Not Just Another David and Goliath Story

Most folks, I imagine, are familiar with the story of David and Goliath—a favorite in Sunday school and Vacation Bible school classrooms.  Even folks who have seldom seen the inside of a church are familiar with the iconic story of the courageous young boy who took on and defeated the evil giant.  In the Veggie Tales version, we are told that the story of David and Goliath is about “a really little guy who did a very big thing.”

                                                                                                                 

Except that according to yesterday’s sermon, the story everyone knows isn’t really the story the Bible tells.       

Reading through the entire chapter of I Samuel 17, one finds an awful lot of bloody, gory, violent details for something commonly considered a children's story.  In the account, Israel was found harassed and helpless against the Philistine army which was championed by a giant named Goliath.  The Philistines--confident in their size and strength, and rocking the most modern battlefield technology available in the ancient world--had no qualms about mocking either Israel or Israel’s God.  Israel confronted the reality of being defeated by a merciless enemy in violent and bloody ways.  Measuring themselves against the ability and strength of the Philistine army, they assumed the battle was lost and, out of fear, refused to engage.

Both armies—the one that profaned God and the one that professed to believe in Him—were trusting in the same things to decide the battle.  The Philistines and the Israelites alike assumed that strength, skill, ability, and technology were necessary to win the day.

So what did David do?  He didn’t dig down deep to find inner courage and strength.  Instead, our pastor pointed out that David acknowledged that God was great and that God was good and that He would be the one to decide the battle.  Recognizing God’s ability to win impossible battles freed David to do what he did—to step onto the battlefield without armor, pick up some stones, and let fly--without regard for how ridiculous he looked.

In the account of David and Goliath, David was not the hero.  God was.  God is the hero of the harassed and the helpless.  He is the One who, despite the size and strength of the enemy, won the impossible battle at Calvary.

It’s easy to criticize the Israelites for their cowardice, for their fear in shrinking back from the battle.  But I know that all too often I hold back, refusing to enter the fray, because I’ve evaluated my skills, talents, and resources and found them lacking.  Or, like the Philistines, I assume that my strengths and my skills are necessary to win the day.  I forget to look to the One who wins the impossible battles, the One who frees me to do what I do without concern for how ridiculous I might look.

How about you?  What skills and abilities do you have that you are putting confidence in?  Where have you given up, assuming the battle was already lost?

(And, tell the truth—how many of you couldn’t help yourselves and watched the entire Veggie Tales video?)

Joining with Michelle at Graceful in this week's Hear It, Use It community:

And with Jen and the Soli Deo Gloria sisterhood at Finding Heaven: