David and Goliath Revisited

I've been pondering the story and lessons of David and Goliath recently.  Mostly commonly, people take from David vs. Goliath the lesson that we can accomplish anything--slaying the "giant" in our own lives--if we have faith in God.  Often, this leads to disappointment when we don't reach our goals and don't get what we want in our lives or careers.  But there is more to the story of David and Goliath.

David was tall.

Contrary to perception, David wasn't a small child when he faced Goliath.

Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else. - 1 Samuel 9:2

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." 1 Samuel 17:38-39

The tallest man in Israel wouldn't put his armor on a little boy.  And David didn't say "this armor is huge on me", but that he wasn't accustomed to fighting in armor. David was, at the least, physically ready to go to battle.

David had done battle before.

Not only was David physically prepared to go to battle Goliath, he had some experience that would come in handy as a shepherd--including fighting lions and bears.

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God - 1 Samuel 17:34-36

David went on to become a great warrior.
David was young and inexperienced when he slew Goliath,  he would go on to prove himself to get a great soldier and leader on the battlefield.  The Bible describes many battles David would successfully lead after slaying Goliath.

Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well..."Saul has slain his thousands,  and David his tens of thousands."  - 1 Samuel 17:5, 7

David ran to the battle, hit Goliath with a rock, then cut off his head.
God could have had Goliath slip on a banana peel, that would have made it easier for David.  But he didn't, David actually slew Goliath in a real battle.

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.  David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. - 1 Samuel 17:48-51

The story of David and Goliath is meant to give all of us hope--God will be on our side, and with Him, we can conquer any challenge.  We each face our own Goliath in our lives, and we should have the confidence David had that God will help us slay our Goliath.

But too often we expect God to do things for us without any action on our part.  God didn't slay Goliath for David, but was with David when he acted.  David ran to fight Goliath.

When you face Goliath in your life, and pray to God for help, we should ask ourselves these questions:

• Am I prepared to fight Goliath?  David was.  He wasn't just a small boy thinking he could kill a giant.  He had already fought bears and lions.  Goliath would be a great challenge, but David knew that with God on his side he could prevail, and had prepared himself for that battle.


• Have I actually prepared myself to deal with the challenges in my life?  Have I rehearsed and practiced?  Have I trained?  Do I have the experience I need?  Have I asked others to help?  Simply asking God to take care of your problems isn't enough.  God will help you when you ask, and with God you can do things you could never do alone, but God  won't do for you what you can do for yourself.


• Am I capable of handling the challenge of Goliath?  David was on his way to becoming a great warrior when he faced Goliath.  Facing Goliath was a great trial for any man--one all the other Israelite soldiers were too terrified to face--but David was someone ready to become a giant-slayer.  Sometimes God doesn't give us what we ask for, because we aren't ready for those challenges.  Maybe you want to get a big promotion, or fall in love and get married, or start your own business.  But are you truly ready? Because God won't give us more than we can handle.


• Am I willing to run to face Goliath?

God will be with us as we face the Goliaths in our lives, but we have to be ready to fight those battles.  It won't always be easy, or pretty, or convenient.  Praying for God's help doesn't mean he will slay Goliath for us, but should give us the confidence to face Goliath with God on our side.