1 Samuel 17 describes the incident that first made David famous.

David was a young shepherd boy from Bethlehem. His father sent David to carry supplies to his brothers, who served in the military under King Saul.

David found Saul's forces camped on a hill, facing the Philistine army on the opposite hill, with the Valley of Elah between them. David arrived just in time to witness a terrifying spectacle. The Philistine warrior Goliath -- a nine foot tall giant of a man, a freak of nature -- stepped into the Valley. For 40 days, every morning and evening, he had issued the same challenge:

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel!"...When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear. (1 Sam 17:8-10a, 24, NIV)

At this moment, young David displayed three characteristics that made him "a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22).

First, David took offense when Goliath dishonored God. He showed concern for the Lord's reputation and glory. Instead of remaining silent, David stood up to defend the Lord's honor. He asked, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God" (v. 26b)? And he told the king, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him" (v. 32).

Second, David remembered how God had helped him in the past, and he drew strength from those memories to trust in God again.

Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. Whe it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. (1 Sam 17:32-37a)

Third, armed with the knowledge of God's power and the memory of His faithfulness, David stepped out in faith to meet Goliath. Saul offered David his armor, but the boy couldn't handle the weight. So David went out to face the giant with only his staff, a sling, and five stones. (A typical sling stone was about the size of a baseball.)

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole earth will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by the sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give all of you into our hands." (1 Sam 17:45-47)

A concern for God's honor, memories of His past victories, and the resulting faith to tackle new challenges -- all of these qualities made David "a man after God's own heart."

Reflect...

1. What David-like qualities are displayed by (a) Joshua and Caleb in Numbers 13-14, (b) Phinehas in Numbers 25:1-13, (c) Jesus in Matthew 21:12-13 and 26:36-42, and (d) Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:8-11?
   
   
2. How has the Lord been with you in the past, and what challenge must you face next?

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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