The Prophet Samuel: A Sling and Stone #3

The Prophet Samuel’s Reflection: God's Unlikely Chosen

Inspired by | 1 Samuel 17 | and the song | a Sling and Stone |

I anointed him when he was just a boy, knowing that God had chosen him to be Israel’s next king. Today, as I watched from afar, I saw the first glimpse of what God had always known. David, standing small against the shadow of Goliath, was destined for greatness. What the people didn’t understand yet was that this moment wasn’t just about a battle—it was about a promise. The Lord’s hand was on him, and this would be the day that Israel learned to trust in God’s unlikely chosen.

Gods Unlikely Chosen

I stood on the hillside, my staff firm in my grasp, watching the scene unfold. The Philistines loomed on one side, their ranks bristling with swords and shields, and on the other, the Israelites—a trembling mass, their faith faltering. The two armies were separated by the valley, where Goliath stood, a mountain of a man. His booming taunts rang out, echoing off the hills. Every word mocked not just Saul and his army, but our God Himself.

This was the state of Israel under Saul— they had become hesitant, afraid, relying more on numbers and strength than the Lord who delivered us from Egypt. The people had clamored for a king to lead them into battle, and now their king cowered while the enemy grew bolder.

I couldn’t help but think back to the day I anointed David. He was so young, out in the fields with the sheep, not even called to the house by his father when I arrived. Yet God had made it clear: “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” As I poured the oil over his head, I felt a certainty that I hadn’t felt for some time—the certainty that God was at work, even when we couldn’t see it.

Now, here was David, standing before Goliath. He was not tall like Saul, nor armored like the warriors around him. He carried no sword, only a shepherd’s sling and a few smooth stones he had plucked from the brook. His brothers scowled at him, and Saul’s men whispered, questioning his sanity. But I saw it—the resolve in his eyes, the steady rhythm of his breathing. I think he must have been afraid, but there was a tangible faith in him that spoke louder.

David stepped forward, and the air was thick with tension. Goliath laughed, a cruel, guttural sound that made some of the soldiers shrink further back. But David, this boy, spoke with a voice that carried far beyond his years:

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

It was as if the valley itself paused to listen. My heart swelled. This was what Israel had forgotten—that the Lord, not armies or kings, was their true strength. David believed it, and now he ws living it.

As the stone flew from his sling, striking Goliath in the forehead, the mighty Philistine crumpled to the ground. A gasp rippled through the crowd, followed by a roar of triumph. The Israelites surged forward, emboldened by this shepherd boy who had done what their king could not.

But I knew this moment was more than a victory for Israel. It was the fulfillment of a promise. David’s courage was not born of his own strength, but of his faith in God’s faithfulness. This was the beginning of something greater—a reign that would point us all toward the true King who was yet to come.

As I watched the people surround David, cheering his name, I whispered a prayer of thanks. God had shown us that His chosen one is not always the strongest or the most likely. It is the one who trusts Him fully. And through David, Israel would learn once again to trust the God who had never stopped fighting for them.