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Few people ever get the opportunity to do something really big. But on a given day in Israel's history, David the son of Jesse had been given that chance and he had taken full advantage of it. The Philistines had been enemies with Israel dating back to the Jewish patriarchs Abraham and Isaac. Both father and son had deceived King Abimelech by lying to him about their wives being their sisters. Genesis 20:9 says, "Then Abimelech called Abraham, and said unto him, What hast thou done unto us ? and what have I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done." Genesis 26:8-9 says, "And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister ? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her." So the conflict between the two nations had been initiated and had even continued through the years.

A short while after Abraham had deceived King Abimelech about his wife the two men had had another dispute. On that occasion, the disagreement had been over a well. Genesis 21:25-27 says, "And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day. And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant ." So with that event once their dispute had been satisfactorily settled, the two men had made a covenant between themselves. However, many years later when the children of Israel had entered into the Promised Land, the Bible says that they had failed to drive the Philistines out of Canaan. Joshua 13:1-5 says, "Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. This is the land that yet remaineth: all the borders of the Philistines …." So the ungodly and idolatrous Philistines had continued to be a thorn in Israel's side for the many years that had followed.

However, in considering the above words from the Lord to Joshua, one might question why the Jewish people had even been allowed to try to force the Philistines and the other nations out of their homeland in Canaan. The answer to that question might be simpler than one might think. While the Bible is NOT absolutely clear about all of the people in Canaan, it is clear that any of them could have probably repented of their sins, have given up their idols, and have then lived among the Jewish people. The Canaanite prostitute Rahab had been received by the children of Israel when Jericho had been conquered because she had chosen to be a part of them. Joshua 6:25 says, "And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day ; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." The Moabite Ruth had been received by the children of Israel even though they had been in conflict with Moab for many years.

Ruth 1:16-17 says, "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die , and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." So Rahab and Ruth had both made clear conscious choices to come to the Lord and to be a part of God's people. Many years later, even after David had lived, the Lord had received the Assyrians when they had repented. Therefore, the biblical evidence DOES support the premise that the nations of Canaan including the Philistines had brought their fate upon themselves because they had NOT wanted to have any part in the God of Israel. Instead they had chosen to worship their idols.

So during David's time, the Philistines and the Israelites had again been battling against each other. At that time, the battle had been between Shochoh and Azekah. I Samuel 17:1 says, "Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim." The struggle had not gone well for Israel, though, because a Philistine warrior named Goliath had taunted the Jewish men to send a warrior out to oppose him. But they had been afraid of the nine-foot tall Goliath. I Samuel 17:10-11 says, "And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid." Goliath had been a tested man of battle. Plus he had also been very big. So the men of Israel had not been able to find among themselves a combatant that could or that would wage hand-to-hand combat with the giant.

However, while David had been too young to actually be involved in the conflict, he had been on the scene because he had brought grain and bread to his brothers who had been there. When he had heard the verbal taunts and jeers of the Philistine giant, he had been angered to know that someone would actually dare to defy the armies of the living God. So he had urged Saul to let him do battle with Goliath. David had only been a teenager at the time. But he had taken on the giant, had killed him by slinging a single stone to his forehead, and had won a great victory for Israel and the Lord. I Samuel 17:45-49 says, "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied…And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth ." No one among the men of Israel had had the boldness, the courage, or the determination to face their boisterous enemy. But David had. So the Lord had rewarded him for his having those traits. David had believed that the God of Israel would give him a victory over his enemy. So he had placed his faith in Him, and the Lord had not failed him.