Ep. 78. 1 Samuel 17-18 | David and Goliath
EPISODE 78
DAVID AND GOLIATH: 1 SAMUEL 17-18
David and Goliath has to be the most famous story in the Bible for people who don't even go to church or care about Jesus. I can't count the times I've heard someone say, "This is a true case of David and Goliath." Of course, the first time I remember it being used in a secular setting was in the epic 1985 film Rocky IV, which dealt with loss, grief, discipline, revenge, and peace. Of course, I'm referring to the timeless film Rocky IV. Pay attention, and I bet you'll hear several references to this key Bible story over the next few weeks.
What bothers me isn't that the story is referenced so often but rather that people go around saying things like, "God is going to help you slay your giant."
The story of David and Goliath isn't meant to show what someone can do against impossible odds if they just believe deeply enough that God has their back. There are two key things this story absolutely does. First, it shows that God is faithful to his covenant people. When David says, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" David is not concerned with the lack of a medical procedure. David points out that these people (the Philistines) are not in a covenant with God. Abraham was given circumcision as a sign of the covenant. Who were the enemies of God that they should be able to mock the God of covenant? Second, this story begins to establish David as a king. Saul and his army had not responded to the cries of Goliath for thirty-nine days, but David was ready to fight the first time he heard the challenge of this pagan warrior. When David returns home after the war, he will do so to the cheers of the women, "Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands."
So why can't we encourage people with the ever-popular phrase, "You can beat your giant, too?" Because we don't always win. Loved ones will still die. Things will still go wrong. Hearts will still be broken. Cherished friends will abandon us or, worse yet, walk away from Christ. Paul was still beheaded. Peter was still crucified. Countless believers around the world today are still being put to death for the sake of Christ. Someone lost a job today. Someone's life was altered forever based on the news they received by a phone call this morning. A mother didn't wake up from her sleep. A father was killed by a drunk driver. The list goes on and on. When we build people up with weak or false views of the text, we cripple their ability to put true confidence in God. We ought to remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who said, "Our God is able to save us, BUT EVEN IF HE DOESN'T, we won't bow to any but him."
Christian, you won't always win. And Goliath wasn't "David's Giant." Goliath was an enemy of God, and God does always get victory over his enemies. Sin has already been overthrown. Death and the Devil will soon be overthrown at the return of Jesus. Do you wish to offer true encouragement to one another from this text? Then let us remind one another in the midst of the brokenness, "Christ will return and make all things new. God will cast down all of his enemies."
This story is more about the person of God and his purpose for David than it is about anything you and I are going through. Still, we can read this story and be confident that God always gets victory. We need to be cautious that we don't try to read ourselves into every story. Instead, make it your habit to read the Bible and ask the question, "What does this help me to know and understand about God? Or what does this reveal about God's purpose?"
ADDITIONAL READING: Genesis 3:15; 1 Samuel 21:11; 1 Samuel 29:5
