TUESDAY June 4, 2019
Grace of God
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand.
And he drew near to the Philistine.
1 Samuel 17:40
David was incredible! He picked up five smooth stones and placed them in his pouch. Without hesitation, David went straight down into the valley towards the giant––ready for battle.
Among the people of Israel, the sling was greatly used in warfare. The pouch was about five inches wide and had two strings about 12 inches long. As it was swung around and then one end released, it had the force of a bullet. When the stone hit its mark, it could kill an enemy. A trained warrior in Israel could strike their opponent a hundred feet away.
Why do you think David took five stones? When you think about it, symbolically, five is the number of grace. David trusted in the grace of God to see him through this battle. This is also true of the Apostle Paul who, in his weakness, relied on God’s grace to give him the strength he needed. Paul, in serving the Lord, relied on God’s grace:
Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Corinthians 12:8-9).
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Stephen became the first martyr of the Christian church and was described as, a man full of God's grace and power, [who]performed great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8 NIV).
How do we fight our battles? With the grace of God!
We cannot perform our duty without the grace of God; nor does God give His grace for any other purpose than that we may perform our duty!
~John Owens~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
