Matthew 13:17
For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
David's life is one characterized by courage.
All of us are familiar with the story of how, as a child, he was willing to face and destroy a literal giant in combat. While this feat is impressive, the reasoning behind his courage is even more thought-provoking.
If a seasoned warrior had stepped up to face Goliath, someone who had fought in a multitude of battles, defeating all of their enemies through prowess or strength, we could easily chalk this victory up to competency. If Acheles or Alexander had been the character of this story, we would easily find a narrative to explain what happened. We would be impressed, no doubt, but our exultation would be in the indomitability of the human spirit or the importance of training...
David, in the eyes of the world, was no Acheles. He was a child! Though too small to withstand the weight of a man's armor, he carried, without flinching, something that some of the world's strongest men have proved unable to bear, which was the collective doubt and scorn of the camp around him.
David, with sneers and laughter behind him, walked straight into the tent of King Saul, where he was met with the same questions: "What makes you think that you, a shepherd child, have any reason to speak so courageously?"
David answered, “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God!"
David was not a fool, nor was King Saul. While defeating a lion or a bear certainly is an impressive feat, it is not the same as hand-to-hand combat with a skilled warrior, especially one that was over 9 feet tall... Neither David nor Saul was focused on David's ability to wield a shepherd's rod. They both knew what had happened in the trials David was describing. God had stepped in and fought for and through David.
David had seen and experienced it firsthand. He knew that it was not his own strength that had provided the victory. Saul, also, had seen the mighty hand of God move. In his battles against the Moabites, the Ammonites, Edom, the king of Zobah, and the Philistines, it had been God who had prevailed. While it may have been a surprise to Saul's advisors when he gave the command to put his own armor on David, anyone operating on an understanding of who God is and how He moves would not have been caught off guard.
God's power was the weapon, and David's faith was the hand that wielded it.
The hand could have been anyone's... God is no respector of man, and His eyes continually search the entire earth looking for those whose hearts are fully committed to Him so that He might strengthen them...Had Saul remained committed to God, it might have been he, with a sword rather than a sling, who carried out God's plan. If you or I had been there, maybe we would have seen enough in our lives to say confidently, "God has come through for me every time, and I know He won't stop now!"
In this instance, though, God heard the blasphemies of a Philistine giant, and searching the entire earth, found in David a hand that would deliver a single stone. A stone that would silence unbelievers and likewise speak to every generation of His people.
The entire world knows about David's victory over Goliath. Though they might not understand how it happened, they certainly know it happened.
David continued, throughout His life, to be used by God in this manner. Being "a man after God's own heart", God knew where to look when He wanted to exhibit power.
Over and over we read of David's victories on the battlefield, and over and over we hear the same explanation, from David, as to what happened. When David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The LORD did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”).
When David went out to face the Philistines, the Moabites, Hadadezer of Zobah, the Arameans of Damascus, and the Edomites, it was this same line of reasoning that provided for his courage: "God delivered me from the lion and the bear, and He will deliver me in this instance also".
It was the reality of God, clearly visible to David, that provided the basis for his faith. It was his faith that led to courage. It was his courage that led to action. It was his action that led to God's empowerment. It was God's empowerment that led to total victory. It was total victory that led to God's glorification.
The formula has not changed!
The highest example we have of walking in the power of God comes from Jesus.
Jesus told us that He had seen the Father, that because of this, He knew where He was from and where He was going. This faith led to His courage to withstand the cross. His action, empowered by God, led to total victory over sin, death, and the grave, and provided the ultimate glorification of God.
This event is what Jesus referred to when He said, "Many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
If David, the prophet, had seen Jesus, The Son of The Most High God, leave heaven and come to earth in order to die on a cross, specifically for David... If he had seen the coming of the kingdom and the rebuke of every lie of the enemy... If had seen every enemy of God defeated in one instant by the blood of The Son... what would be his faith?
If seeing God save David from the lion provided enough faith to defeat Goliath, what would be accomplished by seeing God save David from himself?
David was the hand, but the hand was unimportant.
God is still searching, even today, for those who are fully committed to Him, in order to strengthen them.