Which Way Are You Running?

  The story of David and Goliath is one of my favorites.  Every time I read it, I am impressed by something fresh and new.  To understand the story is to take a closer look at the characters involved.

Saul:  He was impressive--a head taller than any of the other Israelites.  He was the obvious choice to go out and face Goliath.  But, sadly—he had chosen to go his own way apart from God.  His lack of leadership put the men that had sworn to serve him in the position of being demoralized.  He had even tried to bribe them with money and his own daughter to accomplish the task of removing the giant.   He didn’t understand that Goliath wasn’t the problem—his lack of faith in God was the real issue.

The Israelite army:  For forty days, they drew up the battle lines. For forty days, they endured the humiliating barrage of a trash talking giant.  For forty days, they were too afraid to meet the challenge on the battlefield.  For forty days, they watched their king cower in fear and they followed suit.  They didn’t realize that God was waiting to give them the victory, had they stepped out in faith.

Goliath:  He was a take charge kind of guy.  He decided to, personally, dispatch the Israelite army by conquering their champion.  He was a fighting man from birth and another battle was nothing to him.  He didn’t realize the battle had already been decided, that the Champion he was about to face was actually God Almighty.

The Philistine army:  These men were warriors that were content to put their trust in another man for their salvation.  They were relying on Goliath’s physical attributes to win the victory without realizing that they had already been handed defeat.

David:  He was a young man with enough faith to believe that God was in control.  He believed that God had chosen the Israelite people as His own and that the victory was already in their hands - had they looked beyond the giant on the battlefield.

    With which character do you identify?   What do you do when you are faced with a giant? Do you do what the Israelites did?  Verse 24 tells us they ran in great fear from the giant.  How about the Philistines?  Verse 51 tells us that when they saw their hero was dead, they ran away in defeat.  Or are you more like David? Verse 48 says that David ran quickly toward the giant.  He ran with abandon - headlong toward Goliath.  He was the only one that understood that the battle wasn’t theirs at all—He was simply running to join God on the battlefield.

     Unfortunately, I can see myself in all of the characters.  Some days I have been Saul….unwilling to give up the throne of my life even though the true King is waiting to lead me.  Some days I have been Goliath…self-sufficient and able to handle what is thrown at me, even though the best that I can do is as "filthy rags".   Some days I have been the Israelites….running in fear.  And even a few days I’ve been the Philistines….running in defeat.

     Oh, for the faith of David daily! – to greet each day with the first thought, that no matter what I may face...“If God is for me, who can be against me?”


Scripture Reference:  1 Samuel 2-4; 8-11; 16; 20-25; 32; 40-41; 45-48; 51c