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The lion's muscles moved smoothly under his tawny hide as he carried his evening meal toward his lair.
After roaming the grassy meadows seeking something weak and warm to devour, he had finally chosen a tender yearling. He would be careful to keep the helpless animal alive until he had it safe in his lair, but his mouth was watering in anticipation. He might just have his meal right here in the sand, but first he would put one more switchback between himself and the shepherd boy who followed him so relentlessly.
As the ravenous predator rounded the last bend, he was surprised by a carefully hurled rock that cracked hard against his skull. His yellow eyes narrowed and a rumbling growl was born in his throat as he dropped the wounded lamb. It would still be there when he was done with this foolish shepherd boy.
The ruddy-faced youth stood facing him armed only with a club.
The lion crouched, his tail curling this way and that. Then the tip of his tail quickly twitched three times and with a thunderous roar, he charged with the amazing speed that only a big cat can muster, timing his last jump so as to plow into the young boy's upper body and crush him to the ground. To the lion's surprise, the young shepherd ran to meet him, and for the first time ever, the lion's carefully timed charge was all wrong. The boy would be in the wrong place for his final leap. The five-hundred pound lion's claws dug wildly into the sand as he tried to arrest the momentum of his headlong charge. The boy met him head on as he reared upon his hind legs. Now he felt strong hands gripping his mane, and now, the big cat felt despair and fear. The lion should have been struggling to sink his claws into the young shepherd's back but his thundering roar was more terrified than terrible now as he struggled to twist away from the repeated blows the young boy was raining on his slanted skull with the club. He roared one final scream as the club cracked on his skull again and again. As the lion's senses dulled and he slipped into the inky blackness of unconsciousness and death, the now-helpless predator sensed a power behind the blows far greater and more powerful than the flailing arm of the shepherd boy. ****************************************
The sun is bright as I stand holding the enormous shield. I have always considered it the greatest honor to be Goliath's armor bearer. I have seen him tear the mightiest enemy soldiers apart as if they were small children. He and his four brothers are undefeatable, but he is the mightiest of them all. No soldier from any land can stand against him. His spear is like a weaver's beam, with an iron spearhead six hundred shekels in weight. He wears a brass helmet and greaves of brass on his legs and a target of brass between his shoulders. His coat of mail weighs in at five thousand shekels. The sword swinging comfortably in its sheath at his side is sharp enough to split a hair, as long as a normal man is tall.
Every day for the past month we've come to challenge the Semites to send their finest soldier for a contest with our champion, but they huddle in fear, unwilling to even answer him. Goliath laughs at them and taunts their God. He makes promises that we will serve them if he loses the fight... They don't have a chance and they know it. Goliath is almost twice as tall as some of their soldiers; we don't even have a horse than can support his weight. Every day we make our way a little closer to their lines with our challenge, and every day our soldiers watch with amusement as the Semites stand quietly at the edge of their hillside camp, humiliated and powerless to answer Goliath's insults. What a bunch of cowards!
This morning I pick up the great shield I have carried so many times before and walk out in front of Goliath as I have every day. He shouts at the Semites once more as he always has, his deep voice booming down the valley, blaspheming their God once again. As the echoes of Goliath's challenge die away I hear mocking laughter rippling through the ranks of our soldiers, but this time a new voice rings out. Suddenly, a young boy stands by the stream that trickles through the valley, facing us with nothing but a leather sling... Goliath roars with rage, insulted and incensed that they've sent this ruddy-faced boy to face him. What sort of insult is this? The boy makes a ridiculous speech about coming in the name of his God, promising to feed Goliath to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the earth... What is he saying? This is ridiculous!
Now we stand amazed as he runs to meet us. He continues to gain speed and momentum only possible for a young boy, his sandals barely touching the ground. I hear Goliath's great rumbling laugh behind me. The boy's sling is whirling faster and faster above his head until it becomes a blur. Then I see the stone leave the leather, a gray streak moving so fast my eyes can't begin to follow it. Oddly, I hear a sharp crack as it cleaves the air and passes over my shield. Never has a thrown rock traveled so fast or so straight. Then there is an audible crunch as the missile pierces Goliath's brass helmet. I whirl around in shock, dropping the shield. The stone has done more than just pierce his helmet. Goliath's huge eyes cross, his mouth opens wide, a stunned roar of mortal pain dies in his throat, and his face turns toward the sky. Blood begins to rush out from under his helmet and down his face and neck. Then, like a great cedar tree, he falls forward with the deadly stone thrown by a simple shepherd boy still buried in his massive skull. As I see his enormous face crash against the ground, I became faintly, horribly aware of a great battle cry from the Semite camp, but I hear nothing from our side. Our troops must be as shocked as I am that our champion has been so quickly and easily defeated by such an insignificant member of the enemy camp. Now things are getting worse. The shepherd boy runs past me like I'm not even here and drags Goliath's enormous sword from its sheath. It's longer than he is tall and should be too heavy for him to lift, yet he easily raises it high and brings it down quickly. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, mighty Goliath's head rolls free. The Semites come pouring out of their camp. Looking toward our tents, I see our troops dropping their weapons and running for their lives...
What did these two encounters have in common? They both obviously took place after David's anointing by Samuel, because only the Spirit of God could give David the power to do what he did. Incidentally, he didn't kill the lion and the bear with his sling. The Scriptures record what David said about those incidents:
"...there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him." I Samuel 17:34b-35
David was willing to take action and risk his life, He had great courage and integrity; but let's look at a parallel here. He knew he had been anointed king, yet he was humbly carrying out the responsibilities his father Jesse had given him and doing an outstanding job herding and protecting his father's sheep. Jesse must have known by this time that if he sent David to do a job, he never had to worry; it would be done. But who would have condemned that boy if he let the lion or the bear have a lamb?
David was chosen by God to be the king and to father a long line of people to whom would be born a young girl named Mary. Then the Holy Spirit of God, in unique moment of time, planted His eternal Son in her womb as a single cell that grew into a baby who would be born in the town where David had lived as a boy.
Jesus was and is the Great Shepherd who guides and protects those who trust Him as Savior and Lord. And while satan prowls about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, he always faces defeat at the hands of the Great Shepherd.
The armies of Israel had an inadequate king. He was afraid to face the Philistine giant who hurled insults at the God of Abraham. King Saul would have been killed instantly if he had ventured out to face that monster, because the Spirit of God wasn't with him. But David was filled with the God's Spirit and knew he couldn't lose. Sensitive to the Spirit's prompting, David knew he was destined to be the king as he stepped out of the ranks of his people to face the devil's champion. He didn't wait for the devil's attack. He took the offensive, running to meet a giant from whom bigger men had fled in terror. And like the Rock of Ages crushed the head of satan at the Cross, David's missile, a rock madeElah as he wrote: smooth by water and not cut with hands cracked the skull of the devil's champion that day and the evil Philistine army was put to rout. Perhaps David remembered going to face Goliath at the valley of
"...yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. For Thou art with me.." Psalm 23:4b
So how can we apply what we've learned from this? Here are a couple of points: 1) We've all got a deadly enemy who wants to devour us. Like the lamb in the mouth of the lion, without the Good Shepherd, we have no chance of survival. None at all.
2). satan has giants of doubt, depression, and defeat out there waiting for us, whether we like it or not. We can meet them and defeat them with the Rock of our salvation (Psalm 95:1) and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11) or we can hide in our tents while the enemy takes over. So, what'll it be?
The victory has already been won, if we'll accept it.
For those who haven't trusted Christ as Savior and Lord, they're standing among the ranks of the Philstines. All who aren't with Jesus are against Him.
Where do you stand? R.W.M.
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