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"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."
(Hebrews 11:6)
What was the key to David's victory over the giant from Gath? The odds were not in David's favor. He was outmatched in every way except one, and that is, David knew God, and this giant of a man did not know God. Dr. Charles Stanley, in his message entitled, "The Thrill of Trusting God", described Goliath as a walking tank! He was large and in charge! He was over 9 feet tall; now just think about that. I think of the former NBA player Shaquille O'Neil, better known as Shaq. He is a very large man, over 7 feet tall and not skinny. Goliath was over 2 feet taller than Shaq and 4 feet taller than David. The only thing not covered on Goliath's massive warrior frame was his face. There was only about 6 inches of his entire body that would be vulnerable in a battle. But he had little fear, because who would be tall enough to reach him? Goliath also possessed a massive sword, and he even had a shield-bearer.
David lacked all of these advantages as he prepared to face Goliath in a gladiator battle to the death. But David said he would take this uncircumcised Philistine on and then take him out! Now, on one level, that seems ridiculous. How could this out-manned, out-sized teenager defeat the prodigious giant and warrior of the Philistine army? This shepherd boy from Israel does not display fear in the face of this battle; rather, he has great indignation toward Goliath and is upset that this Philistine was taunting the living God. As David prepares to take him on, he does not practice; he simply finds 5 round stones, puts them in his bag, and walks to the battle in faith. Someone may ask, "Why did David get 5 stones for one giant?" Dr. Stanley in his message answered, "Just in case Goliath had four brothers!"
In 1 Samuel 17:45-51, we read of the famous battle between David and Goliath, and it really was no fight at all. David took him out in a matter of seconds. Now, how in the world did he do that? Just like a basketball in my hand is not worth much but in the hand of Shaq it is valuable and has great potential to be slam dunked, so that little stone in David's hand was lethal. Verse 45 states, "Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." David has no fear, only faith. Verse 49 states, "Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth."
What was the key to David's victory? His secret was not his history of being a protective shepherd or his courage, so what was it? When David saw Goliath, he saw a dead giant. He viewed himself as already victorious and this giant as good as dead! David looked with the spiritual eyes of faith. He saw in a moment what no one else saw. People saw the giant and were filled with dread and fear, but David saw with faith what God can do. He saw a defeated giant because the giant was challenging the living God, and David would defend the name of God. He did not look at the giant's armor or weapons or brash talk; he simply saw a dead giant.
God is willing to let you see what the human eye cannot see. Will you trust Him?
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