“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. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord‘s, and he will give you into our hand.””
Have you heard the story of David and Goliath?
David and Goliath may be one of the best-known stories in the Bible. Even people who rarely open a Bible know what a “David versus Goliath” situation means. It is the little guy taking on the giant, the underdog overcoming impossible odds.
That is part of the story, but it isn’t really the point.
When David walks onto the battlefield, he doesn’t give the Israelite army a motivational speech about believing in themselves. He doesn’t tell them that even the smallest person can accomplish great things if he has enough courage.
David’s confidence is somewhere else entirely.
Goliath comes armed with a sword, spear, and javelin. David comes
“in the name of the Lord of hosts.”
Then he explains why he believes the giant will fall:
“The battle is the Lord’s.”
For forty days, Goliath had challenged Israel. Every morning and evening, he came out and mocked them, and every time the Israelites saw him, they were terrified.
Their problem was not that they had misjudged Goliath. He really was dangerous. From a human perspective, Israel had good reason to be afraid. Their problem was that they were looking at Goliath as though he were the biggest reality on the battlefield.
David saw something they had forgotten. Goliath was big, but God was greater.
We can make the same mistake. A problem grows until it fills our entire field of vision. We examine it from every angle, imagine what might happen, and calculate what we can do about it. Eventually, the problem can begin to seem bigger than everything else.
Faith doesn’t require us to pretend our problems are small. It remembers that our problems are not God.
There is also something even greater happening in this story. David is God’s chosen king, stepping forward on behalf of God’s frightened people. While Israel stands helplessly watching, David enters the battle and wins a victory that becomes theirs.
In that way, David gives us a glimpse of the greater Son of David who would come after him.
Jesus faced enemies we could never defeat for ourselves: sin, death, and the devil. He did not stand at a safe distance and tell us how to overcome them. He entered the battle for us. At the cross, it appeared that He had been defeated. Then, on Easter morning, the tomb stood empty.
His victory became ours.
Sometimes people have used stories like David and Goliath to say that if we just have enough faith, we can overcome every obstacle in our way and accomplish anything we set our heart on. But God doesn’t promise that. Our victory is in Christ, but that doesn’t mean every difficult situation in this life will end the way we want. David’s victory over Goliath is not a promise that Christians will always defeat every earthly obstacle. It is a reminder of where our confidence ultimately rests.
The battle belongs to the Lord, and in Christ, the decisive battle has already been won.
Let’s pray…
Heavenly Father,
When the problems before me seem overwhelming, help me remember that they are never greater than You. Forgive me for trusting in my own strength or being ruled by fear. Thank You for sending Jesus to fight the battle I could never win and for giving me His victory over sin and death. Keep my eyes fixed on Him.
Amen.
As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:
After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
