David and Goliath - Pt 2

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. (1 Samuel 17:45-46 ESV).

Many think David’s defeat of Goliath is a story of personal courage in the face of overwhelming odds. They see David as the archetypal underdog, 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 is this: 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, and courage is an essential, glorious virtue. But when he faced Goliath, David’s courage was a derivative virtue. It was being empowered by his faith. Before looking at David’s faith, we need to ask why Saul and his soldiers lacked it, at least at this moment. On the surface, the answer seems manifestly obvious. The Philistine champion was about nine-feet tall and incredibly strong (vv. 4-7). He was a highly trained, experienced warrior who had sent many opponents to their death (v. 33). Physically, every man in the Hebrew camp was outclassed. Fighting Goliath looked like a suicide mission at best. But it is not as it seemed. First of all, because fighting Goliath didn’t look like suicide to David, who was as physically outclassed as anyone else, but also, because these men believed in God and knew Israel’s history. They knew the stories, how God had overcome one giant adversary after another. Many of them had personally seen God do amazing things, such as Jonathan’s defeat of a Philistine garrison (cf. 1 Samuel 14). No, the men lacked courage to face Goliath because at this moment the men lacked faith. At this moment, for whatever reason, despite all the stories and past experiences, Goliath looked bigger than God. Each man believed that if he went out against this huge warrior, he would be on his own and be defeated in death (v. 44). It was this same faith that gave David the ability to write the psalm in our meme today that also gave him courage to face Goliath. He knew what God would do in the face of such an enemy. He had proven it many times before. This is the same truth of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Death could not hold Jesus and neither can it hold us. He is greater and more powerful even than that final spectre. This is the root of our sure hope that empowers us to live with Davidic courage! Rejoice, your end is already written and cannot be undone!