Success Is Never About Defeating Giants [*]

1 SAMUEL 17:34-37

SUCCESS IS NEVER ABOUT DEFEATING GIANTS

“David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.’ And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the LORD be with you!’” [1]

Sent by his father to deliver victuals to his brothers who were enlisted in the armies of the LORD, the teenage boy stumbled into the camp. The situation David discovered was a mess! He finds the soldiers hesitant about the war they are about to fight. Without exception, all the soldiers are focused on what appears to be an impossible situation. They came to fight the enemy, but the enemy has pulled a fast one that left the entire army confused. Rather than the two armies meeting on the field of battle, the enemy has sent a champion to challenge the good guys to a fight—one-on-one! The champion the enemy sent is a nine-footer with his own shield bearer and some weapons larger than anything these men had ever seen—and does he have an ego to match his height!

He struts his stuff before the armies of the LORD. He insults God and dares those cowering within the camp to come fight him. No one will accept the big guy’s challenge, not even the king, who until then had been a hero of sorts in his own right. The king was taller than any other man in the land—taller by at least a head! But even he was short when compared against the champion the enemy had brought to the fight.

Well, along comes this kid named David. This scrawny kid has a pretty good record of fighting lions and bears, but he has never fought a giant. He is incensed that this giant is not only dissing the men huddled in the camp, but he is saying some pretty harsh things about the God Whom they worship. Like many teenage boys, the young man begins to boast about what he would do, and not even his brothers are able to quiet him. Didn’t he know that his mouth would overload his body? He could get himself killed! No wonder his brothers were upset with his boasting!

Wouldn’t you know it, word gets back to the king that there is a big-mouthed kid who is boasting about what he could do. In no time, that lad is hauled into the tent of the king, where he is invited to make his boast again. This boy is a shepherd, and we can be certain that though he may be small, he is rough, rugged, and ready. Moreover, he is tough and acting just like so many young men—filled with bravado. However, this young man has some reason to understand what it is to face danger and win.

Whatever fears his brothers may have held, and their fears were undoubtedly real, the young man convinces the king to let him give it a go—you know, allow him to go down into the valley to face the giant. Desperate for a win, the king tries to fix the lad up with the latest in Israeli armaments and with the best tactical gear available, but nothing fits the young man. The young man must convince the king to let him go into the battle armed with just his shepherd’s staff, a slingshot and five slick river rocks! Armed with these rudimentary weapons, he wins! His nation is spared the humiliation of defeat by these rude Philistines and the army wins the day.

It’s a great story! And for several thousand years, worshippers of the Living God have regaled their children and encouraged people with this story. We’ve been telling and retelling the story of David and Goliath. But are we telling the story correctly? What I mean is that we tell the story as though it is complete when David kills Goliath.

My favorite part of the story is what David says to Saul before he fights Goliath. David recounts his past experiences, and the tale is harrowing. Here is the account we are provided. “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”