“AND CHOSE HIM FIVE SMOOTH STONES”

MEMORY VERSE: 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.  1 Samuel 17:40

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deuteronomy 10-12

In 1 Samuel 17 is one of the most popular stories – if not the most popular - in the world: the story of David and Goliath. It is a story of good conquering evil. It is a story of possibilities.The story is about a little boy who took on a big man and defeated him. David was a little shepherd boy. One day his aged father, Jesse, sent him to the battlefield to deliver some food supplies to his brothers who were fighting alongside Saul. When he got there, he saw this big strong giant challenging the armies of Israel. 1 Samuel 17:8- 10 says, “And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” The giant’s name was Goliath. He was a Philistine. He was an undefeated champion as such no one knew his weakness. His voice terrified everyone; his presence caused everyone to run. He was a terror! On hearing his boastful words, David decided to take him on. The small man, an ordinary civilian, a youth with no military experience, decided to take on the big tall man – probably the tallest in the word at that time - a war veteran, a decorated soldier. 

David and Goliath stepped forward. Goliath came dressed for war. He wore a bronze helmet, an impenetrable coat of mail, and shin armour on his legs. David wore a simple shepherd’s cloth made of wool. Goliath came with a massive javelin, a sword strapped to his sheath and the widest shield available – so big that he employed someone to carry it for him. David on the other hand came with a sling and 5 stones. 1 Samuel 17:40 says, “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.” David chose "five" stones not "six" or "four". Why? The number 5 symbolizes God’s grace, goodness and favour toward humans. As Goliath drew near to him, he took one of the stones and slung it, and it struck Goliath, sinking to his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. David took Goliath’s sword and cut off Goliath’s head. David accomplished in hours what others could not accomplish in forty days using five stones (grace). To accomplish what others could not accomplish, whether in ministry or in your personal life, you need the grace of God. To do the impossible, you need the grace of God. David with the five stones proved the doubter’s wrong. Friend, you will need the grace of God to proof the doubters wrong. It is not enough to be a Christian. After all, there were several Israelites that day but none could take on Goliath except the brother with the grace (Brother David). To come into a team and make so much impact in a very short time takes the grace of God. That’s exactly what happened to David. Within few hours of arriving at the battle front, Goliath was already on the floor. David did not pick anyhow stones. He carefully selected five smooth stones. Why? God only uses smooth stones not rough ones. You see, a stone is rough by nature but the ones David chose had been worked on. Those stones had weathered the storm. Rain had fallen on them. They had been kicked about as a result of human activities. They had been through a lot and as a result, all the rough edges had been eroded away. The Most High God will not use a rough man to bring down Goliath. He will always use a smooth stone – a man He has trained and worked on. 

QUESTION: What kind of stone are you? A rough one? Or a smooth one? Have you laid your life so that He can work on you or you are busy running after things?

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