Just a few weeks after I graduated from high school my older sister got married. Because my father performed the ceremony, my younger brother and I walked my sister down the aisle. As a part of the wedding party, I got some new clothes: a new black suit, a tie that coordinated with the rest of the party, and a pair of black dress shoes. One of my feet is larger than the other, and this particular pair of dress shoes fit a little bit differently than others. In fact, my parents actually had to buy two pair of shoes to make one pair that fit me properly!
When the young shepherd boy, David, responded to the taunts of the Philistine giant, Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17:26, he had no thought in his mind about what he would wear or how it would fit. Yet, when King Saul learned that Jesse’s youngest son planned to fight the Philistine warrior, the king tried to clothe the young man in his own armor. David ultimately rejected this honor, stating, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them” (1 Samuel 17:39). Instead, David went with his everyday equipment: a staff, a sling, and five stones. But he went with more than that; David went with the LORD (1 Samuel 17:37).
You may be familiar with the Lord’s armor recorded in Ephesians 6:10–18 and 1 Thessalonians 5:8. Do you know where Paul got that imagery? It comes from Isaiah 59:14–20. The LORD takes up armor because he sees the injustice and dishonesty of the people, so he acts to correct it.
Here’s what’s fascinating to me. David couldn’t wear Saul’s armor. It was too big and too clumsy because it was untested. In the age of modern mechanical manufacturing, I had to buy four shoes just to get two that fit me properly. It’s not always easy finding clothing that fits well. Yet, Paul tells us that God’s armor will fit us. We can wear the very same armor God wore. He marches into spiritual battle with us. What a precious gift. What a pity if we wasted it!
Clay Leonard
