Goliath, 6/21 I Sam. 17

We know this story from youth. To apply it I decided to make Goliath and David symbols. Let’s make Goliath the symbol of our fear. One of the people at crown Pointe said that facing living alone was Goliath in her life. Some situations strike fear in us: cancer, divorce, or assault. The positive thinking folks would like to deny the power of a Goliath, unless they want to trumpet a victory in advance. Real obstacles, real dangers face us all, and we need not minimize them. Fear paralyzes us. It prevents us from doing what we know we should. We become prisoners to it before it even has a chance to hurt us. For forty days the army did not move against Goliath. They will not notice any resources around them, as they are blinded by their fear and shame.

 

This week, the disquieting thought him me that a Goliath lurks in us all. We can become a Goliath to others. Our country is seen as a Goliath by most of the world. We may seem like a Goliath to those over whom we have some power. In=-laws can be a Goliath sometimes. For forty days Goliath insulted and taunted the army of Israel. That can wear a person down when they feel the odds are stacked against them. It makes them feel smaller and less significant.  The Goliath within had better be careful, or someone smaller may rise up and take that part down.

 

Some people say, too easily I think, not to be afraid. We know full well that Goliath deserves fear. Courage isn’t the absence of fear; it’s being able to summon up the will to face our fear down and act. If David isn’t afraid, I think it’s bravado. That is what his eldest brother suspects. Of course, Samuel passed him over in favor of anointing his youngest brother. When he is given the king’a armor, he knows that this is serious, even as he makes a show of removing it. He is able to face his fear as he is furious that the living God is being dishonored; he knows his abilities; he can draw strength from the living God. David is still realistic. He knows that goliath would destroy him unless he uses the weapons of the guerilla fighter, speed, surprise, and agility. Those create the conditions for his victory.

 

I don’t know if anyone noticed that the creek was full of smooth stones. If Goliath did, he ignored them. He was safe in his size and his 125 pounds of armor. Goliath’s spearpoint probably weighed more than the five stones combined. I doubt David weighed 125 pounds.  Only David noticed them as he walked toward Goliath. We all have resources that are invisible to others. We all have access to 5 smooth stones. Unused, they are unnoticed. When put to use, they can be most powerful. Sometimes they can cut down a Goliath. I heard a woman with a serious eye condition say that her five smooth stones were the prayers of five churches. This week I would urge you to reflect on finding five smooth stones in your own life.

 

Goliath usually wins. Goliath is so imposing, and we seem so scrawny in comparison. At times, Goliath trips up. Caught up in its own sense of invincibility, they do not regard a threat with proper respect and lumber into trouble.  At some marvelous times, the Davids of the world win. Milan wins the state title. Villanova beats Georgetown in the 1980s. They don’t only fight a brave fight; they actually win. When we face our goliaths, may God help us to face down our own fears. May our eyes be opened to the resources we have at hand to battle them. May we se the possibility that the little one can win.