David and Goliath

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 17:31-37

31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”

First thing to notice in this passage is the humility and servanthood of the next king of Israel. His concern is with the hearts of the soldiers out there facing this degrading situation. Unlike Eliab, who tore down his own brother in front of strangers, David seeks to build up strangers in front of the king. So many differences between those two son’s of Jesse!

We see David’s attitude of willingness to take care of problems as we saw earlier in this passage, when he rose up early to come the the front. He didn’t drag his feet, or find ways to avoid unpleasant tasks. My goodness – he is committing himself to go fight a giant here!

The giant that Saul and his army experienced was much much larger than the giant David saw. For the army, Goliath was invincible. The army had the attitude much like the 10 spies who came back from spying out the promised land, and spoke of large grasshoppers. It is not possible!

Yet David did not. Remember three things about David that he has in his life that those in the army lacked.

Experience

David was not a trained warrior, and for that we can be thankful. He had found his niche in combat skills by watching over his father’s sheep. His experience was with hand to hand combat if necessary, and had practiced with the sling in order to protect his sheep. He took his responsibility over his father’s sheep very seriously, and was prepared for when the enemy came, whether it be a lion or a bear!

Passion

His experience was worthy of impressing the King, but what stands out for myself is the passion young David communicated to the king. He chased after the bear and the lion, not willing to give an inch when it came to his sheep! His passion for the sheep garnered their protection and the killing of any enemy. This passion easily and naturally escalated when it came to His God. He was one who would not allow the giant to defy the armies of the Living God!

Spirit of God

Most importantly, and without a doubt the major influence in David’s reaction to this uncircumcised giant, was that David was filled with the Spirit of the Lord since his anointing. How could he not be aghast at the defamation of God by this heathen giant? How could he not seek to strengthen those who were cast down, who were shamed and hurting? He was of a different nature, more than simply a shepherd boy with skills and passion, but the one who would lead the nation to heights of dominance they had never experienced!

David cared for his fellow Israeli’s, even those who had mocked him, attributed evil intentions or shamed him. 

Let no man’s heart fail because of him (Goliath). David had many motivators for this challenge, but the one that warms my heart is the concern he had for his fellow Israeli’s. 

How much more has the Greater David expressed His love for us as we are downtrodden, overwhelmed and discouraged. He has taken on the giant of death and the devil, and in our daily lives provides encouragement and strength. 

He will not let any man’s heart fail because of a giant.

---

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible