Ep 594 – 1 Samuel 17:41-49

Everyone loves the story of David and Goliath, because almost everyone has a heart for the underdog. That’s why all the Rocky movies have been so popular for so long. It’s why we love to see the out-gunned and out-manned armies of the Alliance get the upper hand over the Imperial forces in every Star Wars movie. We like seeing the little guy win. We prefer to watch the neighborhood bully get his clock cleaned by the little kid with the thick glasses and a mean right hook. But we need to be careful that we don’t turn the story of David and Goliath into some kind of moralistic story about victories over the bullies of life. Yes, David was way out of his league when he stepped onto the field of battle with Goliath, but the whole point of this story is that the battle was not up to David in the first place. It was about the enemies of God getting what they deserved from God. The battle was the Lord’s and it had been all along. God had been willing to bring victory – if anyone would simply believe that He could. And David was the one who put his trust in God. It wasn’t about David’s sling and five smooth stones. It was about the power of God bringing victory over the enemies of God through a willing servant of God.