The Battle Belongs To God

1 Samuel 17:47 (KJV)

47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

It seems that God is looking for people to work through. Whether he directly calls them to a specific duty or not. Sometimes I think we need a revival of Spiritual initiative and zeal. God never told David to fight the giant. David only knew he had to stand up for what was right. Sometimes we won't budge unless God nearly knocks us out of our seats. We would never have this story in our Bible if it wasn't for David being bothered by what was wrong, and His God's Holy Name being blasphemed.

What I find interesting is in the previous chapter 16:14 That the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul. Here we find He found someone else. I pray we can be the one's who are Spirit filled.

The Children of Israel were really in a sad shape spiritually - while they hadn't gone back as a nation completely to idolatry, they had a king whom God had left. What a place - When God is no longer in charge of a country, it is headed for trouble.

But one day, Jesse just had an urge - I wonder how the battle is going- Sometimes I don't think all of impulses are just coincidence. I think sometimes God speaks to us in that way - we must be careful - but there was nothing wrong with sending gifts to his boys in the battle, and hearing a little news.

But I also don't think Jesse ever thought about sending his youngest to win the battle.

When David got to the battle field - he found a people who were paralyzed by fear. When God is no longer in the lead, you find yourself in terrifying territory.

But when he heard Goliath come out and defy his God, it made as we would say, "His blood boil!" No one is fit to talk like that - he can't continue - there is a cause worth fighting for!!!

We have reason to go out and show this giant - just how small he is compared to OUR GOD!!!

But David didn't fight his own battle - this wasn't to keep David free, this wasn't to get David rich, this wasn't even to get David married

This was God's battle using humanity. David gave the battle to God!!!

I don't know what battles you are facing tonight - battles where you may feel you are trapped with a goliath that comes out and defies you every day, and all you can do is cower in fear and terror.

Maybe you are in a battle where Satan is breathing out threatening and cruelty

Maybe it's a battle and you didn't even realize it was a battle - but now suddenly you don't know what to do.

I want to encourage you to take David's plan - "I'm not coming with weaponry, but I am coming in the Name of the Lord"

He gave the battle into God's hand.

When you give the battle to God you can expect some things:

The weak to win The Giants to fallIt seems that David goes out to face Goliath all on his own - he was even discouraged by his brothers. Who said it was out of the "naughtiness of his heart" he was even saying such things. Sometimes it seems we are standing along in the heat of the battle. But when I am weak - God is glorified. When I can't - HE DOES When we are trapped and the enemy is on the attack that's when Miriam sings, "The Lord hath triumphed gloriously"That's why David could sing in one of his Psalms several years later, "Some trust in horses, some trust in Chariots, but we will remember the Name of our Lord!!!! The Cause of truth and justice to prevailThe Payday for the Christian doesn't always come on Friday - But Payday does come. There will come a day when what is right will win the truth prevail.

God to be glorified - When we let the Lord fight our battles - He will receive the GLORY!!! That is really what this story is about - Not about how God helps the underdog, or even how the small can come out on top - It's really about Glorifying God in our victories. In our family devotions we have been reading Margaret Gouges book, "When God Stepped In" I read a story that was put in by Linda Lee Goodwin about Raphael a Hatian native who contracted Spinal Meningitis. This disease can be deadly today and was even more so in the 70's when this happened.

Raphael was a Christian and they called the church to pray, and pray they did. But it seemed their prayers were in vain. Instead of getting better, Raphael seemed to get worse. Then another lady in the town became sick with Spinal Meningitis. They called the local voodoo witch doctor to come and help her. He came and performed his rituals, incantations, and spells and she seemed to improve.

It became a thing of interest to the locals, who would win the Christian's God or the Witch doctor? People were curious and it became almost a competition. The Church prayed, how they prayed, but seemed that nothing happened.

Then one day, the lady died. But Raphael was still alive, but was weakening fast. He got right to the brink of death and began to slowly improve, day by day just a little at a time he regained consciousness, then he could eat, then he was sitting up in bed, then he could get up, then he could walk, just a little bit every day.

I tell you it wasn't the church that the people were out in the streets yelling about, but God began to get credit. People started to get saved, revival broke out.

What a battle that was, oh how faith must have been tested, how alone those poor saints must have felt. But who came out on top?

It wasn't the witch doctor cause after sometime they met him at the market, he told them - "I was going to do magic on him, but he was too bad, I knew there was nothing I could do. The God you serve- you better hang on to Him!!!"

When the battle is given to God -

The Weak can Win

Right and Truth Prevail

God receives glory!!!