Don’t be afraid.

If you are in fear, recount your past victories in the LORD God. If you cannot recall any past victories, then recount the victory of Christ in faith that will be manifested through you. David brought his victorious testimony against Goliath with confidence in the Lord His God.

David’s victory against Goliath is frequently considered a huge surprise, or upset, or stunning event. However, an objective assessment tells that David’s victory was not a surprise. David fought and killed stronger, nimbler enemies, such as lions and bears. David brought a projectile weapon that could travel faster than 34 meters per second, a force enough to crack the human skull. Plus, ultimately, David had the LORD God on his side. In contrast, Goliath expected a conventional one-on-one battle using sword or spear. Besides, he was “backed by” his false god, Dagon, which was no help at all. David’s win was not to be a surprise.

Summary

David expressed his desire to fight Goliath the Philistine and was brought before Saul. Saul worried that David was not adequate to fight the Philistine. However, David recounted his past victories against bears and lions and convinced Saul that the LORD who delivered him from the paw of the lion and bear would deliver him from the hand of this Philistine. 

Instead of equipping himself with Saul’s armor, helmet and sword, David took five smooth stones, a sling, and a stick to face the Philistine and declared that he came in the name of the LORD God Almighty. David ran quickly toward the battle line and slung the stone to strike the Philistine on his forehead. The Philistine fell on his face to the ground. Thus, David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. For the final blow, David drew out the sword of the Philistine to cut off his head. 

With the death of their champion, the Philistine army fled, and the men of Israel and Judah pursued them as far as to the gates of Ekron, slaughtering them and plundering their camps. 

Prudent in Speech: Encouragement to His Fellow Armies

Back in chapter 16 of 1 Samuel, David was reputed to “be prudent in speech (1 Samuel 16:18).” Being a prudent speaker does not necessarily mean eloquence in speaking. Being prudent in speech means speaking in apt time to give hope and encouragement to his people.

For 40 days, no warrior volunteered to fight Goliath to relieve Saul, who was overcome by fear. “Like a cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a distant land (Prov 25:25),” David presented himself before Saul. He must have been the first volunteer in 40 days, encouraging Saul by saying “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine (1 Samuel 17:32).” David’s encouragement to Saul was not mere words. He knew that he could fight the Philistine and win. 

Prudent in Speech: Testimony of Past Victories in the LORD God

When Saul expressed his doubt and worries when David voiced his intention to fight Goliath, David reassured Saul that he could win against the Philistine. He began the reassurance process by sharing his victorious testimony in the LORD God Almighty as a shepherd. David gave his testimony for two major purposes: 1) to dislodge the fear of Saul and Israel with God’s courage and perspective; and 2) to declare war against his external enemies, the Philistines.

First, David told Saul that fought against and killed both lions and bears, stronger and swifter enemies. Therefore, David logically concluded that he could kill the Philistine. David’s testimony to Saul highlighted his faithfulness as a shepherd, a responsibility given by the LORD God. To be a good shepherd, he needed to fend off predators, such as the lion and bear. He must have undergone numerous occasions of life-death situations while protecting his flock and sheep. He had to draw closer to the LORD as he faithfully shepherded his flock and sheep because his life was at stake at numerous times. Therefore, as a shepherd, he must have continued to hone his skills to the utmost of his ability to become one of the “best” in the nation – to the level of having a lethal slingshot to repel and even kill formidable predators. He could have decided to stay as a mediocre shepherd, letting go of his sheep when lions and bears attacked, rationalizing that his life was more valuable than a single sheep. However, through that faithful process of doing his best in his occupation as a shepherd, he became a veteran warrior at a very young age around 16. Above all, although he became a mighty warrior, he confessed that it was the LORD God delivered him from the paws of the lion and the bear. His faithfulness to the shepherd occupation must have been part of the heart of man that the LORD looks at (1 Samuel 16:7). 

In addition, David may have learned how to play lyre in order to express his gratitude and praise to God because God saved him numerous times from pierce predator animals. David, in gratitude for being saved by God, used lyre to sing praises to the lord.  Before God, he was a worship leader in lyre. To the flock of sheep, he was a gentle shepherd. Against the lions and other beasts, however, he was a fierce warrior. 

This was his testimony before Saul. Either convinced by David’s testimony or giving up, Saul allowed David to go and fight the Philistine. 

Prudent in Speech: Declaration of War against Enemies 

“Every Battle Is Won Before It Is Ever Fought” 

Sun Zu

Note that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine when the Philistine drew near to meet David. He showed no fear whatsoever to the Philistine, who was of enormous size. This proactive stance in the battle must have been a product of what David learned from his numerous fights against lions and bears. Having fought against these predators, he knew that he had to confront them head-on. Running away or showing his back to these predators would be equivalent to a death sentence. 

David brought his testimony against the Philistine. This version of David’s testimony was different from that was given to Saul. A quick summary of the testimony to the Philistine is this: “I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty, whom you taunted. I will kill you and remove your head. All the earth may know that there is God in Israel and the battle is the LORD’s.”

David’s testimony in the LORD God was incredibly “cruel” and offensive. Yet, his anger was probably justified because the Philistine taunted the name of the LORD God. He used his sling to strike the Philistine on his forehead. After the Philistine fell on his face to the ground, David used the sword of the Philistine to remove his head. David indeed delivered his testimony.

David’s victory against Goliath is frequently considered a huge surprise, or an upset, or a stunning event. However, objective assessment shows that David’s victory was not a surprise. David fought and killed stronger, nimbler enemies, such as lions and bears as his testimony to Saul indicated. David brought a projectile weapon that could travel faster than 34 meters per second (70+ mph), which has enough force to penetrate the human skull. On the other hand, Goliath relied on conventional one-on-one fighting using a sword or a spear. Plus, ultimately, David had the LORD God on his side. His win against the Philistine was not an upset. He knew he could win based on his past experience fighting against predators with the help of his God. God knew that David would win. The “only” surprised people were the Israel army and the Philistines. 

Meaning of Humility Revisited 

David’s stepping out to volunteer himself to fight the Philistine was an ultimate sign of humility. Humility is expressed when we make the most of our ability – given by God – to serve others. In this particular situation where Israel was facing the Philistines in the battlefield, David accurately assessed his winning odds against the Philistine and brought a morale-boosting victory to his fellow Israelites. 

What if David stayed quiet, unwilling to manifest himself to fight the Philistine (which would have been a false humility)? Israel would have continued to fear and eventually lost this battle. 

Israel Victorious, but…

David’s killing of the Philistine raised morale for Israel to give them a resounding victory. However, the army of Israel plundered the camp of the Philistine (1 Samuel 17:53). Plundering itself is a usual activity during the battles in the days of ancient Israel. However, the author used the word “Šāsas,” which has some negative connotation of the plundering activities. This plundering of the Philistine camp by the Israelites may not have been pleasing to the sight of the LORD – unlike the plundering (Nāṣal) of Egypt when the LORD brought the Israelites out of them (Exodus 12:6). 

What God may have wanted Saul and the Israel army to do was to chase the Philistines to defeat them more thoroughly as this was the original mission given to Saul by God (1 Samuel 9:6). It was possible that the Israel army was distracted and placed more of their effort plundering the Philistines’ material than the Philistines themselves. Later, Saul and sons of Saul were killed by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31). 

Victory that should point to the LORD God 

Young David was incredible in his victory. He was a faithful shepherd, and as a shepherd he honed his projectile weapon skill to the pinnacle level to be a mighty warrior. However, let’s not forget that this victory should point to God. 

Before the actual fight, David and the Philistine exchange a clash of worldview. The Philistine came with sword, spear, and javelin whereas David declared that he came in the name of the LORD and all the earth would know that God resided in Israel. 

David acknowledged that it was God who delivered him numerous times, not the skill of his slingshot, in his shepherding job. It was God who gave courage to David. It was God who gave David a victory. David had to use just a single slingshot to kill the Philistine. Although David achieved this great victory, we have to remember that this was God.

Application

David’s faithfulness to God through his occupation as a shepherd is noteworthy. David met the LORD his God as he was faithfully doing his job as a shepherd. This is something that we, especially as laymen, could learn. Have we encountered God through our profession and in our daily tasks?

What is your testimony? Let’s recount our victories in the LORD and let those be our testimony.