サムエル記上17:31-54 1 Samuel 17:41-54 “David and Goliath”

Next to the country of Israel, there were the countries of the Philistines. The Philistines were always attacking and tormenting the Israelites. One day, while the Israelites and Philistines were fighting, a giant came out from among the Philistines and told the Israelites to fight one on one. The giant’s name was Goliath. He was 2 metres 90 centimetres tall, wore a 100 kilograms weight armour and carried a large spear with an iron spearhead weighing 12 kilograms. If a soldier had approached him unwisely, he would have been skewered by that great spear.

When David heard about the one-on-one fight, he offered to Saul, king of Israel, that he would fight with Goliath. However, when King Saul heard this, he said, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth,” and tried to dissuade him. But even as a boy, David had fought lions and bears that attacked his sheep as a shepherd. He went into battle with a strong request, saying, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

How did David go into battle? Would he have worn a heavy armour and carried a long spear? No, he did not. King Saul gave David the helmet, armour and sword he would use in battle, but David said, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them,” and he refused. Then he dressed as a shepherd as usual, picked up his staff and took with him a sling for stone-throwing and smooth stones, which he used to fight lions and bears. The sling was a tool used to throw stones using centrifugal force by spinning it round and round. It could launch stones at speeds in excess of 100 km/h.

When Goliath saw David’s outfit, he said, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” and mocked him. He then said, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” But David did not flinch in the slightest and declared, “You come to me with a sword and 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, whom you have defied. All this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hand.” Then he slung a stone at Goliath with the sling. The stone hit and sank into Goliath’s forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. David took the sword from the fallen Goliath and cut off Goliath’s head. Thus, the battle was won by Israel. God gave the Israelites victory through David, who had no sword or spear. We too want to become victorious people who believe in God.