David and Goliath - Pt 1

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. (1 Samuel 17:1-4 ESV).

Today’s devotional begins a look at courage, especially in the face of enormous obstacles. I hope to answers some persistent questions as we face the challenges of life. We need to know where our courage can come from. And, we need to know how we can get it when we need it. From the very basic fear of death to the more mundane, daily fears of our culture, we must understand the story of David and Goliath. So we begin with our reading today. It is one of the most famous stories of all time; and, it is also one of the most misunderstood stories in the Bible. So, let’s start at the beginning of the story, about three thousand years ago. It takes place in the Valley of Elah when a massive man named Goliath of Gath stepped out of the Philistine ranks to defy and taunt the army of Israel and its God. The Scripture says he was “six cubits and a half tall.” For those of us who don’t measure in the Hebrew format, that is about nine feet six inches tall! For forty days, he harangued the Israelite warriors, heaping shame on them, since none dared to accept his fight-to-the-death, winner-take-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 older brothers who were serving in Saul’s army. He heard Goliath pour out his scorn on them. David became indignant. He chastened the fearful men, took his shepherd’s sling, grabbed a few stones, and knocked Goliath unconscious then cut off his head with Goliath’s own sword. We will talk about what this story is not about more tomorrow. Today I want to emphasize it is not about David’s courage or strength. If that were the message I would be hopeless in the face of my challenges. I’m certainly no David. It is about his faith and the strength that comes from his relationship with the Lord. That is something we all can match. It is also centrally about what Jesus has already done for us in the victory won on our behalf. That is what we trust in the midst of our battles! The is no “giant” bigger than Jesus!