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Goliath, from Gath

1 Samuel 17:1-22 (JDV)

1 Samuel 17:1 The Philistines gathered their camps for war at Socoh which is in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim.
1 Samuel 17:2 Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah; then they set up in battle formation to face the Philistines.
1 Samuel 17:3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a valley between them.
1 Samuel 17:4 Then a man among the single fighters named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall
1 Samuel 17:5 and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that examined one hundred twenty-five pounds.
1 Samuel 17:6 There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders.
1 Samuel 17:7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear examined fifteen pounds. Also, a shield-bearer was walking in front of him.
1 Samuel 17:8 He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations: “Why do you come out to set up in battle formation?” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me.
1 Samuel 17:9 If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.”
1 Samuel 17:10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!”
1 Samuel 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.
1 Samuel 17:12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man.
1 Samuel 17:13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third,
1 Samuel 17:14 and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul,
1 Samuel 17:15 but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem.
1 Samuel 17:16 Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand.
1 Samuel 17:17 One day Jesse had told his son David: “Take this half-bushel of roasted grain along with these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.
1 Samuel 17:18 Also take these ten wedges of cheese to the field commander. Check on the well-being of your brothers and bring a confirmation from them.
1 Samuel 17:19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 17:20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had charged him. He arrived at the perimeter of the camp as the efficient ones were marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry.
1 Samuel 17:21 Israel and the Philistines set up in battle formation facing each other.
1 Samuel 17:22 David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were.

Goliath, from Gath

His name is now synonymous with someone or something gigantic, and indeed he was. Today’s text marks the first time David saw him. Although David had been soothing Saul’s frayed nerves with his music (on and off as he also tended his father’s flocks) this was the first time David encountered this Goliath of a challenge. He left his gifts of grain, bread, and cheese. He was anxious to see what the Israelite army would do to fix this problem.

There may be a Goliath in your future. You may even be fighting a giant right now. Don’t assume that the problem belongs to someone else. You were born to slay your Goliath.