It was a time of great need…
The Philistines had gathered their armies for battle against the people of God. As Israel watched, a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines—Goliath of Gath. The giant cried out, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together” (1 Sam. 17:10). Surely Israel was ready for this—it was for just such an eventuality that Israel had demanded of Samuel, “Give us a king…that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Sam. 8) and had been given Saul (1 Sam. 9). But, in response to Goliath’s taunting, we read, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid” (1 Sam.?17:11) and fled from him (v.?24). Not one man in all the army of Israel was ready and willing to meet the enemy. Not even the king.
But the Lord was ready. He had His own man—an unexpected man, a man after God’s own heart. He had carefully prepared David for this day. When David saved his father’s sheep from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, he had no idea that it was preparation to one day save his Father’s sheep from the paw of the Philistine (v.?37). But God knew.
It was a time of great need. The people of God were oppressed. Sin—a much greater giant than Goliath—abounded. As before, those who were officially tasked with solving the problem were no help at all. In fact, the religious leaders compounded the difficulties by piling overwhelming loads onto the backs of those searching for deliverance from sin. But once again, God had His Man ready—an unexpected Man, the Man after God’s own heart.
Untainted by sin, David’s greater Son triumphed over the effects of sin at every turn—diseases cured, wild animals tamed, storms calmed, death turned back—proving that He was certainly able to deal with sin. But some wondered, was He willing? One such man, a leper, came to the Lord Jesus and, falling before Him, said, “If You are willing, You can make me clean” (Mk. 1:40). Imagine the joy and relief in this poor leper’s heart when the Lord lovingly replied, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
It is a time of great need. Spiritual darkness surrounds us. What comfort we ought to take from knowing that the Lord is willing! But do we doubt His willingness? Perhaps we wouldn’t phrase it exactly that way, but when we are confronted with a spiritual crisis—a child struggling spiritually, a Christian marriage floundering, a local church withering, disinterest among believers—do we resign ourselves and expect the worst? If so, doesn’t this reveal that, deep down, we don’t truly believe the Lord is willing to help His people? Similarly, some question whether He desires to save the lost (or at least most of them), in spite of clear statements like, “the Lord is…not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
One look at the cross ought to silence forever any fear that the Lord is reluctant to work for the good of His creatures. He paid the highest price. Emblazoned across Calvary we see God’s eternal proclamation, “I am willing!” No, the problem isn’t the Lord.
Which brings the issue to us. Any man in Israel could have defeated Goliath—the Lord was with them!—but only one man was willing. There are spiritual problems around and within us—some of them big problems, giant problems. Are we people after God’s own heart, ready and willing to embrace the work that God has for us?