God Introduces David
David and Goliath as One of the Greatest Intros in History
Introductions matter. Introductions, even in the more sedated setting of talks in a church or academic environment, tell the audience someone important, knowledgeable, or skilled is among us. This isn’t a normal day; something important is happening right now. God is great at introductions. Several times in the Bible, God orchestrates a set of extraordinary circumstances into which he interjects a new and exciting figure. He doesn’t use the theatrics of the WWE or boxing promoters, yet his methods have far more lasting impact. Take for example, the introduction of David to the nation of Israel.
Not an Underdog Story
Fairly early in my Christian life, I was introduced to Veggie Tales. A close friend showed me Dave and the Giant Pickle, where Junior Asparagus acts out a traditional understanding of the story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17. A young and small David shows up to see a massive warrior threatening the people of Israel. He agrees to face him in battle, though he is comically outsized. He slings a rock, and God guides the stone to the head of Goliath. Little David defeats big Goliath with nothing more than faith and a little moxie.
That understanding of the story is absurd. Neither King Saul nor the soldiers of Israel would have ever allowed a small child to enter a battle of champions, which is precisely what Goliath requested. From the scripture:
Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other. On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”[1]
The stakes for losing this battle were ultimate. The fate of both nations lay in the balance. No small child, no matter how much faith he displayed, could convince a group of men who so feared Goliath they endured 40 days straight of mocking to let a delivery waif champion them: to place their lives in his hands. The trope of the great underdog story doesn’t fit the biblical narrative, unless Junior Asparagus follows his unlikely victory by grabbing the Giant Pickle’s sword and cutting his head off. This isn’t a story about the little guy triumphing, it is an epic introduction.
Setting the Stage
How does God introduce the man after his own heart to the nation David will one day lead? First, he sets the stage.
The Philistine army gathered on a mountain side overlooking the Valley of Elah. The Israelites gathered on a hill opposite of them. A giant warrior named Goliath came down into the valley. His actual height is debated, but it is agreed that he was massive man with heavy armor. He challenged the army of Israel to send out a champion and the Israelites, to their shame, were struck with fear. King Saul, who stood a head taller than the men of Israel, chosen to be king because of his impressive size, was dismayed and terrified. The soldiers of Israel, including the oldest brother of David whose height was noted in chapter 16 when Samuel assumed God wanted Eliab anointed the next king of Israel, were dismayed and terrified. The warriors of Israel shrank before the taller champion of the Philistines. They relived their dishonor every day, not for a week, not for a month, but for 40 days. For 40 days the massive warrior stepped into the valley to call for a champion from the army of Israel. For 40 days they were dismayed and terrified before him. The shame of Israel compounded for 40 long days.
God’s Man Arrives
David is not as tall as King Saul or his eldest brother, Eliab, but he is described in the preceding chapter as fine in appearance, glowing with health or ruddy, and well put together.[2] The King James Version extols his beauty. He arrives at the camp after an all-day 15-mile trip with supplies of bread for his brothers and cheese for their commander. David leaves the supplies with the keeper and immediately runs to the battle lines. As he finds and greets his brothers, Goliath repeats his challenge, and the English Standard Version says simply, “And David heard him.”[3]
And David heard him. Everything that happens afterward stems from this moment. Goliath’s mockery of Israel lasted 40 days and ends when David hears him. God’s man is not dismayed and terrified. He is not greedy for the rewards offered by King Saul for the soldier who slays Goliath. He looks around at his fearful countrymen and speaks of reproach and disgrace for Israel that must be lifted. Eliab chastises his little brother, but David will have none of it. His outrage reaches the ears of King Saul, who sends for him and to whom David says, “Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Imagine this scene for a moment. The army of Israel trying to project strength as a fighting unit while being mocked for 40 days, not a single soldier willing to try their hand against the impressive Goliath. Their tall and impressive king unwilling to champion his people against the larger Philistine. Then a brash young man, strong and handsome, arrives out of nowhere demanding the right to fight Goliath. Not a soldier, but a soldier’s little brother delivering supplies and whose remonstrances reach the ears of the king. King Saul is incredulous.
A Generational Warrior
Consider the questions King Saul wrestled with as David stood before him. Who is this young man, handsome, bold, exuding health and confidence? This is not Junior Asparagus, and he certainly isn’t the small child so often depicted in illustrations of this biblical scene. God called David a man of war or a warrior.[4] He is a legendary fighter about to burst onto the scene. We can’t answer the question Saul must have been asking himself in that moment, who is this young man, without a brief consideration of violence.
I trained in fighting arts throughout my twenties, studying striking arts like Tae Kwon Do as well as grappling arts and mixed martial arts. The study of martial arts is the study of controlled violence. Our school sparred multiple nights a week, and I was very good. I could keep my cool under pressure and measure the man in the ring with me, understanding what he did well and taking that away. That can be difficult, because the men charging me in the ring were fast and strong and extremely loud. A miscalculation meant a broken nose, a concussion, or worse. The adrenaline rush was so extreme it was impossible to sleep for hours after a good sparring session. The mind lingers on the violence, replaying the conflict over and over. During these years of combat training, I used to reflect on David. I saw great fighters up close, and I wondered what a man like David must have been like.
Consider his appeal to King Saul. When Saul dismisses the idea of David fighting Goliath because of David’s lack of fighting experience David tells him:
“Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”[5]
Let’s dispense of the idea that these were merely supernatural events of victory based on David giving the credit to God. Evander Holyfield credited his victories to Jesus, as does Olympic Gold Medal track athlete and 400M hurdle World Record holder Sydney McLoughlin-Levrone, and as did the late great Hall of Famer defensive lineman Reggie White. Great athletes give the glory to God all the time, but we recognize those moments of praise aren’t denials of personal ability and commitment. These are supremely talented men and women devoted both to Jesus Christ and a relentless pursuit excellence.
What would it take to attack a lion and a bear, club them with such ferocity they release their prey, and then strike them dead? This requires an unimaginable combination of athleticism and aggression.
Speed is a major component. Size and power are impressive, but speed kills. In Homer’s Iliad, Achilles is described once as the most violent man on earth. Another passage mentions his burly hands on his sword, but more than anything Homer repeatedly remarks on his speed. He is a great runner, a fast runner, a man of speed. NFL players interviewed about the transition from college football to the pros repeatedly discuss the accelerated speed of the game. Everything happens insanely fast. In every sport, the most startling aspect about the highest levels of competition is how fast the athletes are. The most vital thing to know about sparring against great fighters is that everything will happen fast and you have to match the speed and aggression of your opponent or you will be defeated immediately.
Fights are short explosive things. Damage happens fast and recovery from some blows is impossible. If you ever seen two human beings fight in earnest, with no regard for each other’s safety, it is a jarring sight; nothing like what you see in the movies. The general rule in training for street fights was, when attacked, it takes four seconds to save your life or be defeated. Combat would be won or lost in four seconds.
The Asiatic Lion and the Syrian Brown Bear, the two species David would have encountered, are both large fast animals. The scene as David describes it would have happened incomprehensibly fast. A lion or bear charges, upwards of over 40 miles per hour or 30 miles per hour respectively. David launches at them with his rod before they can get away, he cannot hope to catch them in a foot race. The first blow would loosen his sheep from their mouths. As they turn, perhaps stunned for a moment from the first unexpected blow, but before they can press their attack, an attack of such strength and power David, who is far smaller and slower, cannot hope to repel, David strikes a crushing deadly blow to their head. The ferocity, decisiveness, and power David would have to display to overcome the size, speed, and strength advantages of those animals is terrifying.
The Sling
The sling David used is not a child’s toy. It is a projectile weapon. According to modern sling enthusiasts on Reddit, a sling can launch a large stone well over 100 yards at an initial speed of up to 140 miles per hour and with deadly accuracy around the 20-yard range. The bible speaks of Benjamites, mighty men proficient with the sling with both hands (1 Chronicles 12:2) and of 700 left-handed men who could sling a stone at a hair and never miss (Judges 20:16). The sling was a weapon of war the Israelites knew how to use, and it appears David brought one to the battlefield with him.
God Introduces the Warrior King David
Once King Saul ascents to let David fight, someone is going to die. David gathers five rocks. I have read scholars and pastors who argue there is some theological significance to the number of rocks, but I find it hard to imagine David is thinking about that in the moment. I assume he gathered five rocks because if the first four didn’t kill Goliath he wanted a fifth stone ready. The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about the reaction of the two armies as David stepped forward with his shepherd’s staff and his sling. We don’t know if they were raucous or if a hush fell over them. We know David stepped forward to face Goliath who, accompanied by a shield bearer began to move toward David. We are left to guess the distance between the two when Goliath begins mocking David, but a former munitions expert in the U.S. Navy once told me every good soldier knows the effective distance of his weapon. I would assume the distance between them was greater than the effective distance of David’s sling for reasons which become clear later.
Goliath sees David, described again as ruddy and handsome, and mocks David in front of the army of Israel. He mocks his staff, calling it a stick. He curses David in the name of the Philistine gods. He threatens to kill David and leave his carcass for the scavengers. His taunts do not have the effect he intended. David returns Goliath’s mockery with a masterclass in trash talking. Goliath mocks his staff; David tells him this fight isn’t about Goliath’s impressive weapons. Goliath curses David in the name of Philistine gods, David informs him he has the wrong gods if he wants results. The God of Israel is about to make himself known on this battlefield. Goliath threatens to leave David’s carcass for carrion eating scavengers, David promises to cut off Goliath’s head and leave the bodies of the entire Philistine army for animals to devour. David is not terrified. He is not dismayed.
The two begin to the close the distance between them. Goliath presumably favoring his projectile weapons, a javelin and a spear, as we later find out his sword remains undrawn.[6] David runs at him, closing the distance fast. Imagine the speed of Achilles, the speed of a great athlete, as we are told David runs toward Goliath. Then in a flash David loads the sling. There is a video of a man on Instagram throwing a stone with sling. He whirls as he releases the rock. We can imagine the same thing, a blur of David spinning when he reaches the distance he wants, closing the gap between them before Goliath can throw his javelin or spear. The rock launches at over 100 mph and lodges in the head of the great Philistine warrior who falls forward, dead.
Were the armies hushed in awe as David, Israel’s anointed king, walks toward Goliath, draws his sword from its sheath, and cuts the giants head off? We cannot know. We know this, after David cut off Goliath’s head, the Philistine’s ran. The men of Israel and Judah arose, shouted, pursued the Philistines, and routed their army. Israel was downcast, dismayed, terrified, and demoralized. Then God welcomes David to the stage, and David’s strength, speed, courage, and faith instantly change everything. The mocked become the victors, and the people of Israel have a new hero.
Israel, meet your king, God’s anointed man, the man after his own heart.
[1] 1 Samuel 17:8-11, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2017&version=NIV
[2] 1 Samuel 16:12, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Samuel%2016&version=NIV
[3] 1 Samuel 17:23, English Standard Version
[4] 1 Chronicles 28:3, https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/1%20Chronicles%2028%3A3
[5] 1 Samuel 17:34-36
[6] 1 Samuel 17:51