I.
I suspect to many of us David is a familiar character from the Hebrew Scripture. Can I ask a favor of you today? As you read this passage, read it as the only acquaintance with David you have. If this were all you knew about David, what kind of person would you take him to be?

II.
1 Samuel 17:31-37, 45, 48-50 (NRSVue)

When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father, and whenever a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth, and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”

But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and 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.

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David’s hand.

III.
The boy, David, tells the King, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him, your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

David is a youngster and he takes it upon himself to tell the King not to be afraid and that he will fight the Philistine’s champion warrior. What kind of youngster says that to any elder, especially to a King?

When the King doubts David is ready for such a task, David’s reply is to tell the King about the lions and bears he has killed to protect his father’s sheep.

Is David exhibiting self-confidence or arrogance?

And then, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Is this faith in The Lord, or confidence in David’s own strength and skill?

What kind of person do you take David to be?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}