Chapter 4: Five Smooth Stones

Saul looked at David and shook his head.

SAUL“You cannot fight this Philistine. You are only a boy. He has been a warrior since his youth.”

But David stood firm. He told Saul how he had killed a lion and a bear with his own hands while protecting his father's sheep. The same God who delivered him then would deliver him now. (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

Saul studied the boy's face. There was no fear in his eyes.

SAUL“Go. And the Lord be with you.”— 1 Samuel 17:37

Saul dressed David in his own armor - but the king was the tallest man in Israel, and David was still young. The helmet covered his eyes. The coat of mail dragged him down. He could barely walk.

He stopped.

DAVID“I cannot fight with these. I have not tested them.”— 1 Samuel 17:39

He removed the armor. All of it.

Instead, David picked up his shepherd's staff. He walked to the brook that ran through the valley and knelt down. From the water, he chose five smooth stones and dropped them into his shepherd's bag.

Then he took his sling in hand and walked toward the giant.