A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                   ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XIII

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, am so proud of my army.... They have just defeated the Philistine army... It took them a while before they were able to do so.... They had to remember that they are not just any army.... They are none other than the army of God.... My prayer is that my story will help others who will come after me to understand as well that they will be able to overcome the enemy with the help of God.".... Please read the typed out attachment when you will learn that as a believer you will face spiritual battles....


          ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES
 
                               ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XIII

The story of David and Goliath is such a great story. But it is not just a great story, it is a story you can learn much from. After all, you too as a believer, are part of the army of God. And you too may feel so defeated at times by the challenges you face on a daily basis that you forget who you are and forget to rely on God's power to help you be victorious in your battles. Now you will know that your battles are not physical battles as was the case with the Israeli army. Your battles are spiritual battles and you will need spiritual weaponry  in order to be victorious, which is described
in Ephesians 6:1-17
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood , but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armour of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and, after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith with which you extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Your weapon against the enemy is the sword of the Spirit or the word of God as you can read
in Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

We will look at the second part of the application to the story of the David and Goliath in the next post.

         

                     A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                               ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XII

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, have just killed the giant Goliath with a stone.... I then used the giant's sword to make sure he was really dead.... My brothers and all the other Israeli soldiers watched silently when I approached Goliath earlier on... They heard him shout at me.... They heard my response to him as well.... No soldiers, including my brothers, made a move.... They all seemed to be frozen at their spot.... They then saw me take out a stone from my bag and direct it at the giant Goliath.....The next few seconds must have felt like ages for them.... For I knew that my God would direct my stone in such a way that it would kill the giant.... But the Israeli soldiers were not so sure..... Because they were not quite sure what to make of my weaponry.... They are used to using swords and spears....But they have never used a sling and a stone to kill someone.... However, they saw the giant Goliath fall down.... That is when they came to life.... They gave a shout.... But they knew they needed to do more.... It was time for them to get into action.... The Philistine army needed to be defeated.... That was not my task.... That was for them to do....And they just knew how to go about it."...... Please read the typed out attachment when the Israeli army pursues the Philistine army.....


       ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                         ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XII

The Israeli army is so encouraged when they see the giant Goliath fall down that they come back to life and act as they should by pursuing the Philistine army as you can read in I Samuel 17:52a


Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and the gates of Enron....

The Israeli army once again realises she is the army of God and is, therefore, able to defeat the Philistine army.

           
                           A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                    ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XI

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, have just told the giant Goliath, who is facing me at the battle field in the Valley of Elah, that he will be defeated.... Moreover, I have told him that the Philistine army will be defeated as well.... I then knew it was time to put action to my words.... Now I am not a soldier so I do not own a sword and a spear.... But being a shepherd I own a bag and a sling.... In that bag were five smooth stones I had collected earlier.... It was time for me to use one of these stones.... I carefully selected one.... I then used my sling to point that stone to just the right spot in the forehead of the giant.... I prayed to the God of Israel to direct my stone as I shot it.... And He did.... As soon as the stone hit the specific spot in the giant's forehead, he fell down... God made sure the stone hit just the right target."..... Please read the typed out attachment when David, the youngest son of Jesse takes out a stone and kills the giant Goliath....


          ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                 ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART XI

It is time for David to prove the truth of his words to the giant Goliath that he is going to be killed as you can read in I Samuel 17:49-50

Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead and he fell face down to the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

And so God's instrument David kills the giant Goliath with nothing more than a stone.

                        A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                    ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART X

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, am having a rather unusual day today....Normally I am taking care of my father's sheep.... But today I find myself at the battle field in the Valley of Elah facing a giant named Goliath.....I now realise that my time as shepherd has prepared me for today.... For I have had to protect the sheep from a lion and a bear.... There is not too much difference between a lion, a bear or a giant.... They are all big and loud.... So they are easy targets..... Moreover, though this giant in front of me comes with his sword and spear and javelin against me, his weaponry is no match against the Name of the Lord Almighty.....And today he and the Philistine army will be defeated."....Please read the typed out attachment when David, the youngest son of Jesse, declares to the giant Goliath that the battle belongs to the Lord....



               ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                                   ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART X

David, the youngest son of Jesse, is confident that he will be able to overcome the giant Goliath because he comes against the enemy in the Name of the Lord as you can read in I Samuel 17:45-48

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, who you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All these gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saved for the battle is the Lord's and He will give all of you into our hands." As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle to meet him."

David, the youngest son of Jesse, describes in no uncertain terms what will happen next to the giant Goliath and the Philistine army.

                      A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                              ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART IX

"As I, David, youngest son of Jesse, approached this giant Goliath here on the battle field in the Valley of Elah, the giant came closer to me as well.... He has been here with the Philistine army for a number of days already... During that time he had every day defied the Israeli army with his words.... And every day the response of the Israeli army to his words was to run... Not one soldier had dared to stand up against this giant.... This is, no doubt, because the Israeli army has forgotten they are the army of their God.... And they have forgotten as well that this giant Goliath is nothing more than an uncircumcised Philistine... But I know.... So God has given me the courage to come against this giant.... He may well think that he will give my flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field today... But I know that my God will give me the victory today.".... Please read the typed out attachment when the giant Goliath comes closer to David and sees that he is only a boy....


           ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                            ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART IX

When David, the youngest son of Jesse, approaches the giant Goliath, he comes closer to David and is not impressed with David as you can read in I Samuel 17:41-44

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I' ll give your flesh to the bids of the air and the beasts of the field."

The giant Goliath looks at David with natural eyes but does not realise that David does not rely on his own strength but of the strength of the Lord.

      

 


                      A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES


                               ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART VIII

I, David, the youngest son of Jesse, am here at the battle field in the Valley of Elah.... The Israeli army is in battle with the Philistine army.... But the Israeli army has just run away in fear.... The reason they have run away is the intimidating shout of a Philistine giant named Goliath....But the Israeli army needs to remember that they are not just any army..... They are the army of the living God.... I believe my God has sent me here to show them....I have just told them that this giant is nothing more than an uncircumcised Philistine and can easily be defeated.... The Lord has put it on my heart as well to put actions to my words.... However, I am not a soldier so I will not fight him with the weaponry used by soldiers.... I will fight him with the kind of weaponry I use as a shepherd... I will use a sling and a stone... And I believe my God will guide the stone that I will use to the exact location in the body of this uncircumcised giant.... He is so big that it will be impossible to miss him... He will be dead this very day... For my God will have the victory... And the Israeli army will once again know they are the army of the living God.".....Please read the typed out attachment when David, the youngest son of Jesse, goes to find the specific weaponry he needs to fight this uncircumcised giant named Goliath....


     ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                  ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART VIII

It is time for David, the youngest son of Jesse, to put into practice what he has said so he goes to find the kind of weaponry he can use as a shepherd to successfully deal with this uncircumcised Philistine giant once for all as you can read in I Samuel 17:40

Then he took his staff in his hand, choose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in his shepherd's bag and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

After David has found his unusual weaponry, he does not wait for Goliath to come to him but readily approaches him, fully confident that his God will be with him as he comes nearer to this enemy of the Israeli army. It is time for the Israeli army to remember who they really are; the army of the living God.

             ONE PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                          ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART VII

"I, David, the youngest son of Jesse, heard the shout of the Philistine giant named Goliath.... I did not hear his shout because I am in the land of the Philistines... No, he made his shout right here in my country Israel... In the Valley of Elah.... He was able to do so because he had come with the Philistine army to my country Israel.... They have gathered against the Israeli army in the Valley of Elah.... No doubt, the Philistine army wants to overwhelm the Israeli army by using this giant against them.... I have to say he is a giant.... It looks to me that he is at least nine feet tall.... Not only is he tall.... He is obviously very strong... And I have just found out that he is very LOUD!!.... And I can see that the tactics of the Philistine army have been successful so far.... For they have made the Israeli army become so fearful that they have begun to run away.... But that must be stopped... They have obviously forgotten who they are.... They have forgotten that they are not the army of Saul but the army of the living God.... But I know who they are.... I may not be a soldier for I am only a shepherd.... But I know that the Israeli army is not just an ordinary army but an extra-ordinary army.... Not because of who they are but because of the God they serve.... It is time for the Israeli army to once again find out who they really are....And it is time for the Philistine army to know that their giant is nothing more that than an uncircumcised giant.... He may be tall, strong and loud but he is no match for our God.".... Please read out the typed out attachment when the shepherd David, the youngest son of Jesse, declares who the Philistine giant Goliath really is...


      ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                ONLY A SLING SHOT WILL DO; PART VII

David the youngest son of Jesse, sees the Israeli army run from the Philistine army in fear of the intimidating words of the Philistine giant Goliath when he shouts to them his usual morning defiant shout. His response is not the same of the soldiers of the Israeli army as you can read in                      I Samuel 17:26b

"...... Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

When the Israeli army runs away from the Philistine army in fear of the shout of the Philistine giant Goliath, David does not move for David knows that this huge man is nothing more than an uncircumcised Philistine and can easily be defeated with the help of their God.

                     A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                            ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART VI

"I, David, youngest son of Jesse, have just now arrived at the battle field of the Israeli army and the  Philistine army....I have not come here to join the Israeli army.... For I am a shepherd and not a soldier.... But I have come here at the direction of my father Jesse.... He asked me to visit my brothers who are soldiers in the Israeli army.... They are here in the Valley of Elah as part of the Israeli army.... I managed to find my brothers.... They were quite surprised to see me.... So I told them I had come because our father wants to make sure they have enough food supplies to last them for the battle.... I was still talking with them when I heard someone making a shout.... It came from the direction of the Philistine army.... It was a shout unlike any other shout I have ever heard in my life....To my shock and horror the Israeli army began to run in fear.... What are they doing running away?".... Please read the typed out attachment when David has arrived at the battle field to visit his brothers who are part of the Israeli army that is fighting against the Philistine army, only to hear the shout of a loud Philistine named Goliath....


        ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                        ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART VI

While David, the youngest son of Jesse, was talking to his brothers who are soldiers in the Israeli army that is fighting against the Philistine army in the Valley of Elah, a huge man appeared on the scene, the Philistine giant named Goliath as you can read in I Samuel 17:23-24

As he was talking with them, Goliath the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in fear.

David hears Goliath for God has made certain that David does not appear too late or too early but arrives at the right time when Goliath steps forward to shout his usual defiance. The other Israelites hear Goliath as well and they run out of fear. But David is not one of the soldiers who runs away. He is a shepherd who knows his God and who has seen his God do mighty things.

        A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                 ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART V

"I, David, am the youngest son of my father Jesse... I usually take care of his flock of sheep... However, he has asked me to visit my brothers.... They are soldiers in the Israeli army.... Our army is at war with the Philistine army.... My brothers are, therefore, now in the Valley of Elah where the armies have gathered.... My father has become concerned for my brothers' well being....So he has asked me to see them to make sure they are safe and well despite the conflict that is raging..... I am on my way to them.... I wonder what scene I will see when I get there.... I may well arrive at the time the battle of today will begin... I am not a soldier so I am not entirely sure what takes place at the beginning of each battle.... But I do believe that each site shouts the war cry before they take their position.... I hope I have opportunity to greet my brothers so I can pass on to them the supplies my father gave me for them.".... Please read the typed out attachment when Jesse, youngest son David sets out to meet his brothers who are in the Israeli army that is fighting against the Philistine army....


       ATTACHMENT A PURPOSEFUL LIFE; OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

                      ONE SLING SHOT WILL DO PART V

At Jesse's direction, his youngest son David, sets off for the camp where the Israeli army is stationed, to visit his brothers who are soldiers as you can read in I Samuel 17:20-22

Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of the supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers.

When David gets to the battle field, he finds his brothers are already in position to fight so he quickly goes to them to greet them.