David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:16
In this recent season, I have been looking at the story of David and Goliath because it is one of my daughter’s favourite stories in the Bible. In fact, she likes to pronounce Goliath’s name fully as “Goliath of Gath” before showing that sense of intense fierceness in her chubby face.
But consider this, David went into battle not because he wanted to save Israel. In fact, if you take a deep dive into his context, you will see that this shepherd boy just happened to be sent by his father to the battlefield. He was not of the age entry requirement to be conscripted! Interestingly, we know that he is a hot-blooded teenager because He got the men in the battlefield to repeat to him again (read 1 Samuel 17:27) what the rewards were for the man who would defeat Goliath!
David was motivated into action just by common things (gold + tax exemption and king’s daughter) that would motivate anyone else. The only exception between David and the grown Hebrew men was that David probably did not sit and weigh the cost of a defeat in battle (i.e. death) against those benefits.
God knows what will motivate us into action to fulfill His purpose in our lives and will bring those things before us. Perhaps it could be for you to be a business leader. Or a social service worker or philanthropist. Deep within you lies an intrinsic motivation that God uses to nudge you towards your destiny. Lean into Him, listen hard and flow along with what He is doing in your life.
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