The fine print

“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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel . . . that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s. . . .” (1 Samuel 17:45-47, NKJV)

Everyone cheers when a quiet little guy with few assets and against all odds faces a big guy with a big mouth who is well armed — and the little guy comes out the winner. Most versions of this story laud David’s courage and his aim with a slingshot. Sometimes we read it and feel that we can take on the world. However, we need to read the fine print!

The giant went into battle in his own name, in his own strength, and with great confidence in his own ability. That strategy never works for the people of God, no matter how powerful we might be. I cannot win any battles against temptation and evil by myself. I try. I doesn’t work. No matter how much I want to win, or how much energy I give, my efforts are useless. If I don’t act in the name of the Lord and in His power, failure is certain.

If I could win without Him, I would pridefully take the credit, turn the focus on myself. But God plainly says that He alone determines who wins and who loses. No matter what I think I am doing, any victory is because His hand is in it. If I lose, it is because I went into the battle thinking I didn’t need Him.

The convicting part of this ‘fine print’ is that it exposes my selfish focus. Far too often I want to win for my own sake, not so everyone will know there is a God and that all battles belong to Him. I want to win so others will see how spiritual I am or recognize the power of my prayer life. Wrong.

There are many lessons to learn from David. He refused the king’s armor because he had “not tested” it. He went into the confrontation remembering how God had already helped him win against other threats. He was not concerned what the mocking soldiers thought, nor that he was so small and insignificant against this threat. He knew not only that God was on his side, but that he was on God’s side. He took his stand against this foe with no confidence in his own weapons or ability. He trusted the sovereign power of God and determined that God alone would receive glory. So David wrote the fine print — then staked his life on it.