1 Samuel 17:55-58 – The need for discernment

First Samuel 17:55 takes us back to the moment immediately after David had agreed to fight Goliath. He had declined to use Saul’s armor as they were too cumbersome for him. So Saul relented and sent him off to the battlefront. As David was on the way, Saul checked with Abner the commander of his army concerning David. He wanted to know whose son he was.  But his commander did not know and told him so. Saul then assigned him the task to find out concerning David.   

What was on Saul’s mind when he asked the question? The fact that David was only a youth and yet so brave, bold and confident must have baffled him. Maybe Saul had concluded that either David was a simpleton or that he had overestimated himself. Or that he was inspired by his bravery seeing that he trusted his God. The secret to David's confidence lies in the God he trusted. Like David, we believers must learn to live confidently in the Lord. Our behavior and conduct can be a talking point that would arouse others to know the source of our strength and confidence. How are we conducting our life? Are we living it in a way that inspires or in a way that creates doubt? We must always choose to live for God and inspire others.  

Having been given the assignment, we surmised that Abner must be on a lookout for the opportunity to check with David. So when David returned from the battle victorious, holding on to Goliath’s head, the commander immediately ushered him into the king’s presence. Saul then asked David, “Whose son are you, young man?” And he answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” Saul’s question reveals to us that he was undiscerning. He only saw from the surface. He did not evaluate David’s presence in his life at this moment with all that had been happening to him and the nation. The lad’s presence in his life at this point has a far richer purpose. This tells us how needful it is for us to cultivate a spirit of discernment. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we must seek to build a life of discernment so that we will be able to recognize our God’s moment in life.