In our scripture readings for David Sunday, God sends his prophet Samuel to select a replacement king for Israel, the unlikely choice of the shepherd boy, David. And through the Holy Spirit, God gives David the courage to tackle Goliath, the nine foot tall champion of the Philistines. David wins the day – foreshadowing the time when his descendant Jesus will defeat the Goliath known as Satan, and make available to us in baptism, the very same Holy Spirit....
You don't have to be a bible scholar to know the story of David and Goliath – it's everywhere! In books, in movies, in sports, in business – the story of the extreme underdog courageously taking on the powerhouse, for the highest stakes and against all odds – that story resonates strongly with us. Maybe we have an easy time seeing ourselves as David. Maybe we have a tendency to be jealous of Goliath. But in this original David versus Goliath story, there are a couple of key points that get missed in the secular adaptations.
Point 1 – the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. From the time of his anointing, David and God were aligned together, so the courage that David showed was as a result of his faith in God, not some kind of confidence in himself.
And point 2 - “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all the assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's.” The shocking victory has a divine purpose – to confirm God's presence and God's involvement.
This is not to try to minimize the degree of courage required! ALL the Israelites, when they saw Goliath, fled from him and were very much afraid! Goliath was huge, his weapons were huge, and he looked completely invulnerable in his armour and shield. Taking on Goliath seemed like a suicide mission.
And the stakes were crazy! The agreement was made between the armies of Israel and Philistia, that a champion would be chosen to fight on each side, and the losing side would become the slaves of the winners. So the loser of this battle would die, knowing that he was responsible for the enslavement of his people. And the winner would be rewarded handsomely, enjoying a life that continues with wealth, the king's daughter, and status. The mood of the army of Israel was sombre, and the line-up of volunteers to be the champion to take on Goliath, contained one man - David.
Who are the Goliaths in our lives? What are the forces and circumstances and opponents that seem nine feet tall to us? What are our high stakes battles that seem unwinnable? Maybe it's a mountain of debt. Maybe it's drama in the family. Maybe it's a disease. Maybe it's an addiction. Maybe it's an ideology. Whatever it is, the instinct is to flee from it, and be very much afraid. The instinct is to withdraw, and settle for slavery.
God did not want King Saul to settle for slavery to the Philistines. So he found and anointed one man - a shepherd boy with a heart true to himself. And with the gift of his Holy Spirit, God enabled David to rise to the challenge of Goliath, and gave him the victory, not by sword and spear and armour and shield, but by the unexpected path of sling and stone.
And God did not want his people to settle for slavery to sin. So he begat and anointed one man – his Son Jesus, who rose to the challenge of Satan. And God gave him the victory, not by power and wealth and fame, but by the unexpected path of sacrifice on the cross, and resurrection from the tomb.
In turn, Jesus promised to his followers the same gift of the Holy Spirit. So, as his followers, we can expect to receive courage.
If our battle with Goliath is the Lord's, we can expect victory! We can expect our battle to show that there is a God here, and that he does not save in the way people expect. ESPECIALLY if the stakes include slavery...
Gracious God, give us courage to stand firm in those battles you have anointed us to fight, so that all the world may know you, in Jesus name, amen.