Pack Your Baggage, HoneySample

Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers (1 Sam. 17:22). 

Saul hid by the baggage, but notice David left his baggage and ran to the battle line. David did what a man after God’s own heart would do. He dropped his baggage—his cumbersome stuff—and left it in the care of his baggage keeper. The words in his care means “in his hands”; he left his baggage in the hands of his baggage keeper! 

We know that this baggage is not emotional baggage—it was tangible stuff—but both weigh down the carrier. The point is, David knew his baggage weighed him down, and he knew that with the baggage, his chances of being all that God called him to be were greatly lessened. He knew that following God’s call was not something to fear, so he ran toward the call, unencumbered by the stuff of this life. 

David broke through the battle lines and greeted his brothers. He heard with his own two ears Goliath’s taunts. One was enough for David; he had no intention of listening to these for forty days and nights.  David spoke to the men: “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the army of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26). 

It’s almost impossible not to love David and the way he had the chutzpah to even ask such a question. Not only did he ask the question, but also, as you know, he took the challenge. He took five little stones and went after that giant of a man. And he was the victor. 

Things changed for Israel that day. Could David have slung that little rock into the air if he was busy keeping track of all his baggage? No, David put all he had into the fight and left his baggage with the one whose job it was to handle baggage. 

God gives us the offer of freedom. But we have a choice to make: to live like Saul and hide in our baggage or to live more like David and give our baggage to our God, Who is the best Baggage-handler of all times.