Police Devotion 2-10-16
“And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, the LORD that 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 unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.” (1 Samuel 17:33-37)
David’s three oldest brothers enlisted in Israel’s army and were at the battlefield against the Philistines. David’s father, Jesse, sent him to take food to them. While there, David heard the arrogant Goliath challenge anyone in Israel’s army to a one-on-one duel. Because no one would go, David was angry that the armies of the living God were embarrassed by this ungodly, idol-worshipping Philistine.
David volunteered to fight Goliath. Word got to King Saul and he sent for David. Maybe Saul hoped that David would be huge and brawny, but David was probably of average size. When Saul saw David, he didn’t think David could beat Goliath, which meant that since no one else was willing to go, Israel would lose by forfeit and go into slavery.
David was Israel’s only choice, but David was not a small kid with a backyard rubber band-type slingshot. A sling back then was a mean weapon. It could be used to whip a stone at 60 mph, and David was skilled with it. David also assured Saul that he had combat experience because he’d killed a lion and a bear that were attacking his flock. If you encounter a vicious dog on patrol, say a Rottweiler or a pit bull, you grab the shotgun, don’t you? Well, what if you saw a cop kill a big vicious dog with his bare hands, a knife, or some other hand weapon? You’d want someone like that on your side! That’s what David did with a lion and a bear. David said, “…the LORD that 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.” He gave God the glory and used the story to assure Saul that God had given him those victories, and He’d give David this victory, too.
Here’s one way to apply this lesson to your life as a Christian. Say you and your partner are on patrol. The Lord has been convicting you to talk with him about his soul. It’s scary to think about because you don’t want to make him mad, but you do need to talk with him. So you pray and ask the Lord to open up a chance for you to talk about the Lord and help you say what you should. Then the opportunity comes. He may say something about the Bible or church, and you use the chance to say something like, “Well, I’ve accepted Jesus as my Saviour.” Even if it’s something simple and you were scared to death as you said it, you’ve won a victory. The challenge was there, and by God’s grace, you won. Now that he knows where you stand, you have an open door to speak more with him as the opportunity presents itself. Once you’ve won a spiritual victory, you have God’s proof in your life that you can win future victories, as well.
If you’ve never seen in the Bible how to have eternal life by receiving the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, please click “Helpful Links” and then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 2/10/2016
Cleveland Baptist Church | 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 | 216.671.2822