A Sunday School teacher told the class the story of David and Goliath. He embellished the story with all kinds of details, emphasizing, especially, David's deep faith in God. He animated with gestures and movements; and he concluded with all the details of how little David killed the giant Goliath with a rock from his sling. At the end of the story he asked the class what lesson they had learned. One of the little boys popped up and said: "Duck!"
This morning we examine one of the best known stories of the Old Testament. The story of David and Goliath. Listen to the Word of God and hear not only God's Word, but what God might be saying to you through the reading of these words.
Read 1 Samuel 17:1
It struck me, probably because we have been all tied up in VacationBibleSchool, but David picked up Five Smooth Stones before facing Goliath and the kids learned about and discovered Five Cool Treasures and Truths about God. In one sense, then, faith in God is kind of like that pouch, it holds all of these promises; all of these treasures. And these promises and treasures are worth more than any silver or gold because when you get into trouble, when the world around you storms out of control, when you face the Giant Sized problems of the world, you can reach into that pouch and remind yourself that you're not alone. You can remind yourself that God Loves You, God Knows You, God Treasures You, God Forgives You, and God Is With You.
That's what the kids have been learning all week. And I thought it would be a good thing to remind us of those same treasures and promises.
I. God Loves You
The first Treasure is God loves you. One of the things a lot of us have trouble with is the image we often get of God through some of the stories in the Old Testament. Some of the passages make God out to an Angry Vengeful God. Kind of like an old Gary Larson Far Side cartoon which showed God looking into a computer monitor. You see a young man walking along and there is a piano overhead being raised or lowered. As you look at the picture you see God's hand poised over the "Smite" button.
That's not the God we learned about this week. Instead we learned from Psalm 103:8 that "God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love."
II. God Knows You
Another Treasure is that God knows you. God loves you and God knows you. Scripture even says that God loves you so much that your name is tattooed or written on the palm of God's hand. In Isaiah 49:16 God says, "See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands...."
Some folks have a hard time comprehending that God knows each and every one of us by name. Or that God desires a personal relationship with each of us. These folks sort of view life like a giant Ant Farm. Remember those? We're the ants and God is the owner. We go about our business and God just sits back and watches. Every now and then God might throw a treat or a morsel our way, just because. Or God could be angry and capricious and just pick up the whole Ant Farm and shake it up, just to see what will happen.
But the kids learned in 1 Samuel 16:7 that this God of love and compassion "does not see the same way people see. People look at the outside of a person, but God looks on the heart."
God knows you.
III. God Treasures You
God loves you, God knows you and God treasures you. There are a lot of people in the world who suffer from low self-esteem. There are a lot of reasons why but there are even more reasons in the Bible for us to have good self-esteem. We truly are Treasured by God. Remember, we are the children of God, we are heirs of the Kingdom, brothers and sisters with Christ and Friends of Jesus. Those are just a few things the Good Shepherd called us.
In John 10:14 Jesus says: "I am the Good Shepherd, I know my own and my own know me."
If that doesn't convince you, then remember that God sent His Only Son just for you.
IV. God Forgives You
You see, God loves you, God knows you, God treasures you and God forgives you. Jesus didn't come just to be a good example. We already had plenty of those in Scripture. Jesus came to save us and bring us back into a loving relationship with God. Because, just like the prodigal son which the kids learned about this week, we strayed and were LOST. Which, if you remember, I think simply means Living Outside Salvation's Touch.
John 3:16 reminds us just how much God loves us and wants our relationship to be healed and continue. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have eternal life."
We've heard that quote so many times and seen it in so many place that a lot of times we just turn off our mind and don't even listen. But this is one of the best Treasures in all of Scripture.
God forgives you. And that lifts such a burden from our heart and spirit. No matter how far away we get from God, no matter how LOST we become, God wants us back. And when we turn around, when we head back to God, God comes running to greet us. And that's when you discover God forgives you.
V. God Is With You
God loves you, God knows you, God treasures you, God forgives you, and God is with you. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is John 14:18 where Jesus says, "I will not leave you orphaned." And then in Matthew 28: 20, the very last words of the Gospel, "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." We are not alone. God is with you.
It's like a certain father who listened as his son told him about his first serious conflict at school. He had been picked on by three bullies who punched him and knocked him off his bike as he was riding home. These bullies had made life difficult for the boy, and he told his father that they threatened to do more harm the next morning. The boy was greatly disturbed; he didn't know what to do.
That evening the father taught his son some basic techniques on how to defend himself. Together they explored all the possibilities, including the possibility that he might try to win them over as friends. The father worked hard to build up his son's self-confidence. The next morning the father and son prayed together. And with a reassuring embrace and a handshake, the father smiled confidently and said, "You can do it, son. I know you'll make out all right." With that assurance the boy got on his bike and rode off to school.
What the son did not know was that his father followed him in the car that day. He stayed just far enough behind to remain out of sight, but close enough to come to his son's assistance if needed. If there was trouble the father would be there. The son might have thought he was all alone, but his father was behind him all the way. (1)
Conclusion
Simply put, David picked up Five Smooth Stones before facing Goliath. He placed them in his pouch and coupled with his faith, he overcame the Giant obstacle in his life. These Five Promises, these Five Smooth Stones, when placed in the pouch or treasure chest of our faith, can help us overcome any of the giant obstacles we might face in life.
Remember use these Five Smooth Stones of faith, God loves you, God knows you, God knows you, God treasures you, God forgives you, and God is with you.
1. Charles R. Swindoll. STRESS FRACTURES. (Portland, OR: Multnomah, 1990), p. 128.