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"Taking Goliath Down" October 7, 2007 - The Rev. Vicky Ney
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October 7, 2007 “Taking Goliath Down” The Rev. Vicky Ney
Text: I Samuel 17:1-50
Have you ever heard of the best-selling books entitled, “Martha Blah, Blah,” The Cafeteria Lady from the Black Lagoon,” who, by the way, served up such dishes as “Road Kill Ravioli,” Spaghetti with bowling Balls,” and Toxic Waste Tacos.” (That actually sounds a little like food from my kitchen!), or another book called “I Can’t, Said the Ant.” We sophisticated adults would probably never pick up any of these books—unless, of course, we’re looking for a bedtime story for a child. It’s actually a shame, because some of those books have great themes like, learning to love learning, shedding our negative attitudes about people we don’t know, and believing that with faith, teamwork and imagination, nothing is impossible.
It’s sad, but I think some of us here think we’re too old, too adult, for children’s stories. There was a study done some years ago that found children, at age five, measured 90% in “high imagination.” By the time those same children became young adults, their high imagination had dropped from 90% to 2%. The study suggests that as we get older, we leave much of our imagination behind along with the children’s stories.
So, many of you may think that this morning’s story from Scripture—David and Goliath—is just kid’s stuff. Or at the very least, a cute ancient story that makes for some light reading after all the “blood and guts” stories and the “begat” stuff in the Old Testament!
I disagree. I believe this story can nourish your spirit any time things feel rough in your life—or maybe it’s right now! This morning let the faith of a young boy facing a giant tease you, confront you, and fan your faith and imagination into flame once more.
Can you see the scene? A slender, fuzzy-faced boy runs an errand for his dad—taking bread and cheese, some food, to his brothers serving with the Israeli army. Did they need the food, or was Jesse, the father, just anxious for news from the front about his sons? Probably a little of both!—parents haven’t changed much in a few thousand years! In any case, those darn Philistines are at it again. Conducting military exercises near Israel’s border—trying to bully and intimidate. And to accomplish their scare-Israel-policy, they’ve flaunted their weapon of mass destruction—Goliath of Gath. Just for accuracy, even by NBA standards, this guy was huge, possibly nearly 9 feet tall. His musculature must have been massive, because the armor he wore weighed about 125 pounds, complete with a helmet, greaves covering his legs, and a coat of mail made from bronze ringlets that went from his shoulders to below his knees. He’s also twirling his twenty-five pound spear with the ease of a cheerleader twirling her baton. To further protect their warrior-hero, the Philistines have forced one of their soldiers to hoist a human-sized shield in front of Goliath to deflect arrows that might be coming his way. This Goliath was a walking exterminator!
Meanwhile, King Saul, David’s three brothers, and the rest of the Israelite army were so busy Goliath-watching through their binoculars, they were incapable of seeing anything else. So when David comes to deliver the food to his brothers and ask some questions about what is happening, they brush him aside with some typical big-brother-type nasty comments. They accuse him of just being “nosey” or looking for some way to get out of work to do something exciting.
You can’t help but love David in this story. He stands as such a contrast to the rest of the Goliath-watchers. He may have been sheep-watching out on the back forty for quite a while, but it was there that he learned about the closeness and greatness of God. Out there with the sheep he discovered that “the Lord is my shepherd,”—that “God is my shield and my salvation.” Not only that, but he has put his faith to work every day of the week, (not just the Sabbath), even to the point of requiring God’s help to retrieve lambs and to beat off vicious animals—like a bear and a lion—to protect his sheep. He has practiced the presence of God so thoroughly that God’s Word was more real than a lion’s roar or a bear’s growl. He worshiped God’s majesty so much that God’s love was far more real than any wild animal.
If you noticed in the text, no one at the battle scene ever mentions God. David can’t talk of anyone else but God. This just didn’t start that day. David sees his whole life with God in it. He says, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine.” (I Sam. 17:37)
There’s so much more to the story than David vs. Goliath. It’s more about God-focus vs. Giant-focus. David sees what others don’t and refuses to see what others do. All eyes, except David’s fall on the huge, hate-filled hulk. Everyone thinks, “Too big, too strong, too scared.” David thinks, “God has helped me in the past with big stuff. God will help me here today.” In the words of Max Lucado, a wonderful Christian writer, Saul, David’s brothers, the whole army, have majored in fear. David majors in God. David sees the giant just like they do. He just sees God more. Listen carefully to David’s battle cry that he shouts to Goliath: “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.” (I Sam. 17:45).
With this thought in his mind, David picks up five smooth stones and runs toward the giant.
I would love to have seen the look on his brothers’ faces! This kid-brother is such a nuisance! Did they cover their eyes in fear—or embarrassment? There’s the kid, no armor, no regular weapons, running right at Goliath. What about the rest of the army looking at this scrawny kid? I think they’re humiliated. They think they’re going to be the laughing-stock of the entire mid-East. King Saul must have thought he was watching a kid commit suicide. And the Philistine army, they probably aren’t even standing anymore—they’re rolling on the ground, laughing themselves silly.
Well-armored Goliath starts lumbering forward to step on this little ant coming toward him. He probably threw back his head in laughter, too, just enough to shift his helmet and expose a square inch of forehead flesh. David spots the target and seizes the moment. The sound of the swirling sling is the only sound in the valley. Sshhhww. Sshhhww. Sshhhww. The stone from the sling torpedoes into Goliath’s forehead. Goliath’s eyes cross, his legs buckle, and he hits the ground like a bag of rocks. David runs over and finishes him off. This is definitely quite a story!
So tell me, when was the last time you took on one of your giants? When was the last time you ran toward your Goliath? Goliaths still roam our world. They’re just as big and just as scary as David’s giant. But now we call them cancer, divorce, credit card debt, financial crisis, family issues, death of loved ones, loneliness, unemployment, what to do with the rest of your life, addiction, betrayal, depression. The list goes on.
When those giants come toward us, we sometimes retreat, duck, and worry. We can sometimes just wallow in nervousness, fear, and sleepless nights. I’ve even heard some people say they come from a long-line of worriers. We think that anxiety and worry are just how we’re made up—that that’s what we’re supposed to do.
But this story of David says that’s not true. David says “Try a different tack. Rush your giant with a God-saturated soul. Maximize God and minimize Goliath.
How long since you loaded your sling and took a swing at your giant?
In today’s story, Goliath jogged David’s memory. While everyone on the side-lines shook in their shoes, David remembered. David remembered God had given him strength to wrestle a lion and strong-arm a bear. David remembered he had been in some awful situations, and God was right beside him. Wouldn’t God do the same with this giant? (I Sam. 17: 34-36).
Let me make a suggestion to you: Give David’s method a try. Remember back to a time in the past when God was with you. Catalog God’s successes. Remind yourself of some blessings and write them down. Remember when prayers were answered—possibly not just the way you asked—but I would guess the answer was better. Has God not walked with you through other valleys? Has God not brought you through some floods? Has God not proven to be a faithful friend? Has God not provided what you needed?
I believe all of us here have the knowledge that in some way God has helped us in the past. We were not defeated. Goliath did not win.
David went to meet his Goliath confidently. Here we are, 21st century Christians, and we know that our final Goliath, our ultimate giant—sin and death—is already conquered. The final Goliath was taken down at the cross.
That’s why we will gather around the table this morning—to remember again that God in Christ has overcome everything that could possibly defeat us. Whoever we are, whatever has happened in the past, whatever is going on right now or whatever will happen in the future, it doesn’t matter. God has called us beloved, precious children. He sent Jesus to slay our giant of sin and death. If God’s power was great enough to bring Jesus back from the dead, God can certainly handle anything we face in this life. God made sure that nothing in this life or the next will ever separate us from his love.
This morning, let the bread and wine strengthen you for your Goliath battles. Let the bread and wine help you remember how God has helped you in the past. Let them remind you that God is working in your life right now—that God has a plan for your life—that God is holding you in the palm of his hand. As you eat the bread and drink the wine, let it give you the confidence that God is with you, and with him, you have all you need to take down any Goliath you might be facing in your life.
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1 Susan Meddaugh, "Martha Blah Blah" (NY: Scholastic,Inc.1996)
2 Mike Thaler, "The Cafeteria Lady from the Black Lagoon" (NY: Scholastic, Inc. 1998)
3 Polly Cameron, " I Can't, Said the Ant", (NY: Scholastic, Inc. 1961)
4 Madeleine L'Engle, "Walking On Water", (Wheaton, IL: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1980) p. 72
5 Max Lucado, "Facing Your Giants", (W Publishing Group, 2006)
6 Ibid. p. 6
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