Monday Club Sermons 1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. I. And I think the first thing we are to learn is, that THERE ARE ALWAYS GIANTS TO FIGHT. Some of these giants are in our hearts — wicked thoughts, wicked desires, wicked feelings Here is a boy with a bad temper; and what an ugly thing that is to control! How many boys have that Goliath to fight! Here is a girl who is vain, always thinking that she is better-dressed and better-looking, with a nicer house and richer father, than some of her little friends. She has giant Pride to fight and conquer before she can be and do as God wishes. Almost everybody has some particular giant to contend with, who is taller and stronger than all the rest. It may be bad temper, or envy, or carelessness, or disobedience, or laziness, or something else. "I want" and "I wish" are giants that we meet almost every day. Children are interested in stories of a time, hundreds of years ago, when men went about armed and on horseback, fighting robbers and relieving the oppressed; and they wish sometimes that they could have lived in those days of chivalry, as they are called. No need of wishing that: if any boy or girl really means to serve God, they will find that there is plenty of fighting to be done nowadays. To learn to say "no," and to say it quickly when they are tempted to do wrong; to overcome all the persuasions to sin of which the world is full, and so to live good, pure Christian lives — that is the hardest kind of battle, to slay these giants we meet every day — this is the noblest victory of all. II. A second lesson to be learned is, that DAVIDS ARE ALWAYS WANTED IN THE WORLD. What a happy thing it was for the Israelites that the shepherd boy came down to the camp that morning. The right sort of young people is just what is wanted. If they are brave and conscientious and in earnest to do good, how much they can accomplish. But remember one thing: David did his work in his own way. The world wants young Davids who are willing and glad to do what they know how to do. General Saul with all his army of grown-up men did not succeed in doing as much as David with his sling. There is a song we sometimes sing, called "Dare to be a Daniel." It is a very good title, but we ought to have another, called "Be sure and be a David." The right kind of little people in the right place — what would this great world do without them? III. And then we are to learn one other lesson from this story: that THE BEST HELP COMES FROM GOD. David found it so. What an idea he had of God's willingness and power to assist him. It seemed to the people as if David killed the giant, but really it was because God helped David that Goliath was conquered. And this is the only way in which anybody gets along well in this world. When we are in any sort of difficulty, the way out of it is to ask God to help us. (Monday Club Sermons.) Parallel Verses KJV: And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. |
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