David against Goliath
David had already been anointed to become king by the time he met Goliath in the valley of Elah. Goliath's defeat would bring national fame to David as the deliverer of Israel. His name would be in the hearts and on the lips of all the people from that day forward. But David was not thinking about that when he went out alone to meet the giant. In fact, when David left his father's sheep to bring some food to his older brothers in King Saul's army, he had no idea what was going to happen that day. He did not even know that the giant Goliath was challenging the armies of Israel. David was simply running an errand for his father, Jesse.
Some people plan for greatness. David did not. Starting with a dream, people set goals to achieve that dream, then determine what steps they will have to take in order to achieve those goals. They learn to discipline themselves so they can carry out those steps within a certain amount of time. They also know that they need partners to assist them. So they go about building a team. Then they study the principles of success in their field of endeavor. How have other men done it? They read their books to find out.
David did none of that. (Later on he would.) At Jesse's bidding, he was simply delivering some grain and bread to his three older brothers, and some cheese to King Saul.
But when David got to the camp, he heard the fearsome news. The Philistines had a giant. The man stood over ten feet tall and probably weighed at least three hundred and sixty pounds!* The men of Israel were dreadfully afraid of him. His coat of mail weighed five thousand shekels! (125 lbs) He had a spear like a weaver's beam. The spear's point weighed six hundred shekels. This was a giant of a man. (*That is if the cubit was 21". See note below.)
He had a giant mouth too, and that's what really made David fighting mad. The Philistines had invaded Israel contrary to the covenant they had made with Abraham. (see Genesis 21:32), and they were trying to enslave the people. So who was this Philistine to actually defy the armies of the living God like that? The Philistine stood and shouted...
"Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants, and serve us... I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." 1 Samuel 17:8-10
Remember that when Samuel anointed David, the Spirit of God had come upon David. That made David different. It was not the armies of Israel that were being defied. It was the living God and His armies that were being put to shame and reproach. And... David was not the servant of Saul. He was the servant of God.
David had already killed a lion in mortal combat. Lions are large animals. They can weigh up to five hundred pounds. The lion David had killed was every bit as fearsome as Goliath. In fact, the lion would have been bigger, stronger, and faster. Listen to David's account of that battle...
"Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck it and killed it." 1 Samuel 17:34-35
Here's the picture. A young adult male lion, slinking along, dashed in and took a lamb from David's herd, then carried it off to eat it. A lion can run at 35 miles per hour, but only for short distances. David ran after it. But the lion would not abandon its prey. Young, adult, single, male, Asiatic lions don't do that. (See Isaiah 31:4) No doubt there was a standoff. Face to face with the lion, David knew he would have to kill it to prevent it from coming back and taking more sheep. Using his sling, or an arrow, David stunned the lion, causing it to drop the lamb it was carrying. But the lion still did not abandon the prey. Instead, it attacked it's attacker. When it rose up against David to go for his throat, David grabbed it by the beard, then killed it with a mighty dagger blow to the heart. (see picture below) Within twenty seconds the lion fell dead. The same thing would happen to the giant in a few minutes. For the giant had defied the armies of the living God - the worst thing he could have done in David's eyes.
note: It is obvious that David had studied the ways of lions. Lions usually kill people by pouncing on them, knocking them down, pinning them to the ground with their forepaws (using their 500 lb weight to do so), and then going for the throat. A lion has three to four inch fangs in jaws that can snap a spine. But a wounded lion would not be able to pounce. Yet, following its instincts, it would rise up to go for David's throat. At that instant the lion would make itself vulnerable. If David was extremely quick, he could lunge in and kill the lion with his dagger. But he would have to stiff arm the lion by grabbing its beard so that it could not bite his neck. No doubt David studied the ways of all his enemies, including the giant Goliath.
When Goliath saw David coming, he disdained him. David was still only a youth, a brat, a fresh faced, snot nosed kid to Goliath. Not only that but he approached the Philistine with nothing more than his shepherd's rod and his staff, or at least that's what Goliath thought. (I don't think Goliath saw the sling David was probably hiding in his other hand.)
So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" 1 Samuel 17:43-44
David shouted back at the giant.
"You come to me with a sword, 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 and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the world may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly (both armies) shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands." 1 Samuel 17:45-46 (parenthesis mine)
Now David was not accustomed to wearing armor, so he went out unarmed to fight the giant. Goliath disdained him. That was his last mistake. David had gathered five smooth stones and slung one at about sixty miles an hour into the giant's forehead. He fell with a mighty crash. David ran forward quickly and killed him with his own sword, then cut off his head. So ended the story of Goliath. But David's story was just beginning. The Spirit of God was upon him.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. The armies of Israel pursued them all the way back to their walled and gated cities. Afterwards they plundered the Philistine tents. Up until this time the people of Israel had no iron weapons. When they plundered the Philistine's tents, they probably acquired some very good swords and spears.
note: The enemy Philistines had invaded Judah and Israel contrary to the covenant they had made with Abraham. The Philistines had a military advantage because they had weapons of steel and the Hebrews did not. So the Philistines were trying to press their military advantage and make slaves of the Hebrew people. They probably felt they had a right to do this since they had an advanced civilization while most of the Hebrews were still living in tents as sheep herders.
note: The fact that the Philistines turned and ran is an indication that the Israelites outnumbered them, or that, encouraged by David's actions, they rallied and made a fearsome charge. In any case this battle began to turn the tide of war in Israel's favor.
note: David knew that the Redeemer of the World would come from Israel. The giant could not defy God and His redemptive plan. David said something very interesting to Goliath. He said, "...that all the world may know that there is a God in Israel." A better translation would be, "that all the world may know that God is in Israel." The seed of the promised Messiah was in Israel. David wanted the whole world to know the Living God of Israel and His redemptive plan. David had a missionary heart!
note: Bronze age sling stones were about the size of a billiard ball. In ancient times it was known that such a stone thrown from a sling at about sixty miles an hour could kill a horse. The sling was about three feet long. A good slinger could sling a stone over 400 yards. No wind up was needed. The slinger threw the stone with an underhand motion like a softball pitcher. That means a very good slinger could probably sling a stone at 100 miles an hour or more. You can sling a stone more accurately than you can throw one.
note: Goliath's heavy armor may have been part of his undoing. He was simply too weighed down to dodge David's stone projectile.
note: David ran forward to sling the stone at Goliath. This means that David threw the stone at close range. He really only had one chance because Goliath was still armed with a spear, a javelin, and a sword. But David would not miss. The Spirit of the LORD was upon him, and David trusted Him.
note: David was probably either left handed or he could use both hands in war. Remember the Bible says he was skilled in combat.
note: The average height of a Hebrew man in the late bronze age was 5' 3". By that measure a cubit would have been about 16" making Goliath only about 8' tall. That sounds more reasonable. In that case (if he was slim and trim), he would have weighed around 260 lbs. David would have weighed in at about 140 lbs at the most. But I favor the 21" cubit making Goliath over ten feet tall because of the weight of his armor and the size of his spear.
note: We give David the credit for killing the giant, but David gave all the credit and all the glory to God for he said, "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hands." Later on he would say, "For by You I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall." Psalm 18:29
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This is an Assyrian bass relief picture of a man killing a lion. Notice that the lion has already been wounded by an arrow. Also notice that the man has grabbed the lion by the beard and then stabbed it in the heart. This picture is not in proper perspective. |