The Resourcefulness Of David

“The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid before, and wait there by the stone pile.I will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy to bring the arrows back. If you hear me tell him, ‘They’re on this side,’ then you will know, as surely as the Lord lives, that all is well, and there is no trouble. But if I tell him, ‘Go farther—the arrows are still ahead of you,’ then it will mean that you must leave immediately, for the Lord is sending you away.” – 1 Samuel 20: 19-22. 

Life is full of unexpected problems, obstacles, and setbacks. Things don’t always go as planned. To successfully overcome many of these difficulties, you must have resourcefulness. Resourcefulness is the ability to deal promptly and effectively with difficulties. In an emergency, it’s keeping calm, quickly assessing the situation, and taking the right action. It often involves devising a creative, ingenious, or unique solution. David is a good example of resourcefulness.

One example is his battle with Goliath. King Saul and the Israelites were fearful, not knowing how to successfully respond to Goliath’s challenge. David quickly came to the conclusion that he could not face Goliath burdened down by Saul’s heavy armor. He was not used to wearing the armor, so the traditional method of fighting in armor was not an option. A new approach was needed. David decided to use his own tried and tested weapon — a sling. He boldly and courageously confronted the giant and slew him with one well-placed stone that sunk deep into his forehead.

Another example of David’s resourcefulness is fleeing from King Saul, who viewed him as a rival to the throne and tried to kill him on numerous occasions.  It required imagination, daring, and resourcefulness for David to remain hidden from an army combing the countryside in search of him. Each time Saul was about to capture him, David used his wits to escape the life-threatening crisis.

Then there was David and his friend Jonathan devising a clever and ingenious method to communicate a message when direct communication was dangerous. (see I Samuel 20:1-42. 

Another example of resourcefulness is Paul. In Philippians 4:12, he says this, “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.” He’s saying he is resourceful. And people who are resourceful, who don’t have to have everything just right are the people who get ahead in life. They’re the people who change the world.  

But no matter how intelligent, alert, or resourceful a person may be, he or she still needs God’s help to be truly successful. The real-life heroes of the Bible were not only resourceful, but they also relied on God to help them surmount the sometimes humanly insurmountable obstacles they faced.

Discussion Questions: 

1. How would you rate your resourcefulness? What about your children?  
2. How can we model resourcefulness for our children?