20/20 Spiritual Vision
20/20 Spiritual Vision
1 Samuel 16-20
“The Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”
Without my glasses, life is blurry. Having worn glasses since 4th grade, I can barely make out the biggest letter on the eye chart. If it were not for glasses, the world would look very differently. The same is true of our spiritual vision. Without spiritual vision, we cannot fully see God’s plan. Instead, our world becomes very confusing and foreboding.
The story of David’s rise to prominence is a story of spiritual vision. When God instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, Samuel’s vision was becoming cloudy. When Samuel first experienced God’s calling, he responded with obedience, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” However, as old age descended upon him, when God commanded him to go and anoint a new king, he responded with fear, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” Samuel’s spiritual vision was becoming cloudy. When he arrived in Bethlehem and looked at Eliab, the oldest son of Jesse, he thought surely he was the one God was going to appoint, for he checked all the boxes of one whom the people would follow. But man’s vision is different than God’s. Man looks at a person’s human qualities, but God looks at the heart (16:7). To the surprise of Samuel and Jesse, God chose the least likely person. Even Jesse did not consider David a worthy candidate. Jesse and the rest of his family saw David as a young boy who was only fit to tend sheep. God saw the heart and faith of David and saw a person who could slay giants.
The proof of David’s faith would come shortly. When visiting his brothers, David was troubled that the giant Goliath was striking fear throughout the camp of the armies of Israel, and rightfully so. In an age of hand-to-hand combat, the strength of the individual was critical for victory, and Goliath was unmatched in his strength. No one dared to accept the challenge Goliath gave, and so Goliath daily ridiculed the armies of Israel. However, while all the soldiers of Israel saw an undefeatable foe, David had a different vision. He did not look at Goliath through the lens of human strength; he looked at Goliath through the lens of God. Compared to the all-surpassing power of God, Goliath was nothing more than a troublesome flea. While all the rest of Israel saw the size of Goliath and the size of his sword and spear, David saw the power of God that made the victory sure.
We are familiar with the story of David and Goliath, and we condemn the army of Israel for their fear. Yet often we struggle with the same lack of vision. We have the same focus. We encounter the insurmountable problems that this world presents, and we become fearful. They become our Goliath. When we encounter life's problems, we need to put on our spiritual glasses so that we see the world through God's vision. When our focus is on God, then there is nothing that threatens us. As Paul affirms, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). As we look at life today, we face a number of circumstances and problems that seem overwhelming. When that happens, we need to change our vision from our problems to the God who empowers us. When we view life through our spiritual lens, there are no insurmountable problems.
1 Samuel 16-20
“The Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”
Without my glasses, life is blurry. Having worn glasses since 4th grade, I can barely make out the biggest letter on the eye chart. If it were not for glasses, the world would look very differently. The same is true of our spiritual vision. Without spiritual vision, we cannot fully see God’s plan. Instead, our world becomes very confusing and foreboding.
The story of David’s rise to prominence is a story of spiritual vision. When God instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, Samuel’s vision was becoming cloudy. When Samuel first experienced God’s calling, he responded with obedience, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” However, as old age descended upon him, when God commanded him to go and anoint a new king, he responded with fear, “How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” Samuel’s spiritual vision was becoming cloudy. When he arrived in Bethlehem and looked at Eliab, the oldest son of Jesse, he thought surely he was the one God was going to appoint, for he checked all the boxes of one whom the people would follow. But man’s vision is different than God’s. Man looks at a person’s human qualities, but God looks at the heart (16:7). To the surprise of Samuel and Jesse, God chose the least likely person. Even Jesse did not consider David a worthy candidate. Jesse and the rest of his family saw David as a young boy who was only fit to tend sheep. God saw the heart and faith of David and saw a person who could slay giants.
The proof of David’s faith would come shortly. When visiting his brothers, David was troubled that the giant Goliath was striking fear throughout the camp of the armies of Israel, and rightfully so. In an age of hand-to-hand combat, the strength of the individual was critical for victory, and Goliath was unmatched in his strength. No one dared to accept the challenge Goliath gave, and so Goliath daily ridiculed the armies of Israel. However, while all the soldiers of Israel saw an undefeatable foe, David had a different vision. He did not look at Goliath through the lens of human strength; he looked at Goliath through the lens of God. Compared to the all-surpassing power of God, Goliath was nothing more than a troublesome flea. While all the rest of Israel saw the size of Goliath and the size of his sword and spear, David saw the power of God that made the victory sure.
We are familiar with the story of David and Goliath, and we condemn the army of Israel for their fear. Yet often we struggle with the same lack of vision. We have the same focus. We encounter the insurmountable problems that this world presents, and we become fearful. They become our Goliath. When we encounter life's problems, we need to put on our spiritual glasses so that we see the world through God's vision. When our focus is on God, then there is nothing that threatens us. As Paul affirms, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). As we look at life today, we face a number of circumstances and problems that seem overwhelming. When that happens, we need to change our vision from our problems to the God who empowers us. When we view life through our spiritual lens, there are no insurmountable problems.
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