GOLIATH
Goliath was a giant with an attitude. As champion of the Philistines, he immobilized an entire army of Israelites by challenging one of them to duel with him. He made them forget they had an absolute champion in the Lord their God. It took a bold shepherd boy named David to remind them all they were the armies of the living God.
Goliath was a problem to be faced on his terms but not with his weapons. Goliath’s strengths were so obvious (size, armor, arrogance) that others missed his vulnerability. For Goliath had a glaring weakness that never occurred to him until David’s stone struck him down. When David was given Goliath’s kind of weapons, David quickly concluded he couldn’t even function—much less fight—with those tools. Goliath’s strengths would have been David’s handicaps. Armor plating and heavy weapons were of little use to the shepherd boy. David went with the two weapons he knew he could rely on: his trust in God and his shepherd’s sling. When others looked at Goliath, they saw an opponent too powerful to defeat; when David looked at Goliath, he saw a target too big to miss!
David had armor to match Goliath’s, but it was invisible. He was spiritually equipped. Ephesians 6:10–18 describes in detail the resources that God places at our disposal. How unfortunate that we face our world each day on its terms and too often try to wield its weapons. God’s weapons are not as obvious, but they never fail us! How much of your spiritual armor are you wearing today?
Strengths and accomplishments |
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Weaknesses and mistakes |
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Lessons from his life |
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Key verse |
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). |
His story is told in 1 Samuel 17.