Recently, I have been meditating on this passage of scripture in 1 Samuel 17 and how David the shepherd boy kills the enemy of the Israelites with five stones that he takes from a brook. Whilst there are many view points on why David took five stones and not three or four, what I believe is more significant is that he removed the stones from a brook or if you like a stream.
Throughout scripture we find the blessing, presence and life of God symbolised as a flow of living water. The ultimate of which can be found in passages such as John 4 when Jesus declares to the Samaritan women that if she were to drink of "this water she would never thirst again", again Revelation speaks of the River which flows from God's own throne and as we read appears to provide life to the inhabitants of heaven and also bring healing through the leaves of it's trees which gain their source from the river.
Within our very bodies flows another kind of river, a river of blood which nourishes every part of our physical man, scripture again says that "life is in the blood" and it is the blood of Jesus that saves all of us from our sin! Therefore we can conclude from scripture that rivers, streams, brooks etc symbolically speak of life and blessing from God.
David stoops down into a brook and pulls out five stones, I have heard sermons that each stone was for Goliath and strong holds with which he came against the people of God. Again I have heard that each stones was for Goliath and his brothers, to not only destroy the obvious enemy but all associated enemies. These are all great words which have encouraged me over the years.
However, I believe the stones in that brook represented the obstacles that the enemy was using against the people of God to hinder or even stop the flow of God's power, blessing and life. By taking hold of these stones, not only was David removing from the brook potential obstacles but he used these obstacles to defeat his enemy!
In Genesis 50 as Joseph is being reconciled with his brothers, after they had sold him into slavery, he says "what the enemy means for evil, God means for good". What a powerful response Joseph conveys to his brothers despite all that he experienced. In essence, I believe this is what is happening with David as he stoops down into the brook. What the enemy is using to attack God's people with, obstacles and blockages of the flow of God's presence and blessing, David with God uses to attack his enemy and more importantly the enemy of God and His people.
I believe God's Spirit was prompting me to use what the enemy is using to attack me to throw back in the face of the very enemy that used it to hinder me. To take everything that hinders and blocks God's flow against the enemy that put it there in the first place and in doing so allow the flow of God's Spirit and river in my (our) life again.
I pray also that you can do the same as you press into God's Spirit and allow his presence to flow into you and out from you to others.
God Bless you on your journey!
