1Samuel 17:32-40 "Take off the armour..."

As I write this, I’m watching ‘The X Factor NZ’ and it occurs to me that what I’m watching on TV falls in well with my message for this Monday.

On ‘The X Factor’ contestants are given a huge audience, close coaching and guidance, staging and performance help and the assurance that, should they win, they’re guaranteed anumber 1 hit for their first single. But what happens after that? And what happens for those who don’t win?

Some of the contestants have great skill at what they do and they will go far. Take a look at the difference between last year’s winner, Jackie Thomas, and third place, Benny Tipene. Jackie had a hit and then I heard nothing from her until she had a guest performance on the current series. Benny, on the other hand, has had a string of popular songs including one used in a Coca Cola ad.

So why am I harping on about a show that many see as contrived and too coddling of the contestants? Because I want to look at what it’s like to take the next step out from under an umbrella of protection and into the ‘real world’.

1Samuel 17:32-40

“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”

But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death.  I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!  The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”

Then Saul gave David his own armour—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before.

“I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again.  He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine.

Much like the staff and mentors on ‘The X Factor’, Saul tried to help David as much as he could and give him as much protection as he could muster. But David couldn’t use the armour Saul gave him. It was unfamiliar and unsuited to the task ahead of him.

I’ve been guilty of relying on the faith of others to get me through at times. Using their faith as a shield to hide my lack of faith, or the hard time I was going through. And that faith was like the armour of Saul. It would protect me for a time, but it was unfamiliar and I could go on in that way.

Another situation I’ve seen that can be like this is when teenagers leave home and go off to university. Some have sat under the faithful protection their parents and this first step into the big bad world can come as quite a shock. And it’s at this point that they’ll have to take off the armour their parents gave them and pick up their own stones.

There are lots of Goliaths in the world and it’s not possible for anyone but me to face them; And it’s impossible to face them without God on my side. And the longer I go through life seeing how God has been faithful to me in any situation, the more I’m able to trust myself to rely on Him.

Just as David could show the experience he had behind him when it came to protecting his flocks, so too can I look back and see the experience I have with God and go forward knowing that He will stay faithful to his promises to me.

So whether you’re on TV, leaving home or just trying to make your way in the world, remember that David couldn’t use Saul’s armour to protect himself and neither can we use the armour of others as we fight our battles. It may work for a time, but eventually you’ll face a task that needs your talents, skills and faith in God to prevail.

I pray that you, and I, look to God in all situations and challenges and cling to our faith as we trust in Him to help us through the hurdles we face everyday of our lives.