Choose Carefully

I just read the story of David and Goliath and in 1 Samuel 17:40 I noticed something I had never noticed before.  Most people are familiar with this story and how David killed Goliath.  The thing that stood out to me is in the verse above.  It says he chose five smooth stones. We skip over this, but it is really significant.  You see, had David not chose smooth stones the one he used might not have hit it’s target.

Have you ever thrown a rock?  At our house, rocks seem to grow out of the ground and sometimes I will walk around my side yard and pick up rocks that have come to the surface and I will try to throw them at a certain tree across the street.  I’m not a really good aim and so I rarely hit the tree, but I’ve noticed that the misshapen and jagged rocks don’t fly straight.  They kind of have a mind of their own.

David was careful to chose the method and tools he used.  He wasn’t lackluster in his decision of the five smooth stones.  Picture David in this stream (that’s where the smooth ones would be, right?) sifting through the rocks on the bottom of the stream until he found just the right one.  Then he would put it into his bag and continue looking until he had the perfect five stones.

Are you careful in choosing the things and people that you work with or are you haphazard when you chose how you will accomplish the things that God has for you to accomplish?  God wants to equip you, but you have to choose to be equipped by quality “smooth stones” or jagged ones.  God wants to use you, but can He do so or are you giving Him a jagged stone to work with?  God has set people before you.  Are they smooth or not?  The stones are tools that you can use to accomplish God’s purposes in your life.  They may be people, experiences, your surroundings and your physical tools.  Choose them carefully and choose smooth ones.

1. Pastor Dad says:

   July 14, 2011 at 9:40 pm

   Actually, I think David chose 5 smooth stones because,according to scripture, (2 Samuel 21:18-22) Goliath had four brothers. In case they came after David to avenge their father’s death, he was ready!