DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- INTIMIDATION OR FAITH?

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – INTIMIDATION OR FAITH?

"Then he (Goliath) stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, 'Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.' … When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." (I Samuel 17:8-10, 12)

The story of David and Goliath is another one of those great stories that we remember from Sunday School. And how many sermons have been preached about David's bravery and faith in his God? So, what can we say that is new?

Something struck me when I reread this narrative. The question arose: What caused so much fear among the Israeli soldiers? Certainly there was the fear of Goliath. I mean, this guy was a brute beast. He was six cubits and a span. That would be about 9 ¾ feet tall. He would make a great basketball player! The weight of his coat of armor was 125 pounds. His spear alone weighed at 15 pounds. So do I have any takers?

Then there was the fear of being killed. No one wants to die like that.

But I think there might have been another fear – the fear of being considered an idiot. If you have enough ego to face Goliath, there must be something wrong with you. You are putting the whole country in jeopardy of being made slaves to the Philistines. It is one thing to be lined up for battle with the crowd as a nameless nobody to face the enemy. But what kind of fool will risk putting himself out in front when failure means the whole nation will be conquered?

As we read the rest of the story, David's confidence was not in himself or his own abilities, but in the God who had delivered him from the lion and the bear (vs. 37). As he stood before Goliath, David said, "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel" (vs. 45). And again in verse 47, "the battle is the LORD's and He will give you into our hands."

God calls people of faith to stand out from the crowd. When we are faced with situations that intimidate the group, we will also cower unless our confidence is in the Lord and His calling. He is our deliverer.

Love, Dad