Read 1 Samuel 17, Ezekiel 28, Psalms 102-104.
This devotional is about 1 Samuel 17.
Here in 1 Samuel 17, we have one of the best known stories in the Bible, the story of David and Goliath. People still compare sports teams with difficult matchups to this story.
And, unfortunately, a lot of Christian people, led by Christian preachers, have made this story out to be less than what it is. The hero of this story is not David. The hero is David’s God.
And the moral of this story is not that you can defeat the giants in your life. Whatever you face in life, it will never be as daunting or deadly as Goliath was, potentially, to David.
The Philistines were a problem for the nation of Israel, going back to the Exodus, as you can see in Exodus 13:17. They remained a problem for Israel throughout the period of the Judges and during the days when Samuel and then Saul led Israel. By the time we get here to 1 Samuel 17, Saul seems to have had enough of leading Israel in battle and was looking for someone else to do the fighting for him (compare vv. 2 & 11). This battle situation was unique, too. Instead of fighting army against army, a massive man named Goliath proposed a one-on-one battle. He would fight for the Philistines and someone else would come out to fight for Israel. Whichever man won would represent a victory for his people and the people of the loser would be subject to the other nation. That’s all explained in verses 1-10. Verse 11 records the reaction of God’s people to Goliath’s proposal. It says, “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” (v. 11).
Meanwhile, David had been anointed king in 1 Samuel 16, but was still a nobody. He continued to serve as the shepherd for his family’s flocks (v. 15) and was sent to the battle lines not to fight for Israel, but to deliver some food to his three eldest brothers (vv. 17-19). When he heard Goliath’s challenge, David couldn’t believe it. In verse 26c David said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”” For David, this was not a military question; it was a theological one. God had promised victory for Israel in the Promised Land, so why wasn’t Israel acting on that promise and defeating this enemy of God?
You know the rest of the story: David volunteered to fight Goliath (vv. 30-37), but used his own backcountry weapon–a sling and a stone–instead of Saul’s armor and sword (vv. 38-40). Notice how David spoke to Goliath, starting in verse 45. He said, ““You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands” (vv. 45-47). David believed God’s promise and God used him and his crude weapon to win a great victory for Israel.
The purpose of this story is to show how David emerged from obscurity to leadership. He emerged because God chose him but also because he believed God’s promises and acted out of faith in God’s word when everyone else–including mighty king Saul–was cowering in fear before God’s enemies.
The lesson of David and Goliath is not that God will defeat the giants in your life. The lesson is that God’s enemies are no match for God, but they seem deadly and intimidating nevertheless. God’s people too often live in fear of his enemies instead of believing God’s promise and taking God’s enemies on by faith.
Is there anywhere in your life where you are afraid because of people who oppose God? Are you afraid to witness for Christ? Are you afraid to speak up for what you know to be right because so many people oppose it?
Goliath was large, intimidating, and dangerous but God defeated him through one man who acted in faith. Act in faith as you go out into the world today. God will be with you and use you.