There are a lot of stories about heroes and villains. People need examples in order to teach their children what is good and what is evil. Moreover, they need the examples in order to imitate good deeds or evil deeds by themselves. Stories about good men and evil men are represented in the Bible. The story about David and Goliath is among them.
David is mentioned for the first time in the Bible, when he was taken to the governor to play the psaltery (1 Samuel 16:11-23 KJV). He was chosen by God, to replace the governor Saul who had been rejected by God. David is described as “ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to” in the Bible (1 Samuel 16:12). Another recollection about him tells that he “is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the Lord is with him” (1 Samuel 16:18). Judging from this description, David is considered to be a good-looking, wise, courageous, and devoted to God person. Though, his main deed is disclosed in the 17th chapter of the 1 Samuel in the Old Testament.
There was a giant called Goliath in the army of Philistines, who were about to start a war with the men of Israel. He is described in the Bible as “six cubits and a span” in height (1 Samuel 17:4). He was armed from his head to his toes and had an armor-bearer with him. He wanted to fight with an Israel man. The loser’s nation would become the servants of the winner’s nation. Goliath is described as sinister and offensive in the Bible. The men of Israel were frightened of him.
David defeated the giant in the uneven battle. He had a sling and five stones with him while Goliath was armored, wore a helmet and greaves, and had a shield and a spear. How was this possible? David came to Saul and told he was going to fight with the giant. The young man told Saul how he had defeated and killed a lion and a bear saving his sheep (1 Samuel 34-36). This proved he was strong and brave, so the governor let him fight. Saul gave David his armor, and his helmet, and his sword, in such a way preparing him for the battle. David was not used to armor and other things; he took them off and went fighting. He could have all those things, but he did not take them.
Before the battle Goliath is described as inspiring fear. His armor-bearer was standing in front of him. This fact shows that Goliath was fearsome only from his outlook, but he was a coward indeed. When he saw David, he looked at him with disdain, which means his self-appraisal was too high. It is also possible that Goliath was envious because David was young and beautiful. He threatened and cursed David, which means he was evil. David replied on Goliath’s threatens and curses that he was going to fight him in the name of God. This shows that he was not scared of the giant and fully relied on the God’s will. This also means that he was a devoted servant of God.
David killed the giant with a stone and a sling. He presented an easy solution of a difficult situation, but a wise one. He showed that strength can be defeated by brain. He was under the threat of losing his life, but he was not afraid. When people are frightened, they cannot think rationally. David was sure in God’s help to the biggest extent, and his faith saved him. No one asked him, but he came and saved everybody. Goliath could not expect David to turn out to be such an intelligent young man. He saw nothing because he was too proud of himself and his strength. Thus, he paid his life and David remained to live. His infinite wisdom is described in the next chapters of the Bible.
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