1 Samuel 18: David and Goliath

"Then David said to [Goliath], 'You come to me with a sword and 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.'" 1 Samuel 17:45

We've all heard the story of David and Goliath probably more times than we can count. However, what's the point of the story? Is the point of the story really that scrawny little Israelites have the power to defeat big bad Phillistines? Well, maybe. However, what I would like to propose to you today is that the main point of the story of David and Goliath is that God brings great victory to those who are faithful to him.

At this point in the devotional, I would like to discuss a concept called narrative analysis. This is a concept that I learned last semester in college, and it greatly helps us understand how we ought to read parts of the Bible. Narrative analysis is simply when we take narrative (story) portions of the Bible and analyze them as what they are: stories! As one of my favorite professors, Dr. Vickers, has said, so often we read the Bible looking for little "golden nuggets" of truth that we forget that the Bible is made up of stories that serve actual purposes! Therefore, we ought to read narrative sections of the Bible as stories, looking at them differently than we would look at biblical poetry or biblical letters, because that's not what they are! We must read stories as stories, otherwise we will miss their true point.

In a good narrative analysis of 1 Samuel 17, one can clearly see throughout the storyline that the reason why David is able to triumph over Goliath is because his faith is in God. Throughout the chapter, David proclaims his faith in God in four different instances (vv. 26, 32, 34-37, 45-47). Each time, the main point that David gets across is that it doesn't matter how big and mighty this Goliath guy may seem, because he is defying the living God (vv. 26. 45). David, on the other hand, is relying upon the living God (the same God who has delivered him from the lion and the bear [v. 37]).

Thus, we see through a good narrative analysis of this story that the point of the story is how God brings great victory to those who are faithful to him. Notice here that the point of the story is not at all about David, but rather about God! In this story, did David give us a good model of faith that we ought to imitate? Certainly! But ultimately, the story of David and Goliath is about a mighty God who triumphs over all of his enemies, no matter how great or small, as he gives victory to those who have faith in him. The theme of the story can be summarized in the words of David in verse 47: "The battle is the Lord's."

So, how does looking at the story of David and Goliath in this light change your understanding of the story? How does it cause you to respond in faith to a God who is willing to triumph over your enemies if you place your full trust in him?