I’ve been thinking of Goliath’s sword lately. As in, Goliath the giant Philistine who challenged the people of God and was taken out with one stone from the sling of a little shepherd boy named David. A few years later, David found himself in a world of hurt. His king was determined to kill him and had taken to throwing spears in his direction.

David ran. For his life. And, he didn’t have time to go back home and gather provisions. So, he stopped by the Tent of Meeting (the church building of his day) and asked if the priests had any supplies he could use. (There is an entire sermon in that question, by the way.) The priest offered him some consecrated bread which was past its use-by date. And then David asked this strange question, “Any chance you have a sword?”

The Bible had already told us Israel was suffering a weapons shortage. It seems unlikely the church would have any extras lying around. But, the priest said, “In fact, there is. The sword of Goliath the Philistine is here.The one you took from him and used to cut off his head. It has been wrapped and stored in a holy place until this moment. You are welcome to take it.”

The moral of the story? If you ever kill a giant, don’t sell his sword on e-bay.

And, God may be storing up today’s actions for tomorrow’s provisions. Make them count.