The Sword of Goliath

And the priest said, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you put to death in the valley of Elah, is here folded in a cloth at the back of the ephod: take that, if you will, for there is no other sword here. And David said, there is no other sword like that; give it to me. (1Samuel 21:9)

Introduction: King David’s first war ever was the war where he conquered Goliath. He did not go to that battle with any sword because he had none and he did not find it easy to use Saul’s armor. He used a sling and a stone which he had been using for birds and animals in the bush to conquer Goliath, trusting in the power of God. Thereafter, he collected Goliath’s sword and used it to complete the process of killing him. He fought several other battles with different swords after he conquered Goliath but it was surprising to me to read in 1 Samuel 21:9 that the sword of Goliath was the best sword he ever had access to. That means in all the battles he ever fought, that was the best sword used. Two major things which struck me concerning the sword of Goliath are shared below in this edition of refreshing manna.

David killed Goliath without a sword though Goliath had the best sword

The battle against Goliath was won when David did not have any sword? He came to the war zone confidently in the name of the Lord of armies of Israel, just because he wanted to take reproach away from God’s people. He was without any sword even though Goliath the opponent had the best sword around.

What challenges are you prompted to face to God’s glory that seems too heavy for you? If you consider yourself as the one who will accomplish it or you are looking at the resources that other people who are doing similar things have; it will be difficult. However, if you look at God fighting it on your behalf, then you will glide through it easily. David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and a spear and a javelin: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel’. His own weapon was the name of the Lord.

Whenever the opposition or your competitors’ ability seem far above your own, remember that David’s ability was not near that of Goliath in any way and yet he won this battle against him. Goliath had been a warrior from his youth and therefore highly experienced (1 Samuel 17: 33) but David was not moved by that. You can also win that battle. Learn to use the name of the Lord of Hosts in all your battles. You may have a challenge related to academics, career, office politics, husband, wife, children, health or even ministry. Recently I faced the challenge of post-graduate exams in a field different from my basic training and the materials that I was supposed to read before the exams were overwhelming. At a point in time, I didn’t know which course to read because it looked impossible to complete all before the exam date. I cried to God and faced the exam week confidently. I prayed earnestly every day and the Holy Spirit directed me to the important things to focus on. Lo and behold! The exam questions were from those topics I concentrated on and I was able to answer all of them.

You may think you don’t have enough equipment for the assignment you perceive that God wants you to take up. Never mind, just have faith and make a move. He will miraculously make it happen in Jesus name. Whatever kind of challenge is confronting you, you don’t need the kind of resources that the world normally use; all you need is the name of the Lord. The greatest battle David fought; the most popular one that brought him into limelight was fought when he had no sword at all! God will use whatever you have, no matter how insignificant (like David’s stones) to fight for you and you will overcome. Just make sure that you live your life worthy of that name. Make sure you are qualified to use the name of Jesus by being born again and obeying everything the bible says. Make sure your desire is to glorify God in all your ways; that battle will soon be won in Jesus name.

The sword of Goliath turned out to be the best sword.

The second thing that struck my heart about the sword of Goliath is that it was the best sword David had access to; yet it was given freely by God during his first battle. This first battle was not compulsory for David since his age was not qualified for war; but he decided to be involved because Goliath was blaspheming the name of God.

If you perceive anything that God wants you to accomplish to his glory and you are sure it’s time to act, just have faith and make a move. God will not just make your action succeed, He may even deliver a kind of ‘sword of Goliath’ into your hand. I mean the ‘best resource’, a resource that money cannot buy can be delivered to you. A resource that will be very useful in time of trouble can be received in the process of service in the kingdom of God or humanity. The sword of Goliath was the only sword available for David when he was running away from Saul and it was the best out of all the other swords he had ever used.

When I was writing my books on diet, I did not have enough money to publish them. Moreover, it seemed like a waste of time to my colleagues in the academics profession. In fact some of them actually told me directly that I was not serious about my academics and I should not think that those books or ministry work will get me anywhere in my profession. However, I perceived that God wanted me to help many people through the books and persisted in distributing it. I also continued with my ministry of teaching the word of God in refreshing manna and other places. God gave me a blessing of opportunities to speak to large congregations through the books and this is very important to me and my destiny. Moreover, the books and the community education programmes have earned me an international award and money. Meanwhile, I have been promoted to the next level in the lecturing career as well. I believe that many more benefits from the books are still on the way.

The same thing you are afraid of that has been preventing you from taking up the assignment God has planned for you can turn out to be an advantage for you. If David had been afraid of Goliath’s ability, experience and great resources, and did not venture to take up that challenge, He would not have had access to the sword of Goliath. If I had been afraid of not getting money to publish my books, or wondering if anybody would buy them or if I had been afraid of not being promoted by combining other things with academics, I would not have been having several opportunities to speak or received an international award or earn any extra money from books or presentations. The kingdom of God is full of several needs. You should find the one that burdens you and begin to serve in that area; no matter the opposition, or amount of resources needed. God will show up on your behalf and release a blessing that money cannot buy to you.

Conclusion:

There are many things you can achieve in life that will turn you into a star if only you can stop looking at yourself and the available resources. Fix your gaze on God who is able to do exceedingly above all that you can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20) In the process of fulfilling your assignment, great resources