If you read the account of David killing Goliath in 1 Samuel 17, you will notice something interesting in verse 39. David is brought before King Saul and expresses confidence that God will make him victorious in defeating the Philistine champion Goliath. Saul, in an attempt to try and help David, has his armor and sword put on him. Notice what happens next:
"And David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.' And David took them off" (1 Sam. 17:39 NASB).
David realized that the best protection was not Saul's armor but the name of the Lord (vv. 46-47). There is a spiritual truth here that we need to be reminded of: there is great power in authenticity. It is no good putting on someone else's armor. It always looks artificial and unnatural when we try to present ourselves as if we are someone else.
Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken!" St. Catherine of Siena said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." I wish more parents would instill this into their children. I see so many kids crumble under the weight of their parent's expectations to be what they envision, rather than encouraging them to seek God's purpose for which He created them.
This happens all too often in the ministry as well. Pastors try to copy their favorite hero's dress or communication style. They go to the latest church conference and attempt to superimpose that ministry philosophy in their current setting. When it blows up in their face they are left dismayed, frustrated, and discouraged asking themselves, "Why didn't it work here, like it did at ____________ church?"
God blessed David becasue he had a concern for God's name and vindication (v. 45). He said to Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty" (v. 45). He realized the limitations of human efforts (v. 47). He was confident in His God whose name alone is sufficient to strike the strongest person to the ground (v. 46). He was prepared to trust in the name of the Lord in the face of enormous opposition.
Friend, you may be facing great opposition in your life or ministry. You may feel weak and helpless; and that copying someone else or thier methods is the only way to be successful. Please hear me. Go out in God's name, realizing you limitations and yet trusting Him to vindicate His name.
It is interesting that becasue of David's concern for God's name, David's name "became well known" (v. 30). But that was not David's aim or the focus of his life. Only when we become consumed with the glory of God, can we be used mightily for His kingdom.
In Christ's Service,
Dr. Bryan Cox
