Have Faith – Like David Facing Goliath
Why don’t we have faith like David’s when he took down Goliath? After all, we serve the same God. We are children of the Most High King, just like David was. Why do we fall short and behave timidly instead of being fierce warriors for our faith? Most of us are probably familiar with the popular story of David and Goliath, but I think we can all use a reminder of the fearlessness and faith that David faced Goliath with.
The Israelite soldiers, which included David’s brothers, were terrified of Goliath. Every day Goliath would come out and taunt them and one can only imagine that their fears grew greater day by day, knowing that eventually they would have to fight this giant. I think we often behave in this manner, growing daily in fear of certain looming situations, instead of calling upon the strength of our Lord. Then David happens upon the scene to provide some provisions for his brothers and their leaders. Unlike the soldiers who have been listening to Goliath challenge them on a daily basis and have retreated in fear, David is completely unaffected by the obvious physical challenges of the situation and responds….
1 Samuel 17:26
David asked the men standing near him, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
Indeed who is this that challenges the living God? Repeatedly, David describes Goliath as “uncircumcised” (restrain your giggling, inner school girl) and realize that this means that David knows that Goliath doesn’t know his God. Thus, David doesn’t even consider Goliath a worthy opponent. Although Goliath is giant by any measure, he is not bigger than our God! Historians believe that David would have been about 22 years old when he faced Goliath, I suppose he could be viewed as being at that age where he thought he knew everything and wasn’t smart enough to know any better. Surely that is what his brothers believed of him.
1 Samuel 17:28
When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him [Daivd] speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
Even Saul didn’t believe David was capable of fighting Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:33
Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
What is amazing about this story is that David is UTTERLY UNAFFECTED by their words and doubts. He is so steadfast in his faith, that their words are seemingly UNHEARD by him. I pray that we would have faith in God like David’s faith illustrated in this story. David is so confident in his God that he is completely unshaken, fearless and tenacious even amidst the questions that his God may possibly fail him. This is faith that we need to pay attention to!
1 Samuel 17:32
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”
Read that verse again and really let it resonate with you. Do you operate your everyday life this way? Why don’t WE have this same kind of faith as David’s when we are faced with adversity or frustration? There are so many challenges in our world today, whether they be in our mind, family or the world, why do we let them rattle us? We serve the same God that David served.
1 Samuel 17:36-37
Your servant [David] has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”
We serve the same God that David was absolutely certain would rescue him from the bear, lion and Goliath. I don’t know about you, but the things I face seem like they are as big as a bear, lion or Goliath, but the truth of the matter is that I have never had to fight for my life against any of these adversaries and I probably never will. Imagine walking into a fist fight with any of these opponents without an ounce of fear! That is where I urge you (and me) to operate out of for that is what God is telling us through this tale! Please don’t pick fights with bears after reading this, but I think we need to mentally “man up” and have faith like David shows here. We need to be CONFIDENT to head into battle whatever may come across our path each and every day.
1 Samuel 17:45-47
David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
We all tend to love the story of David and Goliath because the young David took down a mighty, equipped warrior with a slingshot. Read the previous verses again though, David isn’t boasting of his superior slingshot skills, he is confident in “the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel”. He says “THE LORD will deliver you [Goliath] into my hands” “it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S, and HE will give all of you [Philistines] into our hands.” We don’t need to find assurance in our own gifts or abilities, whether God provided or humanly perfected over time. We need to be assured of peace in God. God is what we can rest easy in. Let this encourage us not to be passive and anxious, let this story remind us of the tenacity that David approached battle against Goliath. We need to trust in faith beyond understanding that our Lord, God Almighty, is fully capable of victory in every situation.
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
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