them. And then she said this to me, which was so cute when I got released. God let me keep the gift is what she said. That's so darling. So God can give us that gift momentarily or for a lifetime, that spiritual gift, to see the way he does. But I just think it's always good to just remind ourselves that he sees things differently. Maybe especially about ourselves.
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Did I already say the story of the boy in my seminary class and kickball at recess?
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I have forgotten. So I forgot. No one else remembers.
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It just barely happened. Well, like a couple months ago, but to me that's just barely.
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And I don't know why I just said if I forgot. No one else.
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You remember everything.
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Gold standard. You're like, no, I'm for memory or something. It's not, but I'm okay. Tell me.
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It's fine. I was driving past an elementary school on the way to work one day and I like looked over and like there was like the kickball games. Like, it was just like, oh, you know, it's just recess. And like, I got to work and I just was like thinking about recess. And then we started talking about it in my class and I was just like. I was like, oh my gosh. Like, what was your guys favorite things to do at recess? Da da, da, da. And we were all like having this big recess moment. My soul just wanted recess. We all need a recess.
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My goodness.
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And then one boy, and then I think I was like, what's your favorite memory from recess? Like, I think I just like asked that. And I thought it was like gonna be a get to know you question. And then this boy raised his hand and he said, I know mine. And I said, okay, what's your favorite memory? And we were like kind of laughing, like it was like a funny moment. And then he just sat there and he just said, you know, we would always play kickball at recess. And everyone was like, yeah, me too. Like Me, too. Da, da, da. And then he just stopped and he said, and no one ever picked me. And it just was like, instantly, everyone just got so quiet. And then you just looked at him, and it really was the type of boy that from the outside you would say, yeah, in third grade, you are not the kickball star. And you weren't very coordinated, and you weren't, like, so fast. And maybe that was not your best skill. And you could still, when he said that, see the pain? And it almost. I don't know why that is universal, but, like, you could feel that. Like, you could feel the third grader. That's just like, hoping. It's like their first prayer they've ever prayed, like, just, don't let me get picked last, God. And their heart's racing, and they're, like, looking at all their friends, and it is just like the most isolating moment in the entire world. And he said, there was just not even one day that I got picked first. And then he stopped and he said, until field day. And he said, and then the fastest boy in all the grades was up to choose his team for kickball. And he picked me very first. And he just paused. And then he said, I'm never gonna forget that day. And that, to me, is the lesson of God, that he is really good at knowing who to pick for his kickball team. And it's never going to be the person you expect, because he's always willing to pick the most unexpected, the most unlikely. I love that it says, look, not on his countenance or on the height of his stature, because that's what matters in third grade kickball. But God's not worried about that. God's going to pick whoever he wants based on their heart. He knows what you need, and he's going to choose you for that.
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It's awesome. And this was our. This is the new word. The word from last week was anointed. And if you didn't hear that lesson, there was a practice in ancient Israel where kings were anointed with olive oil. It was carried around in a horn. You see at the beginning of the chapter that Samuel goes with this horn, the horn of an oxen filled with consecrated oil, which was a symbol of the Holy Spirit, and puts it on him and calls him to be this king. Now, it's really interesting because he's called to be the king. And then the king hears about him, Saul, and asks him to come be his armor bearer. So he comes and lives in the king's house, which feels like A little bit of an awkward situation. Lives in his house and he's just his armor bearer and his music player. He's his harp player. Whenever Saul's in a bad mood or whatever, he plays the harp and it makes him feel better. And to me, it's so interesting that I think we'll see this at the end. But I just want to introduce this idea of he is like, seen and anointed to do such great things, and then he gets picked to be the heart player for the king. And you're sort of like, it's interesting how what he's currently being asked to do doesn't match what his potential is. So that's how the two of them meet. And, and we're introduced to David. And then we get to chapter 17, which is one of the most famous chapters in Scripture. The Philistines are added again. Remember, since the Book of Judges, this Philistines have been like the, the mortal enemy to Israel. And you find out they're gathered together in this valley called Elah. And, and you, you can see this in your journal that Eli is, is so close. It's about 15 miles from the heartland of the land of Israel. And, and if they can make it through this, this is a battle where everything hangs in the balance, right? And you've got these two mountains on either side in this valley to pass through. And so the army of Israel is set up in this valley because if the Philistines get through, they get into all the villages and towns. And so they really. This battle is not just like this book has so many battles in it. 1st Samuel 17 is one that really matters. If we lose this, we lose everything kind of battle. Everything's hanging on this one. And there is this man in the Philistines whose name is Goliath. And if you look in, starting in verse four, you get a description of him. And you might want to read this another translation of the Bible, because King James will give you like the cubits, and then other translations like the NIV or NLT will tell you like, this is how heavy, this is how tall, like in real life. But this guy's 10, 9 foot 9. His, his, his like armor weighs 150 pounds. Like, he's just presented as this like, mammoth. We even use the word Goliath to talk about something that's like really big or really overbearing. And what I think is interesting in this, in this story is what, because we have this big Goliath guy and he is taunting the children of Israel for 40 days, it says, he taunts the children of Israel and they shake in their boots is what it says. And he says, he proposes, bring out a champion of your camp. And a champion of the camp was one person that you picked. And it was an ancient form of battle that you had a 1v1. And if your champion of your camp wins, the whole other army has to become your slaves and vice versa. So Goliath says, send out your champion of your camp. And nobody wants to go for really, really good reason. You find out that Goliath was raised with a sword in the crib. You know, like just from a kid. He was just like this man of war and nobody wants to go. And I love reading 1st Samuel 17 and just thinking about this chapter. The Philistine army represents a problem that just won't go away. They've been here since the Book of Judges and they are still here. It's just that addiction trouble problem that just keeps showing up and it just doesn't go away. And it's too big and too strong for you to handle it on your own. And it's one that scares you and it's one that intimidates you. That's what this story is all about. That Goliath. And the Philistines just represent that part of your life or the thing in front of you that is scaring you and too hard and just it. It's too big for me is. Is what it is. So if you open up your worksheet, we have the word. She's divided up into little sections in 1st Samuel 17 about just facing your own Goliath. It's just kind of the way we're going to study 1st Samuel 17 and the different lessons that we learn about just. Just facing what it looks like what the scriptures are teaching us about facing those gigantic problems. So if you open this up, the first one is in verse 18, and it starts in 17 because Jesse, the dad member of David, says to David, go take your brethren some corn and some loaves of bread and run to the camp. And then it says, and carry these 10 cheeses unto the captain of their thousands, and go look and see how everybody is doing. And I think it is so awesome that David. And we know the end of the story, but he enters into this battle as the cheese kid, right? He's bringing the bread and the cheeses to the camp. But what's awesome about it, and it's in that first box, is it's his dad who sends him, and he's on his father's errand. And I think that there's something really awesome about that lesson that sometimes it is through the most being following our father's most simple requests that's going to eventually end in victory. Like this. It feels like this is like an insignificant request. Go take bread and cheese. But. But there's something about when we face our Goliath that we'll find this lesson in a couple lessons from now with Naaman, where he's like, that's too simple or that's too easy. But there's something about simply being on our father's errand that leads eventually to victory. So that's one of the lessons. I think it's really awesome from this chapter.
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So good. Number two comes after David gets there and he starts talking to. He hears Goliath. He hears all the men talking. And Goliath's like, send me your champion. And all the guys are talking about how, like, oh, whoever goes is going to get rich and they're going to be famous. And, like, this is going to be incredible if they could beat him. Like, everyone's scared to go. And Q. David is like, well, what's going to happen? Like, who's going to show up? Like, who's going to go? Someone needs to be in charge of this. And his older brother hears little David, who is doing a chore. Okay. He is not even there as, like, a warrior. He's there doing a chore. Yeah, he's the cheese boy. And he looks at David and he's like, oh, my gosh, this is so older brother to younger brother. Like, this is. This is how you know that this is real, like, in my soul. Because I'm like, you can't make that up. Like, that is exactly what would happen. And he looks at his brother and he's like, why did you even come here? Like, I know that this was not your business to be here. You're supposed to be with the sheep. This is not your job. And I know that the only reason you came down here is because you have, like, a big ego and you wanted to see the fight and you think that you're older than you're actually. And, like, you could just, like, hear in verse 28 that he is just yapping to David. He is getting on him.
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It's the younger brother who wants to, like, play with the older brother and his friends.
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Exactly. You know, and of course, the older brother is like, of course you think you can be down here. You're a kid. Like, you don't belong here. And of Course, David's like, no, I do. Like, I promise I'm old enough to be down here. And he calls him prideful in verse 28, which I think is so interesting that he looks at David and he's like, yeah, of course. Like, you have a prideful heart. Of course you think you belong down here. And what I think is so interesting is that we know from this chapter that David wasn't proud. He was confident. And I think that's a really big difference is being prideful and being confident. And we realize where his confidence came from, because first of all, David's gonna look. And he's like, listen, listen, there's a reason I'm confident, and it's because I know who I believe in. I know that I believe in a God that's more powerful than giants. I know that I believe in a God that wins battles. That is where his confidence came from. And sometimes we get tricked in our mind, and we're like, oh, like Prideful David going in, thinking he could win the battle. No, no, no. David wasn't prideful. He was confident in the God that he believed in. But what I love the most is that he's going to tell you where he got his confidence. And he looks. And he's like, listen. David's like, okay, Like, I Like, why is everyone being weak? Like, why is no one being brave enough to do it? And then you start seeing where David gets his confidence. You see it in 34 through 37. Because the king comes and Saul's. And David's like, well, I'll go if no one else is gonna go. I feel confident that I could do it. And he goes through, and he's like, wait, you are a kid. Like, what business do you have fighting the giant? And David looks. Sweet David. And he's like, no, don't worry. I watched sheep. And I'm sure everyone there was like, oh, my gosh. Like, what is happening right now? He's like, no, I was a shepherd. And then he said, but listen, when I was a shepherd one time, a lion came to eat all the sheep and then a bear, and both of them. I wasn't afraid. I went up and I killed the bear and I killed the lion. And if I can do that, then I can do this. And what I love the very most is that there were experiences that David showed up and did what he thought he could do. He watched himself be successful in smaller moments, and that's what made him confident that he could be successful in bigger ones. There were battles before that prepared him for the battle ahead. And I think one time I heard from one of my friends that the way to build confidence is to do the things that you said you were going to do, the little battles. And I think confidence is a really interesting battle because I think it's one everyone faces. And there was no way David was going to be able to beat Goliath if he wasn't confident in himself and in his God. And I think that that's the coolest thing to me about the lesson from the lion and the bear is that he showed up and he had many battles to give him the confidence for the bigger one.
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Yeah, I just like that he looked back on that. 37 is such a cool verse. She was like, the Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine. I believe in one, a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And I forgot that. My favorite. My favorite verse in all scripture is in that little section, verse 29. I love this one because David says back when his brother's like, why are you here? And he says like, what? What? What have I done wrong? And then this line, so much. I love so much. He says, is there not a cause? Isn't this something worth fighting for? Isn't our God someone worth defending? Isn't our land and our families? Like, aren't they? I have a cause. I have a purpose. And I think there's so much value in knowing and understanding what your purpose is. That's not on the worksheet, but I think that's another one that I would add in the next one on there is the verses right after that, Saul puts on David his armor and a helmet. And in my mind, it's like armor that's too big. It's how I always picture the story. He's like, now in this, like, big, like, little kid in the big armor. And he is just in it and uncomfortable. And he says in 39, I have not proved. I can't go with these. I can't go with the shield and a sword and a buckler or whatever pieces of armor there are. And he says, because I have not proved them, and David put them off. And I'm sure there's so many different lessons somebody can learn from that. One of the things that struck me as I read that is you don't have to necessarily do things the way that others have done them, because for anybody else who's gonna go into that battle, they would have said, oh, yeah, I'm really comfortable in this, and this is what I'm going to do. But this wasn't David's way. This wasn't David's gift. This didn't suit, like, the. The, like, his personality and his way of. Of doing things. And I think that's super important that we. I don't have to be the same kind of dad that every other dad is, and you don't have to be the same kind of mom that every other mom is. And you don't have to serve in the young women's the same way that everybody else says that you should serve in the young women's because everybody has different gifts. I remember a good friend of mine being called to be a young men's advisor in our ward, and he just said, I. I can't. I'm not, like, super outgoing. And I feel like every young men's advisor is, like, really outgoing and just really, like, fun with the kids. And he was just like, that's not who I am. And I wish I would have known about these verses back then to just be like, that's okay, because you're a shepherd, so you should do things as a shepherd and not as a soldier. And you're gonna fight your battles and do the work of the Lord and find victory in your ways, in the ways that are proven to you. And I just. I really. I love that. It makes me also think of this girl one time who said to me, I am having a. I don't, like, feel the spirit really strongly when I open up scripture right now. And I was like, well, when do you feel the spirit really strongly? And she was just like, when I'm like. I put on my headphones and I listen to, like, worship songs when I'm on a hike. And I was like, well, then I would suggest for this season, you listen to more worship songs and go on more hikes, right? Because just because everybody said this is the right way to connect with God doesn't mean it's your way. In this particular seat, that could change. And I'm not discounting the other ways. Like, obviously, the armor was great for, you know, a lot of people and maybe one day great for David, but on this particular time, it wasn't. And I don't. I don't think we have to be afraid of that.
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So. Good. And right after he decides that he is just gonna go with his little sling, he goes down to the river. And in verse number 40, you hear what he does. He took his staff in his hand, and he chose him. Five smooth stones out of the brook, and he put them in a shepherd's bag, which he had. I just could not love sweet little David more than that moment because I always think, who did he go to the river with? And did he just walk there all by himself? And everyone else was probably behind him thinking, what is that foolish boy doing? What a dumb kid to think he has a chance. And David knew exactly where he wanted to go. And he didn't use his armor. He just had his shepherd's bag, the one that he came with on his errand. And he walked down to the brook, and I wonder what was going on in that tiny little head of his. And surely in the back of his mind, he just had a little prayer, Please, God, let this work. Please let this be enough. And I love that it doesn't just say he picked up five stones. I love that it says he chose them. And he looked down, and I wonder if he got on his hands and his knees and he said, I'm gonna do my best right now, God. I'm gonna find the best rocks that I possibly can, I'm gonna hold up to and decide which one's the best one. I am going to give you my all. Please let this be enough. And he chose five. And he puts them in his little bag. And this is a spoiler, but he would only need one. But I love that he brought five because he looked and he said, I'm just gonna give this my very best. I'm going to put all my effort here. And I love that we believe in a God that says, it's okay, you can bring five, but you're just gonna need one. And as long as you give it your best, I am going to make it more than enough. You're gonna be just fine. And I do just think that when we face our giants of our own, I bet we could reach in our very own pockets and find that God has given us enough to beat the giants, too.
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That's cool. They're right there. They're in the river right there. What you need is right in front of you or in your bag. That's so awesome. Then comes the exciting part of the story. And the Philistine looks at David in 42, and he says, like, do you think I'm a dog? You know? Which is, no, but because 42, he's like, this is the lesson we already learned. He looks at him, he's like, you're just young and. And there's no way that. That you can do this. And Davis has a sign in 45 that I think is the key to facing our Goliath. And it's the thing that gives purpose and meaning to all the other lessons that we learn in here. And it says this. And he says, david said, you come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. And I think the great lesson I love from this one is everybody else had their eyes on Goliath and David had his eyes on God. And as we face the Goliaths in our life, I think we ought to take the advice from this chapter. Don't be so focused on the problem. And put your heart and your hope in the promise and in the power of God. Get your eyes off Goliath and put them on God. And I think that's why we see such. That's where, like, grace. You were saying that his confidence comes from. That's where his strength. He knows where his strength is. And I think that's cool. Like to say with the things that we try. Like. Like someone might say, like, oh, I'm basing my Goliath right now. I should go to the temple. The reason that works is because you'll sit in the presence of God. Someone's like, I should pray. The reason that works is because prayer is connecting with God. That girl should go into the woods and listen to music. Why does that work? Because the music is tuning her heart to hear God that He is. The strength is not in his sling. It's not in the cheese, it's not in the bear. It's not any of those things. It is in God. And I think that verse is like the heart and soul of the whole thing.
B
It's so good. What happens next is the battle begins and they're having that moment, and then all of a sudden you look in verse 48 and it says that David. David ran towards the army to meet the Philistine. And we could pause and we could talk about, like, conquering fear. And running is like a sign that, like, you're confident and you're ready for battle. But I think that verse is only powerful because it's not the first time David ran. And if you look through this whole chapter, there's actually two other times. And the first time he ran was actually to the battle. You see it in verse 22. And David left his carriage in the hand of the Keeper of the carriage. And he ran into the army and came and saluted his brethren. That's when he was just bringing cheese. For the record, that was not that serious of a moment. He had no need to run. He could have, like, skipped. He could have walked. He could have turned around and, like, done a little, like, he had no need to be in a hurry, but he ran anyways. And the thing that I love the most is that it's actually what his dad. Dad tells him to do. And if you look in verse 17, and Jesse says to David, his son, take now for your brethren, whatever any of those things are, and the 10 loaves and the cheese or whatever, and run to the camp of your brethren. And what I think is the sweetest part is that David listened to his dad. And I wonder if in the moment that he saw the army ahead of him, the words of his dad came back to his memory when his dad said, go, run to the army. And this was a different army for sure. But David ran either way. And growing up, anytime we had tryouts in our house, my mom would always give us the same advice. And she would say, run everywhere they ask you to go, even if it's not time to run. If it's the water break, run. If it's the running to a new drill, run. If it's the going wherever, putting the goals away, run. Everywhere you go for tryouts, run, run, run. And then she would always say, because it's not actually about running, it's about showing your effort. It's about showing you care. And I just think it's so sweet because that was, like, little advice from my mom. But I don't think I'll ever forget it till the day that I die. Because it wasn't about running at all. It was about my heart. And I wonder if in that moment, when David looked at the giant, he thought, I wish I could get some advice from my dad right now. And I wonder if he thought, oh, my dad told me to run, so I still will. And he runs again after David gets him on the ground, he throws the slingshot, it knocks him out, the first rock, knocks him to the ground. And then he runs to Goliath again. And maybe it's because his dad showed him the character of his heart and he said, I know what to do. My dad already told me.
A
It's so awesome. So Goliath is dead. Yay. Right? And this last part is one that kind of gets skipped in the story because obviously we have this great victory moment, and you know, he's the, you know, 47. He was like, the battle is the Lord's, you know, is what he says. And he runs to him. And in verse 50, it says, so David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, but there was no sword in the hand of David. Just clarifying who the true hero of the story is and how it is that he actually won. It's not because he was fast, it's not because he was scared. You know, God won this battle. And then it says in 51, that's where we normally stop, that he cuts his head off. And you're like, oh, that's brutal. Which was a common practice and in the ancient days because it was showed that you had victory over your enemy and that enemy was never coming back. Because what if he was just unconscious or something like that? So. And he could revive and the problem would come back. But this was a way of saying that problem is not ever coming back. And he cuts off his head to take it to Saul as a present or something. And then it says he took his armor also from him. And I love this part that when that happens, all the children of Israel and the armies of Israel who for 40 days have been shaking in their boots are now cheering and they are filled with, like, hope and faith and it's just so awesome. And in verse 54, it says, and David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem. He says, but he put his armor in his tent. And I love just thinking about, you know, the. The armor of Goliath is just sitting in the corner of his tent, and maybe when he moves into the castle someday, he puts it in the corner of his room or up on the shelf on his. On his. In his office, just to remember the day that God won that battle for him. And I think that armor and Goliath now becomes his new lion and his new bear. That whatever he's going to face next, if it feels too big, if it feels too hard, he's just going to look in the corner and he's going to remember the day that God won that battle. And it's going to give him courage and it's going to give him strength and it's going to give him hope for whatever his next one is. So it's such an awesome ending to this story. Now, I want to say one other thing about this story that is the way I really love reading this. I think it's great to read it like we have in this worksheet and talk about facing our Goliath and running our problems and running at, you know, the things that intimidate us and scare us. And the truth is that there are some things that we face in this life that really are too big for us. And sometimes we're David in the story and we read it and we learn from him. But I think most times we're the. We're the rest of the army of Israel. And we're being taunted by our sin, by our temptations, by. By our hopelessness, by our despair, and. And we're being taunted by. By a problem that is too big for us to handle in on our own. And in this story, you have a boy born in Bethlehem who was sent into the battlefield on his father's errand to come and be a champion of the camp for the rest of us. And if we read this chapter, as the armies of Israel, we see this boy from Bethlehem who was anointed to become king, come into the battle and face our Goliaths for and in behalf of us. And I think that line of 47 where it says the battle is the Lord's, this is one that your, David, your king from Bethlehem, is going to fight for you. And when he wins, everybody wins. In a battle where everything hung in the balance, where everything was on the line, he defeats that Goliath for us, and he cuts off its head to remind us that sin and worry and despair have no resurrection power. Our king from Bethlehem said, to sin and death, you have no power to taunt the children of Israel anymore. It's over. It's defeated. And I think this chapter points us to the ultimate victory of Jesus in the garden and on the cross and in the empty tomb that our Goliaths have been fought and defeated forever for and in behalf of us. And so this is a golden chapter, forever and ever.
B
It's so good.
A
I love it.
B
It's so good. It's your. It's your story, your best, your best. What happens after that is Saul obviously goes to David and he says, wait, where did you come from? Whose son are you? And he says, oh, I'm Jesse's boy from Bethlehem. And after that, David moves in with Saul. And it says in verse three of chapter 18, then Jonathan and David. Oh, wait, verse two. I did a lie. And Saul took him that day and would let him go no more, home to his father's house. And in one day, David's entire life changed. He was a no name, she shepherd's boy. He was like the tiniest boy in the whole entire family. Like, it was just like absolutely irrelevant. And now he is living in a palace and he is getting treated like royalty. And it happened overnight. And I am just sure there were some days that he thought, what am I doing here?
A
Yeah.
B
And how did this happen? And what is going to happen? And what's the rest of my life going to look like? Because three days ago and two days ago and one day ago I thought I was just the little brother that was going to watch the sheep. And now I'm living in a palace and what am I doing here? And this is not even what I planned on at all. And then he just meets a friend. And it came to pass that when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan, that Saul's boy was met with the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And I think that for me, the sweetest lesson is that when a boy was probably scared to death and had no idea what his future was going to look like, and things were so foreign and so strange, God sent him a best friend. And he looks. And in verse three, after he moves in permanently at Saul's house, Jonathan and David made a covenant. Because he loved him as his own soul. God sent him exactly who he needed. He just needed a best friend, someone that he could talk to and someone that he could play with and someone that would make a foreign place seem like home. And I remember I read that actually in my first. This. I, for some reason I read all the first book in when I was a missionary in my first transfer. What business did I have doing that? I have no idea why I did that, you guys. I have no idea.
A
So proud of you.
B
I really did.
A
So proud of you.
B
I thought that was gonna be great for me. And it was. And I remember I was sitting in the middle of Sacramento, California, at a random apartment. It was blue. It was painted blue. Who painted the entire apartment building blue? I don't know. But I was so on brand for Sacramento, California. And I read that verse and I thought about that boy living in a foreign place, who was probably scared and afraid and alone. And God sent him a best friend. And I remember I was in the middle of personal study and I just looked up and I looked around me and there was my trainer who could not have been more different than me, who could not have been more perfect for me. And there were two other girls that lived in our apartment. And I looked at them and they were my best friends. And that was a Foreign land for me. And it was just California. So, like, let's not act like it was, like, so serious, but, like, it really was. Like, I could not even. I knew not even one soul in all of Sacramento, California. But it didn't matter, because God gave me those three girls as very best friends. And they took me in like I really was their sister. And I felt like I was. I felt at home with them. And all of them were from Texas, and I wasn't. And we had a giant Texas flag in our house. And every single day, we would say the Texas pledge. And that is a true story. And they told me that everyone I met, I needed to tell them I was from Texas. And I told them I was from Sugar Land because I knew that that's where you were from. And it's the only place in Texas that I knew. And I would just say that I was from, and I would claim it. But what I learned in that moment was not about Texas or the Texas pledge or about those three girls or about what we did to make that first transfer the best transfer of my life. What I really learned is that when you are scared and alone, God will send you a best friend.
A
And it's so interesting that I just feel like there's something to that. That might feel a little hallmarky at first, but I think it rings true to everybody that you're not gonna get through life without problems. Like, you're. Everyone's gonna have problems, and I just think nobody gets through them alone. Like, people need friends to get through their, you know, the problems. And, you know, you talk about coming into a mission, and I think all of us could talk about different situations and scenarios or just to say, zoom out and say, I got sent to this earth with things that are too big for me and things that intimidate me and scare me and. And that God put in our path friends like that. And one of the things I love. What chapter are we even in? Oh, okay. I'm in the right spot.
B
Yeah, fine.
A
This little spot right here in four, it says, Jonathan stripped himself of his robe. That's his royal robe, and gave it to David. And his sword and his bow and his girdle. Those were all the symbols of royalty because Jonathan should have been the next king. But in that moment, he takes them off because he sees the king in David. And that's his way of saying, like, I. I see that God has chosen you. Which is. There's so many things that are sweet about that. But the thing that I like is that Idea that Jonathan sees the royal in David. And I think that's another part of. Of a really good friend who. Who sees that in us, sees the royal in all of us. And Jonathan will be his friend through his whole life. As you read First Samuel, if you read every single chapter, David's life is troublesome. And he has so many hard times with Saul, in particular Jonathan's dad, who tries to kill him. For the rest, like, a lot for the rest of the book. Yeah, like an uncomfortable amount of times. Like, I don't know how they keep, keep, you know, coming back into the same room. It's like, remember when you threw a spear at me yesterday? Like, why are we.
B
And like, they like, resolve it. Like the next day I was like, yeah, dead.
A
That's crazy.
B
I'm like, okay.
A
But through it all, Jonathan is there with him. And I think that's something that we learned about, you know, that. That friend who, who stands by him, Jonathan becomes this great Christ like figure throughout the whole book. I want to just tell this story that's not necessarily in our reading for today because it's the end of Jonathan and David's story. So I just want to skip ahead a little bit to two Samuel, because just so you know, at the end of First Samuel, Jonathan and Saul are killed in battle. And it's devastating to David. And we meet this kid in chapter second Samuel, chapter four. So we're jumping to the next book, second Samuel, chapter four. And his name is Mephibosheth. You just have to mumble. You just have to mumble. And in verse four, it was Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son that was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news came that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. So his nurse took him and ran. And as she was running, she fell, she dropped him, and his feet became lame for the rest of his life. And you find out his name was mephibosheth. Right in 2 Samuel, chapter 4. Now skip ahead to 2 Samuel chapter 9 with me. And once David becomes king of all of Israel, he asked this question at the beginning of chapter nine. Is there any that are left in the house of Saul that that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake, that that friendship continued beyond even Jonathan's death? And he says, is there anybody left that I can show kindness to because of how much I loved Jonathan? And he finds out about. We got to give him a new name. We got to give him a nickname.
B
Just a nickname.
A
Just give that boy a nickname, Mickey. Okay? He finds out about Mickey. And in verse six, it says, now, Mickey, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come unto David, and he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said to him. And David said, mickey, I was having a hard time with the grammar of that verse. I was like, why is it saying that David said that? Okay? And he answers and says, behold,
B
really no problem.
A
Just acting it out, Just doing voices, everybody. Just getting you into his readers theater, okay? But he comes and he says in verse six, like, I'm your servant. I understand how this works. Like, what you did as a king is you eliminated the whole other royal line, and he technically should have claimed to the throne. So he comes in and he's like, I'll just be your servant for the rest of the forever. And David says to him, fear not, for I will show you kindness for Jonathan, your father's sake, and I will restore all the land of Saul, your father, and you will eat bread at my table continually. And he bowed himself, and he says, why? Why? I'm just. I. No. Why would you be so nice to someone like me? And he says, you. Therefore, verse 10. And your sons and your servants will till this land and bring in the fruits and that your master son may eat, but Mickey will be at my table for the rest of his life. And he does. And you learn that one more time. And I really, really love this story for two reasons. One, I love that he says, I'm gonna be good to you for your father's sake. And this is a theme we keep finding throughout these chapters. We're going to see it again. And I just love that. I feel like I can employ that same kind of kindness because of the kindness that was shown to me. We're going to see another story like that in just a second. But I also love that here's this kid who feels like he doesn't belong, who's broken and wounded and forgotten about, and he's invited to the king's table. And I love that idea of that the broken are invited to the king's table, that the overlooked are invited to the king's table. And there's just something I just love about the end of Jonathan and David's story. So, okay, speaking of that thing I was going to share, if you go into 1st Samuel 24, 25, 26, this area we keep finding out as you read, that this feud between David and Saul just happens all the way till his death, that they are just feuding the. The whole time. And David is always on the run. Like, he's always hiding from Saul and he's just like, Saul's always after him. And we, when you get to 1st Samuel 25, he is hiding from David in this land that this guy named Nabal owns. So he's just in this land. And you find out in that chapter 25 that this was the time of the shearing of, of the, of the sheep, which is like tax refund day in the ancient world. So that means Nabal's got like extra money, extra cash. David and his army have been guarding Nabal's land. And so David sends a message to Nabal and he says to him, hey, can you like hook a. Hook a brother up here? Can you. Can you help us out? Like, we've been taking care of you. So can you feed our army? Can you take care of us? Enable answers back. And, and in a, in a way that's like pretty nasty. And he's just like, no, like, fend for yourself. No way. I'm not doing that. Even after all that David and his army had done for them. So David goes off the handle here and he is just so mad about that response. And he says to like, his like fellow army people, all right, everyone grab your sword. Like we're going to teach this guy a lesson. We're going to go and just tear down his entire house. So he is just red hot anger and he is on his way to, to Nabal's house. And it's interesting because what you have so far is Nabal who returns good for evil. Am I saying that right? Returns? Yeah. Okay. Good was done for him. And he answers it back with evil. David is going to respond evil for evil. He's like, you do bad to me, then I'm going to do bad back to you. And he's headed to this. And as he's on his way to the house, he meets this Nabal's wife, whose name is Abigail in chapter 25. And it says starting in 18, that Abigail makes haste, and she took 200 loaves of bread and two bottles of wine and five sheep dinners and five this and a thousand raisins and 200 figs or whatever. And she loads up all of her the animals and she takes it and she's on her way. And she sees David in verse 23, and she comes down and she falls down before David on her face and bows to the ground and fell at his feet in verse 24, and said, upon me, my Lord, upon me, let this iniquity be. I want you to blame me for what Nabal has done, and I am apologizing for in behalf of him. Blame me, take your anger out on me. And of course, this melts David's heart and he just sees her and he's just like, absolutely not. And in fact, I'm not going to Nabal anymore. And I'm preserving the house. And I'm not doing that because of how kind and merciful and good you were. I'm giving up on what I was about to do. And he actually says in verse 32, David says to Abigail, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent you this day to me, and blessed be thou, which have kept me from shedding blood and avenging myself with my own hand. She's like, your kindness has. Has changed the way I was even going to approach this entire situation. And I love Abigail. I loved Abigail for a long time because of, one, what she does in this story. But second, because of the type and shadow of Jesus that she is, that when someone has wronged us, we're inclined to respond evil for evil. When someone has, you know, done us wrong and in comes a mediator who it wasn't their fault, but said, I'll take the blame, put the blame on. On me. And I feel like that's what Jesus does when we're in our places of. Of being wronged, when we're the victims. He comes in and he says to us, why don't. Why don't you take your anger out on me? Why don't you blame me? And there's something about his mercy and there's something about his goodness that. That melts our hearts and makes it easy to forgive. Kind of like the way that David was with little Mickey, where he says, because of how good your dad was, it makes me want to be good to you. And in this story, because of how kind and good Abigail was, it makes me want to give up on my revenge. And it makes me want to just let that go. And I think there's something beautiful about, one, the power of mercy, and two, in particularly the mercy of Jesus. That man, just if we put our eyes on him and we look to him, then it does melt our hearts in a way where it's easier to give up in the way we wanted to respond to the situation. So, such an awesome story.
B
It feels like everything that we are studying today is the story. Well, it is. Well, duh, this is what it is anyways, is the story of how a shepherd becomes a king. And it's little by little you get every single little moment that turns an ordinary boy into the king he was meant to be. And I'm also going to share a story that's not from this section. It's not in our reading. Technically it falls like it would fall in next week's reading. But it matches this section. Week's better. And it like changes chronologically.
A
Yeah, chronologically. It's like chronologically it happens in today's reading, but you don't find out about it until next time's reading.
B
So we're doing a reverse. So we're doing a little reverse and we're bringing it in today. So if you're confused why we're doing it, it's because we can't skip it, first of all. And because also I just feel like it is such a true lesson about how an ordinary boy becomes. Becomes a king. It just is. It matches that so well. And it's in second second Samuel 23. And what happens is David begins to tell you about his army, the people that he is winning these battles with.
A
And he's like reminiscing. He's like looking back on, oh, all the battle days are over at this point and. And he's like kind of looking back and telling you like, ah, remember this? Remember.
B
You know, and it really is, this might be, I'm not even kidding you, one of my favorite chapters of all time in the history of the world. And it's one of the only stories I know, like probably 10 lessons I remember from seminary. And this is one that I will never forget till the day that I die. And I think it's because I never knew it before. And there's something about a story that you don't know, like an unexpected story that like wins you. I don't know why, but it's 2 Samuel 23. And what happens is in verse 8 you get introduced to some characters that maybe you never even knew existed. And this is how they're introduced. These be the names of the mighty men who David had. And it is this introduction to David going through and telling you of all the boys he surrounded himself with, all his go to guys, and he is going to go through and name them and list them. And the more you read, you are like, the Old Testament is already big and you wish the story was actually bigger because you're getting one or two verses about these guys that you are like, wait a minute, they need their own book. Like, what do you mean you're only going to get us one verse? And David's like, these are my guys. These are the people that I spent every day with. These are the people that I wanted to go into battle with. And then he's like, let me tell you why, because there's this one guy you're going to start in verse number eight. Same one. And he lifted up his spear against eight. 800. I did not stutter over that. I did not misread it. 800. Whom he slew at one time. Okay, that's his first guy. That's his captain. He's like, he's just this one guy. And. Oh yeah. And remember that one time there was just him all by himself and he beat 800 people. And already you're like, what is going on here? Who are these people? And then you read verse 8 through verse like 21. No, there's even more. The rest of this entire chapter, but the rest the of is just names. But he is going to tell you these stories that you are like, wait, I need more than one verse for that. Okay, you're going to go look at verse number 10. Here's the next guy. He. Well, actually, I just skipped verse number nine. Anyways, these people are beating people in battle. And then the next guy goes, he goes into a battle against the Philistines and he fights for so long that his hand is stuck on his sword. It is cramping onto his sword. He can't even get it off. But don't worry, he won the battle. He just fought, fought, fought all day. All day, all day. Then you go, the more you read, there are these victories that you are like, oh my gosh, they're doing this and they're doing this and they're doing that and they're doing that. You go to verse number 18, and this next guy lifted up his spear against 300, and he slew them and had the name among three. And then you go down and verse number 20, this one's crazy. Okay, this is the craziest one ever for so many reasons, because these guys go, they. First of all, I like that it says this, verse 20. Who had done many acts, they did a lot. But the one that he's going to mention, he slew two lion like men of Moab. And you're like this. First of all, what does a lion man look like? I'm like, he's got a gnarly beard or something and just like so strong. First, like, that is my nightmare to be called a lion like person. It's fine, everyone. He slew two of them.
A
Them.
B
Then you keep going, that's not all he did. He went down also and slew a lion in the middle of a pit in the winter, in the time of snow, it says. Okay, first of all, that part's crazy to me because I'm like, was he stuck in the pit? No, he went down there, he saw the lion, and he's like, well, I'll get that guy too. No problem. It's actually a lion and already killed two lion like men. So that's going to be nothing for me. All right, it is crazy. And you read these stories and part of you is like, with, wait, why are we. Why we need a longer Old Testament? This is the first time you've ever said that in your life. And then you're like, oh, no wonder David was successful. How could he have not been successful when he was surrounded with people like them? And to me, that is a lesson in and of itself. If you are teaching any youth at all, this should be your go to story from this section. You cannot make miss this. Because what you need to do is sit down and say, listen, you are going to face battles, a lot of them, for the rest of your life. And if you wonder how to be successful, you better find yourself a group of mighty men to surround yourself with. Because David couldn't have failed when he was surrounded by people like that. He knew the trick, and it was to find himself people that he could not lose. Lose when he was with. And I remember in seminary we had like a little worksheet. David was my seminary teacher, and he made me the worksheet. It's like in the olden days of don't miss this. David used to draw worksheets, and he got that from seminary. Just so you know, I was the original worksheet receiver. And he would draw them and then he would, like, give us all the worksheets and we'd follow along. And I remember that worksheet. I could still draw it for you. Because what happened is in the middle of the worksheet, he did a fill in the blank with your name, and he said, you're mighty men. And so I wrote in mine, grace is mighty men. And then there was a spot. I think you counted. I think there's 37. Did I just make that up?
A
No. End of the chapter says there were 37.
B
Okay, well, great. So you didn't even count. You just knew. Oh, yeah, 37 in all. And it said 37. There's a spot for you to fill in the blank of 37. And that entire day we just sat There and in the middle of seminary, Davis gave us a little second. And we just were supposed to fill in the names of all of our mighty men, the people in our life that we wanted to go to battle with, the people that had done extraordinary things that we could surround ourselves with. And I don't know why I took that lesson so seriously, but I sat down and I really did make my list of my people. And then I went home that day and I got a piece of tape and I put it on my bathroom mirror and I left it there for every single year of my high school. I don't even know if you know that. And it was up on my mirror. And every single day I would look at it and I would think, I can face whatever I need to face today because I'm surrounded by my mighty men. And if I were gonna tell you to do anything from this lesson, it would be to write down on a paper, 1 through 37, and you make a list of the people you want to go to battle with, and you put it somewhere where you can see every day so that if there is a battle you can face that day, you can say to yourself, don't worry. I have 37 people who can help me win this, even if I can't win it by myself. And really quick, I just wanna read one more thing because I think there's two lessons you can get from this. And the first is to surround yourself by mighty men, but the second is to be one. And there are gonna be some times when we need the mighty men, but there will be most times when there are other people in our life who. Who need us to be mighty. And there is this book that I read. It's called Chase the Lion, and it's about actually, like. I think that the purpose of this book came from one of these, like, mighty men. The story.
A
Yeah. The lion one.
B
Yeah. What do you consider one of them? I'm like, maybe, yes. Which one is the one I read?
A
It's like the one you talked the most about.
B
It's fine, everyone. And at the very beginning of this book, the whole thing is about becoming a person like that. And at the very beginning of. Of the book, there's, like, this manifesto. And I'm gonna read it because I think that at the end of the day, this is who David was. These are who his mighty men are. And I would hope to become the type of person that does this too. And this is what it says. Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Run to the roar. Set God sized goals. Pursue God given passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail with divine intervention. Stop pointing out problems. Become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past to start creating the future. Face your fears. Fight for your dreams. Grab opportunity by the main and don't let go. Live like today is the first day and the last day of your life. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Live for the Paul. Live for the applause of nail scarred hands. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Dare to fail. Dare to be different. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away. Chase the lion. And I think that there is nothing more inspiring than the fact that like, I just think it's really sweet that David's story began as a boy who, who slayed a lion before he fought any battles. And he chose the type of people to surround himself with who also beat lions. And I think to surround yourself with mighty men, you kind of have to be one too. And I just like listening and pausing and thinking who am I surrounded by and who am I going to be for them?
A
Yeah. Oh, that's, it's so awesome. It's the best chapter ever. Yeah, sorry. And I want to add one verse onto that because. Okay, fun fact. The book of Chronicles, first and second Chronicles are a repeat of Samuel and Kings. So the order of the Bible goes Samuel, Samuel, Kings, Kings, and then Chronicles and Chronicles actually retell a lot of the stories that you find in Samuel and Kings. That's what it is. And it gives more details and it focuses just on a lot on the story of David. Right. So what was it? Oh, okay, so First Chronicles 12 is the equivalent to the chapter we just read about the mighty men. And in verse one, I just like it says, and they were among the mighty men. And then this line, helpers of the war. And I, that's, I love that line. I love thinking about that idea. It takes us back to what David said when he got to the battlefield. He's like, is there not a cause? Like this is something worth fighting for. This is something worth defending. Like, that's what I thought as you were like reading that thing. Like, I want to be a helper of the war. Remember in this context, David is the king. And I like that Jesus is called the son of David because it sets him up as like, he's our king. And the battle against evil and the battle against injustice and the battle against racism and sin and poverty and everything in the world, he's our king and that's the battle that he's fighting right now. And he calls us to be helpers of the war and we can be some of his mighty men and women and to make a difference. And I love that. And in the process, and in the process we become something because at the very end of this we have two Samuel five, seven, these chapters that we read at the end of today. And these are essentially what Grace was just saying, that this is the spot in scripture where David actually is anointed the king. And in chapter five, verse four it says so the three so all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron and King David made a league with them in Hebron and they anointed David king over all of Israel. In verse 4 it says David was 30 years old when he began to reign. And I like that gives us his age because when we met him he was somewhere between the ages of 10 to 15 when he first fought Goliath. And I just love that it takes at least 15 plus years for him to eventually become the king of Israel. And I, I, I love that journey. And I love that there's a journey of this anointing that happens for him in chapter 16, a promise of who he can be, a promise of what God sees in him. He's like, I see a king among those sons, I see a queen among those daughters. And there were battles and there were friends and there were mistakes and there was mercy and there were all of these things that happened in his life that led him to eventually become the king, that God sees the king in us, and God sees the queen in us. And it's going to take time for us to become that. And there's going to be good days and there's going to be bad days and there's going to be help along the way for us to eventually become who it is that God saw in us to become. So it's just really cool to see in 16 a promise of who you can be. And then in 2 Samuel chapter 5 the becoming of that and the journey all along the way. And I love this chapter so much in 2 Samuel chapter 6, 7 by the way, we're not going to get into today. But it's really important theologically because it point it makes a covenant with the house of David that the there will be a king on the throne from your line forever and ever pointing us to Jesus. But six I love because David makes Jerusalem his capital and the first thing he wants to do is bring The Ark of the Covenant, into the capital of the city. He wants to put the Lord in the center of his kingdom. So he sets up this entire parade and he brings in the ark into the kingdom. And it says in verse 14 of chapter 6, and David danced before the Lord with all his might, and he was girded with a linen ephod. He took off his royal robes and his crown, and he put on simple clothing to essentially say, I am not the king in this place. That throne has already been taken. And he brings this throne, this ark of the Covenant, into the center of the city. And I just love that he dances. I love that he dances before the Lord. And Michal, his wife in 16 is looking out the window, sees him, it says, leaping and dancing before the Lord. And she despised him in her heart. And when he got home that night after all the celebrations and everything that happened, she says to to him in verse 20, how glorious was the king of Israel today who uncovered himself and shamelessly was dancing, you know, in the streets, like you made. You played the fool. You look like an idiot. And I love his answer in 21. In 21, he simply says, it was before the Lord. I did that for the Lord. My dancing the parade, all of it was for him, he says, who chose me before my father and before all the house to appoint me a ruler over the people of Israel. Therefore will I play before the Lord. Look what he's done for me. Look at how he's forgiven me. Look at who he's helped me become. I have reason to dance. I have reason to play music. I have reason to praise. It is for the Lord. And it makes me want to find those same reasons that I have to dance before the Lord to praise, to look at my life and look at my situations and see all the good that he has been doing and is doing that potentially sees the friends he sent the people, and it just gives me reason to just dance before the Lord. So such good stuff.
B
Your best day ever, guys.
A
Next time, there's a really sad story about David. Skip it.
B
Don't watch next week, okay?
A
No, it'll be good. It'll be so good. So there's introduction to David, more good stuff next week. We'll see you then. If you want to follow along in everything we're doing, you can find us on Instagram at Don't miss this study, at this Week's Grace and @MrDaveButler.
B
And if you want to subscribe to the app or get our weekly newsletter, all of the information can be found@don'tmissthisstudy.com
A
See you next week.
Hosts: Emily Freeman & David Butler
This episode centers on David, the biblical figure, and explores his journey from a humble shepherd to the anointed king of Israel. The hosts, deeply connected to the story (with Dave expressing a special affinity for David due to sharing a name), guide listeners through the Book of 1 Samuel and beyond. They unpack the meaning of “champion of the camp,” exploring both the well-known narrative of David and Goliath and the spiritual, personal, and communal lessons the story holds. Themes of confidence vs. pride, divine potential, friendship, facing “giants,” and the process of becoming are woven throughout.
The episode is a stirring, heartfelt, often humorous encouragement to see God’s hand in our battles, to claim our divine potential, to step forward with courage and authenticity, and to cherish the friends and helpers given us. Above all, David’s story is both inspiration for our own journey of “becoming,” and a pointer to Jesus, the ultimate champion in the battle we couldn’t win alone.
Next Episode Preview:
(71:03) The next episode will explore one of David’s darkest and saddest stories—promising further wisdom from his life journey.
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