Courage - Pt 1

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a 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. This 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 host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.” (1 Samuel 17:45-47 ESV).

There have been so many images come from the incredible storm that hit the coast of Texas. Since I have family in the area and have been personally involved with the unfolding story, I have followed these stories with keen interest. The images and stories, both reported nationally and on a more personal level from friends and family, have renewed my belief in the courage and tenacity of the human spirit. This image of a mother clinging to her child in the tops of a tree to escape the flood waters is just one that sparked my return to a very familiar passage of Scripture. Our reading today is a part of that story. I encourage you to read the whole chapter in its context as we spend a little time in the next few days understanding where this courage and tenacity really comes from. We will also explore where you get it when you need it. When some fear towers over you and threatens you, and you feel like cowering and fleeing into some cave of protection, where do you go? The answers are in the story of David and Goliath. I must begin with the statement that this story is one of the most misunderstood in the Bible. Let’s review. Three thousand years ago, in the Valley of Elah, a massive man named Goliath of Gath stepped out of the Philistine ranks to defy and taunt the army of Israel and its God. For forty days, he harangued the Israelite warriors, heaping shame on them, since none dared to accept his fight-to-the-death, winner-takes-all challenge. Every morning when he stepped forward, the men of God shrank back. Then a teenage Hebrew shepherd boy named David showed up in the camp with some bread and cheese for his soldier big brothers and heard the giant pour out his scorn on the impotent host of his Lord. David was indignant. So he took his shepherd’s sling, grabbed a few stones, knocked Goliath on the block, and chopped off his head. Many think this story is one of personal courage in the face of overwhelming odds. They see David as the archetypal underdog standing up to an arrogant, powerful blowhard. They see him as a self-confident, independent young man who was brave enough to fight for what was right and rely on his own strength and skills, rather than conform to conventional tactics. The popular moral of the story then becomes: “Get out there and face down your giant because the heroically courageous come out on top.” But that is not at all what this story is about. It’s true that David was courageous. But when he faced Goliath, David’s courage was rooted in something entirely other than his personal strength. It was his faith in the Lord. That’s where we must go as well! Tomorrow we will continue to see how we can draw on that strength too!