|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26, ESV)
Recently, my wife and I began watching the new Prime Video series House of David. The opening scenes portray Goliath — and wow — the series presents a giant verging on the 14- to 18-foot-tall Balrogs of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
What does the Bible say about Goliath?
- He was “six cubits and a span” tall — about 10 feet tall. Think eye-level with a basketball hoop. It’s estimated that Goliath weighed about 600 pounds of pure muscle. And yes, Ryan Day of The Ohio State Buckeyes would immediately offer him a full football scholarship.
- Goliath wore a coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds, along with a bronze helmet and leg guards. He threw a spear that was ten feet long, with a 26-inch long spearhead, and both the shaft and spearhead weighed about 33 pounds.
- He was from Gath (1 Samuel 17:4), where he grew up with his also-giant brothers (2 Samuel 21:18-22). And forgive me for continued sports analogies — but imagine a basketball team that included the Goliath brothers!
- The Anakim (giants) remained in Gath after Joshua’s conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 11:21-23), and Goliath was probably an Anakin (Anakim plural, and Anakin singular).
Goliath was a ferocious warrior who could probably kill thousands by himself in any hand-to-hand battle. As Goliath taunted the army of Israel. . .
The Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid (1 Samuel 17:10-11).
What does the Bible say about David?
- David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. While Saul remained king, the Spirit of God departed from Saul because of his disobedience. Then, the prophet Samuel anointed David as king when David was only 15 years old.
- According to Biblical chronology, David didn’t become the actual king until the age of 30, which accounts for the enmity between David and Saul and gave the inspiration to many of the Psalms that describe discouragement.
- David, 15 or 16 years old when he encountered Goliath, had not reached physical maturity. Yet, we know his oldest brother was tall (1 Samuel 16:6-7). So David could have been a shorter yet still growing version of his brother, standing at 5 feet 11 inches.
- He was armed with five stones and a sling. A single stone could be the size of a golf ball and thrown at nearly 100 MPH with skilled throwers hitting targets at 65 yards.
Goliath to David. . .
The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field” (1 Samuel 17:43-44).
David to Goliath. . .
David said to the Philistine [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).
The outcome. . .
We all know what happened. And our lesson today: We can slay giants as well because greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4).