CHILD-FRIENDLY TRAINED COWARDS!

1 Samuel 17:19-47 AMPC

Now Saul and the brothers and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. [20] So David rose up early next morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host going forth to the battleground shouted the battle cry. [21] And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. [22] David left his packages in the care of the baggage keeper and ran into the ranks and came and greeted his brothers. [23] As they talked, behold, Goliath, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, came forth from the Philistine ranks and spoke the same words as before, and David heard him. [24] And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, terrified. [25] And the Israelites said, Have you seen this man who has come out? Surely he has come out to defy Israel; and the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free [from taxes and service] in Israel. [26] And David said to the men standing by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? [27] And the [men] told him, Thus shall it be done for the man who kills him. [28] Now Eliab his eldest brother heard what he said to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David and he said, Why did you come here? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and evilness of heart; for you came down that you might see the battle. [29] And David said, What have I done now? Was it not a harmless question? [30] And David turned away from Eliab to another and he asked the same question, and again the men gave him the same answer. [31] When David's words were heard, they were repeated to Saul, and he sent for him. [32] David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of this Philistine; your servant will go out and fight with him. [33] And Saul said to David, You are not able to go to fight against this Philistine. You are only an adolescent, and he has been a warrior from his youth. [34] And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep. And when there came a lion or again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock, [35] I went out after it and smote it and delivered the lamb out of its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and smote it and killed it. [36] Your servant killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God! [37] David said, The Lord Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you! [38] Then Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. [39] And David girded his sword over his armor. Then he tried to go, but could not, for he was not used to it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I am not used to them. And David took them off. [40] Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his shepherd's [lunch] bag [a whole kid's skin slung from his shoulder], in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand, and he drew near the Philistine. [41] The Philistine came on and drew near to David, the man who bore the shield going before him. [42] And when the Philistine looked around and saw David, he scorned and despised him, for he was but an adolescent, with a healthy reddish color and a fair face. [43] And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you should come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. [44] The Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. [45] Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. [46] This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. [47] And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands.

 

A trained coward is someone who knows what to do, has learned and practiced, but still gets scared and does nothing when it’s time to act.

David’s brothers were soldiers in King Saul’s army. They were trained to fight. But when Goliath, the giant, came to challenge Israel, they were afraid and did nothing. 

David was just a shepherd boy, but he trusted God and stepped up with courage!

Have you ever learned something but got scared when it was time to use it?

King Saul had power and experience, but he was afraid of Goliath came. He didn’t fight because fear stopped him. 

This shows that being important or trained doesn’t make you brave. Only trusting God does!

Memory verse: Deuteronomy 31:6: “Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid! For the Lord your God will be with you. He will never leave you.”

Courage is not the absence of fear but winning over fear. The brave person is not the one who never feels afraid, but the one who beats fear!

So, courage is a choice! We choose to trust God and act even when we feel afraid.

Don’t look at how big the problem is. Look at how BIG God is! 

David saw Goliath as small compared to God. That’s why he won!

Ten spies in Numbers 13-14 came back scared because they saw giants. They forgot God’s promise! 

Training helps your body and mind, but courage comes from trusting God. 

Without faith, even strong people can be afraid.

Faith makes God’s power look huge!

David trusted God, not his sling. That’s why he won.

Skills and titles don’t make you brave. Faith does! 

God often uses people who trust Him, like David and Gideon. 

Stay humble and trust God’s plan.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

*   When have you been scared even though you knew what to do?

*   What do you do when a problem looks too big?

*   How can you remember that God is bigger than any problem?

*   How can you trust God’s plan instead of your own ideas?

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank You for teaching me that courage means trusting You. Sometimes I feel afraid even when I know what to do. Help me to look at You—the BIG God—and not at the big problem. Give me faith and courage to obey You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Shalom!