The story of David and Goliath, one of the most famous tales from the Bible, invites us into a world where faith, courage, and divine intervention intersect with history. Found in 1 Samuel 17, this confrontation is more than just a battle between a young shepherd and a formidable giant; it is a profound reflection on faith and the power of belief.The Philistines and Israelites stood across from each other, mountains separating them and the valley of Elah at their feet. Goliath, a towering warrior from Gath, armed with heavy armor and weapons, challenged the Israelites daily. His voice echoed through the valley, taunting the army of Israel and questioning their courage.
Amidst this atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, David, the youngest son of Jesse, appeared not as a seasoned warrior, but as a courier carrying provisions for his brothers who were soldiers in Saul’s army. Despite his age and inexperience in warfare, David’s heart brimmed with belief in the God of Israel.
When David heard Goliath’s challenge, he was moved not by the physical threat, but by the giant’s defiance against the God of Israel. With unwavering confidence, David approached Saul and declared his desire to face Goliath. While others saw recklessness, David’s heart was alive with faith. He recalled his experiences with lions and bears, confident that the same God who protected him then would deliver him in this unmatched battle.
Rejecting Saul’s armor, David prepared himself in his own way. Armed with just a sling and five smooth stones from a brook, he faced the giant. Goliath mocked him, yet David’s resolve was unshaken. He approached the battle with one guiding principle: “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.” This spiritual confidence defined the battle where might was not measured by physical strength but by spiritual conviction.
In a swift and decisive moment, David slung a stone that found its mark on Goliath’s forehead, stunning the giant and leading to his downfall. It was a victory not achieved through weapons of war, but through the Spirit of God working through a willing heart.
This episode reminds us that the battles we face are not just of this world but are spiritual in nature. David’s story is an enduring testament that, when faced with giants, whether they be challenges or adversaries, one’s faith and willingness to serve divine purpose are the true determinants of success. The heart, rather than our physical abilities, paves the way to miraculous victories.
ADDBIBLE®: Audio Daily Devotion by The Ezra Project
In this episode, we revisit the iconic confrontation between David and Goliath, unraveling its spiritual essence. While David is often seen as the underdog due to his age and stature against the mighty warrior Goliath, this narrative delves deeper into the spiritual clash at hand. David’s victory symbolizes the triumph of faith and God's power over physical might. It serves as an enduring inspiration that even in seemingly insurmountable battles, faith can guide and empower us to achieve the miraculous.
00:00:10 Introduction to Add Bible and David and Goliath Story
00:00:25 Recital of 1 Samuel 17 - The David and Goliath Story
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Allen J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today we come to one of the most famous stories in all the Bible, the story of David and Goliath. Almost everyone knows the story of David and Goliath contained in 1 Samuel 17. So let's listen to Faith Comes By Hearing's recording of all 58 verses of 1 Samuel 17. 1 Samuel 17
SPEAKER 07 :
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and they were gathered at Soco, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Soco and Ezekiah in Ephesdamim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. And 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. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel,
SPEAKER 03 :
Why have you come down to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine? And are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be his servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.
SPEAKER 07 :
And the Philistine said...
SPEAKER 03 :
I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together.
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When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul, the man was already old and advanced in years. The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle, and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
SPEAKER 01 :
And Jesse said to David his son, Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well and bring some token from them.
SPEAKER 07 :
Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up?
SPEAKER 06 :
Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. And David said to the men who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
SPEAKER 07 :
And the people answered him in the same way, So shall it be done to the man who kills him. Now Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men.
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And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.
SPEAKER 06 :
And David said, ''What have I done now?
SPEAKER 07 :
Was it not but a word?'' And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.
SPEAKER 06 :
And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David,
SPEAKER 07 :
You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.
SPEAKER 06 :
But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God. And David said, The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you.
SPEAKER 07 :
Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. And David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand and he approached the Philistine. And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David with his shield-bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. And the Philistine said to David,
SPEAKER 03 :
Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?
SPEAKER 07 :
And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
SPEAKER 03 :
The Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give you flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.
SPEAKER 06 :
Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and 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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand.
SPEAKER 07 :
When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistine saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shearayim as far as Gath and Ekron. And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I do not know. And the king said, Inquire whose son the boy is. And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man?
SPEAKER 06 :
And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
SPEAKER 02 :
In sports, this story is used to compare the underdog to the favorite, and maybe the underdog has a chance to win, like David and Goliath. Well, in this story, yes, David is a youth for sure, and Goliath is estimated to be 9 feet 9 inches tall. So David is certainly the underdog in this battle. However, this story is not about that. This story is spiritual. Goliath is a Philistine, and he is calling out the armies of the living God, the people of Israel. When David engages Goliath in the battle, Goliath curses him by his gods, idols. David has a spiritual response. In verse 45, then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with the sword and with the spear and with the javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand. I hope the next time you hear an analogy of David and Goliath, you remember that it is a spiritual issue, not a physical underdog issue. And David, he doesn't need Saul's armor. He goes with what God has gifted him with. First, he goes with his experience. The Lord who had delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. Next, he goes with faith. The Lord saves, not with sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand. And thirdly, he goes with what he knows. And David put his hand in his bag and took out one stone. And I love verse 48. When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. Imagine the scene. David, this young kid, is running toward this giant with no armor, no nothing but a sling and one stone. Did the sling, did the stone, did David defeat Goliath? No way. David knows it. We know it. The Lord defeated Goliath. And he used a ruddy teenager like David. I'll finish off this chapter by looking back at the first entry I ever wrote about this story. back in 1983. I wrote, David, a heart for God. He took what he had against Goliath. No armor, no sword, only a slingshot and faith. Incredible dependence and confidence in his Lord. He defended the God of Israel. God miraculously delivers Goliath, not by David's hand, but by his will. David was an instrument, a man of faith, and a miracle-working power was wrought through him. The heart, not the physical, is what determines success. Saul had the physical gifts to take on Goliath, but David had the spiritual gifts. He went in the name of the Lord of hosts, not in his own strength. God used a man willing to be used. Use me. Use you. Regardless of who you are, what you look like, what your physical strengths may be, what your experience may be, are you willing to be used of God to take down a Goliath? Father, thank you for this great encouraging story. We get uplifted by stories like this in your word. Thank you for this story about David and his faithfulness and how you used a young boy to defeat an enemy of Israel. Use us, Lord, in any way you want. In the name of the Lord, we pray. Amen.
