Do you have any giants in your life? Are there massive obstacles that seem to dwarf your abilities and talents? Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that seem to have gigantic adversity and maybe we feel intimated. For example, facing a health diagnosis that is very disturbing, experiencing a financial struggle that is well beyond our abilities and resources or trying to get into a school that feels like a huge long-shot. There are lots of ways that we could feel like we are in a ‘David and Goliath’ scenario.
To this end, David and Goliath is a well-known story in the Bible and we often receive encouragement from this story as it relates to underdogs overcoming giants. The story goes that David, a young boy, defeated Goliath, a huge giant, in battle. However, Goliath was not just a giant, but he was a trained warrior, outfitted in military garb and complete with an armor bearer. In contrast, David was a young shepherd without military experience nor training. He was willing to fight Goliath, because he trusted God and maybe he had some youthful hubris:)
Looking at Goliath and his background, we learn that Goliath was a Philistine from the town of Gath (1 Samuel 17:4). It’s interesting to note that Gath was a Philistine town right outside of Israel and it had a fair number of residents who were giants and also very intimidating. (Consider reading 1 Chronicles 20:5-8 to get some insights into the giants and this town.)
It’s also really perplexing to consider that later in life, David chose to live in Gath for a season and became the armor bearer to the King of Gath. We can read the rationale for David’s decision in 1 Samuel 27:1, “Then David said to himself, “Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me anymore in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand.”” David chose to settle in Gath and cultivate loyalty to Achish, the king of Gath, while at the same time he was fleeing for his life. But this was the town that Goliath came from, and was inhabited by other giants, including Goliath’s brothers.
David probably knew that when he was living in Gath, he would come across some of Goliath’s relatives. He was very well-know, but nevertheless, David figured out how to be useful and important to Achish. In carving out an existence in the same town where giants lived, it’s possible that David wasn’t intimated by Goliath’s brothers, because he was able to trust in the protection of God.
On the backdrop of David living in Gath with the Philistines, let’s remember that the first time we read about David was when he was probably a pre-teen, anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel. David had a destiny from this anointing, but his journey to that destiny took many years and he went through a plethora of struggles. Pretty much the last step before David became king was when he had relocated to Gath in Philistine territory. Recall that the Philistines were the main enemies to Israel at this time.
All of this reads like a crazy novel. The enemies, giants, loyalty, changes, obstacles, plot twists, danger, temporary solutions, pressures and unexpected opportunities all play out around David, creating a narrative of defeat. But, because he knew his destiny was established from God, he had the confidence to navigate wild changes. Not only that, but David had a personal relationship with God. He was constantly crying out to the Lord, and God was always providing for him, even in the middle of what looked like setbacks. Think about it, if David had not killed Goliath, the large relatives might have thought of him as a weak little Israelite. But, because God had saved him before, he had favor in Gath. Or, think about all the times when David was fleeing Saul, where he feared for his life. God heard his cries and rescued him time and time again. David trusted God, because he knew Him. God was providing for David through it all.
At the beginning of David’s journey to becoming the king, he defeated Goliath, the first giant he confronted. At the end of the next two decades, just before David became Israel’s king, David settled at Gath, the hometown for Goliath. David settled in Gath because that was a place where he could safely live without being pursued by Saul. At that point, Saul was David’s enemy and Gath was maybe the safest place for David to live. When it became safe for David to step into the next step in his destiny, he knew to trust God, because God had been with him through every scary moment.
Some take-aways from this blog that could be helpful to you could be:
- God’s directions in your life don’t often follow a straight path, the shortest distance or the most efficient route. The journey for David to become king of Israel included lots of travel, fleeing from Saul, hardships, uncertainty and difficult decisions.
- Giants that you face once might show up again in your future, so be mindful of what could intimidate you. David killing Goliath maybe gave him respect among Goliath’s brothers when David lived in Gath.
- Recognize that God can use unexpected or curious scenarios at very challenging times in your life. David’s move to Gath enabled him to escape from Saul’s murderous intent.
- Most importantly: Be steady in your daily walk with God, regardless of what’s happening in your life. We can see David’s consistency in connecting with God throughout many of the Psalms, which encourages us today.
