In the story of David and Goliath, David approaches Saul and says….
“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” 1 Samuel 17:32-33 NLT
After discussion between David and Saul, Saul finally consents and permits David to fight.
David approaches Saul who is speaking contemptuously toward him
“David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:45-47
“Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.” 1 Samuel 17:49
David was a young man, not a seasoned or popular warrior yet he obeyed the Lord and said, “I will.” His obedient submission enabled the entire army of Israel to defeat the Philistine army. It is God that gave David the boldness to approach the king and convince him to fight the giant.
David did not look to his abilities, his youth, and his status in life as a shepherd or his inabilities but to God who was the strength of his life. He allowed God to place him in an impossible situation because he had given his life to wholeheartedly love and obey God. This is just one example of how our impossibilities are God’s victories when we walk in obedience to him. This became apparent in his response to Goliath: “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
It is amazing that David was able to kill Goliath with one stone and even more amazing that the stone sunk deeply into his head. When I thought about the stone it reminded me of Easter with stone being rolled away from the grave because death has no power over Jesus. It also reminded me of Jesus being the cornerstone and we are living stones in his temple being built together for the Lord’s glory. One important fact that we do not often consider when reading the story of David and Goliath is that though David killed Goliath, it took the army of Israel to defeat the Philistines. Obedience to God in the area that he has called us into can greatly impact how we walk together as the body of Christ into victory. We all play a critical part in God’s plan for His church.
A head is often symbolic of authority, such as the head of a company or the head of the church is Jesus Christ. The fact that the stone sunk deeply into Goliath’s head is also symbolic of the enemies’ authority being crushed by this stone. Goliath fell face forward after the stone hit him in the head. I often wondered why he would fall forward and not backward when he was hit from the front because it seems defy natural force. Again, as I pondered this I considered that falling on ones face before authority particularly God’s authority is an expression of submission.
“God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.” Ephesians 1:22-23 NLT
“Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, “Amen! Praise the Lord!” Revelation 19: 4 NLT
This is certainly an example for us that even those that defy the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will bow in submission to him one day. As living stones in his temple, the Lord lives in us and we in him so the cry in our hearts is to live in humble submission to him. This is a process that we must cultivate in our lives, affection based obedience to God is precious in his sight. David was considered a man after God’s heart because he continued to pursue with a repentant heart of love toward him even after he sinned.
It does not matter if we are young, old, rich, poor, a world class leader or an everyday person God’s love for us and his presence in us will accomplish more than we can possibly comprehend as we walk in obedience to him.
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