I used to joke about snakes, saying I’d never seen one that wasn’t seven feet long and deadly.
Well, Goliath wasn’t a snake, but he was said to be nine feet tall and extremely dangerous. His armor alone weighed over 125 pounds. That didn’t even include his enormous spear.
Goliath’s ego matched his size as he challenged the Israelites to a battle of champions. The deal was simple: if one champion won, the other army would become their servants. And so it went back and forth.
David’s brothers were in the army, but David stayed home to take care of his father’s sheep. Sometimes, he would visit the front lines to bring food for his brothers and supplies for others.
One day, David heard Goliath boasting and decided he had to do something.
And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26).
David’s older brothers weren’t impressed with his words.
Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” (1 Samuel 17:28-29).
The interaction between Jesus and his brothers shows the usual behavior between older and younger siblings. Eliab thought David was being presumptive and had a bad attitude. David responded by saying, “Hey, I’m just talking. Don’t worry about me.”
I have an older brother too, and I remember many similar interactions. Often, I was wrong, and he was right, much to my regret.
David to the Fight
David volunteered to fight, but Saul tried to dissuade him, saying he was too young and inexperienced. He responded by saying he had conquered lions and bears. He emphasized that Goliath had defied the armies of the living God.
The God of the Hebrews was alive and active in history, unlike Dagon, the god of the Philistines. When Dagon fell before the Ark of the Covenant, humans had to raise him up again.
David refused Saul’s armor, saying he hadn’t tested it. Instead, he took a staff, five smooth stones, and a sling.
I learned in my reading that slings and stones were common in warfare. A well-thrown stone could reach up to 70 miles an hour.
Notice the interaction between David and Goliath: David emphasized God’s power, while Goliath relied on his own strength.
And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand . . . that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear.
For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).
Reflections
People who know the story of David and Goliath remember that David won the battle. Let’s consider a few things when facing our own giants.
First, we shouldn’t be like Goliath. Goliath trusted his physical strength. He was huge, but he couldn’t compete with God and a young man with a sling and a stone.
Second, Goliath put his faith in the wrong god. Dagon wasn’t a living god. He was just an idol that the Philistines believed would help him.
Goliath had two big weaknesses that led to his downfall, while David had two strong qualities that ensured his victory.
(1) David was filled with the Holy Spirit. He was empowered by God’s Spirit and didn’t rely on his own strength to succeed. Instead, he achieved this with God’s power.
(2) David wasn’t fighting for his own glory or reputation. He was fighting for God, the living God, who is dramatically different from Dagon, the Philistines’ god. It was this living God who would secure the victory for him.
It should go without saying that we will do well to follow David’s example if we want to overcome the giants in our lives.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discuss Bible passages on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel. I’ve been on vacation and two of the videos and blog articles were out of order.
Real Voices 