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A Heart for God

A Matter of Trust

Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:31-40

I. You can trust your equipment in a fight.

A. Saul did not trust that David would be able to beat the giant. David’s youth (vs. 33) made him an untrustworthy fighter. But we see what Saul did put his trust in when it came to battle in vs. 38-39: Saul trusted in his armor and his military equipment. After Hannah had defeated her rival, she prayed in 1 Samuel 2:9: “He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.” We prevail by faith.

B. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4: “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” Unlike Saul, we do not trust in the armor of Saul. No. We trust in the armor of the Lord (Eph. 6). And what is one of the most powerful spiritual weapons God has given us for our fight in this world? Prayer.

II. You can trust your experience in a fight.

A. Saul also trusted in military experience. Saul says to David in vs. 33, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” Translation: David you are going to lose. You will lose because you are not an experienced soldier. Goliath has experience with fighting. You don’t. Therefore, the experienced Goliath will win.

B. There is a type of experience you should trust in. You should trust in your experiences with God. Notice the conclusion David reaches about his fights with the lion and the bear in vs. 37: “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Who was responsible for the victories that David had over the lion and the bear as a shepherd? The LORD.

III. You can trust God in a fight.

A. God never wastes any of your experiences with Him. David might have thought that his experience as a shepherd was preparing him for nothing. But God considered David’s shepherding work to be essential training for his work as the king of Israel. The only weapons David took into His fight with Goliath were the weapons he used as a shepherd (vs. 40). David was ready to fight because he trusted God. He trusted that God would defeat the giant Goliath just like God had defeated the lion and the bear when David was a shepherd.

Application:
You don’t need to be afraid. You have a champion who will fight on your behalf. Trust Jesus.

Sources:
The book of 1 Samuel
Commentaries on 1 Samuel by Robert Bergen, Dale Ralph Davis and Tim Chester

SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1) Where do you place your trust when you get in a fight? Is it always the strong and mighty who win a fight? Why or why not?

2) In God’s economy no experience is wasted. Can you see that in your own life? Can you see how this truth means that you can be grateful in both the pleasant and unpleasant times in your life?

3) Who did David believe was responsible for his victories as a shepherd over the lion and the bear? And if God has rescued you in the past, what does that mean about what God will do in your current fight?