1 Samuel 17:17-50 / Psalm 23
What a difference a day makes, the difference is God.
Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount teaches His followers to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.
Before Jesus came to this world, David was described as ‘a man after God’s own heart’.
In 1 Samuel ch17 it is recorded that David was sent to the battlefield on an errand for his father. The Philistine champion Goliath was defying the armies of the living God. David went into this battle, which was both physical and spiritual, as himself – the armour supplied by king Saul was no use to him. His victory came from putting God first.
It is likely that David composed the 23rd Psalm in his more mature years when he was able to look back on a long experience of the Lord’s guidance and protection.
His own early experience as a shepherd shaped the portrait of the Lord as his shepherd with intimate knowledge of his flock and a heart to protect and defend them. Even before his famous defeat of Goliath, the young shepherd David had successfully defended his flock against a lion and a bear.
David experienced many difficulties in his life, but the Lord as his shepherd had been sufficient and capable to lead him through every one.
It is God that makes the difference.
