In 1 Samuel 17 the story is told of a battle between the Philistines and Israel. The giant Goliath wanted to fight with one man, because that way he could save the lives of the Philistine soldiers. So he went out and gave a challenge: "Let's settle this between two people. I will fight for the Philistines, and you send one of your men to fight for you. If I win, you will serve us; if he wins, we will serve you." Goliath was 10 or 12 feet tall. His armor alone weighed 200 pounds. He was big!
This had gone on every day for several weeks; and one day David came into the camp of Israel, because his father was concerned about his three older sons, who were in the Israelite army. He told David to leave the sheep with someone else and take some food to his brothers.
But, as happens still today, the older brothers didn't want their little brother around, especially when he asked why they were letting this giant keep shouting at them. The brothers said, "Who is taking care of the sheep? What are you trying to do? Go back home to the sheep."
You know the story. But I want to point out some principles in it which are applicable to us today. Five principles are shown here that can help us come much closer to Jesus.
(By the way, why did David pick up five smooth stones? Because Goliath had four brothers, who were also giants. This information is also found in 1 Samuel. David was not taking precautions in case his first stone didn't strike the giant; he was making sure he had what he needed to slay the giant's brothers, if necessary.)
Principle 1: Faithfulness
David was faithful in the little, private areas of his life. Before he went to face the giant, he had learned to be faithful in little things around the house. He was faithful in his duties as a shepherd. According to the Bible, character is developed by doing physical work.
If you want to grow up to be dependable and honorable, you need to be faithful and obedient to your mother, father, and other older folks. You cannot do a halfway job. For example, it is important to wash the dishes properly, not just take a swipe here and there and then throw them in the dish drainer. If a dish is not washed properly, the person who later gets it will ask, "What is this? Leftover food on the plate from yesterday?" That is not being faithful to your duty. It is important to do well whatever is assigned to you. Doing your best at whatever you do is one of God's principles. You will never be a giant killer if you do not follow this principle! In fact, it is the parents' duty to teach their child to do his very best in everything he undertakes.
Principle 2: Right perspective
David had the right perspective. The men in the Israelite army saw how big Goliath the giant was. David saw how big God was. He said, "Fellows, what's going on here? Somebody needs to go out and silence this blasphemer!"
Now, Goliath had been shouting his message against God for 40 days. David, a young shepherd, asked why no one was doing anything about it. David had the right perspective. Israel was God's chosen people. Why should they be afraid of one man?
Similarly, there are no giants we should be afraid of, because we serve a God who owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. He is powerful; He spoke and created the world! David had the right perspective, because he viewed God as He really is--King of kings and Lord of lords. Put God first!
In 1 Samuel 17:29, David responded to his brother's anger against him: "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" David had a cause--a purpose. His questions caused his brothers to feel accused of being cowards. But David wasn't accusing them; he was seeing what needed to be done. If no one else was ready to do it, he felt called by God to do what the Spirit told him needed doing! That is part of having a right perspective.
Principle 3: Progression
Progression is related to the first principle--being faithful in little things. What experience did David have before meeting Goliath? He had fought a lion and a bear. Who had won? David. Wild animals came after David's sheep, but he was their protector. He had gone against a lion and defeated it; the same with a bear. The principle of progression is very important for us, because we will never be able to slay the giants in our lives unless we are able to take care of the little nuisances.
We need to be faithful and victorious now in our little battles. And you will be ready for the giants if you allow God first to come into your life and handle the lions and bears. David was ready for the giant, because there was a natural growth, a natural progression, in his life.
We can take little children as an example. Do you remember the day you were born? I don't know anyone who does. Your Mom and Dad and maybe your older brother or sister can remember that day, but you cannot. There are certain things you do in the first years of your life, and you gain certain abilities. Sometimes parents don't teach their children properly in the first years of their life, and then it becomes too late to teach them. Christian parents will discipline their children if they love them. They want them to progress in little things so they will be able to handle the big things some day. Once young people learn to handle the lions and bears, they are then ready to deal with the giants.
Principle 4: Power
David's power was in the name of Jesus. The power is not just in the name but in what it stands for. As God's children, God has given us certain power. Consider this example: You are driving too fast in town when you meet a policeman; he holds up his hand for you to stop. What do you do? You stop! Now, did the policeman really stop you? No, the power of his authority stopped you. If you were to stand in the street and try to stop someone, would he stop? Probably not; you might even get run over. You do not have the power of the police uniform to demand that others stop.
David knew the power that was available through God. This power we, too, may have through Christ Jesus. We don't need to be shaky-kneed Christians, trembling at the giants we face. When non-Christians laugh and mock and dare someone to come forward and fight, we don't need to stay in the trenches and say, "Oh, what can we do? Let's pray for them."
It is good to pray for the enemy. But there is a battle going on now in each of our lives. We need to understand the power God has to do great things for and through us if we only claim it. We do not need to worry unless we do not by faith take hold of His promises to meet our every need.
Principle 5: Praise
Unfortunately, churches today do not praise God. They prefer to praise the minister, the elder, or someone else. But any time a man takes for himself the praise that should be given to God, he automatically forfeits all the good that he could have done. It's like the story of the woodpecker who happened to be pecking on a tree when lightning struck it, splitting the tree right down the middle. The woodpecker shook his head and flew away. Soon he came back with nine other woodpeckers. "Look what I did!" he boasted. The woodpecker took the credit for the power that split the tree. We need to understand that we cannot take the praise for anything that happens in the church. We're all working together with God; He is the one who is to be praised and who should get all the credit.
I hope we can put these principles to practical use. Remember David and what he did--how he picked up five stones, dressed and acted as he always had, and met Goliath, the giant who had been intimidating Israel.
You and I (both young people and adults) face giants every day--school problems, family problems, job problems, financial problems, relationship problems. Unless we learn the principles of dealing with giants, we will spend our time in the trenches shaking and crying and saying, "I wish this [giant] would go away." We need to take our eyes off the giant and put them on God, who can take care of the giant. But we also need to be like David and put a stone in our spiritual sling, knowing that we are prepared, because we have been faithful in little things.
Even while the giant was shouting insults and blasphemies, David reached down, picked up the five stones, put four in his bag, deposited one in the sling, and swung it. The stone struck Goliath on the forehead, right where he had raised his helmet. He crashed to the ground, and David was quick to finish the job. David's brothers and the rest of the army of Israel then gained the courage to pursue the fleeing Philistine army.
This was all possible because David stood on God's principles and claimed His power to overcome giants. You are going to face a lot of giants in your life. And the church still has to face many giants. Let us have more Davids in our camp.
Now, pick up your stones and claim the power God wants to give you to slay the giants!
--Gary Foster, U.S.A.
