King David is probably one of my favorite biblical figures. His story captures a lot of elements, whether it was times of victory or times of loss, but throughout it all, we see him keep his eyes fixed on the Lord.
The first time I heard about David was at Sunday school. I heard the story of a boy who killed a giant using a stone and a slingshot. Obviously, when I grew up, I actually found out that the stone didn't kill Goliath, but it caused him to fall, and then David used Goliath's sword to cut his head off. It makes sense why that detail wasn't shared in Sunday school, but as a child, I never questioned it. I heard that David killed Goliath with a stone and that was it for me. There weren't any doubts. I didn't try to view it from a logical point of view. I just knew that Goliath was killed with a stone and a slingshot.
It makes sense why Jesus told us to have childlike faith. As a child, it is easy to believe what you read or hear, but as you grow, you start to question things, and all of a sudden, the idea of a giant being killed by a stone seems far-fetched.
The misconception we have is that we shouldn't question anything, or rather that God is against us asking questions. Through questions, He is able to give us answers and to reveal Himself to us even more. Curiosity breeds intimacy. If you're not curious, how would you desire to know Him? If you don't ask, how can He reveal Himself to you even more?
Throughout Scripture, my observation about King David was his ability to keep his eyes fixed on the Lord. In most cases, David saw the bigger picture. He saw God, and he didn't just stop there, but he was a man after God's own heart. So let's have a look at how a young shepherd killed a giant.
David had heard the way Goliath spoke against the armies of Israel, God's chosen people. David understood that this wasn't merely a battle against flesh and blood, but that it was about the name of the Living God being defied. When David told Saul that he wanted to fight Goliath, Saul talked about how David was just a young man while Goliath had been a man of war since his youth.
And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
Despite the discouragement, David was confident, not because of his own strength but because of the strength of God. He had seen the hand of God while he was working as a shepherd, and to him, a giant was nothing compared to the God he served.
This shows us the importance of meditating on what God has done because it informs us of what God can do. I know that God is able to make a way where there seems to be no way because He parted the Red Sea when the Israelites were leaving Egypt and had nowhere to go to get to the other side.
I know that God would never forget me, even if man forgets me. When Samuel had gone to the house of Jesse to anoint Israel's new king, Jesse brought out his other sons, thinking that they were more fit to be king, but David was overlooked. God chose David because of his heart while Jesse and Samuel were focused on the outward appearance.
David's response to Saul shows us that this battle wasn't just about Israel versus the Philistines, but it was a battle of covenant. The covenant defined Israel's identity and showed that they belonged to the Lord. Goliaths insults weren't only directed to the Israelites but they were directed to the Lord.
Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.
In 1 Samuel 17:26, David had also said to the men who stood by him after he heard the way Goliath spoke to Israel:
"For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
At that time, circumcision was not just a physical mark, but a visible sign of God’s covenant with His people. It set Israel apart as those who belonged to the Lord and carried the identity of being under His promise and protection. So when David refers to Goliath as “uncircumcised,” he is highlighting that Goliath stood outside of that covenant relationship.
Now on to the battlefield. Goliath sees David and belittles him, and the Bible records that Goliath cursed David by his gods (verse 43).
David responded in verse 45:
Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a 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."
And in verse 47:
"Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."
David understood that this battle wasn't about him (although he would receive the incentives that Saul had offered to anyone who would defeat Goliath). He understood that the battle was the Lord's, and he was simply a vessel that God would use to show His power and might.
Could it be that you are so focused on the giant that seems big in size that you forget about the One who is seated on the throne?
The problem is that, in most cases, we focus on the size of the issue, forgetting that the One we serve is greater, bigger, and stronger than anything and everything. David understood the weight of the name of the Lord, which is why he was angered by the things Goliath spoke. His ability to understand that this was, in fact, the Lord's battle set him apart.
The faith he had in the fact that the same God who gave him victory against the lion and the bear was still the same God who would give him victory over the giant. David kept his eyes fixed on the Lord, and his knowledge of God increased his faith.
Ultimately, David won against Goliath because of God's power, but David wasn't just a spectator in the battle; he was an active participant. His faith, his knowledge of God, and his zeal for the honor of God's name were the driving forces that led to one of the most well-known victories in Scripture.
Perhaps the question is not how big your giant appears to be, but how big your God is in your eyes.
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