1 Samuel 17



[32] And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy

servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

[33] And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine

to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his

youth.

[34] And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and

there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

[35] And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his

mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote

him, and slew him.

[36] Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised

Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the

living God.

[37] David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the

lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of

this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

[38] And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass

upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

[39] And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for

he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for

I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

[40] And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out

of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a

scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

[41] And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that

bare the shield went before him.

[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.

[43] And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me

with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

[44] And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh

unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

[45] Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and

with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD

of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

[46] This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite

thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the

host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild

beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in

Israel.

[47] And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword

and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our

hands.

[48] And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh

to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the

Philistine.

[49] And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang

it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his

forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

[50] So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone,

and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand

of David.

[51] Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword,

and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head

therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

[52] And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the

Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And

the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto

Gath, and unto Ekron.

[53] And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines,

and they spoiled their tents.

[54] And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem;

but he put his armour in his tent.

[55] And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto

Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner

said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.

[56] And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.

[57] And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took

him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his

hand.

[58] And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David

answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.



2) Our Daily Bread for 11 April 2026 Titled

A Portrait of Dependence by Adam R. Holz



Psalm 63



PSALMS 63



A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah.



1 O God, You are my God;

early will I seek You;

my soul thirsts for You,

my flesh faints for You,

in a dry and thirsty land

with no water.

2 (Ps 63:1; 84:2) I have seen You in the sanctuary,

to see Your power and Your glory.

3 (Ps 79:10; 80:5) Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

my lips will praise You.

4 (Isa 30:29; Ps 62:8) Thus will I bless You while I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

5 (Ps 42:11; 43:5) My soul will be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

6 (2Sa 17:22; Dt 3:8-9) When I remember You on my bed,

and meditate on You in the night watches,

7 (Ps 88:7; Jnh 2:3) because You have been my help,

therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.

8 (Job 35:10; Ps 63:6) My soul clings hard to You;

Your right hand upholds me.

9 (Ps 38:6; 18:2) But those who seek my soul to destroy it

will go into the lower parts of the earth.

10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) They will fall by the sword;

they will be a portion for jackals.

11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) But the king will rejoice in God;

everyone who swears by Him will glory,

because the mouth of liars will be stopped.



Psalms 63

[1] O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for

thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water

is;

[2] To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.

[3] Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise

thee.

[4] Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy

name.

[5] My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth

shall praise thee with joyful lips:

[6] When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night

watches.

[7] Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings

will I rejoice.

[8] My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.

[9] But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower

parts of the earth.

[10] They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.

[11] But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall

glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.



As I write these words, our Lhasa Apso dog, Winston, lies curled up at my

feet. He'd watched me move from where I had been - the chair next to him - to

the dining room table. That extra ten feet had been too far away from me.



I've been traveling for work a lot lately, and I think it's getting to him.

If I even hint that I'm leaving, or use the word "go," he's right on top of

me. Practically clinging to me.



In human relationships, someone being "clingy" isn't normally a compliment.

But I see in my dog's clinginess a vivid portrait of trusting dependence - one

that's mirrored in Psalm 63.



Here, David paints a picture of loving dependence upon God: "You, God, are my

God," he begins in verse 1. "Earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole

being longs for you." In verse 3, he adds, "Because your love is better than

life, my lips will glorify you." Near the end, we read, "I cling to you;

your right hand upholds me" (v. .



Like David - and maybe even a bit like my dog depends on me - I want to depend

on God with my whole being, earnestly seeking Him. Sometimes, I do. Other

times, my heart may be cooler, less trusting. But when I repent of my fickle

mistrust and return to Him, I remember that He alone fills me. He alone

is the one who will leave me "fully satisfied as with the richest of foods" (v. 5).



Reflect & Pray



What helps you experience God’s character as a loving Father most fully?

How does trusting Him help us depend on Him?



Dear Father, thank You for Your lavish love.

Please help me depend upon You in all that I do.




7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good

tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that

publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!



A messenger has a single duty: to carry information. During World War II, many

parents dreaded the arrival of the Western Union messenger, believing that

delivery of a telegram meant that their son has been wounded or killed.

Isaiah 52:7, however, indicates that a messenger's word is not always

unwelcome. "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring

good news ..." the prophet says. The "Good news"? Peace , salvation,

and the resultant message: "Your God reigns!"

Our God reigns - in forgiveness, in reconciliation, bringing peace and freedom

and joy. Our God reigns, controlling our lives with a loving hand, ordering

our experiences for our good, and his glory. Our God reigns in relationships,

in professional circumstances, in families, in churches. The good news is

proclaimed: Life is not unmanageable. Our God Reigns!

When we know that God reigns in our lives, we can relax, let go of the reins

of control, and live in peace. We can forgive those who have hurt us, knowing

that God will reveal to them what they need to know. We can live

with good times and bad, recognising that God uses every circumstance

of our lives to conform us to the image of his Son. We can rejoice in his

grace, free from the compulsion to earn his love and acceptance, and

we can live in the peace that comes only through his lordship in our lives.

Our God reigns - that is , indeed "Good news".



Application



a) Have I ever felt that life was "out of control"? Why?



b) What does it mean in practical terms to know that "Our God reigns"?