1 Samuel 17:1-3 The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. Saul countered with a buildup of forces at Elah Valley. So the Philistines and Israelis faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
4-7 Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was a giant of a man, measuring over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, a two-hundred-pound coat of mail, bronze leggings, and carried a bronze javelin several inches thick, tipped with a twenty-five-pound iron spearhead, and his armor bearer walked ahead of him with a huge shield.
8-10 He stood and shouted across to the Israelis, “Do you need a whole army to settle this? I will represent the Philistines, and you choose someone to represent you, and we will settle this in single combat! If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, then you must be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!”
King Saul has faced opposing forces before, but he’s never encountered anything like this! The Philistines have one of the giants on their side, and he’s challenging the Israelites to send forth a champion for a mano-a-mano duel. But this guy is ginormous, and nobody wants to face him.
David has joined Saul’s staff on a part-time basis because Saul has learned David’s songs of praise can drive away the demons that have been attacking him. Now David has returned from home and is asking about this giant. Everybody takes one look at this teen-ager and figures this kid is just satisfying his morbid curiosity. But David knows better and claims he can handle this giant.
1 Samuel 17:32-37 “Don’t worry about a thing,” David told him. “I’ll take care of this Philistine!”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “How can a kid like you fight with a man like him? You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!”
But David persisted. “When I am taking care of my father’s sheep,” he said, “and a lion or a bear comes and grabs a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If it turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this heathen Philistine too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who saved me from the claws and teeth of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!”
Saul finally consented, “All right, go ahead,” he said, “and may the Lord be with you!”
As a small boy, David has had to learn to fight smarter, not wasting force. Repeatedly, God has delivered David from vicious animals several times his size. David’s confidence is not in himself, but in the God who has preserved his life all these years. And David has a secret weapon, one Goliath has never previously encountered.
38-42 Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can hardly move!” he exclaimed, and took them off again. Then he picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd’s bag and, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, started across to Goliath. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield-bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this nice little red-cheeked boy!
As a conventional soldier, Saul can’t imagine facing this giant without armor; however, David rapidly realizes that Saul’s armor is only a hindrance. All the years that David has been facing huge powerful wild animals, he has never used armor and he doesn’t need it today either.
43-47“Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals,” Goliath yelled.
David shouted in reply, “You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of the armies of heaven and of Israel—the very God whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head; and then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And Israel will learn that the Lord does not depend on weapons to fulfill his plans—he works without regard to human means! He will give you to us!”
If all David has going for him is force, he would have died a long time ago. But David trusts in the One True Living God, and David has a secret weapon: his sling and five smooth stones. Remember that those operating slings are the snipers of this day. Why Saul hasn’t already deployed sling operators against Goliath is a mystery. It’s likely nobody has considered anything of the sort, cowed as they have been by Goliath’s size and his noise.
48-51 As Goliath approached, David ran out to meet him and, reaching into his shepherd’s bag, took out a stone, hurled it from his sling, and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and the man fell on his face to the ground. So David conquered the Philistine giant with a sling and a stone. Since he had no sword, he ran over and pulled Goliath’s from its sheath and killed him with it, and then cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
David fully realizes that Goliath might just be stunned. Far safer for David to behead Goliath, removing all doubt, as well as conclusively demonstrating that Goliath has been defeated. But that first rock might actually have done the trick. How lethal is David’s rock to Goliath’s forehead? What does medical evidence suggest? An internet search provides the following information:
Based on the account in 1 Samuel 17, one blow to the head with a stone was sufficient to disable, stun, and cause a fatal injury to Goliath, but David followed up with a second action to ensure death.
Here are the details regarding the death of Goliath:
- The Initial Blow: David used a sling and a stone, which struck Goliath in the forehead, sinking into his skull. This caused immediate collapse, with the giant falling face-down to the ground.
- Medical Perspective: The blow likely caused a penetrating craniocerebral injury (traumatic brain injury), rendering Goliath unconscious and likely causing immediate or rapid fatal brain injury.
- The Final Act: Although the blow rendered Goliath unable to defend himself, David ran to the fallen giant, took Goliath’s own sword, and cut off his head to ensure he was completely dead.
- Biblical Interpretation: While verse 50 says David killed him with the stone and sling, verse 51 clarifies that David finished him off and cut off his head. Scholars often interpret this as the stone causing the fatal trauma, while the decapitation served as the ultimate proof of death and a display of total victory.
Therefore, the blow to the head was mortal, but the decapitation was the final action that confirmed his demise.
Frequently, we focus on David’s faith and God’s provision, and those are certainly great teaching points. But look at David’s situation. For the sake of time, I have omitted large parts of 1 Samuel 17, for when David appears in Saul’s camp, three of his big strong older brothers who are already in Saul’s army mock him, accusing him of mere sensationalism. And when David vows that he will kill Goliath, the mocking simply intensifies.
David’ older brothers have never paid much attention; after all, David was simply the little guy watching the sheep. These men have no inkling of the dangers David has faced or the wild animals David has killed. It’s likely that the first time David came back to the house claiming to have killed a lion, these guys treated it as an enormous joke, accusing David of spinning tall tales. There’s also another major difference between David and his brothers: David is a man of faith and his brothers trust in their own prowess. Each time David’s family has ignored or mocked his efforts, God has comforted him.
Perhaps you have grown up in a family where your best efforts have been derided by your siblings. Perhaps even your parents have refused to believe you are competent and capable. But God knows the human heart, and God sees your efforts. God knows your talents and your potential far better than anyone else does. The same God who empowered David to kill giants can empower you to deal with the problems you are facing. Just give God the glory and trust Him; He will see you through.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, You are the One who empowers us and inspires us. You are the One who can give us the strength to face all our challenges, even if that means taking out giants with a slingshot. Help us to find our comfort in You and our rest in You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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