Just imagine that you had to face a giant on the field of battle in hand to hand combat until one of you was dead.  Your opponent would be a man who had been taught to fight with his hands and weapons of war since his youth.  Then add to this the pressure that the fate of your whole nation would depend upon your success or failure in this task.  How confident would you be in facing a giant warrior?

            In 1 Samuel 17 we come across the battle between the Philistines and the Israelites and just such a giant warrior named Goliath.  In the narrative Goliath is described as a giant of a man standing over 9 feet tall!  When the armies of Philistia and Israel lined up for battle, Goliath came out and challenged the Israelites to select a champion to face him one on one.  The Bible tells us that this went on for 40 days, and no one was found among all the warriors of Israel including King Saul who was willing to face Goliath.  Then the youngest son of Jesse, who was still a youth, approached the camp of the Israelites. 

When he saw what was taking place, he was astonished and he exclaimed, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God” (1 Samuel 17:26b).  David, the son of Jesse, the most unlikely of candidates to face the mighty Goliath, was the only one with the faith to go out to battle with the mighty Goliath.  Of course we all know the end of the story and how David triumphed against Goliath using a sling and 5 smooth stones.  However, it was not the stones that defeated Goliath.  It was David’s great faith in God that won the day.  As David said before the battle, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).

            No wonder David is described as a man after God’s own heart.  David’s great response and his great faith in God are also a great example for us today.  How are we doing in facing our giants on the battlefield of life?  Do we have faith that God will see us through and that we can overcome all odds by relying on Him?  The example of the shepherd boy who killed a giant has been preserved in God’s word for our admonition and learning.  Let us go forward into our battle this day confident in God’s ability to see us through.