The struggle between David and Goliath was proof of the power of faith . Young David defeated Goliath, the experienced warrior, because he trusted God.
Goliath, the invincible warrior
Goliath was a Philistine warrior known for his very large size. He was almost ten feet tall! His very heavy armor covered almost all the weak points and he was armed with a spear, a dart and a sword. His equipment was made of bronze, a very good metal for creating weapons that few people knew how to use at that time ( 1 Samuel 17: 5-7 ). Goliath was the ideal warrior, with all the most advanced equipment of the time.
When the Philistines came together to fight the Israelites, the two armies each camped on a hill, with a valley between them. The Philistines sent their champion Goliath to challenge the champion of the Israelites to a duel ( 1 Samuel 17: 8-9 ). Even if they did not comply with the agreement to surrender to the winner, the army of the champion who lost would be demoralized and would certainly lose the war.
See also: who were the Philistines?
None of the Israeli warriors wanted to fight Goliath. He was too strong to be won. Not even King Saul, who was very tall, had the courage to face Goliath ( 1 Samuel 17:11 ). For 40 days Goliath waited for an opponent.
David, a young man with faith
David was a shepherd. His three older brothers were in Saul’s army and his elderly father wanted to hear from them. He sent his youngest David to find out if they were okay. When David arrived on the battlefield, he heard Goliath’s challenge. David was outraged by Goliath’s arrogance and decided to fight him ( 1 Samuel 17: 25-26 ).
King Saul heard that David wanted to face Goliath and called him into his presence. He saw that David was young and inexperienced as a warrior and did not believe that he could survive. But David explained that he had already fought with lions and bears while protecting his sheep. He believed that God could also help him overcome Goliath ( 1 Samuel 17: 36-37 ).
Seeing David’s confidence, Saul gave him armor to protect himself but David was unable to walk with him ( 1 Samuel 17: 38-39 ). David decided to take only his staff, five smooth stones and his slingshot. Without any protection, David went to face the giant!
Find out here: 3 positive influences on David’s life
The clash
When Goliath saw young David with a staff in his hand, he mocked him. Goliath promised to kill David and feed him to the animals. Full of courage, David replied that it would be the other way around. He would kill Goliath and feed it to the animals. Goliath trusted his strength and advanced weapons, but David trusted God, who does not need human strength to win ( 1 Samuel 17: 46-47 ).
Goliath advanced and David ran to face him. He put a rock in his slingshot and fired at the giant. The stone hit Goliath’s forehead , which fell to the ground without showing any more signs of life. David ran, took out Goliath’s sword and beheaded him.
When the Philistines saw that Goliath was dead, they fled and the Israelites defeated them ( 1 Samuel 17: 51-52 ). From there, David became a famous warrior, always with faith in God.
