Assumptions Concerning the Ability of David: Part 1 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

1 Samuel 17:33-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. In this verse, we find that David was misjudged by King Saul. Several titles could be used about the events of this verse. Here are three. * Don't Let Someone Else's Fear Become Your Future * Stop Letting Other People Size Your Giant—Or Your God * How to Ignore the ‘You're-Not-Able' Crowd Saul told David, "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him." The phrase "are not able" is from the word yakol {yaw-kole'}. This is a key Hebrew verb of ability and capability—often used for physical ability, moral ability, and spiritual capacity. It is in the Imperfect tense, which conveys an ongoing condition, a future expectation, potential, or inability. Saul is not just saying, "You can't right now…" He is implying, "You are not able and will not be able—you do not have the capacity at all." This is a statement of permanent inadequacy (from Saul's perspective). You're gonna lose David! You can't win. When we look at Saul, we find that he made the Mistake of Misjudging Maturity. Saul threw water on David's enthusiastic volunteering, for Saul was not spiritual enough to see the Lord's hand in David. He viewed things only from a natural point of view. He misjudged the youth of David. Beloved, others may see age or size, but God sees something else. He sees the heart, faith, and strength. Many people have doubted themselves and have said, "I can't do it," when God called them to a task. Look through the Bible, and you can find many examples. Here are some situations that revealed errors about mistaken conclusions. We have seen one already concerning David. In this message we cover seven more examples, their lessons, and practical applications for us. This message was preached on Wednesday night, March 25, 2026, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.