Saul's Armor
January 02, 2026
00:01:00
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
The Hamilton Minute is a power packed 60 seconds where we tackle the issues of the day through the lens of God’s Word. You don’t want to miss a moment of it.
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"Then David said to Saul, 'I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.' So David put them off." 1 Samuel 17:39.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Corner.
As David prepared to face Goliath, Saul tried to outfit David with Saul’s personal armor. But David didn’t have Saul’s armor when he faced the lion or the bear, and David realized he did not need the armor to slay Goliath.
Today, many Christians yield to the temptation to be hipper, cooler, and even a little fuzzy on the clear teachings of Scripture in order to face the Goliaths of our day. But Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men" John 12:32.
We don’t need a cool light show to be an ambassador for Christ. All we need is to offer what we have freely received.
We know the transforming power of Christ because He has transformed us.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
What are gates? They are defensive tools used to keep stuff out, to keep an advancing force at bay.
Too often the enemy is successful in putting Christians on defense, when the facts are the Lord established His church as an aggressive, offensive, territory-taking body.
The Lord never meant for us to sit on the sidelines of life or to cower in the corner as a result of the wickedness in our culture.
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. The light of the world cannot be contained.
The Lord is building His church and the mamby-pamby gates of Hell shall not prevail against us.
Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scoffers.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
One word has proven to be debilitating in our society: the D-word. Discrimination.
What we fail to realize is discrimination is not automatically a dirty concept. We discriminate against thieves and murderers when we send them to prison. We discriminated against sexual predators by keeping them away from children. And yes, we rightly discriminated against men when we keep them out of women’s restrooms.
According to Psalm 1, we have to discriminate against the counsel of the wicked in order to be blessed. Good thing God isn’t debilitated by the D-word.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” Romans 12:2 (ESV).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Paul’s epistle to the Romans was written to believers. This verse highlights the fact that it’s possible for Christians to be conformed to the world’s ways.
The word “conformed” there means to be squeezed into the mold of another. Rather than to be squeezed into the world’s mold, the Lord requires us to be transformed by having our minds renewed by God’s Word.
Everything about us must be held up to the light of Scripture. And whenever there’s any discrepancy, we must be transformed.
My name is Abraham Hamilton III, and this is the Hamilton Minute.
This Scripture underscores the harrowing reality that permeates the life of many who profess to be Christians. The blessing of being a Christ follower comes not only from hearing God’s Word, but obeying it.
James continues, “for if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres, being not a hearer who forgets, but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."
"The borrower is the slave of the lender."
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Newly published information from Lifeway Research shows 77% of self-identified Christians in dozens of states think it’s a sin to lend money to someone who can’t afford to pay it back. Still, few say payday loans are immoral and one in six Christians have admitted to taking out a high-interest payday loan.
The federal government’s Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the typical two-week payday loan charges the equivalent of a 400% interest rate.
These “sharks” prey on the poor, elderly, and most vulnerable in society.
Sound the alarm and make sure your family, church, and neighborhood steer clear of this vermin.
“And who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this” Esther 4:14.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute
Esther, a young girl became Queen of the Persian Empire when Israel was subject to Persian rule. A wicked man named Haman tried to get the King to exterminate all Jews. Esther, a Jew herself, was Queen when this genocidal conspiracy was brought to bear. But her uncle Mordecai put her royal position in perspective.
“Perhaps God made you Queen for this very moment, to intervene on behalf of the Jewish people.”
Like Esther, perhaps God gave you the platform, position and influence you have for this very moment, to stand against darkness. Perhaps you were born for such a time as this.
David, the son of Jesse, was just an ordinary giant slayer.
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
David’s battle with Goliath is an epic drama where the little boy stands in God’s power to conquer the Philistine giant.
David didn’t awaken that morning expecting to slay a giant. He didn’t stroll in with an entourage after a rugged mountain range training camp like Rocky in Rocky IV. He was just a regular kid bringing his brothers’ lunch. But fully confident in God’s immeasurable power, though he saw Goliath, David never acknowledged him as a giant, saying, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who dares defy the Lord of hosts?”
When regular people are fully persuaded, fully confident in God’s power, giant’s fall.
“Always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you.”
Many who oppose Christianity target their hostility on our foundation, the Bible. They say it is unreliable because Genesis one and Genesis two are contradictory accounts of the creation story.
In actuality, the two chapters are complimentary and not contradictory.
When Jesus was asked about marriage, He quoted from both chapters one and two, saying that He made them both to be male and female in the beginning. "And for this cause shall a man leave his mother and father and cleave unto his wife."
Genesis one is an overview of the creation story and Genesis two is an up close examination of day six. If Jesus relies on them both, so can we.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
What is the proper role of government? Romans chapter 13 outlines government’s function and it is basically this: to restrain or to punish wickedness and to reward righteousness.
Government was never intended to be our savior. Government is our servant.
As we focus on our civil occupations and our civic engagement responsibilities, let us never forget that government is not our God. We don’t put our trust in it; we put our trust in our Christ.
As a result, what we want is a government that stays out of our way and leaves room for our church to do our business of fulfilling the Great Commission.
What is the source of America's greatness? Alexis de Tocqueville, a 19th century French political thinker and philosopher, had this exact same question.
On the heels of the French Revolution, he came to America in 1831 to investigate America's ascendency. In doing so, he found that America's greatness did not lie in her economic system. It did not lie in her banking system. Nor did it lie in her educational system.
He found that America's pulpits, aflamed with righteousness, was the source of America's greatness. He opined that America is great because she is good, but when America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.
Let us pray for restoration of the flame of righteousness in our pulpits.
What would it take for you to compromise your principles?
Recently I heard a statement that went like this. “I don’t think principles matter if you can’t get elected.” Principles form the core of who you are; principles form the foundation of a civil society.
George Washington in his farewell address identified religion and morality as indispensable supports. “In vain would that man claim attribute to patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness”, George Washington said.
It makes me think of a scripture; “What would it profit a man to gain the whole world yet lose his soul?” What would it profit a candidate to gain an election but lose his principles?
“Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline, But he who regards reproof will be honored.” Proverbs 13:18 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Discipline is oft-mentioned, yet frequently disconnected from one area: economics.
The Scripture teaches that poverty and shame come to the one who neglects discipline. This is one to whom discipline is available and accessible, but the person refuses or neglects that discipline. To state it differently, the person refuses to incline his ear to the purpose filled love the discipline directs him toward. He sees it solely as something punitive as opposed to being transformational, shaping the heart and mind in the God-honoring direction.
As a result, poverty and shame becomes his portion.
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
We all face situations that can provoke anxiety. Thankfully, God knew that, so he prepared us for it on the front end. Prayer and continual gratitude are two components God has prescribed to fortify us, but there are additional components. Verse 8 of this same chapter directs God’s people to refuse to give safe harbor to lies.
Instead, whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy is what God directs our minds toward. Being in Christ, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, gives us the ability feast on what is true.
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!” Psalms 133:1 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Psalm 133 is a celebratory psalm, written by David. He rejoices at the notion of brethren, family, and relatives dwelling together in unity. He’s actually contrasting it with the initial scriptural employment of the “brothers dwelling together” phrase recorded in Genesis 13:6. There, Abram and Lot couldn’t dwell together. Their separation precipitated what became the Sodom and Gomorrah saga.
In Psalm 133, however, David is rejoicing at the reality that there is enough room in God’s family for brethren to dwell together, and to flourish, all while maintaining genuine care for one another.
God’s kingdom is other-worldly.
“But they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Romans 1:21(b) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Romans 1 explains how mankind’s enduring rebellion against God ultimately evinces a diminished mental capacity that defies logic. When you consider the fervent effort of twisted adults to confuse children, as young as three and four years, old about sexuality and identity or the effort to say that there are no differences between men and women or the all out assault on the God-ordained nuclear family, where married fathers and mothers rear their children in a loving and committed home, which happens to be the primary means of establishing a stable and thriving society it shows the battle we’re facing is spiritual.
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power.” Revelation 4:11(a) (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
“Worthy are you our LORD” is a part of the chorus that will be sung throughout eternity. We’re given a picture of the twenty-four elders, falling prostrate before Jesus, worshipping Him using this very declaration in Revelation 4.
The “worthy” declaration isn’t meant only for song. The worthiness of our God should be evident through His people’s lives. Too often, church-attenders sing of God’s worthiness on Sundays only defy His worthiness on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays.
Sometimes, the denials even start Sunday nights.
What God desires is a people who’s songs and lives declare “He is worthy.”
“Then Azariah the priest entered after him and with him eighty priests of the LORD, valiant men.” 2 Chronicles 26:17 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
Uzziah was a King of Judah who’d enjoy tremendous political and military success. He presided over a time of robust material prosperity and massive infrastructural innovation.
He was so successful that it went to his head. He sought not only the monarchy but the priesthood too. When his ambition threatened the integrity of God’s house, Azariah and eighty other priests of the LORD withstood him.
“Valor” is a term used in Scripture to convey courage in the face of war-like physical hostility.
That is exactly what we need today. Men of God. Men of valor.
“And have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” Colossians 3:10 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
In Paul’s Epistle to the Colossians he addresses a church comprised of people who’d been saved in a pagan 1st century Roman culture. He explains to them the vigorous necessity of putting off the old man and putting on the new man.
He then directs them to the ultimate object of their renewal, their sanctification. It is critically important that we Believers remember, as we walk with our LORD in the sanctification process and face various challenges, that we are being made more and more like Jesus.
“Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps.” Amos 5:23 (NASB95).
My name is Abraham Hamilton, III and this is The Hamilton Minute.
The prophet Amos confronted Israel for ceremonial worship that was not reflected in their hearts or lifestyles. God said to them, “I reject your festivals. Take away from Me the noise of your songs.” Amos 5:21, 23.
Just because we offer something as “worship” doesn’t mean that God accepts it. He is looking for worship that emanates from hearts of contrition. Circumcision of the heart is our LORD’s desire.
We must strive to be a people who lift up holy hands in worshipful melody before the LORD that accurately reflects our heart conditions, demonstrable in how we live.
