Built For The Battle -- Revisited!

Built For The Battle

Foundation Scripture: 1 Samuel 17

Topical Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:31-36

“31When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him.

32David said to Saul, ‘Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.’  33Then Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth."  34But 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, 35I 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. 36Your 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.’  37And 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.’" (1 Samuel 17:31-36 NASB)

The battle will come; of this we can be certain. No amount of maneuvering will allow any of us to circumvent the reality of this life. We will each face our share of battles in this spiritual warfare.

The question then becomes not if, but when; and if when, will we be ready when the battle comes? Through elucidation, the question simply is: Are you built for the battle? When the enemy engages you on the battlefield of life, will you be prepared to stand? When you are faced with the harsh realities of the battle that lies ahead, will you stand in unwavering confidence or will you crumble under the pressure? We are not promised a euphoric life of ease; in fact, we are told on more than one occasion that the storm will come. We are told that there will be trials and tribulations. When it comes to the day of the battle will you be able to say with a certain level of imperiousness, “I’m built for this?”

I pray fervently each day for each one of you; that at the day of battle, you will be able to stand up, square your shoulders, look the enemy in the eye and say, “I’m built for this.”

I’m built for this; this is more than a simple of statement of confidence. It is a state of mind; a state of being; a place in life when the Christian gains stability by recalling to mind the doctrine resident in his soul conjoined with the memories of God’s divine intervention in times past. In this they find they have been prepared for this very thing they must now endure.

As we approach our scriptural text, we find a man or should I say boy who was definitely built for the battle. David was a man known for his valor, and it all began with him slaying Goliath, the giant that defied the army of the living God. We all know the story of David and Goliath. We were told this story as kids, but what about the story behind the glory?

By the time David met Goliath he had already been anointed as Soul’s replacement as Israel’s next king. For a detailed account you can read 1 Samuel Chapter 16. Being anointed is only a part of David’s preparation for the battle that lay ahead. Being anointed by Samuel with the anointing oil was actually semantic symbolism of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to accomplish that which David had been called [elected] by God to do. It is immensely important that when performing certain rituals, we are aware of its symbolic inference. Here it is not the oil, but what the oil symbolizes.

Sometimes we become so engrossed in sacrament and ritual, that we lose sight of the truth that the ritual represents; I digress.

David has been anointed. Being anointed is the empowerment to fulfill your designed destiny, but being anointed and being aware of that anointing are two different things.

In order to face any particular task, one must have confidence. Confidence is the knowledge or cognizance of one’s ability to accomplish a specific task. Confidence is an understanding of one’s capabilities in a given area. Confidence is the endogenous source that produces efficacious results.

David was “built for the battle”, pervaded with confidence. As we move forward, we will find the source of this confidence and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will tap into the source as we ourselves, become “built for the battle”.

We will begin this study with David having been sent out to the battlefield by his father to take food rations to his brothers and to bring a report of their condition to their father. When David arrives, he hears Goliath, the Philistine warrior, shouting insults at the army of Israel. I’m not sure what astounded David more, the insults of Goliath or the fear of the Israelites. Let’s look at verse 26:

“26Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, ‘What will 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 taunt the armies of the living God?’" (1 Sam. 17:26, NSAB)

David inquires into what will be done for whoever kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel. He wants to know who this uncircumcised Philistine thinks he is, defying the armies of the Living God. It is important to take notice that David identifies with Israel, but more importantly, he identifies with God. It is not that Goliath has disrespected the army of Israel in itself, but that the army of Israel belonged to the one true and living God!

It was never about David nor was it about Israel; it was always about God. This must be taken to mind as move through this ethereal journey of Christianity.

“28Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned against David and he said, ‘Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.’" (Verse 28, NASB)

In verse 28, we see Eliab’s envy revealed. As the oldest of Jessie’s sons, he had been passed over by God to be King. God had said, in essence, that though his outward appearance was stately and imposing, inwardly he was deficient in the qualities necessary to be king of Israel. In other words, he looked the part. He even fooled Samuel, but he was deficient where it mattered most. It is obvious by his reaction that he has not quite gotten over the disappointment. There are always going to be haters. Those who for whatever reason can’t stand to see you succeed and prosper. We must never become engrossed or consumed with concern over those who wish for or seek our demise. They are placed there by the enemy [Satan] as a distraction, but God will use them as an instrument of preparation and elevation. As we will soon see, the battle is the Lord’s.

Let us move on to the meat of the message. We find in verse 31 that someone reported David’s words back to Saul and Saul sent for David. It may be worth pointing out that Saul and David already have a brief history. Once the anointing left Soul, he became restless and could not sleep, because he was troubled in his sleep. David was a good harpist and Saul brought him is to play for him so that his soul could be soothed and he could rest. David did such a good job that Saul made him his armor bearer.

Now this young boy tells his king basically, tell everyone not to worry, I’ve got this. Verse 33 reveals a great deal about why David would eventually replace Saul as king. Saul had failed to view the situation though the lens of divine viewpoint. He was seeing the situation through a humanistic point of view. Saul tells David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth (NASB).” Yet, David’s response was inundated with doctrinal viewpoint. It is apropos in this spiritual warfare that we avoid viewing our situations and circumstances through secular paradigms. David did not see things as Saul saw them, he saw God in the midst of the situation. David was built for the battle and he was about to reveal how.

“34Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” (1 Sam. 17:34-36 NKJV)

In the original Hebrew text, “keep his father’s sheep” carried the literal meaning of “kept on keeping” his father’s sheep. This illuminates that David was not a part time shepherd. He spent more time with the sheep than he did in the house with his family. It becomes easy to see where David gets his endurance and perseverance. I’m sure there were many cold nights and many hot days. Yet, David kept on keeping his father’s sheep. How many of you are willing to keep on keeping?

In verse 35, David explains to Saul that in defense of his father’s sheep he had killed both, lion and bear; and that this Philistine giant would be no different. David, in essence, was saying, “I’m built for this.” We too, as we face the vicissitudes of life must stand with an unrelenting certainty and say, “I’m built for this.” The dark clouds of disappointment may be hovering over my head, but “I’m built for this!” My so called friends have forsaken me, but “I’m built for this.” Just as David, we too have been built for the battle. There is one very important point I must reveal here: David was not pervaded with a subjective arrogance or an inflated ego, but he was immersed in an implacable confidence in God’s ability and willingness to guarantee victory.

This was never about David it was always about God as I stated earlier. Both in verse26 and verse 36, David refers to Goliath as an uncircumcised Philistine. Where is the relevance in the fact that Goliath was uncircumcised? Circumcision was a mark of God’s chosen people. By stating that Goliath was not circumcised, David was illuminating the fact that a man, not of God, was defying God’s chosen people. It was an abomination. David was not defending himself nor the Israelites, but the honor of God.

It is my prayer that if you gain nothing else from this message, you acquire a keen awareness of the source of David’s strength. For we all will have our giants we must face. Some will face the Giant of addiction. Others will face the giant of relational atrophy, and yet, still others will face the nightmares of uncertainty. However, as Christians, we must face these difficulties with the calm assurance that we are built for this.

Lamentations 3:21 says:

      “But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation: (AMP)

We recall to mind the power of God displayed in our lives in times past. We recall to mind the Bible doctrine we have stored in our soul. The old folks, in the midst of difficult moments would say, “He did not bring me this far to leave me.” This was based both, on the Word in their heart and their experiential observations.

When I look back over my life, I realize that all the heartache, every disappointment, and every struggle was preparing me for this moment and this moment is preparing me for the next. Psalm 34:19 says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them out of them all.”

There is no coincidence that David wrote this psalm. When the burdens of life become unbearable, when the forces of evil are pressing me down, I recall to mind the victories of my past, I take a stand and declare “I’m built for this”.

I didn’t come here to tell you there would be no storms, but I did come to tell you that you can make it through the storm. God has not brought you this far to turn around and leave you. Stare the enemy square in the eyes and declare “I’m built for this”.

Feeling lost and alone, I’m built for this.

The enemy on every side, I’m built for this.

My friends have become my accusers, but I’m built for this.

I’m built for the persecution.

I’m built for the battle. I’m built for the pressure. Look the enemy in the eye and tell him, “No weapon formed against me will prosper.”  Hatred won’t prosper. Sickness won’t prosper. Marital strife won’t prosper. Financial disarray will not prosper. Standing alone in my moments of weakness will not prosper. For God has promised never to leave me nor forsake. Give God the glory and praise. I declare and decree into your life right now, that as you stand in faith you will emerge from this trial in triumph. You will walk out of this battle with your hands up! Your perseverance will be rewarded with promotion.

It is rough for many of you right now as you face the toughest trial you have ever faced, but know that God is in the midst of the struggle and he saying, “Be still and know that I am God.” He is saying, “There is power in the hands of those that trust me.” You are now standing on threshold of your breakthrough. Praise your way though. I dare you! The awesome power of God is about to lift you beyond the pain of the moment. Praise God!

May you be richly blessed! ~ Dr. Rick Wallace