David Won with a Sling ...and his Staff?

Like most pastors, I am frequently asked questions by others who are seeking better understanding or just a different perspective on biblical topics or passages. Although I don't consider myself even close to being a scholar, I do admit that I love studying and research the Scriptures - especially from a Hebraic perspective.

With that being said, here is one of my recent 'question and answer' exchanges.

Question:

"Can you tell me what the purpose was of David carrying his staff into battle to face Goliath?" 

1 Kings 17:40 says,

"Then he took his staff in his hand,... and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine."

Answer:

Let me offer 2 possible reasons for the "staff":

    1. A weapon - used as a club to beat or hammer with

    2. A written (engraved) testimony of God's acts - both personal and family

        The staff was a wooden stick that was often carved or inscribed with one's testimony 

        or personal experiences with God's divine acts and His blessings. This staff then 

        became a family heirloom and 'spiritual journal' that was passed down as a part of the 

        family inheritance from generation to generation.

I'm sure that David used his staff daily in tending his sheep - many times as a weapon against wild animals trying to destroy his sheep; and at other times, to record his testimony, experiences and songs (psalms) of worship he wrote to God. Yet, of the two purposes, I personally believe David carried his staff into battle against Goliath because of the recorded history and miracles it so vividly represented. Not so much to be used as a physical weapon, but more as a personal reminder of everything he had already experienced with God by his side - both publicly and privately. Somehow, I believe that David's staff reminded him "just as God was with me then, He is with me now!" In fact, it is entirely possible that David could have actually been "reading from his staff' when retelling the story to King Saul how he had already killed a lion and a bear (1 Sam. 17:34-35) - all the while, using this 'wooden testimony' to build confidence in God's ability to use him to also face and kill this giant. (Maybe this is what David was speaking about when he wrote in Psalms 23:4 "...Thy rod [Hebraic word used for "Torah" or Word of God] and thy staff [God's personal resume in my life] they comfort me.")

So the picture of David taking his sling AND his staff to the battle becomes more clear and complete. The "sling" represented 'David's skill' and the "staff" represented "God's Word and power" in David's life - BOTH of which we must be equipped with as we fight forward every day!

The POINT: Relying on your skills (sling) alone will get you killed, because there are giants bigger/stronger than you. In addition, God's Word (staff) will remain inactive in your life without your efforts or 'works' (James 2:17). HOWEVER, when we learn to sharpen and exercise our skills/abilities, while being directed, led and accompanied by God's Word and power... GIANTS DIE - ARMIES RUN - and the KINGDOM WINS!!!