God’s Giant Killer

In a March devotion about God, Goliath, Velociraptors, and the Burj Khalifa, I mentioned that my grandson is fascinated with the story of David & Goliath. It must have been something he learned at church because one Sunday, he started talking about Goliath.

Probably much of the story goes over the head of this smart 4-year-old, but he does know that David only won because of God’s help.

My grandson reenacts his version of the story by helping his Daddy with weeds. In one natural area of his backyard, the weeds can grow to 3’, which is just shorter than my grandson. Using his orange plastic baseball bat, he beats down the weeds, calling them “Goliaths.” Unfortunately, those weeds come back unless he pulls them out.

As he gets older, I will share more with him about the story of David and Goliath, and David’s courage and trust in God.

 

 

The Story of David, God’s Giant Killer

Here’s a quick recap of the story in 1 Samuel 17:1-58,

The Israelites Have A Giant Problem

The Philistines and the Israelites were gathered for battle at Sokoh in Judah. The enemy had their “champion” Goliath, who, scholars say, may have towered nine feet nine inches tall.

For comparison, the tallest person in recorded history was Robert Pershing Wadlow, who reached a height of 8 feet 11.1 inches.

Goliath would have had trouble with the 8’ or 9’ ceiling height in most houses, although I wouldn’t invite him into my home anyway.

My grandson, who cannot see over the counter except maybe on his tiptoes, probably imagines Goliath is as tall as a two-story building.

Everything about Goliath was big – his helmet, his armor, his spear, and his ego.

Goliath knew that his height and strength were imposing, so he taunted the Israelites (1 Samuel 17:8b-9, NIV):

“Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

Goliath came out TWICE. EVERY.. DAY. For forty days!

The response of the Israelites was probably like ours – “Have you seen Goliath? He’s a giant. He will squish me like a bug.”

King Saul’s response was similar. Verse 11 states that both Saul and his Israelite army were terrified.

Enter The Unlikely Hero

David, the eighth son of Jesse, was insignificant by the world’s standards and seemed doomed to a life of tending sheep for his family. One day, David’s father asked him to make a lunch run to the battle site to take lunch to his three older brothers.

On spying Goliath, David states in 1 Samuel 17:26 (NIV): “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

The Israelites were bothered by Goliath’s height. David was bothered that Goliath was insulting his God, and the God of David’s people.

Instead of being glad to see their younger brother, David’s brothers expressed concern about the family’s sheep being unprotected while David was away. They also worried that David might embarrass them in front of King Saul. And at first he did. Verse 37: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

A Sling, a Stone, and a Sword

We’re familiar with how the story ended: Goliath talked trash to David, who picked up a stone, set his sling, and whacked Goliath upside the head. Goliath tumbled to the ground dead. Just to be sure, David, by God’s strength,  picked up the giant’s sword and took off Goliath’s head.

The story of David and Goliath has a lot to teach us about God and mankind.

 

What Can We Learn About God From God’s Giant Killer?

First, consider Exodus 14:14 (NIV): “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” God will fight our battles.

Now consider

• Our God created the universe. He is not limited by human strength or weapons but works through faith and obedience. You can see this in the non-military issue items that make up the “Armor of God”:
  • Belt of Truth
  • Breastplate of Righteousness
  • Shoes of the Gospel of Peace
  • Shield of Faith
  • Helmet of Salvation
  • Sword of the Spirit

 

• Our God will faithfully defend His name and His people (Numbers 14:13-16).
• Our God honors those who trust in Him and acts on their behalf. We see this with David, Daniel, Elijah, and many others. When God steps in, miracles happen.
• Our God uses the unlikely. He often chooses the humble and overlooked to fulfill His purposes, showing that victory belongs to Him, not to human might. David was a young man. Nobody, not King Saul, not his older brothers, not the Israelite army, and not Goliath thought he would succeed.

These two Christian songs provide great reminders for when we face insurmountable odds, like David did against Goliath:

• “See a Victory” by Elevation Worship

I’m gonna see a victory
For the battle belongs to You, LordI

• “Surrounded (Fight My Battles)” – Michael W. Smith / Upper Room / Elyssa Smith

What Can We Learn About Mankind from God’s Giant Killer?

• Man is prone to fear and doubt, especially when facing the unknown. King Saul and the Israelite army were terrified by Goliath; they had never seen a giant and had no “giant playbook”.
• David’s courage came not from his ability, but from his confidence in God’s deliverance. God continues to keep His promises to fight for us.
• God can use anyone. David was a young shepherd with no military background. He trusted God and stepped out in faith.

Our Response

Our senior pastor is fond of asking, “How should we respond?” with his sermons. It provides an opportunity to reflect and take action.

Taking a page from his playbook, I’d like to propose three responses to the story of David & Goliath:

• Rely on God’s power when facing our own “giants.” As the old hymn says, “Only Trust Him.“
• Be bold in defending God’s honor. David took great offense that Goliath was defying God’s army.
• Be faithful with the gifts and opportunities God provides. David took down a giant with a slingshot and a stone.

“Battle Belongs” by Phil Wickham should encourage you:

When all I see is the battle, You see my victory. 
When all I see is the mountain, You see a mountain moved.

As a bonus fourth response: Tell the story of David & Goliath to

• Children and youth, to inspire faith, courage, and trust in God’s power.
• Those facing fear or impossible odds, as a reminder that God fights for His people.
• Non-believers, to show how God works through faith and weakness to bring about victory.
• New believers, to build confidence in God’s character and encourage boldness in their walk with Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father. This world is tough and full of “giants”. Please give me the courage to be like David and trust you for every challenge. In the holy name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

The Robert Wadlow picture is from Wikipedia. The other pictures were generated by ChatGPT.