Facing Giants #4 - Don't be intimidated
| 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" (1Samuel17:40-44) |
Are you ready for it?
Goliath was bringing a knife to a gunfight!
Even today in Palestine you can watch shepherd boys sling stones at lamp-poles at 100m and hit them everytime.
Goliath had close range weapons, he couldn't throw his javelin as far as David could sling a stone. David presented a very dangerous threat to Goliath. Goliath was prepared for a traditional enemy - a soldier with spear, sword and shield. In that kind of fight Goliath had the size and the experience.
But David was a curved stone, I mean ball!
So Goliath had to rattle David. He had to scare him, shake him, intimidate him and do everything he could to get David on the back foot because if David was on the back foot, David would miss...
And so Goliath insults him, undermines him and intimidates him.
Look at Goliath's approach:
- He despised him
- He ridiculed him (You come at me with sticks)
- He cursed David by the Philistine gods, implying their superiority
- He threatens David (I'll feed you to the birds)
This is what Bullies do.
The band, Casting Crowns sing about this:
But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again "boy, you'll never win!
"You'll never win"
Look at David's awesome reply... David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands."
I can't say it better!
