I'm not sure whether there is any special meaning to the armoury given to David, since this was an actual battle that was being entered into. However, if pressed, I can probably see a couple of things here, though the one that seems more applicable to me is:
The armoury that was appropriate & useful to Saul, was simply unsuitable for David, who may have been of smaller stature & not a warrior, but a shepherd boy. We could take, I guess, some lesson from that to our lives now: parents often require of their children to pursue a particular line of higher education, career, life partner, & many other things. However, they may not necessarily take into account the children's abilities, interests or desires, and yet compel them to go in a direction that might ultimately lead to sadness & sense of worthlessness to the young adult. It's important for parents to be careful both in prayer about raising their children & the advice given to them, as this can have a major impact on the young life and not to assume that if it's 'right' or they themselves had done things a certain way, then it must be right for all.
I hope there may be others that can give you further insight into this.
Most everyone considers David a child when he confronted Goliath. However the age of the draft for war in Israel was 20 years old. Numbers 1:3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies.
David could have been up to 19 years old when he faced goliath and that is hardly a child.
1 Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. Look up Ruddy sometime. 19 is still considered a youth. not sure how old David was, but not necessarily a little boy.
Bob, it wasn't my intention to suggest that David was a little boy when he confronted Goliath. Clearly he was a youth. The mention of 'shepherd boy' is just a colloquial term that can be used for a child right up to a much older person who shepherds sheep. The emphasis is on the word 'shepherd'. When walking down a city street some time ago, someone called out to a guy pushing a trolley full of goods, "Hey, delivery boy". When I looked, the delivery person was in his 40s, so I understood what was meant. Anyway, thank you for pointing that out.
Greetings Chris, I never meant to imply you suggested David was a mere boy. However the numerous pictures allegedly depicting David facing Goliath imply this all the time in what I have seen. I was not trying to "correct" you in any way. It was just a general comment to everyone when they see that type of image in their Bible. Thanks
The armoury that was appropriate & useful to Saul, was simply unsuitable for David, who may have been of smaller stature & not a warrior, but a shepherd boy. We could take, I guess, some lesson from that to our lives now: parents often require of their children to pursue a particular line of higher education, career, life partner, & many other things. However, they may not necessarily take into account the children's abilities, interests or desires, and yet compel them to go in a direction that might ultimately lead to sadness & sense of worthlessness to the young adult. It's important for parents to be careful both in prayer about raising their children & the advice given to them, as this can have a major impact on the young life and not to assume that if it's 'right' or they themselves had done things a certain way, then it must be right for all.
I hope there may be others that can give you further insight into this.
David could have been up to 19 years old when he faced goliath and that is hardly a child.
1 Samuel 17:42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. Look up Ruddy sometime. 19 is still considered a youth. not sure how old David was, but not necessarily a little boy.
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