Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: So it was, when the Philistine arose and came, and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag, and took out a stone, and he slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell on his face to the earth. (1 Samuel 17:48-49, NKJV

Most boys seem to have a penchant for throwing things, and I was no exception. There is plenty of space to engage in that activity on a farm, and a ready supply of things to throw. The challenge is to increase the distance the missile can be hurled. I found that a scrap piece of metal from a roofing project was just what I needed. It was available, required no labor or cost, and it worked!
One type of sheet metal roofing, called channel drain, has ridges shaped like a broad letter ‘M.’ I discovered that a small stone placed in the groove, or channel, could be thrown quite a distance with a two-foot length of leverage. With a little bit of practice, I was fairly accurate with it, as well. I even had a name for it - “vulpatupa.” Sounded neat to me, and, no, I never got into trouble with it. It was a nice diversion activity from the routine of farm chores.
Reading the passage about David’s conquest of the Philistine, Goliath, reminded me of my throwing device. From what I have read on the subject, David probably had the better weapon, which he used with great effectiveness. Note that this was a sling, and not a “sling shot” of modern lore - the ‘Y’ shaped stick with a rubber band for propelling the stone. The sling could be made easily by even a shepherd boy, with twisted wool for the cord, and a patch of leather to hold the stone. One end was held firmly, or attached to the wrist, and the other end gripped by the fingers. The sling was whirled, one end let loose at the appropriate moment, thus allowing stones to be thrown several times farther than they could be by hand.
“So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him." (1 Samuel 17:50)
It should be noted that David credited the LORD for the victory; for “the battle is the LORD’s.” (Read 1 Samuel 17:40 47)
Though shepherds made use of the sling, they were not alone in choosing such as a weapon. In the Bible "slingers" were part of the Israelite army like the archers. We read in Judges 20:16, “Among all this people there were seven hundred select men who were lefthanded; every one could sling a stone at a hair’s breadth, and not miss.” (See also Second Kings 3:25, First Chronicles 12:2, and Second Chronicles 26:14 to further illustrate Israelite use.)
Other throwing devices used for hunting or weaponry include a hollow tube for throwing projectiles (much like my vulpatupa), the atlatl, or spear thrower that also uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart throwing, and the woomera, an Australian Aboriginal spear-throwing device used for when there is a greater distance to be overcome. The sling or spear thrower has an advantage over spears, javelins, or the Bolas used by the South American gauchos, in that the throwing device remains in the hand, and can be quickly reloaded.
Keep in mind David’s statement that “the battle is the LORD’s;” Let Him be the extension of our power to overcome evil and sin, and accept His loving grace for salvation.
September 12, 2010