David versus Goliath
Monday, August 31, 2020
From time to time we have looked at ahistorical wars and battles--the one in India's great epic, "The Mahabharata," for example; or, preeminently, the Trojan War. Today we'll look at one that has become proverbial for the victory of "the little guy": the Biblical account of David versus Goliath.
Israel under King Saul was fighting the Philistines. For forty days, a Philistine champion named Goliath had come out twice a day to challenge any Israelite to single combat. The winner's nation would win the war.
Goliath was no ordinary man. The Bible says he was over 2.75 meters tall! He wore full armor, carried a huge sword, and had a bronze javelin on his back. So of course, no one wanted to face him. They were terrified.
In Israel, there was an old man named Jesse, a farmer, who had eight sons. The youngest was a boy named David, who tended his father's sheep. One day Jesse sent the boy to the Israelite camp to deliver some bread to his brothers, who were in Saul's army.
When David reached the battle lines, he heard Goliath's challenge. He told the men around him that he thought the Israelite army's cowardice was disgraceful. When King Saul heard this, he sent for the boy. Saul told David that Goliath was too big for him to beat, but David explained to the king that he had killed many bears and lions who had threatened his father's sheep, and he would kill this giant, too.
Saul gave his permission (imagine--the whole nation was counting on this boy!) and tried to give David his own armor. But David refused, saying he wasn't used to them. He took only his staff, a sling, and five smooth stones he had picked up from a stream.
Goliath was angry, saying, "Do you think I'm a dog, and you can chase me with a stick?"
And David said, "You have weapons, but God is on my side. Today I'll strike you down and cut off your head!" He then slung a stone, struck the Philistine right in the forehead (killing him instantly), and cut off Goliath's head with his own sword.
The Philistines ran away, and the boy David eventually became the king of Israel. If you have seen the statue of David by Michelangelo, you will have seen the sling hanging over his shoulder.