Gods Sabbath

D AVID ’ S L OSS OF F AITH

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When the giant scornfully noted David’s approach, the son of Jesse witnessed to the way in which he had been commissioned to engage Israel’s boastful enemy. “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the L ORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the L ORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Isra el. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the L ORD saves; for the battle is the L ORD ’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.’” 1Samuel 17:45–47. David was not declaring that the battle was his and that he would win it with God’s help. He plainly averred that the battle was the L ORD ’ S , that he came to the giant in “the name of the L ORD Almighty” who would give him the victory. Weapons are the instruments used by human plan makers and are symbolic of their procedures. When David declared that “it is not by sword or spear that the L ORD saves”, he testified to his conviction that the Lord did not work through human plan making, but through His own. David recognized that he was God’s servant, and that the victory could be gained only if the Almighty was his Leader and Plan Maker. He was living according to the principles of God’s Sabbath rest, which explains why such a successful out come was granted him. While we do not find the details recorded for our guidance, the evidence shows that when David became aware of the problem facing his people, he must have immediately put the difficulty into God’s hands and asked Him for specific orders. These were given to him, and he walked in strict obedience to them. As God’s plans are guaranteed to succeed when carried out to the letter, David’s sortie terminated successfully with the death of the enemy and the exaltation of God as the Plan Maker and Problem Solver (see 1Samuel 17:48–51). In his early days, David thus exhibited a close and practical ac quaintance with God’s ways, and as long as he followed them, he could not fail. Just as in his encounters with the bear and the lion, the giant fell before him. As far as ordinary human expectation