Is There Not a Cause?

"Is there not a cause?" This was the question David asked when he found out that Goliath was not only coming against “the armies of the living God”, but also making a mockery of them.

In 1 Samuel 17, we see that David was sent by his father to bring food to his brothers who were soldiers in Israel's army. He arrived to hear the men talking about Goliath, a 10 foot tall Philistine who put a challenge to Israel: " Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!" All the men were too afraid, including King Saul, who although not as tall as Goliath was of unusual height himself. David heard them all talking but saw no one taking action. They talked about the prize Saul would give the person who won (riches, the hand of his daughter in marriage and freedom for his family), but not one of the seasoned soldiers made a move to fight.

David was not looking to make himself a hero. He was angry and resentful about the fact that an uncircumcised Philistine (someone not in God's family) would dare to come against God by coming against His people. His zeal and love for God caused him to take up an offense against anyone who was not for God. David kept questioning the soldiers which caused his eldest brother to become angry with him. He accused David of being irresponsible for shirking his duties at home. David's response: "Is there not a cause?" These five words are so powerful! David is saying, " Is there not a cause for my coming to the camp, when my father sent me? Is there not a cause for my resenting the injury done to Israel’s honor by Goliath’s challenges?’’

It was brought to King Saul's attention that David was speaking these bold words against Goliath. When David was called before the King, he volunteered to go and fight Goliath. King Saul told him he was just a boy and had no chance against Goliath who was a man of war from his youth. David told Saul about the victory he had in the past when the Lord allowed him to defeat a lion and a bear, and he declared that the same

God that gave him victory over those two vicious animals would give him victory over Goliath. To summarize, God did just that!

There are so many important lessons that I see in this story of old:

David was at the right place at the right time because his father commanded him to go and he obeyed: We must be in a position with the Father to hear direction from Him and follow it! There are Goliath's in all of our lives and the Lord desires to bring us into divine order and strategic position in order to fight and win against them on His behalf! Remember, it's about Him getting the victory! David wasn't concerned about fame for himself but fame for God.

David was sent on a mission that had no glory attached to it; to bring food to his brothers: David went on this mission of humility to serve his older brothers and ended up bringing victory to a nation. We must live a life of expectancy; that even in the mundane things of the day, God can do magnificent things! Who knows? The next lowly errand you run for your boss might be the time that the Lord calls you to defeat a foe on His behalf!

The King got word of David's boldness: The Lord is looking for us to take up a holy offense against those things that He hates. We must love what He loves and hate what He hates. Our boldness and zeal for Him brings us into His presence and it gives us strength from Him to take on battles that are not humanly possible to win.

David was no match for Goliath: We don't have to be a match for our enemy. God is more than a match for any of our enemies and that is all that matters. Size and strength mean nothing because no man or devil is big enough to box with God and win. We must remember that our victory comes from His might, not our own.

Time to gain God's vision: When David looked at Goliath, he saw an uncircumcised Philistine. When the Israelites looked at him, they saw an unbeatable champion. When David looked at the Israelites, he saw the armies of the Living God. The Israelites saw themselves as small, already defeated, and less than. David had the vision of God. We must start to see things like David saw things, like God sees things!

Is there not a cause: Absolutely! As long as the enemy continues to do his job in trying to defeat us, there is a cause for us to rise up, fight, and win! When God puts us in a situation, there is a reason for us to be there, and the reason is to bring Him glory. There is a cause! He is the cause!