Several years ago, I found myself browsing Barnes & Noble looking for a good book to read. I spotted a book by Malcolm Gladwell named “David and Goliath”, which peaked my interest because I absolutely LOVED his book “Outliers”. (Which is a great read and I recommend picking it up.)
Mr. Gladwell had a radically different take on the story of David and Goliath than I’d ever heard before. One that took historical context into account and completely shifted my perspective on this story. I’ll let him explain in his own words, then comment on what I learned.
Everyone thinks the moral of the story is God empowered a weak kid to defeat a powerhouse juggernaut. While that’s not exactly wrong, I think it’s an incomplete picture. I think the moral of the story has a lot more to do with HOW we fight.
Goliath was expecting David to fight him close up, one-on-one like any other heavy infantryman would. If David had fought Goliath that way, he’d probably be dead because he was fighting Goliath in his element.
But David didn’t fight that way.
David was a shepherd, and because of that he was an expert with a very different kind of weapon. God had placed him in that occupation far ahead of time so he would have the skills that he needed to win. David fought the way God had prepared him to fight instead of fighting the way the enemy expected and wanted. That’s the point.
We will NEVER beat the enemy at his own game.
If you try, you’ll just fail miserably.
But we don’t need to fight the way the enemy expects. That’s not how God prepares us. Remember, “the weapons of our warfare are not earthly“, they come to us from God and you need to keep that in mind. Prayer, love and above all obedience to God are what wins the battle. God sometimes as strange ways of going about the victory, but He knows what He’s doing.
So I think that’s the moral of the story. Don’t fight the way the enemy (and the world) expect; instead, fight with the tools and methods God gives you.
The difference is night and day.
This makes me appreciate my 5’7″ height!!!
I appreciated Mr. Gladwell’s presentation and was very appreciative to read your Biblical take on it. One emphasis I make when we study this passage is “note the 5 small stones”. David had learned to allow for 2nd thru 5th efforts and possible mistakes in life!
Or, we know that Goliath had four sons from 2 Samuel 22:16-22, especially the last verse. We also know that some of them were giants like their father. It seems likely that they all were, as the condition can be hereditary IIRC. Perhaps David knew of them and was ready with one stone apiece?
Goliath was able to compensate for his poor vision, like any professional boxer does when their eyes swell or cut appears. Like Rocky says, “hit the one in the middle.” So yes, he saw double but we have seen how quick Andre the Giant was in the ring. Goliath was slow cuz wearing armor weighs someone down, especially armor designed for berserk/single combat. Typically swords weren’t used but rather spears on the mass battlefield, therefore showing how heavier weapons can be viable one on one when not as much in group fighting. Or if they were used it was single bladed like an officer sword or Calvary sword that the American army issues to Marines and such which weigh lighter. For Goliath to fight with both a spear and sword makes him versatile skill wise and not a dope. David got lucky with God’s encouragement.