That Armor Doesn’t Look Good on You…

After a few years of leading the preschool/kindergarten class at church, I finally found my favorite Veggie Tales episode: “Dave and the Giant Pickle” (their rendition of David and Goliath). I highly recommend watching it because it is hilarious and also a great hero story! We have all heard the story of David and Goliath. We know that the Lord leads David into battle with Goliath and that the Lord makes David victorious against this nine-foot giant, although there really wasn’t much of a battle between them. David simply uses a slingshot and knocks him right out. However, there is so much more to the beginning of the story that I want to dive into. Here are the verses that come right before David “battles” Goliath (1 Samuel 17:37–40) followed by their importance in our lives:

“The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David is full of faith. He knows where his strength comes from and who his Protector is. He uses his own life experiences to make God credible. It’s almost as if David is saying, “Why would I ever think God would not come to my rescue?” It’s a big step for us to come to this place in our faith, but even once we get there, we still have to take the step of acting on it!

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

David has someone in his corner. That is, before Saul gets jealous of David and goes bananas…but that’s another story for another time. It is crucial for us to have people in our corner that will encourage us, pray for us, speak life into us, and hold us accountable when we need it. I mentioned that in the last post, and I will probably mention it every time, so get used to it. Community is one of the most important and vital parts of our Christian walk.

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.”

Here’s the part that got to me. Saul puts his own tunic, coat of armor, and helmet on David to try to prepare him for battle. He is trying to be helpful. He wants David to be safe. He thinks David will be better off if he has these extra layers of protection on him. However, once David puts the sword on and begins walking around, he doesn’t feel more confident or powerful. In fact, it makes David feel uncomfortable and he experiences something he is not used to. That’s because they aren’t his own. They aren’t meant to fit him. They belong to Saul and they were not intended for David to wear.

How often do we pick up another person’s armor and try to wear it? How often do you wish you had someone else’s “helmet”? How many things have I tried to put on that belong to other people? Have they helped me in MY calling and MY purpose? Have they fit me well and made me feel more comfortable, or have I known that they didn’t fit all along?

The other side of it relates to the last post. When have other people tried to put their armor on me? Whether they had good intentions or bad. Sometimes, we have armor placed on us by others that want to protect us or make sure we are “taken care of”. Other times it happens because they want us to fit into a certain place or group of people. Would you recognize your own clothes if you took off all the layers that others have put on you or you have put on yourself?

In these times, suits of armor weighed anywhere between 33–55 pounds. That’s a lot of weight to add when you are lugging something around that you don’t need in the first place. It slows you down and delays you fulfilling your purpose.

So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Let’s take them off and see. David took them off! This is monumental because he is saying:

1. He doesn’t need armor because the Lord IS his armor. He doesn’t take off Saul’s and go find someone else’s to wear. He just goes as he is — as God created him!

2. He doesn’t want to be anyone else. He knows that he is a masterpiece created by God. He knows that God has and will equip him for his purpose.

Then, he takes HIS staff in his hand. We all have a “staff” that God has given us. A staff is a mark of leadership. Next, he gathers stones and his sling. Why? Because he has good aim. He has experience with a slingshot, and he knows that it’s a strength and talent that God gave him. We have strengths and talents, too. Usually, our strengths and talents serve us well in our battles and trials, but first we have to know what they are and bring them with us when we go into the battle.

Let’s ask God to point out pieces of armor that we have picked up that don’t belong to us. Let’s ask Him what strengths He has given us to fulfill our purpose. Let’s ask Him to refine us and help us to grow in wisdom. He’s preparing and equipping us for something great!

*All scripture is pulled from the NIV bible.