“Let no one’s heart fail”
1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 (June 30, 2024)
This morning we return to our series of readings from the books of Samuel. Today’s story is a great one! It holds our attention, even if we know in advance what the outcome will be.
Little David and giant Goliath. Do you remember this story from your childhood? It does appeal to children who, in a world of adults, can often feel small and powerless.
Children and youth can be heroes, the story proclaims. Little people can accomplish great things. Underdogs can emerge victorious. We can win the day. We can beat the odds!
It’s a message of hope in the face of intimidation. Justice will be done. God will give the victory!
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But now we’re getting ahead of ourselves. So let’s just settle in and listen.
The story is set in the border lands, disputed territory, where the hills of Judea slope down toward the coastal plain of the Mediterranean – an area occupied by a sea-faring people known as the Philistines. They formed an alliance of city-states. And they were bitter enemies of Israel.
These two nations face off against each other: “The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.” (v.3) Two flanks of armed soldiers.
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And one soldier in particular: Goliath of Gath.
He was a giant! A towering monster of a man, 10 feet tall. He wore a helmet of bronze, and a coat of armour weighing 150 pounds. He was armed to the hilt with javelin, spear and sword – the latest iron-tipped technology.
Goliath represents pure brute force. And he stands before the Israelites with one primary purpose: To instill fear in his opponents.
Every day Goliath would come forward and taunt them. “Today I defy the ranks of Israel,” he would bellow. “Give me a man that we may fight together.”
For days on end Goliath did this. And for days on end, there was no one in the Israelite army that was man enough to fight. Not even the commander in chief, king Saul. Who, remember, was chosen for this very purpose: to defend the nation from external threats.
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Goliath was a scary guy. And I want to pause right here to inquire about the giants who inhabit your world. Who are they? Can you name them?
Who or what stands before you today? It’s probably not a soldier. Though I guess if you’re on the front line in Ukraine, facing a barrage of fire from well equipped hostile forces, you may beg to differ.
For us, however, giants may be dressed in a different sort of armour. And by giant, I’m referring to any force or power that towers above us, diminishing our humanity, making us feel vulnerable.
It may be the giant of cancer that strikes fear in of our hearts. The way we experience this disease, and even the treatment prescribed for its defeat, can be daunting and demoralizing.
Maybe our giant is something different. Maybe it’s a rift in our family that has us standing on two opposite hills with a great separation between us. And all we can do is yell back and forth. How will peace be restored?
There are giants that threaten our society: Like the giant of addiction that is marching through our cities, fueled by opiates and organized crime. It’s a giant that inflicts an enormous cost, making neighbourhoods unsafe, and causing harm to families and loved ones.
We have giant anxieties about our future: The future of our kids, the future of our church, the future of our world. Death looms large over all of us. And the older we get, the closer it comes. How do we slay this looming fear? How can we live more care-free, courageous, confident lives?
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Well, enough of these things. There’s good news in our passage for today: Giants are not invincible! Goliath will meet his match. Just wait till you see his challenger!
At the very moment, when Goliath is delivering his speech, David arrives with a lunchbox full of bread and cheese – a little something for his older brothers.
When he hears the giant, David is outraged: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
Then he turns to Saul, “Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
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It’s laughable, really. Little David, fresh from the pastureland, all full of bravado.
“You’re just a boy,” says Saul. “You have no experience in battle. And this giant has been a warrior from his youth.” The king dismisses him out of hand. Just a boy. But David has enough cheek to argue.
“I used to keep sheep for my father,” he begins. And then spins a tale of rescuing little lambs from the jaws of bears and lions. David may be young, but already he claims an impressive resume.
“This uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them. … The LORD will save me.”
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“OK then,” says Saul. I mean, if the kid really wants to … He proceeds to outfit him with his very own coat of armour. Puts a helmet on his head, straps a sword to his waist.
Now David can hardly walk! David throws it all off. And this is significant, I think. When David goes to battle the giant, Goliath, he will not do so on Goliath’s terms. He puts the armour aside. And takes instead, things that are familiar.
He takes his staff in hand. Goes to the river, picks out five smooth stones. Puts them in his shepherd’s bag. And grabs his sling.
What do you have, I wonder? What do you already know? What familiar gifts might you use for the purpose of slaying your giants?
As a child, I used to think that a sling-shot was the neatest thing. I would try and make one using a wooden branch and some elastic bands, or a piece of old inner tube from my bicycle. And I would set up some tin cans and try to shoot them. I seem to remember aiming at squirrels too. Thank goodness I never hit one!
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David marches out toward Goliath who, scripture says, “disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.”
“Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” Are you here to play games, little one?
The giant borrows a page from Mohammed Ali and begins to trash talk this pretend young warrior who’s entered the ring. “I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air …”
Intimidation, you see, is how giants work. Puffing themselves up. Making you feel small and helpless and completely inadequate. And if they succeed in that, they’ve pretty much won already.
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But David is not intimidated. And he has some trash talk of his own.
“You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand …”
Then David, who’s nimble on his feet, runs toward him, swings that sling, and …
One well-placed rock is all it takes to fell a monster! They are not as powerful as we think.
Yes, little people can slay dangerous ogres. Given courage, and keeping our wits about us, we can emerge victorious on the other side.
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Before I say more, I want to share something I’ve been pondering these last few weeks, since I knew this would be our passage for today. And that is … how we, as a community of Mennonites, a peace church, understand a story like this and begin to apply it to our lives.
God knows the world is full of violence, threats, weapons of war, brutal loss of life.
Do you know what David did next? He grabbed Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. Then carried it about, showing it off as a sort of trophy. Meanwhile, the Israelite army massacred the Philistines and pillaged their camp.
You can say “It was a different time back then,” but it doesn’t look all that different to me.
The thing is, that’s not the kind of world I want to live in! And those early Anabaptists, I believe, were right when they said it is not the way of Jesus.
Put the sword away! “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44)
If you’re going to put on armour, let it be “the breastplate of righteousness … take the shield of faith … the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:14-17)
As Christians, we often find ourselves caught in a tough moral dilemma. How do we maintain a peace witness? It’s a question of conscience that many have had to wrestle with at a very personal level.
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Here’s what I think we can say. The battles we face are not just military ones. In fact, the biggest giants in the world may not live “out there” at all. Instead, they may reside within! And it’s not by our own strength that we will succeed.
David tells Goliath, “The LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s …” It’s not ours to win.
Sometimes, humanly speaking, we don’t win. The giant seems to prevail. At least in the short term. Disease, addictions, divisions in our families, anxieties and worries. Injustices in the world. Too often these appear to carry the day. Even though we have wielded our prayers and done what we could.
Death is the greatest giant of all. Yet that battle is not ours to win.
Like David, we are called to be faithful and courageous in life-long service. And, ultimately, in the end, simply to put our trust in God. Surely, we believe, God’s purpose will prevail.
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A few weeks ago I mentioned that these biblical stories in the books of Samuel were stitched together centuries later, in another time of national crisis. Living as exiles and captives under Babylonian rule, the people of God remembered these stories and the words of their beloved king: “Let no one’s heart fail!”
In all the ups and downs of life, we are never alone. God is with us!
And sometimes we are called to be a David. In a world of giants, we may be the one anointed by God. That little person called to speak a word, or bear witness to a presence beyond ourselves. To stand fast in the face of insurmountable odds. To speak what we know. To use whatever we’ve been given. To share courage and hope with others whom we love.
Think of the giants in your life. Things that intimidate and make you anxious. Could you be a David? The victory will be the LORD’s. Let no one’s heart fail! May we be God’s faithful servants. Amen.