SMOOTH STONES

"And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine."  (1Samuel 17:40). 

There is a place in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan called Paradise.  It is just a spot on the map with only about 400 people who are considered residents.  I discovered the area quite by accident (I prefer to think of it as providence) one year when my family and I were on vacation.  Paradise lies about halfway up the western shore of Whitefish Bay, just off Lake Superior.  We rented a cabin there for a number of years and fell in love with the area.  In mid-August, the days are warm, the water a brilliant blue, and the air is crisp and free of the oppressive humidity that we often experience in Ohio in late summer.  The nights are cool and great for sleeping, and, on a clear night, you can see stars in the sky over Canada that you didn't know existed because of the light pollution in Ohio.  If you're lucky, and up early enough, you can hear the call of a Loon on the lake, or see a Bald Eagle making his way along the shoreline in search of breakfast.

Just 11 miles north of Paradise, the road ends at Whitefish Point.  It was near here, about 20 miles out on Lake Superior, that the Edmund Fitzgerald broke in half in a violent winter storm that claimed its entire crew and cargo in 1975.  There is a lighthouse at Whitefish Point, and a beach that wraps around the point of land on which it sits.  For lake vessels, it is a welcome sight that points their way to the Bay and the Soo Locks just beyond. 

One thing that fascinated my wife and me about this spot was the stones.  Covering the beach, and extending out into the lake are countless stones and boulders, many of brightly colored sandstone.  Some are merely pebbles, and others are very, very large, but all of them have been tumbled and eroded until they are all worn smooth and rounded by the force of the lake.  It is almost impossible to walk along the water's edge and not stoop to collect treasures that catch your eye.  Every year, we would bring back a bag of stones to place around our flower gardens at home.

As I have meditated on the "five smooth stones" that David selected to carry with him into his battle with the giant Goliath, I have thought about the stones at Whitefish Point, and a couple of things have occurred to me. 

First, it wasn't rocks that David selected for his sling.  He could have found many suitably sized rocks very close at hand which would have fit in his sling, but he instead sought out the brook and selected smooth stones instead.  Rocks would have had sharp edges on them, and would seem like a more lethal projectile, but they would not fly as true or with as much speed.  The smooth stones would fly more accurately and with less drag than awkwardly shaped rocks. 

Second, rocks do not naturally become smooth stones in just any body of water.  The water must be moving.  Living, moving water is the only thing that will smooth the rough edges off of solid rock. 

Finally, Jesus referred to the work of the Spirit in the life of the believer as the living water.  "Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and Who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water."  (John 4:10).  It is not just Bible knowledge, or church membership that transforms our lives, knocking off the rough edges, and smoothing the jagged corners; it is an active work of the Holy Spirit in our lives teaching us the will of God.  Trials and the hardships, disappointments and heartbreaks, temptations and turmoil are the things that tumble us and smooth us.  It is His living Word that washes over us and rounds us into polished, smooth stones.  "He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."  (John 7:38).

If we think of the story of David and Goliath not only as a historical account of actual events, but also as an allegory which illustrates some important spiritual principles, we discover another layer of truth.  David represents the Lord Jesus, Goliath represents Satan, the enemy of the church who defies the army of the living God, and the stones represent those whom God has anointed to destroy the works of the devil.  In one sense, we are weapons in the hand of the Lord Jesus.  We are extensions of the Lord's work on earth just as surely as those stones were extensions of the sling in David's hand.  "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength because of Thine enemies, that Thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger."  (Psalm 8:2).  "Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"  (1 Corinthians 6:3).

 

We must, therefore, let patience have her perfect work in our lives.  We can only be useful to God as we allow Him to smooth us and round us out.  We are being refined, beloved.  We are being shaped on the Potter's wheel.  We are being instructed by the Master Teacher, and molded by His Holy Spirit.  Our trials do have a purpose.  Everything does work together for good for us who love our God, for us who have been called according to His eternal purpose.  Don't give up hope!  Learn to become obedient to those things that the Lord is requiring of you.  He is purifying unto Himself a people who are His alone, who are eager to do the things which He asks!  I want to be in that number - don't you?