Insight for Today
A Daily Devotional by Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Now look at Psalm 34, which I believe is the third psalm he wrote while in the cave. What a difference. What a change has come over David! He says, "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth" (v. 1).

We looked at Psalm 142. Now let's look at two others David wrote, Psalms 57 and 34. We don't know in what order he wrote these, but looking at his life, they seem to fit in this backward order—Psalm 142 when he was at his lowest moment on his face . . .

David had bottomed out. This was the lowest moment of David's life to date, and if you want to know how he really felt, just read the song he composed during those days, Psalm 142. Can you feel the loneliness of that desolate spot?

As fear and worry intensified, Saul became paranoid. "What more can he have now but the kingdom?" His self-talk lost control. "Hey, I've got a problem on my hands. Here's a giant-killer who's about to become a king-killer. What can I do about that?"

They were singing and dancing in the streets, welcoming and honoring this young man who had defended the name of their God. If there is a single statement that best describes David at this time in his life, it would be this one . . .

God knew that David needed an intimate friend to walk with him through the valley that was ahead of him. Intimate friends are rare in life. Often we have only one, occasionally two, usually not more than three in our entire lives.

All David had was a sling and a stone as he took on a giant wearing two hundred pounds of armor. It may seem silly, but that's the way God operates. In the final analysis, there was a whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—one stone flew through the air, and that's all there was to it.

The beautiful thing about this story is that it's a perfect example of how God operates. He magnifies HIS name when we are weak. We don't have to be eloquent or strong or beautiful or physically fit or handsome.

Man is impressed with the externals; he doesn't see the heart. God is different. He doesn't judge by appearance or intelligence. King Saul hadn't learned that, however, so he looked at David and said, "You don't have the size for it. You're just a kid. Look over there at that giant!"

"There's no reason for your entire army to be involved in this. Just send a fighter, and I'll take him on. I am the champion. I am the greatest." Goliath didn't issue this challenge one time and then leave. No. His challenge went on for forty days (17:16).

God had His hand on this young man whose music not only would fill the heart of a depressed king overwhelmed by blackness, but also would someday fill His written Word. Thus, David, with his primitive stringed instrument, walked bravely into that dark place where Saul was living.

Now that's not a bad resume, is it? He's a skilled musician; he's a man of valor; he's a warrior; he has control of his tongue; he's handsome; and the Lord is with him. One important thing this says to me is that you should never discount anything in your past.

Three timeless lessons ring through my head as I look at these significant scenes in David's life. First, God's solutions are often strange and simple, so be open. We try to make God complex and complicated. He isn't.

I think it's important that we notice that the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul before an evil spirit came. Christians read those words about "an evil spirit from God" and they fear that could happen today. I've heard evangelists use that as a tool to shock Christians.

Here's our first good look at David. He walks into the house, still smelling like sheep, and all of a sudden an old man hobbles over and pours oil on his head. It drips down his hair and drops on to his neck.

Think ahead with me to 1 Samuel 17. Here is David, standing by Saul, as a giant lumbers across the distant landscape. Saul says, "Who are you?" "I'm David." Saul says, "Where have you been?" "With my father's sheep." Then Saul says, "You can't fight this Philistine. You're just a little kid."

God knew David had the quality of integrity. Today, we live in a world that says, in many ways, "If you make a good impression, that's really all that matters." But you will never be a man or woman of God if that's your philosophy. Never. You cannot fake it with the Almighty.

God saw in David the quality of humility. The Lord had gone to the home of Jesse in spirit form. Jesse didn't know God was there. Nobody did. God was on a secret surveillance mission in that home, and he spotted Jesse's youngest son and said, in effect, "That's My man!"

Paul's whole thrust in his first letter to the believers at Corinth was, "I'm not coming to you with brilliance or human wisdom, and I'm certainly not coming to you with any kind of impressive physique or profound philosophy. Instead, I come in the power of God."

What was Samuel's problem? He was panic-stricken. He was just plain scared. Where were Samuel's eyes? Well, they certainly weren't on the Lord. They were riveted on Saul. From a human viewpoint, of course, Samuel was right. King Saul was murderous.