1 Samuel 17:33-37 Preparation

 ”And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”“

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭17‬:‭33‬-‭37‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. You are not able…for you are a youth: Saul thought David was disqualified because of his age, size, and inexperience. This shows that Saul looked at the battle purely in natural, outward terms. The outward “tale of the tape” said there was no way David could win. The “tale of God’s tape” said there was no way David could lose.

Not knowing what this phrase meant I searched it! (David)

The phrase "tale of the tape" refers to making an objective comparison, particularly between two combatants. It comes from the sport of boxing where fighters are measured and weighed before a fight. 

b. You are a youth and he a man of war from his youth: Saul essentially told David, “He’s been a soldier longer than you have been alive. How can you ever defeat him?” Again, this shows that Saul only looked at the outward, not the spiritual dimensions of this battle.

c. Your servant has killed both lion and bear: God prepared David for this exact battle when David was a lowly shepherd. A lion attacked the lambs and David fought the lion. A bear came against the sheep and David battled with the bear. All along, God prepared David to fight Goliath. How long did David prepare to fight Goliath? All his life, up to that day.

i. This is generally God’s pattern for preparation. He calls us to be faithful right where we are and then uses our faithfulness to accomplish greater things. If David ran scared at the lion or the bear, he would never have been ready to fight Goliath now. But he was faithful then, so he will be faithful now.

d. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them: David increases in boldness as the story progresses. First, he said someone should fight Goliath for a righteous cause (1 Samuel 17:26, 29). Then he said he would fight Goliath (1 Samuel 17:32). Now he says he will kill Goliath.

e. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine: As a shepherd facing lions and bears, David had no idea he was being trained to fight a giant. In the midst of our preparation we rarely see how God will use it. Yet now, David can look back and know that the same God who delivered him before will also deliver him now. David knew that God’s help in times past is a prophecy of His help in the future. (Guzik)

Preparation 

Years ago I used to believe that the Lord used His spiritual powers to guide David’s stone to win the battle but after studying the Bible and commentaries I finally realized it was David’s skill and faith because of preparation throughout his lifetime as a shepherd boy protecting his father’s sheep.

The same is true with our lives, the Lord prepared me through life experiences for adoption, chaplaincy and now being a leader of a Life Recovery Bible Group. 

The mission, if you choose to accept it is to figure out what the Lord prepared you for and to have the faith of David to step out of your comfort zone and to do it.

We give You all the glory for everything that we do, In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Blessings