SAUL'S ARMOR
“And Saul armed David with his [own] armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 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 [Goliath].” (1 Samuel 17:38-40).
A dear lady that we fellowship with told us recently about how her
sisters would criticize and ridicule her after she became a Christian. One sister in particular would try to buy her
clothes and take her to get her hair done at a beauty parlor when she visited
her because she didn’t like the way she looked.
Our friend said, “She just wanted to fix me.” She said that she was content to be what God
made her to be and do what He had called her to do.
As I listened to our friend’s tale, I was reminded of the story of David
and Goliath. King Saul was trying to do the
same thing to David as our friend’s sister was trying to do to her. Saul didn’t think that this young shepherd
boy could face the giant Goliath without a lot of “fixing.” There was a lot at stake here for Saul and
for the nation of Israel as a whole. If
they chose to send a warrior out to fight one-on-one with Goliath, then the
losing side was agreeing to serve the winning side from then on. If he was going to let David go, Saul wanted
to give him the best odds for success that he could. Armor was required, and Saul’s armor was the
best! It was kingly armor. The problem was that David had never fought
in armor – in fact, David had never been in battle before. The armor would have seemed restricting to
David’s movement, and it likely didn’t fit him properly for Saul was a tall
man.
God does not want us to conform ourselves to anybody else’s standards
except Christ’s, no matter how well those standards may work for them. We must be what God has made us to be. He wants to transform us into the image of
His dear Son. No other pattern or
standard will do. Jesus was meek and
lowly. He didn’t seek after fortune or
fame, but made Himself of no reputation.
He made Himself a servant rather than a master. Most of all, He laid down His life to save
the world – not just at Calvary, but He died daily to the flesh. Though
He was the Son of God, yet He learned obedience to the Father through the
things that He suffered in the flesh.
David’s “armor” was the things that he was used to. The things that he had proven and found effective
against the dangers that he had already faced in his young life were the things
that he could trust in. The Lord had
strengthened him when he alone had faced a lion that threatened his father’s
sheep. With just his staff and his sling,
God had given him the strength to prevail.
He had also faced a bear and single-handedly defeated it in the Lord’s
strength. His armor was faith,
righteousness, salvation, truth, and the Word of God. These were the things in which he
trusted. These were the things that he
knew would work.
We, too, must trust in the things that God has given us. Each of our gifts and ministries are unique to
us. “But
now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him.” (1 Corinthians
12:18). Why would we want to take what
God has made, say it isn’t good enough, and try to make it into something we
think is better? God knows what He is
doing, and He often allows weaknesses in us so that His strength can be manifested in us. After all, He has chosen the poor, weak and
foolish to confound the rich, mighty and wise (see 1 Corinthians 1:26-29). Also, He has placed His treasure in earthen
vessels (clay pots) so that the excellence of the power might be of God and not
of us (see 2 Corinthians 4:7).
David must have seemed ill-equipped indeed. With his shepherd’s coat worn from use and
exposure to the elements, a shepherd’s staff used to guide the sheep, a
shepherd’s scrip or pouch, and a sling, he didn’t look the part of a hero or
deliverer. The thing that set him apart
from every other warrior on that battlefield, however, was his courage, faith,
zeal for the LORD, and the indignation that he felt toward anyone who would
defy the living God.
I think of John the Baptist and what scripture says of him. We’re told that “…the Word of God came unto John…in the wilderness.” He didn’t go
into the temple to preach this anointed Word that he received from God, nor did
he go to the synagogues. No, he went
into the wilderness. Neither did he
dress himself in finery to attract the crowds, but he clothed himself with
camel’s hair and with a girdle made from an animal skin. His diet wasn’t rich either – he ate locusts
and wild honey. This man had power when
he spoke, more than all of the scribes, lawyers, scholars, Sadducees and
Pharisees. We must learn who we are in
Christ and be content to be just that and nothing more, no matter who tries to
fix us!
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of His might.” (Ephesians 6:10). It is the way of the flesh to rely on one’s
own strength, but our strength is powerless against the kind of enemies that we
face as Christians. We must learn to
depend on and trust in the power that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Our battles in life are not against flesh and
blood enemies. They are, instead,
spiritual adversaries. We are fighting
against principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against
spiritual wickedness in high (heavenly) places.
Therefore, we need to “Put on the
whole armour of God, that [we] may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11).
Paul defines the
spiritual armor that God has given to every believer in order to fight the good
fight of faith. He tells us to “Stand therefore, having your loins girt
about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield
of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the
wicked. And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.” (Ephesians 6:14-18). There are many types of weaponry in the
world, some horrific in their destructive power; but none of them are of any
use in the spiritual warfare that we are fighting against the enemy of our
souls. I’m sure that Saul’s armor was
very fine, but it would have only hindered David from winning the victory that
God had already promised him.
I
recently watched a recording of Nick Vujicic giving a message at Cedarville University chapel. Nick is an Australian-American Christian
evangelist, world-renown motivational
speaker, and New York Times
Best Selling Author. He also has a
condition that is called tetra-amelia syndrome, which means he was born without arms
and legs. I was greatly moved by Nick’s
testimony when I first heard it a few decades ago. The first words out of his mouth that night
were, “I thank God that I am fearfully and wonderfully made!” Those words were powerful and anointed
because God had worked out in his heart a thankfulness and an understanding of
what He could do in a life that was surrendered to Him, regardless of what
obstacles might stand in his way. Despite
his seeming limitations, Nick’s message at Cedarville was powerful, dynamic,
and life-changing. Nick is an incredible
example of letting God use what He made you to be and not accepting any limits
that the world or the devil might try to put on you.
Joni
Eareckson Tada was injured in a diving accident when she was just a young girl
and became a quadriplegic as a result.
She, too, came to accept the Lord’s plan for her life and embrace what
He was able to do through her testimony.
She is an artist, an author, a motivational Christian speaker, and a vocalist. Although it seemed like God had taken
everything from her, He actually was able to bring out all of the real
spiritual gifts that He had given her that may have remained dormant had she
been able to pursue other things.
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