1 Samuel 17:31 - Meaning and Application

David is finally brought before Saul as the one who may face the Philistine (1 Samuel 17:31), and he boldly offers to fight him (1 Samuel 17:32): “Let no man’s heart fail because of him.” David does not single out Saul in his words, because that would have implied too much about the king’s own courage. Instead, he speaks for everyone. A young shepherd, who had only come that morning from tending sheep, shows more courage than all Israel’s soldiers and encourages them. God often helps his people through what the world sees as weak and foolish.

David asks only for Saul’s permission to go fight the Philistine. He does not mention the reward Saul had offered, because honor before God and service to his country were his real aim. He also does not want to seem as if he doubts Saul’s generosity. So David has two things to do with Saul.

First, he must answer Saul’s objection. Saul says, in effect, “You are brave, but you are not a fair match for this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:33). To fight him would be to waste a life that could be used better elsewhere. David is only a youth, inexperienced in battle, while the Philistine is a trained man of war from his youth. Saul thinks the giant will certainly be too strong for him.

David answers Saul’s fear with faith, just as he had answered his brother’s anger with humility. He gives a reason for his hope that he will defeat the Philistine. Saul may not have known or cared much for God’s word, so David does not build his case mainly from Scripture, even though he surely had it in mind. Instead, he speaks from experience. Though he was young and had never served in war, he had already, by God’s help, fought a lion and a bear that took lambs from his flock (1 Samuel 17:34-36). He sees this Philistine as another wild and dangerous enemy, and so he believes God will help him deal with him as well. In this way he shows Saul that he is not as inexperienced in danger as Saul thinks.

David tells the story like a man of spirit. He is not ashamed to say that he kept his father’s sheep, even though his brother had just mocked him for it. He does not hide that work. Instead, he uses it to show the experience that now gives him courage. Whatever our work is, even if it seems lowly, we should do it well.

When David kept sheep, he was careful and tender with the flock, even though it belonged to his father, not to him. He could not see a lamb in danger without risking his own life to save it. That kind of care showed he was fit to be king, because a ruler should value the lives of his people and treat their blood as precious (Psalm 72:14). It also points ahead to Christ, the good Shepherd, who gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart (Isaiah 40:11). Christ did more than risk his life, he laid it down for his sheep. David’s care also gives a lesson to ministers, who must watch over souls with great care so they do not become prey to the roaring lion.

David also showed courage in defending his flock. That is the point he needs to prove now, and no better proof could be asked for than this: he not only rescued the lambs, but also killed both the lion and the bear when they attacked.

David then uses his story as a man of faith. He clearly says that it was the Lord who delivered him from the lion and the bear (1 Samuel 17:37), and he gives God the credit for that victory. From that past help he draws this conclusion: the Lord will also deliver him from this Philistine. The lion and the bear were enemies only to David and his sheep, and he fought them to protect his own flock. But this Philistine is an enemy of God and Israel. He has defied the armies of the living God, so David fights for God’s honor.

Our past experiences should teach us to trust God more and to step forward in duty with courage. The God who has delivered before will deliver again. Even the way God protects lesser creatures can strengthen our trust in his special care for his people. He who sets limits on the sea and restrains wild beasts can also hold back wicked men. Paul seems to allude to David’s words when he says, “I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion,” and therefore trusts that the Lord will still deliver him (2 Timothy 4:17-18). David may also have thought of Samson’s story, and drawn strength from it. His victory over the lion was a good sign of the greater victories he would later win over the Philistines.

So David takes away Saul’s objection and receives permission to fight. Saul gives him a sincere blessing: “Go, and the Lord be with you.” It is a good word, even if such words are often spoken too casually. But David still has one more thing to deal with.

Second, he must get free from Saul’s armor, which Saul strongly wants him to wear for this great battle (1 Samuel 17:38). Saul dresses David in his armor, not his own, since David was too small for that. Saul likely never imagined that the man he was clothing with helmet and coat of mail would soon inherit his crown and robe. David was not yet sure how he would attack the enemy, so he put on the sword too. But he soon found that the armor only got in his way. It would be more of a burden than a help. So he asks Saul’s permission to take it off again, saying, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” He means, “I am not used to this kind of equipment.”

Saul’s armor may have been strong and fine, but what good was it to David if it did not fit him, or if he did not know how to use it? People who reach for things above their training and habits, or who envy the dress and gear of princes, forget that what suits us best is what we are fitted for and used to. If we got what we wanted, we would often wish to be back in our own clothing and say, “I cannot go with these.” It is better, then, to go without them.