Smooth stones
Then he (David) took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine (1 Samuel 17:40).
The first series I wrote was for Scripture Truth magazine. It was called “Shadows of the Saviour”. It looked at four remarkable illustrations of the Lord Jesus in the Old Testament: Isaac, Joseph, the Passover Lamb and David. Isaac gives us a clear illustration of the Father giving His Son, and the Son of God’s obedience to the Father’s will: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16); “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). The wonder of Christ’s obedience!
Joseph suffered terribly at the hands of his own brethren. His experiences looked on to the treatment of the Lord by His own people, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:10-11). The wonder of Christ’s sufferings!
All the Passover Lambs looked ahead to the day when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Peter explains, we “were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18-19). The wonder of Christ’s death!
In the case of David, we see the power of the Good Shepherd, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father” (John 10:17-18). The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is implied in the experiences of Isaac, Joseph and David.
In David, we see the lowliness of Christ and, at the same time, we see an extraordinary illustration of the wonder of Christ’s love in all its glorious redeeming power. As David went to meet the giant, he stopped at the brook and chose five smooth stones. He needed only one to slay Goliath. I have always seen the four remaining stones as a reminder of David’s mighty men in 2 Samuel 21:22: “These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.” David killed Goliath and his mighty men killed other giants. Christ redeemed us and
“He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men” (Ephesians 4:8)
He has empowered us by faith to be victorious in Him. As the water in the brook smoothed the stones that David chose, so the word of God shapes our lives. It equips us, not for defeat but for victory, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). This faith is in the Saviour. We will never cease to remember His lowly obedience, suffering service, sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.
