I Samuel 17:26
‘Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”’
David caught a vision. While the nation of fighting men ran off in fear, David heard it differently. The same words that provoked terror in some ignited a fire in David.
It's agreed that Goliath's words were offensive to all in Israel. Yet, all felt powerless to defend God's honor. Except David. It made him mad enough to seek to do something about it.
David responded differently because the Lord had been working on him as a defender. We'll learn soon that David had to defend the sheep he shepherded. They weren't small affairs. He had to defend them against the most violent threats that existed, a bear and a lion.
The Lord was preparing David for this fight. That's what the bear and lion were about. Not just to be a better shepherd, but to be a warrior that could defeat Goliath.
When Goliath's taunt came, David was prompted to act. The same response he felt when the predator took a sheep, stirred David to rise up. The same words put fear in some and fight in others.
The Lord will give us a similar confidence in us. As our lives are different, so His work in and through us will be our own. Proverbs 28:1 says, "The wicked flee when no one is pursuing, But the righteous are bold as a lion." We are living in a time where a virus puts different responses in us. If we are in Christ, we are secure with our eternity and our trust in the sovereignty of God gives us the confidence to live our lives without fear.
Lord, thank You for David and how You allowed Him to stand up to the giant. Help us to be courageous in our lives.