With God On His Side, How Could David Lose?

David And Goliath
With God On His Side, How Could David Lose?

We tend to think of young David as someone who had an idyllic life in the meadows, singing to the sheep and enjoying life without a care in the world. However, something totally different might well have been the case. As we read the Old Testament Book of First Samuel, we get glimpses of a home life that wasn’t as easy as we might assume. True, David came from a prosperous and influential family of land owners with productive grain fields and flocks of sheep. (After all, he was the great-grandson of Boaz (and Ruth), who had many workers and abundant harvests.) Our story opens with Jesse, David’s father, sending him to take provisions of grain, bread and cheese to his brothers in the army and also their commander (1 Sam. 17:17-18).

David’s Tough Childhood
The negatives surrounding the early life of David point to some of the difficulties he had to overcome. He had trials that influenced his thinking and formed his strong character to the point that God would characterize him this way: “David ... a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22 NIV).

First, David was the youngest of eight brothers, who treated him with much disdain and did not consider him of much importance. When Samuel went to Jesse’s house to anoint the one who would be king, seven brothers were brought before him. Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” David hadn’t even been considered important enough to call in from the fields. Jesse said, “There is still the youngest ... but he is tending the sheep” (1 Sam. 16:11).

Later, when David took the provisions to the camp where Saul’s army was preparing for battle against the Philistines, being a typical teenager he wanted to see the action, and was there when Goliath came out to challenge Israel to a one-on-one fight. Listen to his older brother and you get an idea of what his brothers thought of David. They picked on him, totally misunderstood him and underrated him: “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle” (1 Sam.17:28). They really put David down and treated him with contempt. Can you hear the ridicule as his brother knocks the size of the flock he cared for?

David had continually been slighted and pushed around by his older brothers, and had learned to channel his anger into positive thinking and tactical maneuvers to get the better of them, even though he was outsized and outnumbered. He was used to being put down. Did he have similar feelings toward Goliath as he planned how he could bring down the Giant? When he spoke of not being afraid of this giant enemy of God’s people, David knew he had the best advantage of all. God was on his side!

When his oldest brother challenged David’s reason for being there, David’s response was typical of sibling arguments: “Now what have I done? ... Can’t I even speak?” (1 Sam. 17:29). In other words, David was saying, “Give me a break! You're not the only one with an opinion. You always tell me to be quiet as though you’re the only one who knows anything.” Picking on their little brother seemed to be normal in Jesse’s family.

David was undervalued by his family and this affected his attitude and feelings. He certainly wasn’t the spoiled baby of the family. Today psychologists would use this family situation as an excuse for maladjusted young people who turn out bad. But David is proof that each person is responsible for his own actions and attitude. While a difficult family life can cause psychological problems and have a detrimental impact on the life of the abused, we should never use that as an excuse for a lack of self-control, wrong attitudes, and personal failure. We need to take responsibility for our actions, confess our sins, and get into happy fellowship with the Lord. David was a man after God’s own heart because he focused on God’s perspective and purpose. He recognized that God had a higher plane on which he could live and structure his life.

David’s Talents
In spite of what his brothers thought of him, David was an exceptional young man, probably with an IQ that was off the charts. Let’s look at four of his talents displayed in the verses surrounding his confrontation with Goliath.

1. He was a musician and songwriter. When King Saul was depressed, someone suggested that good music could help him “feel better.” One of Saul’s men remembered David: “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior ... And the LORD is with him” (1 Sam. 16:18). David didn’t waste his time while shepherding. He used those quiet hours to compose songs, and then sing with a voice that could bring peace to the troubled soul. His many psalms show us how God inspired his natural talent as a writer. They express his relationship with God in the many circumstances of his life, and speak vividly to the heart even today.
2. He was a marksman. He practiced with his slingshot until he could hit the smallest of targets. This practice had its greatest benefit when he faced Goliath who was so covered in bronze armor that only a small space between his eyes was not protected. “Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground” (1 Sam. 17:49).
3. He was a fighter/warrior. “David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and ... cut off his head with the sword” (1 Sam. 17:50-51). Later, all of Israel claimed him as their hero warrior: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” (1 Sam. 18:7).
4. He feared God and stood for what was right. David had already fought with a bear and a lion to protect the sheep in his care. He did not see Goliath as a giant, but rather as an enemy of the God he trusted. “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty ... whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head” (1 Sam. 17:45-46).

The Giant In David’s Life
David had to face other “giants” at different times in his life – such as lustful desire with Bathsheba, and pride in his numbering the troops – but the first giant he confronted was a huge, visible, obvious hulk, about which there was no doubt as to its purpose and challenge.

Goliath was an enemy of God’s people. He said, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other” (1 Sam. 17: 10). This giant defied the armies of Israel and God himself. But David only saw an obstacle not very different from the threatening bear or lion that had stolen one of his sheep. His response wasn’t “Should we do it?” but “How can I do it?” It was an easy decision for David. The challenge was direct, and so was David’s response: “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go out and fight him” (1 Sam. 17:32).

The opponent was a man of tremendous physical strength: “A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was almost ten feet tall. He wore a bronze helmet on his head and a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels” (1 Sam. 17:4-5) The size and physical appearance of a trial can be daunting and depressing.

Mountain-sized problems can overwhelm us. But David gives us the answer to seemingly insurmountable problems: Don’t look at the size of the problem we are facing, but rather look to the Lord and depend on His wisdom and strength. He is always there for us: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isa. 43:2-3).

God’s response to us is just the same as in the times of David and Isaiah. There is within each believer a power that cannot be overcome by anything that Satan, his demons, or the world, can throw at us. There is One within us who is greater, the Holy Spirit of God, who empowers the believer to face the foe and to overcome. “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 Jn. 4:4)

The Giants In Our Lives
We may never have to face a real giant in mortal combat, but all of us will have to face the not-so-obvious giants that Satan sends to oppress and defeat those seeking to be faithful to God. And some of us will have to face opposition and persecution, which are tangible threats that stir up fears, doubts, and depression.

What is God’s answer to us when we face giants in our lives, when we pass through the fires of trial and temptation? There are many promises in the Word as to God’s faithfulness to us and care for us. We should take hold of these promises, “take our stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11) and look for the way of escape He has promised to provide: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13). But you, man of God ... pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” (1 Tim. 6:11-12).

By Ian Taylor