Bible Study Verses
I Samuel 17:34-37
But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the Lord be with you." (NASB)
Thoughts
I know I have written about David in the past, but just can't seem to get enough of him. David the sweet writer and singer of songs, David the poet; David the musician, and David the boy who grabbed a lion by his beard, struck him, and killed him! Wait a minute! Did you read that right? You bet you did! What a man! David did that when he was just a boy tending his father's sheep. No wonder he went on to be such a famous warrior.
This guy was fearless! What was his secret? No secret at all! He comes right out and says, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear." He did not take credit for anything. He knew that apart from the Lord, he was nothing.
Too bad Samson didn't learn that lesson earlier; his outcome might have been much different. Yes, we know that David had his share of sins. Terrible, horrible sins to boot! But even then he knew what to do, repent and take it to the Lord! "Against you - you alone - I have sinned," he said, Psalms 51:4a (HCSB).
(Dave H)
Action Point
We need role models in our lives. We need to teach our children the right way to live. Yes of course we should always consider "What Would Jesus Do", WWJD, but we should also study about the great men of the Bible. They are put there for a reason. They are put there for us to learn from. Remember folks, these aren't just some tall stories told around the camp fire. These are gospel.
What is recorded is actually what happened. David was not given any supernatural strength as Samson was given. He was given one thing, a heart for God. Pray that the Lord would give you this same heart, the same heart that was also given to our Lord.
Your children can learn so much from studying the lives of these men. They will hopefully learn to draw from the strengths of these people and to avoid their weaknesses. More than anything else, they will know who to turn to and that they are no less of a man or woman for admitting their mistakes and falling on their faces in front of the Lord.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
David did not use a slingshot made out of surgical tubing like we have today. It can be fun project for you and the kids to construct one like he used. He would have taken two cords of leather that can easily be had from Tandy or any leather supply store (or make your own from your next deer). Even heavy duty shoe laces can be used. Take a piece of leather or cloth material about one inch wide and two or three inches long, punch a hole in each of the long ends of the cloth and attach one of the leather cord to each hole you have made. The cloth forms a pocket into which you place the stone or other object you wish to throw. Hold the two loose ends of the cords together in your hand and swing them over your head like you have seen Argentinean cowboys swing a bolo. Release the end of one of the cords and launch your projectile toward a safe target. A word to the wise: practice this in the wide open spaces till you get the hang of it!
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