1 Samuel 17:23b "... the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke ...24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 33 And Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.' 37 And David said, 'The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.' 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 45 Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts...' 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it."Goliath said "give me five" by his belligerency, but he got one! Many people have asked "Since David had so much faith in the Lord, why did he show a lack of faith by choosing five stones when it only took one to kill the giant?" That's a very good question! However, not only did David choose five stones, but he had a staff as well. Staff's were multi-purposed. They were used to assist in walking, guiding the sheep and fending off prey. Staffs were used for "stick fighting". His staff was a weapon, albeit not the likes of a javelin or a sword which Goliath had!
God could have killed Goliath without David. The only thing that God needed David for was a purpose! David was divinely anointed to be king and the ancestor and "picture" of Jesus Christ. Jesus was called "Son of David". That's how important David was at the time of Christ!
So why five stones and two weapons? If it was necessary for David to defeat the giant, with his faith in God, he could have just walked out there and prevailed bare-handed. God didn't tell David to do that. In fact, God didn't tell David to kill Goliath. God is the "Lord of Hosts"! He is "God Almighty" and as such he is the leader of heavenly armies! His angelic forces could have done battle, but God wanted David to shine! David did shine, but he shined along with the Light of God. David battled at his own initiative for the sake of the Jews. David was pre-ordained by God to win! He was God's tool! That's because God pre-ordained the Jews to have Canaanland, but David still took the initiative. Why take the risk? He had faith in the Lord! David had faith, but he was pragmatic! Having faith doesn't mean being stupid!
At another time God instructed Gideon, before the battle with the Midianites, not to take 22,000 men to battle, not even 10,000. The "test" God arranged was that the men who drank water from the cup of their hand were the ones to do battle. Their number was 300. The Midianites, numbering 135,000 were defeated by God's army of 300. God could have done it alone, but it was necessary to have a few do battle for a demonstration just for us! If God had done it alone, people would say "It was a terrible storm!" or something to that effect. However, when 300 men defeated 135,000 it's obvious that they were truly an army of God!
The same situation existed for David. If God had suddenly took Goliath, the people would have said "It was his heart!" or something to that effect. However, when a young man, David, with one stone dropped the giant, to this day it is credited to the Lord!
Still, why five stones? Was it a lack of faith? Perhaps it was to make Goliath overly confident. He would see David with his five stones and think "David knows he's going to miss four times, so he took five!" Five stones made Goliath doubt the power of the Lord, but David had confidence in the one which killed because it was God's doing... not the stone's nor his!
On the other hand, David was human. As such, we're to be practical. We're to have plan B and C and D, etc. We may be certain that Plan A will work, but only stupidity would be to fail to have a backup plan. God is the author of wisdom. He doesn't want his soldiers doing stupid things! Most of Gideon's army drank from the water by lapping with their tongue. That's not smart if you think about it! How does a person float off impurities when they lap directly? The smart ones did it with cupped hands. God didn't need men with diarrhea in battle. He just wanted the smart ones who were careful!
David was a wise king to be! He knew one stone would do the job with God's power, but the wisdom of God spoke to David, I'm sure this was the thought: "David... you're not me. I don't need any stone, but you take five just in case your aim fails, not because your faith does!" That's pragmatic!
Have you played basketball? With the score tied, you need one free throw to win the game. You have two. However, the confident person knowing full well he has two chances, still hits the mark with the first one! It would be stupid to tell the referee "I don't need two because I can do it with one!" The wise player just takes the two "free throws", uses the first one wisely, but has the second just in case his body isn't as keen as his confidence!
What was in David's heart? Did he have faith in God or was it in his own prowess and initiative? Here's the answer:
1 Samuel 16:7 "But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."Goliath looked at the boy with rudimentary weapons. He had his stick and his sling-shot. Goliath was reeeaalllly scared! He made fun at David because he saw a small and immature boy without countenance. God saw inside David! He looked at David's heart and what was found there? Faith and trust in the Lord of Hosts! David became a warrior in God's army! He followed the generalship of the Lord of the Army.
While we're here, consider this! God's Word, or his voice, IS Jesus. It was always Emmanuel who spoke to men. He was the Word from the beginning. Jesus was David's confidence and is where his faith was. Do you suppose that David, a man after God's own heart, knew that the One to whom he listened was destined to become of his own seed (and God's)? He spoke with God and knew God! I wonder, just what did David know to be after God's own heart! He never had need to doubt, because he knew! He knew the first stone he slung was God's aim, but he was wise enough to plan in case he failed God. Yes, we can fail God, but God never fails:
Hebrews 13:5b "For God has said,"I will never fail you. I will never abandon you."One stone would do! God was there! However, if David slipped, God was still there. If not the first stone, then the second, etc. We act, but God allows... in his own time! Did God want David downed with one stone or was he going to make it two? God didn't tell David which stone. God depended on David to do what God's will was to be! He strengthens his people, but he doesn't make them infallible! No, it wasn't doubt. It was wisdom David had with five stones! Then he had four more to give later to his sons!
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