I’ve been meditating on 1st Samuel, particularly the account of David and Goliath.
Most often, I have heard this passage used to illustrate that great and outwardly improbable things can be accomplished if one trusts in the Lord and puts that trust into action. And this is indeed a great lesson here, but I have come to another understanding:
As great an occurrence as it was, it was not the simple case of a physically weak man of God triumphing against an overwhelming adversary out of the blue by the power of his God.
Consider David’s background tending sheep. As David explained to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:34-36:
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”
As it can be seen, The Lord, who knew of the battle in David’s future prepared him, nurturing his bravery, his skill with a sling, and his hand to hand (or hand to paw) fighting abilities.
When the Goliath came forward and taunted Israel, David was performing courier service between Jesse (David’s father) and the army of Israel who stood before the philistines and guarded the rest of Israel. David saw and heard Goliath’s taunts and recognized that he had the skill required to prevail (as an instrument of God).
Although Goliath carried a javelin (a light spear for throwing distances), he was counting on close personal combat. Besides the javelin he carried a sword and a heavy spear for close combat. While a single thrown javelin is easily followed with the eye and dodged, Goliath’s remaining weapons required that he fight close.
David refused Saul’s armor and heavy sword since the armor was too heavy and would hinder his using his preferred weapon, the sling. A rock propelled by sling travels many times that of a javelin and is much harder to track and dodge, making it more likely to fly past Goliath’s shield bearer (who may have hampered Goliath's sight lines) and strike Goliath himself while David remained at a fair distance. So, when David answered Goliath’s challenge, he did so in such a way to maximize his strengths and minimize Goliath’s perceived advantages.
As an aside, notice that Goliath’s taunts were derisive and meant to show contempt for David, while David’s response was full of trust in God and not centered around his personal prowess.
The sling thrown stone could not be expected to kill Goliath, just as the lions at which David stunned with stones as a shepherd required David to then run in and wrestle directly (probably twisting their head by the mane and snapping the neck), so also did David have to run in and finally dispatch Goliath with Goliath’s own sword.
So, here’s what think we can learn from this:
1: David had no idea he would be called on to do battle with the champion of the enemy, or how being a shepherd would fit in. But he did his job diligently, seeking only to please God and do his best to take care of his father’s sheep and thus was prepared by God to be used in the battle against Goliath.
You may not know what the Lord has in store, but if you put yourself prayerfully into whatever the task of today is, the Lord will use today to prepare you for the future. Most of your life will be in taking care of day to day responsibilities. It is in being faithful in these everyday tasks that God will prepare you for greater battles that may come.
2: When David became aware of the taunts of Goliath, he did not just stay back and say, “I am just a shepherd, what can I do?” David recognized the abilities the Lord had given him as a shepherd could be used to defeat Goliath.
When a battle with the enemy occurs, have the discernment to recognize when it is your time to put your abilities to use, even if that use is unconventional.
3: When in battle with the enemy, do not allow the enemy to define the battle. You can’t beat the enemy by playing the enemy’s game. As a cross reference I would point out that when our Lord was tempted by the enemy, He never accepted the enemy’s premises.
Place your trust in the Lord and make the most of your abilities while minimizing the effectiveness of the enemy’s tactics.
Most often, I have heard this passage used to illustrate that great and outwardly improbable things can be accomplished if one trusts in the Lord and puts that trust into action. And this is indeed a great lesson here, but I have come to another understanding:
As great an occurrence as it was, it was not the simple case of a physically weak man of God triumphing against an overwhelming adversary out of the blue by the power of his God.
Consider David’s background tending sheep. As David explained to Saul in 1 Samuel 17:34-36:
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.”
As it can be seen, The Lord, who knew of the battle in David’s future prepared him, nurturing his bravery, his skill with a sling, and his hand to hand (or hand to paw) fighting abilities.
When the Goliath came forward and taunted Israel, David was performing courier service between Jesse (David’s father) and the army of Israel who stood before the philistines and guarded the rest of Israel. David saw and heard Goliath’s taunts and recognized that he had the skill required to prevail (as an instrument of God).
Although Goliath carried a javelin (a light spear for throwing distances), he was counting on close personal combat. Besides the javelin he carried a sword and a heavy spear for close combat. While a single thrown javelin is easily followed with the eye and dodged, Goliath’s remaining weapons required that he fight close.
David refused Saul’s armor and heavy sword since the armor was too heavy and would hinder his using his preferred weapon, the sling. A rock propelled by sling travels many times that of a javelin and is much harder to track and dodge, making it more likely to fly past Goliath’s shield bearer (who may have hampered Goliath's sight lines) and strike Goliath himself while David remained at a fair distance. So, when David answered Goliath’s challenge, he did so in such a way to maximize his strengths and minimize Goliath’s perceived advantages.
As an aside, notice that Goliath’s taunts were derisive and meant to show contempt for David, while David’s response was full of trust in God and not centered around his personal prowess.
The sling thrown stone could not be expected to kill Goliath, just as the lions at which David stunned with stones as a shepherd required David to then run in and wrestle directly (probably twisting their head by the mane and snapping the neck), so also did David have to run in and finally dispatch Goliath with Goliath’s own sword.
So, here’s what think we can learn from this:
1: David had no idea he would be called on to do battle with the champion of the enemy, or how being a shepherd would fit in. But he did his job diligently, seeking only to please God and do his best to take care of his father’s sheep and thus was prepared by God to be used in the battle against Goliath.
You may not know what the Lord has in store, but if you put yourself prayerfully into whatever the task of today is, the Lord will use today to prepare you for the future. Most of your life will be in taking care of day to day responsibilities. It is in being faithful in these everyday tasks that God will prepare you for greater battles that may come.
2: When David became aware of the taunts of Goliath, he did not just stay back and say, “I am just a shepherd, what can I do?” David recognized the abilities the Lord had given him as a shepherd could be used to defeat Goliath.
When a battle with the enemy occurs, have the discernment to recognize when it is your time to put your abilities to use, even if that use is unconventional.
3: When in battle with the enemy, do not allow the enemy to define the battle. You can’t beat the enemy by playing the enemy’s game. As a cross reference I would point out that when our Lord was tempted by the enemy, He never accepted the enemy’s premises.
Place your trust in the Lord and make the most of your abilities while minimizing the effectiveness of the enemy’s tactics.