How many smooth stones did David choose in preparation for his battle with the giant, Goliath? According to 1 Sam. 17:40 (NIV), David chose five smooth stones from the stream. The Bible does not specifically state why he chose five stones, but I believe that David did not lack in faith or trust in God. He did not go into battle with Goliath thinking he may need more than one stone to slay a giant. He was prepared and did his homework so-to-speak knowing Goliath had four brothers which may have potentially retaliated against him after knocking Goliath down. (2 Samuel 21:20-22) Therefore, David chose five stones in order to prepare for his battle against Goliath. This displays David’s true heart, his complete confidence, trust, and faith in God.
The five smooth stones David had in his pouch represent what David carried in his heart: (1) Faith; (2) Trust; (3) Courage; (4) Obedience; and (5) Praise. Whenever we face any kind of giant in our lives, we can carry these five stones with us wherever we go and face each giant one stone at a time and receive victory!
David went into battle with faith and trust. He knew God would take care of him in his battle with Goliath because of past experiences with God where He took care of him and the situation he was facing. Before facing Goliath, David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 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…” 1 Sam. 17:34-37 (NIV)
When you let God be there for you facing giants, each time you go through an experience and let God handle things, your trust and faith in Him will grow and become stronger. Your confidence will develop and you will eventually have complete trust in Him facing your various giants. David knew in his heart, without a doubt, that God was with him and would help him facing the giant, Goliath.
When you have this complete faith and trust in God, deep down in your heart, and you know without a doubt that God will take care of giants for you and that He is there with you every step of the way, your courage develops and strengthens. So when a giant rises up before you, you are courageous and know that you can and will get through this, no matter what lies before you. To have this confidence in our Lord, to know and be able to stand firm courageously with God by your side is awesome and amazing! God’s power, His guidance, His strength in you all develop as we face and overcome each giant with Him. Each time a giant is slain, we grow; we grow stronger in each stone – faith, trust, courage, obedience, and praise.
Now, there are two forms of courage we need. The first courage, as mentioned above, is the courage to face our giants. The second type of courage we need is the courage to be obedient to what God wants us to do and how we are to handle each gaint. It takes courage to be obedient to God. It takes courage to completely trust and have faith in Him even when our circumstances do not show favor. A key part in being victorious in slaying our giants is being obedient to God’s Word; being obedient in the manner in which we are to handle facing each giant. This, in itself, takes courage. As with the courage mentioned in the previous paragraph, the courage to be obedient also develops through each situation. At times, we may face giants alone and think we can do it ourselves, but eventually we realize that it is a lot easier and a lot better dealing with circumstances with God, by His might and power and not ours. You see, God’s power and strength never fail. So when God asks you to do something and it is out of your comfort zone and it is new to you, trust and have faith in His ways and you will be surprised and blessed! Be obedient in what He has asked of you and know that with Him all things are possible. What an exciting adventurous life we live with Him!
“Without faith there would be no need for obedience and without obedience faith is dead,” Stephen McGary. Our faith will not grow without obedience.
Let’s have the faith, the trust, and the courage David had when facing Goliath. He told Goliath moments before he charged him, striking him down with one stone, “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, whom you have defied.” 1 Sam. 17:45 (NIV) David’s ultimate weapon was God the Father and faith in Him. He trusted God with all his heart. He knew from experience God’s faithfulness. This came from God’s grace and mercy by delivering him out of previous dangerous situations, proving His power and trustworthiness. David knew power was not in his sling, but in God.
The final stone to carry with you is praise. When we know in our hearts that God is with us when we face various giants, when we have the other four stones of faith, trust, courage, and obedience, we can praise God for our triumph. We can sing praises to God. We can speak praise out loud knowing that we have victory over any giant and obstacle we may encounter. David triumphed over Goliath with a sling and a stone, 1 Sam. 17:45 (NIV). David had five stones in his shepherd’s bag and one sling. We have our own five stones in our bag and can wield them with our own sling whenever we need to. While facing giants, sing praises to God and thank Him for your victory. Praise displays our true hearts, knowing the faith and trust we have in God and the courage and obedience it takes to result in triumph! David wrote in Psalm 21:13 (NIV), “Be exalted in your strength, Lord; we will sing and praise your might.”
With these five stones in our pocket, we can face our own giants as David faced his. He may have felt fear and overwhelmed with how big Goliath was, but he made a choice to not let fear impact what he had to do. His faith, trust, and courage with God was bigger than his fear, what he was feeling and seeing. He chose to believe God’s ways over his own realization and thinking and did not look at the target, Goliath. He didn’t look at how big Goliath was and if he would miss with one stone. He looked at his giant and thought, “Look at how big this giant is. How could I miss?!” He did not show or act out of fear. When he faced off with Goliath, he did not stand and wait for Goliath to charge and attack him; he went charging forward and shot one stone as he was running towards him fearless and smacked him right in the forehead, causing Goliath to fall down. By the grace of God that stone sunk into his forehead and knocked him down. Keep in mind that the stone was smooth and not sharp and jagged. The force of a smooth stone to sink into a giant’s forehead is amazing and God’s power, grace, and mercy was definitely in this battle. To have this confidence in God, this courageousness, this trust, this faith all develops facing one giant at a time. As we face each battle, we grow and depend on God more and more and then can charge running with our sling up high knocking down each giant.
God’s hand can be in every battle we face. We can make sure that we have our five smooth stones in our bag or pocket ready to aim and fire at any giant at any time. Firstly, make sure you know and have complete faith and trust in God and know that He is with you always. Secondly, this faith and trust in God will strengthen you and give you courage and confidence because you know with God all things are possible. Thirdly, be prepared and obey God’s Word. Know His truths and be able to speak God’s Word against the devil and whatever giant you are in battle with. Knowing God’s promises will give you peace. Fourthly, believe God will guide you and pray and talk with Him and He will show you what to do. Lastly, your faith, trust and belief should be so full that you thank and praise God ahead of facing your battle for the victory you will receive and overcome! Amen!
When we face giants, we not need to measure the giant against ourselves but against God. All we have to do is our part and let God do the rest; put your giant in His hands and let Him work through yours.
Jesus is the Answer! Jesus Loves You! 