Testimony as a Way of Life

Testimony as a Way of Life

1 Samuel 17:32–37

32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

There are a few gifts boys always remember getting. I can remember my first Nintendo video game set and my first trampoline. My parents usually held back the big gifts for Christmas, and that was when we got them. But there are also some smaller gifts that are right up there with the bigger ones. For a guy growing up in the country near Macon, Georgia, that gift was my first knife.

I remember my father giving me my first one. He was a corrections officer and had taken a nice knife off of a person who was not going to need it for a long time, and he thought it would make a nice gift for me. He came and told me he had a gift for me, but I had to promise to be careful with it—and if I wasn't, he would take it back. I agreed, and out came this beautiful fixed-blade knife with a leather sheath. My eyes lit up. I felt like I was going to protect the house, kill a polar bear, and do my best Rambo impersonation. That was a glorious day. I had arrived at superhero status!

But another high came a few years later when I graduated in life and reached a new pinnacle. That’s when I received my first-ever Swiss Army knife. With a Swiss Army knife, you could still kill a polar bear, but you could also open a can of beans, pull out a splinter with tweezers, open a bottle of wine (never done that, but it's good to know I could), insert and remove screws, give yourself a haircut, and so much more. It wasn't just a knife. It was a multi-function tool for just about anything. It was relevant for everything, and for that reason, I took it everywhere I went.

As we continue our series on testifying to the grace of God, I want to make sure your relationship with God isn't like a fixed-blade knife that is only relevant for a select few things. I want it to be like a Swiss Army knife that is relevant everywhere you go, allowing you to testify everywhere you go.

Today, we are going to look at the life of David and a few different ways he testified to who God is and what He had done for him. God is there for everything, and that means our confidence should be in Him for everything we do.

Testimony of God’s Provision

The passage we read is the account of David before he goes out to fight Goliath, the nine-foot-tall Philistine. Goliath is taunting the Israelites, saying, "Bring one man to fight me. If he wins, we will be subject to you, but if I win, you are subject to us" (v. 9). One man to fight for the whole nation.

The Israelite troops are cowering, but David comes in from shepherding sheep, and he won't stand for it. David is a young man of whom it is said that he was “a man after God’s own heart.” David is full of faith.

37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

David is ready to rumble with a giant. He is confident in God and speaks accordingly. Look at what he doesn’t do.

First, he doesn't whine. How many people would complain about this? "Dadgummit, I just had to deal with a bear, and then it was a lion, and now I stop by to see my brothers and I've got a giant to deal with. Why me, God?!" David didn’t back down from the challenge. He is eager for the Lord’s name to be honored.

Second, David does not listen to naysayers. Throughout the book of Samuel, David’s faith is contrasted with Saul’s lack of faith. David sees the Lord, while Saul only sees the obstacles.

33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”

Saul sees all the reasons David can’t do it: not strong enough, not old enough, not trained enough. Valid points. Here is a long spreadsheet of disqualifications—a real faith builder! There is nothing quite like your boss telling you all the reasons you can’t do something. You can’t lead and inspire people spiritually if your focus is strictly on what can’t happen or what is wrong.

David is none of those things, but also note that David is not flying by the seat of his pants. He is not a trained military warrior, but he is not without accolades. He has defeated bears and lions.

Are you a naysayer or a faith-sayer? When people leave a conversation with you, do they see more of the obstacles or more of the God who overcomes them?

• Naysayers count obstacles; faith-sayers recount God's faithfulness.

• David didn't face Goliath because he believed in himself; he faced Goliath because he believed in God.

Look at what David is doing here in verse 37: “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

He celebrates God’s past faithfulness so as to build confidence in God’s future faithfulness.

The testimony of yesterday becomes the courage for today. God's past provision is preparation for future battles.

He has stepped out in faith. He has seen God provide. Faith is a muscle you exercise. You rarely see people take on a Goliath when they have not first taken on a lion, or at least a coyote or a bobcat. Maybe you say you are perfectly fine giving your life for Jesus, but you hate being inconvenienced.

Are you taking any risks for the kingdom, or is your goal simply to be comfortable? Comfort is not a spiritual gift. It is often an indication of spiritual laziness.

Speak about God’s faithfulness. Do it to yourself. Do it for your kids. Rehearse that in your mind, parents.

Consider David’s words. He testifies to God’s faithfulness. Doesn't this stir you up? It feels like a spiritual double shot of espresso. Before he spoke, the men were wavering. Their hearts and courage were failing (v. 32).

This is like the Braveheart speech. That was a great movie from the previous century. Men fighting for what’s right, powerful speeches, and four hours of battle scenes in slow motion. William Wallace goes out on the battlefield leading his undermanned, underdog Scotsmen to fight the mighty and ruthlessly oppressive King of England. He gives a rousing speech:

“Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you’ll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance—just one chance—to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!”

That speech arouses the people to go fight. Testifying to God’s grace builds faith.

Do your words inspire faith, or do they deflate the Spirit of God? You may not be wielding a sword like David or donning face paint like Wallace, but do your words inspire the people around you to trust the Lord and stand strong? What is your confidence in your work? Are you anxious and fearful, or are you resting in God and sharing that peace with others? God provided last time, and He will provide again. Even when we didn't think we would make it, He provided, and He will do it again.

God provided for David in battle. He will provide for you.

So when you are in the office and people think you can't get done what you need to get done, you can say, "My God promises to work all things together for my good. I'm going to trust Him and work." When people are doing wrong, do not fret. Trust in the Lord and do good, and He will deliver you (Psalm 37).

The Lord enabled me to learn algebra, and He is going to enable me to learn calculus. He gave me a sermon last week, and He can do it again this week. He provided direction then, and He will now. When challenges arise, we know God has delivered us in the past, and that builds faith that He will provide again. We must testify to God’s regular provision in our lives.

As Christians, our message isn't simply, "Go out and conquer." It’s that Jesus has come and conquered evil for us. We had an enemy greater than Goliath—death and sin. And one Man stood faithful and willing to take it on. Evil will not prevail over us. Death will not prevail over us. We are saved from all our sins. He promises in Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good."

We are in a time where we need to stir up the people of God. We are constantly bombarded with messages telling us not to talk about religion and politics, and many people have retreated into a shell. Many don't want to talk about what God has done. We need to hear those things.

We had an elder meeting this week, talking through different things. One of Jon’s testimonies was, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before.” That kind of testimony will change your perspective.

I was talking with another guy recently who shared about when he began to see how important the church was to following Jesus. He developed a deep conviction, and being in a church changed him. God provided for him; all the sacrifices provided ways for him to trust God and see Him provide in ways he never would have otherwise.

We need to hear that because, quite frankly, the world is mocking the Christian faith and seeking to undercut it in every way possible. Trust in God’s deliverance, but let's also speak up and share why we are trusting in Him and confident in Him. Speak of God’s past work to foster future faithfulness.

Testimony of God’s Redemption

Let’s talk about redemption. Do you know what it means to redeem? To redeem is to recover something that has gone bad or been ruined. Think of a bad decision, or maybe something that ruined a dining room table. Someone puts a new finish on it, and they redeem or restore it.

There are times in life where you may feel like all is lost and ruined. David wants to share a word with you from a time when he was in that exact place.

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles.

These are the words of a man who knows heartbreak, loss, and failure. But these are not the words of a depressed man who has thrown in the towel and hung up his hope. It’s the testimony of a man who has blown it, fallen short, and covered himself in shame, but whose heavenly Father heard him in his time of despair.

The background of this account is in 1 Samuel 21, when David has to flee from King Saul and goes to Gath, the hometown of Goliath. David was a wanted man there, but he felt safer there than with Saul. While there, he decided to act like he had lost his mind. He let his saliva run down his beard and began to scratch at the doorposts. When the king saw him, he said, “The man is crazy, out of his mind! I've got enough problems.” From that situation, David wrote Psalm 34. You know you are in a bad spot when that is your best idea!

It was embarrassing for a mighty warrior to have to do this. The future king was in hiding. Yet, his testimony is that the Lord saved him from all his troubles.

David was a poor man in spirit; he couldn't redeem himself. Redemption in the Old Testament often referred to redeeming those who had fallen into hardship and servitude. If they owed money, they had to sell themselves into service, and they couldn't get out unless they had financial means. David was poor and helpless, but the Lord heard him. David had nothing to offer, yet he experienced redemption. His shame was taken away.

To be radiant means to shine or beam like the daytime. It is used to describe flowing rivers that bring life. This stands in direct contrast to being ashamed.

When your face is no longer ashamed, it means your disgrace, dismay, confusion, and distress are gone. You are no longer abashed by the anxiety and humiliation of your past.

They looked to Him and they beamed, and their faces were no longer dark.

• Think about the time David committed adultery and had one of his most devoted soldiers killed in battle, trying to hide his sin.

• Think about when David commanded a census to be taken. It displeased the Lord, but he did it anyway, bringing judgment on the people because of his pride.

Commentator Derek Kidner notes on this Psalm: “This is my experience; it can be yours.”

The Lord redeems. What was ruined, He restores.

In my twenty years of pastoral ministry, I know what it's like to sit with someone who is disappointed and disgraced because of their sin. They are deeply sad. They feel their stupidity, their weakness, and intense disappointment in themselves. It feels like they will never get out of it, and they often feel hopeless.

Don’t give up. Turn to the Lord, and He can make you radiant. What the enemy intends for evil, God can restore. The Bible is a book about God restoring what people have messed up.

We can find radiance despite our circumstances. That is a powerful message. Our message to the world is not, "Man, you guys have really blown it. You need to get your act together. Stop being so dumb and be like me." That is self-righteous evangelism, and we don’t need any more converts to that. The message we take to them is, "Yeah, you are in a mess. I have been in that exact place, and I found Someone to help me through it all. God brought me out of it, and He can do the same for you." There are things I have done as a dad where I was confident I was handling it the right way, or things I have done in ministry that I thought were surefire successes, but they didn't go the way I thought they would. Yet, in the Lord, there is always hope.

We must trust Him and look to Him. Some people want the Lord’s provision, but they aren't really interested in looking to see what He has to say. If you cry out to Him, you need to listen to what He tells you to do. But the point is, there is hope—hope that situations can change.

We live in a time where hopelessness is an epidemic. People feel lost, ruined, and broken. Hear David's words: This poor man cried, and the Lord heard and rescued him. The Lord brought light to his darkness. It may not have been on David's timeline, but He did it.

That leads to the next point: a testimony of God's faithfulness.

Testimony of God’s Faithfulness

Let’s talk about another of David’s testimonies, which are written all over the Psalms. We see this clearly in Psalm 103:

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Who pulls him out of the pit? The Lord. Who heals all his diseases? The Lord. Who satisfies him and renews his strength? The Lord. Who works righteousness for him? The Lord.

Later in the Psalm, we find one of the most common refrains and testimonies in all of Scripture:

"The steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him." (Psalm 103:17)

This is a life-changing verse. This is David's mature conclusion after decades of walking with God. We see it echoed in Psalm 136, where the term is used 26 times as a refrain: “for his loyal love endures forever.” One of David's most repeated testimonies is not simply that God delivered him, but why God delivered him: because of God's steadfast love.

What is the cause of God delivering David? Is it because David was so good and earned it? Is it because David did something that obligated God to save him? Is it because David prayed a perfect prayer and cracked the code required for God to act? No, none of these. God delivers because of His own steadfast love.

If God waited for us to earn it or deserve it, He would never do anything for anyone. He simply shows His love.

The Hebrew word behind this phrase is ḥesed (חֶסֶד), one of the richest words in the Old Testament. English translations render it as "steadfast love," "lovingkindness," "mercy," or "faithful love," but no single English word fully captures its meaning. At its core, ḥesed refers to God's covenant loyalty—God’s committed, faithful love toward His people. He has made a promise to be their God, and He stands by it. If they call on Him, He is gracious.

God's ḥesed is rooted in His unchanging character. This is why David repeatedly celebrates it throughout the Psalms. God’s love for His people began in eternity past and continues into eternity future. Everlasting in both directions of the timeline, God’s love for His people never fails.

After his adultery with Bathsheba, David appealed not to his own righteousness but to God's ḥesed: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love" (Psalm 51:1). God is faithful because He has promised to be. We appeal to Him based on what He has promised to us.

Today, believers experience this same steadfast love most clearly through Jesus Christ. God's love is not merely a passing feeling toward us; it is a concrete commitment demonstrated at the cross and confirmed through the resurrection. When we fail, suffer, or wonder whether God has abandoned us, the testimony of David reminds us that God's steadfast love is not based on our performance, but on His character. His love remains faithful because He remains faithful. That is a testimony worth sharing with every generation.

• God's steadfast love is His stubborn commitment to keep loving His people.

• It is the love that refuses to walk away.

• God's covenant love means He doesn't quit on His people.

• When everyone else leaves, God's love stays.

• God's love is not based on whether we deserve it, but on who He is.

• As author Sally Lloyd-Jones beautifully puts it to children, it is God's “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”

God's steadfast love never runs out. Have you ever been to a buffet that was truly everlasting? Have you ever signed a contract that had a term limit of forever? There is always a limit to what people are willing to do for you. Often, people only do things if it is advantageous to them.

When a spouse refuses to give up on their partner, it is a reflection of God’s love for us. When parents stand by their kids over and over again when they fail, it is a small reflection of this love. Those who continue serving in difficult positions despite how people treat them are reflecting God’s covenant love.

Where can you speak about the Lord's faithfulness in your life? Where can you speak about following the Lord? It is not popular today, but it is necessary.

Conclusion

David's life was marked by giants, caves, failures, and tears, yet over every single chapter was written the steadfast love of the Lord. All of these trials were the exact places where he encountered the Swiss Army knife of God’s faithfulness, bringing him through everything he faced.

David's testimony was that God delivered him, redeemed him, and loved him to the very end. This is exactly what God does for us in Christ Jesus.

When you testify, you take God's faithfulness from the past and place it directly into the present circumstance of another person. Your words have the power to build up or tear down, to inspire or to deflate, to heal or to break.

What is one specific way God has provided for, protected, or guided you in the past that gives you confidence to trust Him with a current challenge?

Discussion Questions

1. How does David’s confidence in the Lord stir you to trust God more deeply?

2. What are some practical ways we can become "faith-sayers" rather than "naysayers" in our homes, workplaces, small groups, and church?

3. When have you experienced God's grace bringing hope, restoration, or growth out of a disappointing season in your life? How does the gospel give you confidence that God is working in those situations?

4. Who is one person in your life who needs to hear about God's faithfulness, and what part of your story could you share with them this week to point them to Jesus?