22 March | Teens
«Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”» 1 Samuel 17:45, 47
This story is one of the most exciting and well-known in the Bible, which has even become a reference in the world of sports to describe battles between the “weakest” team against the “strongest” one. The Philistine army, led by the giant Goliath, challenged the army of Israel. Goliath was immense, almost ten feet tall, and no one in Israel had the courage to stand up to him. Then came David, a young shepherd, who decided to stand up to Goliath.
When Goliath saw his “opponent,” he mocked David and his God, thinking he was just a weak boy. But David was not intimidated and said, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.” He swung his sling and threw a stone that struck Goliath right on the forehead, knocking the giant down.
But there is a detail of this story that goes unnoticed... You probably already knew how this story ends, but how does it begin? David’s father had asked him to bring food to his brothers who were on the battlefield. David, rather than refusing or making an excuse, chose to obey. That obedience took him to the battlefield as a boy, but he returned home a hero. This detail teaches us how important it is to obey our parents and that in order to face the “giants” of life, we need to be on God’s side, “for the battle is the Lord’s.”
Take Action
Look for five different pebbles and keep them as a reminder of the story of David and Goliath. Each pebble could represent something to you, such as courage, obedience, faith, and God’s victory in our lives.