THE SLINGSHOT STORY

1 Samuel 17

It has been said that this chapter contains one of the best known and most loved stories in the Bible which is called “the story of David and Goliath.” Like a Reader’s Digest Condensed version, however, our fast-food appetites for knowledge and our drive-through mentalities for how quickly we can consume information have boiled this story down to a naïve boy slaying a giant. Even in today’s age we hear reports of a conflict or a competition between athletes, corporations, or nations being “David and Goliath” stories when the smaller or weaker of the two entities wins. Like the story I retold in comic book form to the children today, I invite you to do Bible study with me, sit back and listen to, as Paul Harvey likes to put it, “The Rest of the Story!”

Visionary television writer Gene Roddenberry, who created the “Star Trek” series, had one episode when a race of people on another planet fought with their enemies by having one person play a type of war video game against the best player from the other side. The person who lost the game had the agreed upon casualties marched into a gas chamber and their lives snuffed out. Such tactics avoided the huge costs of defense and nuclear weapons and spy planes. Thus, they could carry out a war at little cost. Not unlike that story, in the days of Saul the King in 1 Samuel, sometimes warring sides would put their best man up against the other side’s best man and the loser became the slave of the winner. There was only one problem with Saul entering such a battle for Israel: he was certainly the people’s choice for a leader: tall, handsome, strong, and at one point he was God’s choice. But after several failures of character, the Bible says that “the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul” according to 1 Samuel 16:14. When you read that the Spirit of the Lord departs from a Bible character, watch out; and if some day as a Christian that happens to you, watch out. That is a reminder to repent, to turn back towards God, to come in prayer, and to ask God’s Spirit to fill you again. But Saul didn’t do that; instead he went into this efficient little war called man to man combat without the Lord. Israel was in trouble. When the king was not confident, it spread contagiously to all the warriors of the kingdom. Some of them were the older sons of Jesse who were passed over by God to be the king to succeed Saul. The Lord led Samuel, the decision maker, to their youngest brother instead, a little shepherd boy who played a harp. He was out in a field in Bethlehem watching sheep and practicing with his slingshot, the only protection afforded a young boy against mountain lions or other predators. The Lord whispered in Samuel’s ear that this was the boy to be king. Now back to the battle scene, his older brothers cower at the sight of the Philistine’s contestant: he was said to be six cubits in height plus a span which is roughly ten feet tall. At least he looked that way. The armor he wore weighed about 125 pounds according to the story and the head of his spear weighed 16 pounds. Whether we are talking about wrestlers, boxers, or nations fighting nations, the threat of big weapons or a threatening demeanor is one of the testosterone tested ways of staring down an enemy. With the battle lines drawn, the Philistine, as Goliath is usually called, taunts the Israelites to fight him; he does this for forty days (verse 16), a significant length of time. No one steps forward, taking their cues from their frightened king. At the time, David was considered too young to fight and was something of a quartermaster, bringing supplies to the line of Israelites on the one hill, staring at the Philistines on the other hill and at their menacing representative in the valley between. (verse 15) Saul’s army was poorly provisioned (verse 17) and Jesse, David’s father, who was too old to be on the front line, asked his youngest son to keep bringing reports to him that everyone was still well. David gets to the front line one day and again finds all the Israelites cowering at Goliath’s thundering threats. “What will be done for the man who strikes down that Philistine and takes this insult away from Israel?” he asks in verse 26. The words of riches and pleasure are reiterated to David. Still his older brother, who himself had not stepped forward, taunts young David in front of all the troops: “Why are you here, and who is watching that miniscule group of sheep you call a flock for you?” Brothers! Verse 32 is where we are sure that the Spirit of the Lord has filled David. Young though he is: the literal translation here is better than the one in our Bibles: looking up into the eyes of Saul- the handsome, strong, but now godless king- David says reassuringly to him “Let not my lord’s heart (meaning Saul’s heart, small “L” on lord) fail him.” In other words, “take heart, God has shown me what to do.” Saul protests because David is too small and young, but David says as a shepherd he has already proven himself by protecting his flock from lions and bears. He has struck down lions, grabbed them by their mane, and killed them, he says. He says he will treat the Philistine as one of those savage beasts. He says he can do it because it was the Lord God who gave him the courage and cunning to protect his flock who will now show him how to protect his people. Saul, who truly became the cowardly lion in this story and an embarrassment to the nation, agreed to this boy’s naïve offer, but being one of only two men in the kingdom with armor (according to custom), he says he’ll give him his to wear. Of course it is heavy and huge on this young boy; it would have been like little girls or boys putting on their mom’s or dad’s clothes, except much heavier. “Thank you, my lord,” said David respectfully, “but I’m not used to this armor.” He took it off, and in the sight of Goliath picked up a stick of distraction, which Goliath thought would be used against him, while he ignored the stones that David nonchalantly picked up as well. A kid in a field most of the day had lots of time to practice slinging stones to get to be a good shot. His practice, doing what no adult would have spent time doing, was going to pay off. Goliath despised that a boy was going to face him; “are you going to come after me with sticks?” he taunted. He then cursed David and made a threat: “Come face me so that I can tear you apart and leave you for vultures and wolves to eat your remains, for I won’t even bother to bury you.” It was a threatening description, but David was nonplussed in verse 44, saying “you can come at me with armor and weapon, but I come to in the name of God, the Lord of hosts who will give your life to me and watch me take off your head, so that, instead, Israel will know she has a God! I will do this by God, not by spear (although he does use Goliath’s own sword on him in the end.)” There is a lot of bravado in this story! As they headed toward each other, David took his sling, like the one I showed the children today, and took aim at the only exposed part of the Philistine’s body that would do damage: his forehead. With one smooth good-sized stone, David wound up and let it fly, aiming right for his head. The stone hit its mark and dazed the huge man. He fell to the ground, stunned, and without repeating the details, David finished him off. A little boy with the Spirit of the Lord defeated a giant warrior with an army of Israelite men, brothers, and a king whose jaws were on the ground and whose eyes were wide with disbelief. As the original rules stated, no other battles were needed, this was a winner-take-all match.

Kenneth Chafin, once pastor of the Walnut Street Baptist Church in Louisville, made these observations about this story: The difference was having or not having the Spirit of the Lord. “When Saul had been anointed [king,] everyone had been struck by his size. And when the Spirit of the Lord came on him, he became a fearless warrior. But [when that Spirit left him,] where there was once courage and daring was now caution and fear. Those challenges that seemed so possible in God’s strength now appeared as impossible missions…. There is no place where fear is more contagious than in a leader. It is sad to observe this in a nation and even sadder when it happens in the church….Saul’s effort to help David has been copied by many people since this story. Nothing comes more naturally to people than trying to get others to fight our battles. This story reminds us of the danger and foolishness of trying to fight our own battles with someone else’s armor. “People need to have confidence in their own gifts, experiences, and abilities if they are to face the giants in our lives.” [THE COMMUNICATOR’S COMMENTARY, 1, 2 Samuel, Word Publishers, 1989, pp. 140,145]

And so my friends, people around you will try to solve their problems by trying to be like someone else. “If only I had the money he has;” or “If only I were as popular as she is;” or “If only I were smarter;” or, to twist the words of the old gospel song “If I could just preach like Peter, or if I could just pray like Paul.” But I preach like Jeff, filled with God’s Spirit. And you face your battles as the person you are, gifted with your talents and God’s Spirit. Facing life trying to be someone you’re not is foolish. The question for life’s battles is not, then, “Who’s on my side?” The question is, and always will be “Who is on the Lord’s Side?” Let us consider that question and your own answer as we take our stands for the challenges ahead.

Jeffrey A. Sumner June 25, 2006