David is one of the most recognizable and popular figures in all of scripture. His battle against Goliath is one of the most iconic stories in all of history so that even non-believers are familiar with the story. I won’t rehearse the story in detail because of time considerations but if you are fuzzy on the details, 1 Samuel 17 would be the place to go. As your recall, Israel and the Philistines are camped opposite one another in a valley only about twelve miles from Bethlehem. For forty days, the Philistine champion Goliath has come forth morning and evening to challenge Israel. Forty, of course, is the biblical number for testing and purifying. The faith of Israel has been tested without great results because no one has been willing to step out to face the man who has been blaspheming the God of Israel every day, twice a day, for well over a month.
Of course, David arrives to check on his brothers and the status of the battle and hears the challenge of Goliath. David can’t believe that someone hasn’t stepped out in faith to take on the bully so he offers to face the nine-foot champion of Israel’s enemy. I assume that Saul had become desperate and somewhat embarrassed by his own lack of courage. After all, one of the reasons he was made king is that he stood head and shoulders above most men In Israel. Kings were supposed to lead their nations into battle in those days. It is likely that Saul was also the biggest Hebrew on the field and one of the only Hebrews with real weapons and probably the only one with armor. The Philistines knew how to work iron, a technology that had not been mastered by the Israelites, and so they were well armed with swords and shields while Israel came with clubs, axes, farm implements, sticks and probably a few slings.
Apparently, in a moment of desperation, Saul allowed a young, untrained shepherd boy to step out as the champion of Israel. You know the rest of the story but a few details are worth mentioning. First of all, David approached the battle with a primary motive of vindicating the name of the God of Israel. His anger burned because Goliath had spent 4o days declaring that the God of Israel was powerless against him and the gods of Philistia, including Dagon. Some Jewish Rabbis believe that Goliath had the name of Dagon inscribed on his uniform covering his heart. David’s motive was to honor God and to uphold his name.
Secondly, after Saul offered David his armor, David laid it aside because it didn’t fit him. They didn’t order up a smaller size because Saul’s was the only armor in the camp. But David believed that God had already equipped him for the moment with both faith and a weapon that was suited to David. David drew faith from prior encounters with his enemies, a lion and a bear, and determined that since God had delivered from wild animals as he protected his sheep, this “giant” was no more of a match for God than the critters David had already dispatched. It’s noteworthy that David didn’t despise the things with which God had already equipped him. A sword and armor certainly looks more impressive than a leather strap and a rock but David knew how to use the sling and by faith saw that it was sufficient for the moment…in fact, it was more than sufficient. The sword that Saul had offered would have placed him within the reach of the giant’s spear while a sling kept him out of reach and facing the giant on David’s terms rather than Goliath’s.
When we face giants in our lives we often see ourselves as Goliath saw David – small, inexperienced, and incapable. We began to compare ourselves to others and think that others are better equipped to face our giants than we are. Yet God is not surprised by our dilemma and has already made provision for the victory. In many cases he has already prepared us and given us what we need, along with him, to overcome the adversity before us. Instead of believing that God will supernaturally use what we already have we often start looking for what others have. Instead of believing that God will do something amazing with our five loaves and fishes we start scouring the countryside for someone elses provisions.
It’s not that we never need help or never need others to stand beside us in the battle. The problem is that I see so many who believe that God would never work through them in powerful ways or give them a miracle so they turn down opportunities to pray for the sick, cast out a demon, press in for a miracle, or share there faith with a “biker.” Instead, they call the pastor or the highly gifted person in their church to do those things. They never grow because they assume God always works through others and never believe that God will work through them. David assumed that if God put the burden on his heart to face the enemy, then God would use David as he was to bring down the giant. David had faith for that moment because he had faced scary moments before when God had to show up or disaster was in the making. Every time David had been in over his head in the natural, God had moved in the supernatural. Granted, bears and lions didn’t carry javelins so this was an even bigger risk but the lesser risks and God’s faithfulness in the past prepared him for this one.
Our problem is that most of us intentionally live “spiritually safe” lives without much risk. We believe. We get along with our neighbors and live unoffensive lives. We pray for the ordinary and live in the ordinary. We rarely put ourselves in places of risk – either the risk of our lives or our dignity. We tend to turn down mission trips to dangerous third world environments for a variety of great reasons. We don’t publically ask for the impossible in our prayers, command bodies to be healed, or bark orders at demons because we don’t want to be disappointed or embarrassed if God says no. We don’t risk over and over and so our faith doesn’t multiply each time God comes through. Because we haven’t proven God, when a real giant steps onto our stage we have no faith for the battle. The best we can do is run to find others who do. I’m not opposed to that. I’m just saying that it is not the best because God has made us to kill our giants with his help and unless we face the giants our faith will never grow and our belief that God can use us to do great things will never flourish.
Scripture says that you can do all things through Christ. Scripture says that you are more than a conqueror. You have power and authority over the enemy. My encouragement is that you choose to believe that God has also prepared you to overcome the enemy. Your armor and your weapons may be different from mine but they are the ones God has prepared you to wield. So today, charge the enemy with the strength, the gifts, and the experience he has given you. Do it in his name and for his glory and watch the giants fall. Be blessed.
