David's Sword

"So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a sword, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David." (I Samuel 17: 50)

This was a critical battle with much at stake. But it is strange that David had no sword. There was no sword in the hand of David. Saul tried to equip him with his own armament. But they did not fit David.

David had no sword in his hand. But he had the Word of God in his mouth. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?" He was offended because Goliath had defied the armies of the Living God. We also must feel like that. When the Gentiles defy our God, we must feel like that. There was no sword with David when the lion and bear came, yet he slew them. "This Philistine is like unto them", he said. Where did his faith come from. From a Moabite woman whose name was Ruth. She watched the life of Naomi. She was asked to go back to her people. She said 'No'. Naomi's husband had died and her two sons had died. Even then Naomi had faith in God. Ruth observed that. It was not so among the general Moabitish women.

A sense of the righteousness and justice of God was in Naomi. She still loved God. So Ruth thought that it was better for her to be with Naomi among the Israelites than among her own people. There is beauty in faith which is very attractive. We attract others by our faith. Hope, Christ's hope, lives on in a hopeless condition. Ruth became a mother. Naomi became a grandmother. Where there is hopelessness there is hope when there is faith. Obed begot Jesse and the last son of Jesse was David. Remember that faith increases if it starts in a home. It reaches a higher level when it goes from hand to hand. David reached a very high level of faith. Jesse's home must have been a good home. As the youngest son, David would have learnt many things by the side of his mother. David did not have the sword. But the sword was growing in his heart. That sword was a mighty one.