The theme of I Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 is the story of David and Goliath. I will pay attention in my study to the view of most scholars that the text in the canon is a combination of two separate accounts. However, my focus is on the spiritual and theological lessons Israel and Christians might receive by reflecting upon this story.
The story of David and Goliath is a powerful one. It shows courage to face a fight that it looks like one should lose. It shows confidence in the Lord when external circumstances do not do much to encourage that confidence. It shows humility that regardless of the outcome, the glory belongs to the Lord. It also shows, however, that if you are David facing Goliath, you will need to adopt a strategy that takes advantage of the weakness contained in the strength of Goliath and the strength contained in the smallness of David.
Goliath still fascinates us. Amur Siberian tiger is the largest subspecies of tigers in the world. Some believe that fewer than 100 exist in the world. Goliath, at 1200 pounds, is one big cat. The Goliath Beetle has a measurement of up to eight inches long and two inches wide. The West African Goliath Frog measures eleven inches from snout to vent and weighs in at over seven pounds. A 287 foot, 1500-ton crane that stood on the bands of the river Clyde in Scotland, standing as a sentry at the Port of Glasgow until 1997, had the name of Goliath. One series of Pentium processors had the name Goliath. If it is big, it is Goliath. Frankly, Goliath usually gets his way. You need courage to face Goliath.
The Goliaths in our lives present a formidable challenge, but we do not have to face them alone. God is with us, and while we should do our best to prepare to slay these giants, we ultimately trust God for the result, knowing that whatever happens will be for the glory of the Lord. Such a story invites down a path of courage. In many ways, courage is the most important of the ancient virtues. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue consistently.[1] Facing the Goliaths in our lives means we are facing hardship. It means we face calamity. In facing such challenges in our lives, we are developing courage. As is often the case, the human characteristics we admire most grow out of the soil that has a strong mixture of troubles.[2]
There are experiences in this life that change us. Some episodes of joy can have that effect, but it is often the experiences of pain and struggle that mark us for life and influence the course of all our days to come. Crises, they are called. The word “crisis” comes from Latin, and before that, Greek. Its original meaning is “decision” … or we could say, “point of decision.” In a crisis, events tumble in, fast and furious. You may want to just go to bed and pull the covers up over your head. But, if it is a genuine crisis, that is impossible. A crisis forces a decision. It may be the right one or the wrong one, but a decision must be made. Inaction is not an option. We could even say that not choosing a course of action is, itself, a choice.
Gen. George S. Patton knew something about crises. His experience as a combat general during World War II was one crisis after another. Sharing his own philosophy of dealing with crises, Patton had this to say: “A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied 10 minutes later.” Spoken like a true crisis manager! Find yourself in a crisis, and you must act. Doing nothing is not an option.
In the story before us, Israel faces a crisis, and it will be young David who helps the nation face their opposition, the Philistines.
I Samuel 17:1a and 4-11 is part of the first account of the story of David and Goliath. In 17:1, the story opens with the notice that 1a now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. Socoh was strategically important to both Philistines and Israelites. Israelite-Philistine conflict began as early as the period of the judges (ca. 1,200-1,150 B.C.; Judges 1:18-19, 3:1-3, 31). It culminated in the Philistine defeat of the Israelites at Ebenezer (near Aphek, just east of modern Tel Aviv), the capture of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel 4:1-11), and the end of Shiloh as the center of the Israelite cult (1 Samuel 4:12-22, 7:2). The inability of the Israelite tribal league to check Philistine expansion into the hill country occupied by the Israelite tribes (largely due to the Philistine monopoly on iron, 1 Samuel 13:19-21) precipitated the crisis in Israelite leadership that led to the selection of Saul as Israel's first king (1 Samuel 8:4-9). In verse 4, we find the only mention of Goliath in the account. 4 Further, there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. Goliath appears from the camp of the Philistines as a "champion", using a rare Hebrew word that occurs only here and in verse 23 in the Hebrew Bible. (The word translated "champion" in verse 51 is actually a much commoner Hebrew word.) We also find a reference to his height. The cubit was the distance from a man's elbow to the tip of his middle finger, about 18 inches. A span was about nine inches. If 4 cubits, he would be 6 foot and 9 inches, if six cubits, he would be nine foot 9 inches. In verse 5-7, the text divulges not only the strength of Goliath, but also his one weak spot. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he armed himself with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. The body armor weighed 125 lbs. 15 ounces (18:5) and the javelin weighed 15 lbs. (18:7). The thing that makes Goliath seem strong is the source of his greatest weakness. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. Goliath's taunt avoids the obvious parallel "Israelites" because its neighbors probably did not yet know the loose confederation of Israelite tribes that had responded to the muster as a unified entity, which formed only gradually under the influence of kingship. Goliath's proposal of a man-on-man fight to determine the outcome of an entire war is one we find elsewhere in ancient literature (e.g., the Iliad). 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." 10 In addition, the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man that we may fight together." 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Then, from the second account, 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. In addition, David heard him. The men of Israel ran away from him, terrified. Verses 32-37a is from the first account. 32David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." In verses 33-37a, we might see this as the only real moment of friendship they have in their long association together, 33 Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy (na'ar), and he has been a warrior from his youth." 34 However, David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." David protests that his training as a shepherd was enough. He had divine assistance in his escapes from wild animals. 37a David said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." He now trusts he will have the divine assistance he needs. Then, in the second account, 37bso Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you!" In verses 38-39, from the first account, 38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." Therefore, David removed them. The fact that David could not walk with all the armor gives a lighthearted touch to the story. It also emphasizes David's lack of training and his vulnerability. Both of these points emphasize his dependence on God. Yet, were David appears weak he is strong. By not wearing armor, he can move around quickly. He is unlike Goliath, whose movement is slow and cumbersome. Actually, the theological point partially eludes Saul, who clothes David in his own armor, which David rejects as immobilizing. In verse 40, 40 then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. David brings his shepherd staff. David's appearance before Saul as a response to the Philistine challenge is as inversely arresting as Goliath's appearance had been to the Israelite camp. The strategy of David is becoming clear. Even the fact that he took five stones indicates his recognition that he may miss his first shot. We can imagine him strolling down to the wadi (the dry creek-bed), because that is where he will find the smoothest stones. Picture him softly humming to himself as he goes about the familiar business of loading up his pouch. Young David is humble. He is confident. He has an ability to focus on the task at hand. David is thinking only about choosing just the right size and shape of stone, and about how the action he must take to launch it is no different than what he has done hundreds of times before. David clearly trusts God. As an adult, he would forget these qualities, but in this moment of crisis, he is an example to us all. The writer mentions the barest details of the battle between David and Goliath. In the second account, 41 the Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. David darted out of the lines to meet the Philistine. In verse 42-47, from the first account, the writer makes the contrast between the weak Israelite, but whom the Lord fortifies, and the strong Philistine, who has the normal implements of war. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome. 43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?" Moreover, the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." 45 However, David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied (blasphemed/railed against.) 46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, (II Kings 19:19) 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and the Lord will give you into our hand." Israel relies upon its Lord for victory, which is the only true weapon David has. The theme of reliance upon the Lord rather than military might is common in Scripture. The Lord of hosts tells Zerubbabel that he will win through the spirit of the Lord rather than might or power (Zechariah 4:6). The Lord will save Israel, but not by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen (Hosea 1:7). The Lord will help Judah fight its battles, contrasting that with the human qualities of the enemy (II Chronicles 32:8). The Lord wants to be their strength. However, if they trust in horses their enemies will be more swift and strong than they are (Isaiah 30:15-16). Disaster will come upon them if they rely upon Egypt, horses, and chariots rather than looking to the Lord for help (Isaiah 31:1). Armed only with his sling and five wadi stones, David approaches Goliath "in the name of the Lord of hosts" (v. 45), using an ancient title of Israel's deity that designated Yahweh's command of heavenly as well as earthly armies. David reiterates the point of Yahweh's sovereignty by declaring that Yahweh does not deliver by "sword and spear" - the implements by which the iron-armed Philistines held an undisputed technological advantage over the bronze-equipped Israelites (v. 47) - but by his will alone, obedience to which was Israel's sole and unconquerable advantage. 48a The Philistine drew nearer to meet David. Then, from the second account, 48bDavid ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. Then, from the first account, 49 David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. As Goliath slowly advances, David can easily outrun him, staying just outside javelin range, until the angle and distance are just right and he can let that stone fly. David's sling was not like modern slingshots, which have a Y-shaped frame and an elastic band to pull back with the projectile; it is a length of cord fastened to a piece of material (which holds the stone), with another length of cord on the other end (Google "shepherd's sling" for photos). One whips it around and around, and then one releases one end at the optimum time. Soldiers used the sling effectively in ancient warfare. In fact, 700 left-handed soldiers could sling a stone at a hair and not miss Judges 20:16. Mighty warriors from the tribe of Benjamin will assist David in battle, among them those who could sling stones with either right or left hand (I Chronicles 12:1-2). A sling, in the hands of a person who knows how to use it, is a fearsome weapon. The stopping-power of a small stone, thrown from a sling at maximum velocity, is the equivalent of a 45-caliber bullet. After the death of the Philistine, David delivers the coup de grace with Goliath's own sword (v. 51a).
Here is a story of another person facing a crisis.
I was reading Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick at the time. There is a turbulent scene in which a whaleboat scuds across a frothing ocean in pursuit of the great white whale, Moby Dick. The sailors are laboring fiercely, every muscle taut, all attention and energy concentrated on the task. The cosmic conflict between good and evil is joined; chaotic sea and demonic sea monster versus the morally outraged man, Captain Ahab. In this boat, however, there is one man who does nothing. He doesn’t hold an oar; he doesn’t perspire; he doesn’t shout. He is languid in the crash and the cursing. This man is the harpooner, quiet and poised, waiting. And then this sentence: “To insure the greatest efficiency in the dart, the harpooners of this world must start to their feet out of idleness, and not out of toil.” Was this a confirmation to cultivate what I had named an “unbusy pastor”? A harpooner? …
The church is a whaleboat. In such a world, noise is inevitable, and immense energy is expended. But if there is no harpooner in the boat, there will be no proper finish to the chase. Or if the harpooner is exhausted, having abandoned his assignment and become an oarsman, he will not be ready and accurate when it is time to throw his javelin. The metaphor, harpooner, was starting to get inside me. Somehow it always seems more compelling to assume the work of the oarsman, laboring mightily in a moral cause, throwing our energy into a fray that we know has immortal consequence. And it always seems more dramatic to take on the outrage of a Captain Ahab, obsessed with a vision of vengeance and retaliation, brooding over the ancient injury done by the Enemy. There is, though, other important work to do. Someone must throw the dart.[3]
The image of the boy David facing the giant Goliath has much more significance for Israelite literature than simply providing a hero tale concerning the first great king of the United Monarchy. David’s combat with Goliath is a metaphor for Israel’s relationship with the world. Surrounded by giant empires on all sides, tiny Israel had the least sophistication in military arms. They had no natural borders or defenses. They had no long imperial history like the Egyptians or the Mesopotamians. As a people, they were a nation of shepherds surrounded by armed giants.
In terms of history, Israel was truly a juvenile nation surrounded by the wisdom of ancients. The message of the entire Old Testament in many ways can be boiled down to this one image. Israel is of no consequence whatsoever apart from the fact that Yahweh is their God. God’s power is all the greater because of the weakness of those who are blessed with the right to call it down. It is precisely because David is weak, and flawed, and in this scene defenseless, that God’s great miracle of salvation shines all the brighter.
Throughout Old Testament literature are characters whose very weakness is the means of displaying God’s strength. David in this scene reminds one of the boy Joseph, who alone in a foreign land, imprisoned, enslaved, and defenseless, rises to power and saves his entire people (Genesis 39-50). David, in his position of youngest brother, reminds one of the many younger sons, such as Jacob, Judah and Ephraim, who are chosen over their elder brothers to inherit the blessing that should, by human logic, have been given to others. The story of the underdog who triumphs through faith in God is one of the most popular and dominant literary themes in ancient Israel.[4]
This story also teaches that no matter how great we think a hero is, the real power behind any heroic victory is the power of God to save.
Well, I suppose we are too sophisticated for “boy meets giant” stories. What can this story say to us today?
If two goliaths meet, they will confront each other strength on strength. An example would be World War I and II. The battle will be bloody. However, if your sizing up a situation and recognize a battle is coming, are you David or Goliath? The point here is awareness of your situation. You will need to adopt a different strategy, depending upon the way you evaluate the battle to come. Putting it this way, of course, means that Goliath does not have to be bad. He just might be big and strong. Goliath has his uses. He also has weaknesses, of which he must be aware. However, we will stay close to the biblical story and say that the Goliath we face is a bad actor.
First, Goliath is still here. He is real. When we talk about the power of small, we are really talking about the power of God. We do not need more Goliath’s. We do need more David’s, ready to stand up to them.
Second, sometimes, those who are weak in terms of outward measurements prevail over those who are strong by those same outward measurements. Such a story has drama in that one wonders how it will happen in the story. After all, it does not happen often in real life. Yet, somehow, I receive encouragement in such stories. I often feel weak and small before the world. I am no Goliath. My family has no Goliath characters in it.
In the former Soviet Union, churches were full of little old women. That was lamented before the downfall of communism. They may have known more about what was going on in the streets of Moscow than those in the Kremlin. Lenin is gone. Gorbachev is gone. The little women are still there. Vaclav Havel has said that the monolith began to crumble with the quiet, unspectacular, grassroots withdrawal of consent from among the people. Ordinary people, little people, people whom the world would call losers, in dozens of ordinary places, simply refused to participate in the communist lies. They refused to play by the rules of a silly game laid upon their backs by the powerful. The courage to resist was largely religious in origin. The courage to say "No" came from a "Yes" that transcended and dethroned the tyranny of the political. By the way, in case you are keeping score, its little old ladies 1, Lenin, Stalin, etc., 0. Third, sometimes, the tide of the battle changes because of some relatively insignificant person or event. It reminds me that great results often begin small. A single, unremarkable person in other respects can change the course of history.
I like stories in which those who are weak in terms of outward measurements prevail over those who are strong by those same outward measurements. Such a story has drama in that one wonders how it will happen in the story. After all, it does not happen often in real life. Yet, somehow, I receive encouragement in such stories. I often feel weak and small before the world. How am I to prevail?
I also like stories in which the tide of the battle changes because of some relatively insignificant person or event. It reminds me that great results often begin small. A single, unremarkable person in other respects can change the course of history.
The story of David and Goliath is a story that incorporates such dramatic elements. Beneath this story is one of the few touching moments between David, the future king, and Saul, the king he is to replace. Saul seems genuinely touched by the young boy’s confidence in God. Beneath this story is the theme of why David is a superior leader for Israel than Saul. Beneath this story, Israel can see itself. Israel is small, weak, and insignificant on the world stage of history. It does not have sophisticated weapons. Giant empires surround it. It had a simple tribal history, rather than the imperial history of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Syria. It was a nation of shepherds surrounded by empires. What chance did it have? This story reminds Israel that it can still have rich blessings because of the Lord who has chosen them.
In many ways, one could boil down the message of the entire Old Testament to this one image. Israel is of no consequence whatsoever apart from the fact that their Lord is the one true God of the universe. The power of the Lord is all the greater because of the weakness of those whom Lord blesses with the right to call it down. It is precisely because David is weak, and flawed, and in this scene defenseless, that Lord’s great miracle of salvation shines all the brighter.
Why does the story have such power in both Jewish and Christian circles? The hope of David is in the Lord rather than in the instruments of war. We can see ourselves here. We often have limited worldly resources, but we can still have confidence in the Lord, who gives victory to the weak. We may be weak, but we are not powerless. We need to see the power we do have and adopt a strategy that may lead to victory over Goliath. Our faith and confidence in the Lord does not absolve us of the responsibility for being an agent of history rather than its victim.
Throughout Old Testament literature are characters whose very weakness is the means of displaying God’s strength. We can put this insight in a different way. If you are David facing your Goliath, you will need to see that what appears to be the strength of the giant is his weakness. What might like look weakness in you is your strength. You will need to have enough sense not to meet Goliath on his terms. You will need to adopt a strategy that makes strength out of your smallness and weakness.
This story also teaches that no matter how great we think a hero is the real power behind any heroic victory is the power of the Lord to save. Their only true wealth was in Lord’s seemingly irrational decision to grant Israel rank and power on the world stage. Without Lord’s power, Israel would have truly been like one small child facing an armed giant with a slingshot and some stones, and the ending to their story would not have been a happy one.
[1] Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage. --Maya Angelou.
[2] He who knows no hardships will know no hardihood. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is, the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a strong mixture of troubles. --Harry Emerson Fosdick.
[3] —Eugene Peterson, The Pastor: A Memoir (HarperCollins, 2011). Kindle Highlight Loc. 4726-33, 4736-42.
[4] Susan Niditch Underdogs and Tricksters: A Prelude to Biblical Folklore (San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1987).
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