I just read this morning, a very familiar story for many people... the tale of David and Goliath in the seventeenth chapter of 1 Samuel. For those of you who may not know the story or have not read it in some time... it begins with the army of the nation of Israel cowering in the shadow of the Philistine army and it’s champion, the giant soldier Goliath. He is daily taunting the ranks of the Israelites. The Israelite see an insurmountable task... to defeat the obstacle before them. In the mist of this, we see the youthful David, the youngest son of Jessie of Bethlehem, arriving to bring supplies to his older brothers and return with news for his father. David sees the fear among the ranks and begins to question the soldiers. We soon see this young shepherd, who refused to don the armor of a warrior, walk out to meet the giant Philistine. With a simple sling and stone the young boy kills the man who held the Israeli army at bay.
Why do I write about this story? Why recount the tale again, though for many it is such a familiar story? Because I was struck again by David… here we see a young man, one who would later be king over God’s people and the writer of much of the Psalms, have faith in his Lord. Unlike so many around him, he stood up and ask the question, "...Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Samuel 17:26)" Wow! What a statement. He stand with these veteran soldiers and challenges their courage and devotion. Later in the account, David says to Goliath, "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
I wonder how often I am the armies of
Each of us daily fights the giants in life, whether we do this on a personal level or as part of the body of Christ, we must stand like David and say who are these people or this circumstance that it should defy the soldiers and armies of the living God. Let us fight so that the whole world will know that their is a God!