The 17th chapter of 1 Samuel tells the story of David and the giant, Goliath. David was a shepherd boy and his older brothers were fighting with the army of Israel against the Philistines. David’s father gave him food and provisions and told David to take them to his brothers and check on their welfare for him. David left a helper in charge of the sheep and did as his father asked.
The first thing David saw upon arriving at the army camp was a giant Philistine step forth. His name was Goliath and he had been brought in by the Philistines to ensure their victory over the Iraelites. Any man who could take him down would be richly blessed by the King. While the other men trembled upon seeing him, David said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard what David said and became angry, assuming that his brother had abandoned his father’s sheep and came to camp only out of curiosity to see the battle. “Why have you come here?” he asked David.
Soon the young man’s appearance and his arrogant words were reported to King Saul and the king had him brought before him. David refused to back down and told Saul, “I will go and fight this Philistine.”
Saul was impressed by the young man’s brave words and listened as David told how he had saved his father’s sheep by fighting off a lion and a bear. “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine,” David insisted.
Seeing there was no use arguing with him, Saul told David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Saul armed David with his armor… a heavy coat and a helmet of brass. David girded his sword upon the armor and began to doubt. He had never fought in such a getup as this before. “I cannot go with these,” he said. “I have not proved them”…and he took them off. He took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook. He placed the stones in his shepherd’s bag and his sling was in his hand when he stepped up to challenge the Philistine.
Goliath, along with a man holding a shield, stepped toward David. When he saw the young man he shouted, “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” He cursed David in the name of his Gods.
David said to Goliath, “You come at me with a sword, a spear and with a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Israel whom you have defied! This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand; and I will smite you…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all gathered here will know that the Lord saves not with a sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.”
David ran to meet the Philistine, put his hand into his bag and pulled out one small stone and put it into his sling. He slung it and it hit the Philistine…sinking into his forehead…causing the giant man to fall to the earth on his face!
Today America and the whole world is facing a terrible giant even bigger than Goliath…that giant is called ‘hate.’ It is huge and all the swords, spears…or even bombs with nuclear power will not defeat it. It will take a rock…the rock of Jesus …and the power provoked only by the use of His name will bring down this giant that has divided our nation and is now causing destruction across our cities.
Protesting is not the answer. Like David took down the giant, not by believing in himself, but in the power of his faith in a God he knew loved him and loved the people of Israel, the spirit of hate that engulfs us today can be taken down and destroyed. It will take armor, not like Saul gave David to use, but the whole armor of God as described in Ephesians 6: 13-17. Only with these: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God, will we be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Remember, we’re not fighting against flesh and blood but against, principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in high places.
Let us not run from this fight nor cower in fear, but let’s stand up as a church and as a people who have faith in a God who loves us and does not wish to see our country destroyed by hate. The insane looting and rioting going on in our cities today must be brought to an end. Our country is already at risk from a Coronavirus. Now we are seeing businesses that only recently were able to re-open destroyed by hate fueled by racism. Jesus is the only one who can stop this insanity. Pray church! Pray as we never have before for God to step in and get our people back on track. Let’s fight by spreading love so the world knows that there is a God in America!
