Dad’s delivery boy

1 Samuel 17:12-23

This day is beginning early for me, I woke up around four in the morning with one desire to go back to sleep, but sleep did not come, and my mind began to go to the many tasks of the coming day.  I’m sure you have witnessed the uncertainty of each day and also the urgent needing immediate attention.  After waiting for days for framers to show-up as promised, today I’ve been promised they will be on the job to begin the framing of my wood shop.  I’ve also been told they are all ex-con’s but will not steal and they do good work, but do not talk to them about Jesus because they might nail you to the studs.  But I’ve also been reminded of these words in Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

I share this with you because David has a lot on his mind, King Saul has called him into service, but he is still responsible for helping out at home with his father’s sheep.  We find David going back and forth from Saul to his dad to feed the sheep and make sure all is well at home in that Jesse is old and his three oldest sons are with King Saul at Socoh on the battle lines.

Jesse is a typical dad, and he does not have Skype or a cell phone, so David is his resource to keep up with his three sons.  Saul does not feed his troop, that was the responsibility of family members, and so David is also his dad’s delivery boy, not only to the brothers but those in charge of them.

Now it is interesting what has been taking place at the battle, and we are given this report in 1 Samuel 17:19-23, “And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.”

It is evident in verse 16 that this has been going on for forty days, and it may have been the first time David has heard Goliath, but today he heard him.  It is important to recall that David knows he has God’s anointing and he also has history on his side, he faced and killed both the bear and the lion that tried to kill his father’s sheep.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice