A marvelous Stone

I'm feeling overwhelmed today. There are so many things to write about. I've been studying the Old Testament again lately and seeing again how much of it foreshadows Jesus, and God's plans for salvation through faith in Him. Joseph's story. Saul and David. Moses and Joshua. Noah. You name it. Jesus is everywhere.

This morning I was reading about David and Goliath. Talk about symbolism! Anyway, here's a little of it, picking up in the middle of the story. David had just been reassuring King Saul, who lacked the faith of David, that Goliath would be defeated:

And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you."

Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.

And David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." And David took them off.

And he took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:37-40)

I think it's significant that the story slows down and gives extra detail there. Here's some more, eight verses later:

Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.

And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand. (1 Samuel 17:48-50)

With all the detail that he gives, the writer really seems to want to make clear what David's weapons were, and what they weren't. None of Saul's armor; no bronze helmet; no sword, or spear, or any forged weapons. Just five smooth stones and a sling. Really, just one stone.

Saul tried to protect him with man-made things. They just got in the way. The rock that David chose was straight out of a brook. Unaltered by human hands. Doesn't that sound like:

Daniel to King Nebuchadnezzar: "You continued looking until a stone was cut out without hands, and it struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them....But the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2:34-35. Daniel talking to King Nebuchadnezzar about the king's dream of a statue, which represented four successive kingdoms, starting with his own. God would send a powerful "stone" cut without human hands during the fourth kingdom. The kingdoms were Babylonia, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.)

It also sounds a lot like this:

"So it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up on Mount Ebal, these stones, as I am commanding you today, and you shall coat them with lime.

"Moreover, you shall build there an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not wield an iron tool on them.

"You shall build the altar of the LORD your God of uncut stones; and you shall offer on it burnt offerings to the LORD your God...." (Deuteronomy 27:4-6. Moses talking to the Israelites before they entered the promised land.)

And this:

Therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, a costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed." (Isaiah 28:16. It doesn't say anything about not being cut by hands, but God is the one who places the "firmly placed" stone, not people.)

This post is getting long. Last one. Jesus talking to the chief priests, about Himself:

"Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" (Matthew 21:42)