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This Biblical narrative is found in 1 Samuel 17.
The account details a seemingly lopsided battle between two men. Goliath, a giant of a man, a trained fighter from his youth, armed to the teeth with the most modern weaponry of his time. He is accompanied by a man with a shield, whose purpose is to deflect arrows, spears, and such, and also to participate in the battle. The armor bearer could be both a defensive and an offensive asset as needed.
David, on the other hand, is a simple shepherd, armed only with a staff and a slingshot, along with some stones he picked up out of a creek.
There is a lot riding on this battle between these two men. Only one man will be left standing, and which ever one that is will determine which nation will be subjected to the other. That would be like the USA and Russia each sending its best man, and whoever won, that man’s country would rule. Wow!! Safe to say, there would be a pretty serious selection committee!
Our objective then, is to understand who and what these two men represent as a type, and of course, how it applies to us today.
1 Samuel 17:4-7
V4. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
V5. And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
V6. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
V7. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and one bearing a shield went before him.
V33. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
There are two significant things that stand out about Goliath. First of all, he is an extremely formidable opponent all by himself. Take away his body armor, weapons, and his armor bearer, and that still leaves a twelve-foot tall man who has been trained in the arts of war from his youth. Not only that, he likes to pick fights and has a bad attitude!
Probably someone you would not want to run into after dark. Or any time for that matter!
The other thing to notice is his weapons systems. It includes both an offensive and a defensive system. Even though he is tough and capable with up to date weapons, he is not so arrogant to think he will never face someone who could possibly hurt him. With that in mind, his strategy also includes a highly sophisticated defense system. The principle behind this system is to protect him from a lethal wound, and to enable him to maintain his ability to utilize the offensive weaponry he has.
It can sometimes be a difficult thing to think outside of the box. The box in this case being the same way we’ve heard the story of David and Goliath over and over again since we were young. While there are good lessons to learn by simply reading it at face value, we want to take it out of the realm of a children’s story to see what it can do for us as adults.
A Bible type, properly understood, takes something that to us is intangible, and makes it tangible. In other words, they help us to grasp concepts that are difficult to understand.
The concept we are dealing with in this case, is that of ‘self.’ Self is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but is rarely understood for what it is.
Understanding what Goliath represents is the key to understand what the rest of the fight is all about.
As we have seen, there are two distinct features about Goliath. His immense size and skill, and the weapons and defenses he acquired along the way.
Goliath as a fighter trained in war from his youth represents our inherited defects of character, and his weapons and defenses represent the acquired tendencies to evil in our character, or, our cultivated defects of character. It can also be called self.
The first comes from the law of genetics, that is, the traits of character handed to us at our birth which we have no control over. Exodus 20:5, “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”
The second, the acquired tendencies, stems from the fact that in our ignorance or indifference of what we have inherited, we begin to defend our wrong thoughts and behaviors. Some of the defensive armor could include pride, fear, envy, doubt, guilt, insecurities and so on.
If you think about it, these kinds of emotions justify, or protect, our wrong thoughts and behaviors.
When these are confronted, that same thing which lies within us called self, will then choose the appropriate weapon to neutralize our perceived opponent. Instead of swords, spears, and daggers, our weapons take on the form of anger, deceit, silence, sarcasm, or bitterness. Of course, there are many more. These perceived opponents are friends, loved ones, spouses, coworkers, unfair treatment, circumstances, and the like.
Verses 8-11 gives us the details of Goliaths challenge:
V8. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
V9. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
V10. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
V11. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Is this just some generic challenge, hoping that anyone will take the bait? Or could it be more specific?
Goliath was the biggest man in their camp. Who was the biggest man in Israel? In 1 Samuel 9:2 we are told that Saul “was a choice young man, and a goodly,” and that “from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.”
So each man, Goliath and Saul, are the tallest men of their respective nations.
Goliath is calling king Saul out, and he realizes that if he gets the king he gets the people too.
The Bible says that Saul was afraid, and the people also. Saul and all of Israel knew full well that he was no match for Goliath.
Here in our case with poor Saul, a king represents the will. The Spirit of Prophecy defines the will as the ‘kingly power.’ So, putting that into perspective, Goliath, representing our defects of character, is coming to Saul, who represents our will, with the proposition that whoever wins will rule.
Here is what the Bible has to say about that in Romans 6:15-16:
V15. What then? Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
V16. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
So this challenge is all about who is going to obey who. Does the will power win out, or self?
In 1 Samuel 16:13-14, we read that “Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.”
“But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.”
One has the Spirit of the Lord, and the other doesn’t.
In Saul’s case, without the Spirit, he would represent an unsanctified will. Of course David, with the Spirit, would represent a sanctified will; the kingly power being under the power and supervision of the Holy Spirit.
An unsanctified will is no match for deeply rooted character defects, and Goliath knows that he can easily take Saul. What he doesn’t realize, is that it will be David instead of Saul whom he will fight. He will be fighting against the newly anointed king of Israel! Not only that, he will be confronted with a weapons system which on the surface appears simple, yet as he will soon find out, is highly effective.
In our story, Goliath has issued his challenge, Saul and all of Israel are afraid, and things look pretty bleak. David now comes into the picture. Without going into all of the details, he sizes up the situation and knows that he can take Goliath. This is reported to king Saul, and he requests that David come up and review the game plan.
David has assured Saul that he is able to defeat Goliath, but as Saul compares the two men, he sees no hope of success.
It is here, in 1 Samuel 17:34-37 that David presents his qualifications.
V34. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock.
V35. 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.
V36. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.
V37. David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee.
David outlines how he has protected the sheep from lions and bears, and has killed them single handedly when necessary. He goes on to let Saul know that just as the Lord gave him the ability to kill the lion and bear, so also would He give him the ability to defeat Goliath.
Ezekiel 19:3, 6 tells us that the young lions are inexperienced and learning how to catch their prey.
Job 4:11 tells us that the old lions die for lack of prey, in other words they are too old and slow to catch them.
And then there are the fierce lions, the devouring lions, and the destroying lions.
The lions and bears do something that a shepherd doesn’t like—they eat sheep!
Keeping in mind that we are working with a type should let us know that these animals represent something. What would a sheep represent? Us!! The flock, which is the church. Isaiah 53:6 tells us that “all we like sheep have gone astray.” Remember too, that David wasn’t tending just any sheep, but ‘his father’s sheep.’
So what is it that would come in among us to eat us up? Heresy. False doctrine. Apostasy.
Again, putting this into perspective, a young inexperienced lion would be something like the ‘No Holy Spirit’ movement, or Feast Day keepers—yes they will catch some but not too many. How about the old lion? Try the Desmond Ford theology, or Brinsmead. These are heresies that were once fierce, but now have run their course—still may catch the unwary, but not a big threat any more in and of themselves. The thing to understand though about both of these kinds of heresies is the fact that they set the stage for even worse. These false doctrines invariably attack our foundational pillars such as the sanctuary doctrine, or that of the investigative judgment.
But the fierce lions, the devouring lions, they are different. They are in their prime, and are mean and hungry. Fatal heresies such as the idea that we don’t need to overcome our sins, or that we will just keep sinning till Christ returns, or that the latter rain will just somehow, magically, fix our characters…
I think we all get the point.
David, by his conquest of the lion and bear, demonstrates that he is able to take on Goliath. He also recognizes that it was God who gave him the strength and discernment.
So with us. David represents a class of people who are not taken in by all the various winds of doctrine blowing through Adventism, but more than that, they seek to help and save people who get entangled in these errors. They also recognize that it is God who protects them.
V38. And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
V39. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
As Saul compared David with Goliath, he faced the same problem that many of us have, that is, he could not think outside of the box! Preconceived ideas, church tradition, education, personal bias–the list could go on; but the point to make is that Saul saw Goliath as a man of war with all of his armor, and the only thing he knew was to fight him in the same way, with the same type of equipment.
Saul did not know any other way to fight.
One of the first things to notice is that Saul’s helmet is made of brass. You can find brass all over in the Bible, and it is used to symbolize both good and bad. We’ll want to notice the context of how this brass is used before we can define what it symbolizes.
This brass comes in the form of a helmet. Here, it is used to protect or encase, the head, or mind. It is also interesting to note that it was not made of iron, or gold, or silver, but brass.
When we go to the image that king Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream of Daniel 2, we can see that each of these metals represents a separate and distinct kingdom, or nation.
So, gold represented Babylon, silver represents Medo Persia, brass for Greece, and iron was Rome.
The question to ask is, what is the leading characteristic of each nation?
In the case of Babylon it would be pride. After boasting in Daniel 4:30 of ‘this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty,” he was publicly humiliated and could say in verse 37, that “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.”
With Medo Persia we are told in Daniel 6:8, that “Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.” So its defining characteristic would be that when a law goes forth, it cannot be changed, a form of infallibility.
Rome was noted for its legal system. In other words, its leading characteristic would be legalism.
But what about Greece? What were they known for? Their educational system. It was a philosophical system based on human reason. Speaking of Paul while at Athens, in Acts 17:18 we read that “certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him.”
What were the Stoics all about?
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy (developed by Zeno of Citium around 300 B.C. as a refinement of Cynicism) which teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions.
And the Epicureans?
Epicureanism is a system of philosophy based on the teachings of Epicurus, founded around 307 B.C. It teaches that the greatest good is to seek modest pleasures in order to attain a state of tranquillity, freedom from fear (“ataraxia”) and absence from bodily pain (“aponia”).
So what were the Stoics known for again?
These systems of philosophy teach that bad habits and emotions can be overcome by something we do, which is the underlying premise of all false systems of education and religion. True education on the other hand, teaches us to recognize our fallen condition and to see that there is not one thing we can do, on our own, to save ourselves.
So Saul is handing David a system of works, based on false education, to defeat the hereditary and cultivated evils in his character.
He also gives David his sword.
What does Ephesians 6:17 inform us that a sword represents? The Word of God. But David could not use that particular method because he had not proved it.
As we’ll soon see, David already knows how to arm himself with God’s Word. And, there is a contrast between Saul’s method and that of David’s method.
There is really no delicate way to point out the fact, that Saul represents leadership.
Saul wants to provide David with his personal helmet and defensive gear, made of brass, and his own sword (methodology), in hopes that he can use them to defeat Goliath. That is something we all need to carefully consider.
So what does David do? What does he rely on? The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 17:40:
“He took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.”
And verse 49-50 tells us that “David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.”
To put this in context, David picks out five stones, worn smooth from the water, and puts them in a place where he can quickly and easily access them.
So, these stones—God’s promises, are taken from the water—God’s Word, and put in his shepherd’s bag—our minds, to be placed in the sling—representing faith, to be used to defeat Goliath—which are our inherited and cultivated defects of character.
A better way to sum this up is found in the Desire of Ages p.123.3-4 where it states:
“The prince of this world cometh,” said Jesus, “and hath nothing in Me.” John 14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us. Christ’s humanity was united with divinity; He was fitted for the conflict by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And He came to make us partakers of the divine nature. So long as we are united to Him by faith, sin has no more dominion over us. God reaches for the hand of faith in us to direct it to lay fast hold upon the divinity of Christ, that we may attain to perfection of character.
And how this is accomplished, Christ has shown us. By what means did He overcome in the conflict with Satan? By the word of God. Only by the word could He resist temptation. “It is written,” He said. And unto us are given “exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:4. Every promise in God’s word is ours. “By every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” are we to live. When assailed by temptation, look not to circumstances or to the weakness of self, but to the power of the word. All its strength is yours. “Thy word,” says the psalmist, “have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” “By the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.” Psalm 119:11; 17:4.
Why five stones when there was only one Goliath?
He had four brothers! See 2 Samuel 21:15-22.
It is through the five senses that Satan exploits the defects of character that are within us:
“All should guard the senses, lest Satan gain victory over them; for these are the avenues of the soul. You will have to become a faithful sentinel over your eyes, ears, and all your senses if you would control your mind and prevent vain and corrupt thoughts from staining your soul. The power of grace alone can accomplish this most desirable work.” Adventist Home p. 401.2-3
One of the last things to note for now is the fact that David cut off the head of Goliath. Had David stood by and allowed Goliath to stand up and regain his composure, we would probably be reading a story with a very different ending. We can be quite sure that if Goliath had recovered he would be more than slightly irritated!
You would have one mad, highly armed giant!
And he would be looking right at you!
It is important when God gives us the victory over a besetting sin or character defect, that we follow through by completely removing its ability to rise up and come after us.
Something to remember in this story is the fact that Goliath challenged Israel for 40 days. I don’t know about you, but it wasn’t until I was in my late forties before I even began to understand that there was a battle to fight, let alone to engage in the fight!
While it is true that as the years go by our character defects become more set in our lives, it is important to realize that it is never too late to engage in the fight to subdue them and gain the victory over them. We are told that God’s grace is sufficient for us in the work of overcoming, (2 Cor. 12:9) and that where sin abounds, grace doth much more abound. (Romans 5:20)
We should also realize that David did not attempt to fight Goliath without the assurance that it was the Lord who would deliver him into his hand.
It is easy sometimes to get mixed up as to what our part is and what part God has in the work of overcoming sin in our lives. We must be engaged in fighting the battle of overcoming self, by guarding every avenue to the soul, and by actively participating with Christ, but we cannot do it alone and must depend entirely upon Christ to give us the power to fight these battles. There are two ditches—one is that Christ does it all and we have little or no part to act, or the other is that we do it all, and that Christ has little or no part to act.
Well now we know how David prevailed. Equally important is why Goliath failed.
God Bless!