David and Goliath: Rescued From Giants
The story of David and Goliath is arguably one of the best-known stories of the Old Testament, and one that is well-loved by both Christians and the world alike. After all, what isn’t appealing about a story of an underdog who triumphs over evil that no one else had the courage to stand against? But if we come away from this text assuming the message is to “stand up against the giants in our lives”, then we have missed the point of what God is speaking here, and the greater story He is foreshadowing through David’s victory over Goliath.
We see both tragedy and preparation leading up to this climactic entry of David onto the public scene of Israel’s history. Saul, the king chosen by the people, has proven himself a man of dubious character. He is hasty in his words (1 Sam. 14:24-46), fickle in his devotion (1 Sam. 15:1-9), swayed by the people (1 Sam. 15:17-21), and unfaithful to the commandments of God (1 Sam. 13:8-15). Although God gives Saul many times to repent, He sees Saul’s heart is more inclined toward maintaining his standing before Israel than restoring a right standing before Him (1 Sam. 15:30). Grieved over Saul’s decision to reject His word, God rejects Saul as king and declares through His prophet Samuel that, “the LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbour of yours, who is better than you” (1 Sam. 15:28).
Enter David, a shepherd boy who serves as a foil to the person of Saul. Saul is from the tribe of Benjamin of the land of Gibeah, who at the end of Judges is stained by an account of overwhelming wickedness (Jud. 19-21). David is from the tribe of Judah, who holds the promise of a kingly line (Gen. 49:10) and who proves themselves, as a collective, to be a leader amongst the people time and time again (Gen. 43:8-10, Jud. 1:1-20). Saul is chosen by the people of Israel for his outward appearance and his likeness to the kings of the surrounding nations (1 Sam. 8). David is chosen by God for the righteous inclination of his heart towards His ways and commands (1 Sam. 16:6-13). Saul is the one who should step forward to fight Goliath as Israel’s champion, but he instead cowers in fear with the rest of the people. David is only at the battle to bring food to his brothers, but is the one who hears Goliath and steps forward in faith and fear of God, to fight for the people and for the honour of the LORD.
God knew His people needed a better king than Saul. They needed someone whose heart was inclined towards Him, a king who would model the true obedience that God desires from all His people. A king like David, who found forgiveness with God even after he slept with Bathsheba and murdered her husband Uriah, because his heart grieved over his sin and broken fellowship with God, more than he grieved the loss of his own reputation (2 Sam. 11, Psa. 51).
But Israel and the world still needed a better king than this. Better than David, better than Saul, and better than ourselves, for before God, no one is righteous but God Himself. And through the line of David, God has brought forth a better king, as Paul speaks in the book of Acts, “from [David’s] descendants God has brought to Israel the Saviour Jesus, as he promised” (Acts 13:25) – a Saviour who is God Himself. Jesus knew our weakness and our inclination to turn away from God in pursuit of every other thing but Him. He knew we would reject Him, even though He was blameless. He still chose to make Himself like us in every way and die on our behalf, for Jesus also knew that only His own death would dismantle the powers of evil and the grave, and provide that final sacrifice that would cover every sin that ever had been, and that ever would be, done (Isa. 53, Php. 2:5-11, Heb. 4:14-16, 10:1-18).
This is the greater story that David and Goliath points towards.