Sovereignty
Illustrations
Again,
it may be seen from this promise that God, to some extent, has
seen fit to condition His action upon the believer's prayer; for
the Scripture says; "If ye shall ask anything in my name, I
will do it"; and this is the secret of all true
evangelism...It is, then, the teaching of Scripture that the
action of the mighty power of God in convicting and illuminating
the unsaved is also, in a large measure, dependent upon the
priestly intercession of the believer. L.S. Chafer, True
Evangelism, p. 90-1
In
1 Samuel 17 we have the thrilling story of David, the modest
shepherd boy who slew Goliath, the arrogant giant of Gath. The
drama of that event so occupies our attention that the spiritual
lessons contained in the more minute details may escape our
notice. Today, therefore, I'd like to consider the importance of
the expression "five smooth stones." Why more than one
stone? Wasn't
David a man of faith? Did he doubt that God would give him perfect
timing and aim as he used his trusty sling to take on the enemy of
the Lord?
Certainly
he needed only a single small pebble to accomplish his mission.
But wait, there were at least four other giants (see 2 Samuel
21:15-22). They might rally to Goliath's defense if something went
wrong. Perhaps David had prepared for them. Trusting the Lord
implicitly, he chose one stone for the champion of the Philistines
and just enough to be ready for any others if they attacked.
Why
did he choose "smooth stones"? Well, you can shoot much
more accurately with the proper ammunition. He had faith, but he
also used sanctified common sense. He didn't foolishly say,
"The Lord is going to do it anyway, so I'll just pick up any
old jagged rocks." No, he recognized human responsibility as
well as Divine providence and selected shiny, round stones that
would speed straight to the mark.
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