“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and 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.”
1 Samuel 17:45
Most of us know the story of David and Goliath pretty well. It’s one that most people, even non-believers have grown up hearing, at least in general terms. The story goes that a giant who fought for the Philistines, the enemy of the Israelites, was challenging the Israelite army to send their best man to fight him. Everyone was afraid because of his sheer size and strength. No one dared to try to fight him. That is, until David heard about it.
David was not yet the King, in fact he was just a kid, probably a teenager. He was small and unintimidating. He wasn’t even a soldier, he was at the battlefield only to bring supplies to his brothers. But then Goliath came forward and made his daily challenge to the Israelites, defying Israel and their God. He heard it and was outraged that no one would do anything to answer this defiance toward God and God’s people. He set out to face him himself. He went only with a sling and some stones, no sword or spear or armor or shield. That’s when he speaks the words recorded in today’s verse.
More than anything this speech shows us about where we place our faith. Goliath’s faith was in himself, his stature, his strength, his equipment. The Israelites faith was also in Goliath’s strength and weapons – they believe in the power of those things over anything else. But David was different. His faith was in God. Not in weapons or armor or size or anything else. His faith was in God. He went forward only in defense of his God, not for pride or vanity. He went forward with only a sling and stones, not afraid because he knew the outcome. His faith was in God to deliver Goliath into his hands. He knew it didn’t matter what weapons he brought or how big he was – God would give him the victory.
Of course, we know how the story ends, David wins and becomes a hero among the Israelites.
But it isn’t the epic scene of the stone striking Goliath, the giant falling, and David cutting his head off in victory that we should be focusing on. That was simply the result of faith. The truly inspiring and epic part of this story is the faith that David showed.
Let us learn from David. Let us not have faith in the world, ourselves, our possessions, or others who we deem powerful. Let us have faith in God alone, and he will deliver the victory to us.
Prayer:
Father,
Thank you for the example of David’s faith. I pray that you would bless me with such faith and that it would drive every part of my life.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
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