Just One Story I: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

    Once upon a time a young man named David visited his brothers at their army camp in the Valley of Elah. His father had sent him to deliver to them a “care package” and some gifts for their officers. While he was there David witnessed the twice-daily challenge of a Philistine soldier named Goliath. Goliath challenged the Israelites to a one-on-one duel to determine the outcome of the war. If one of the Israelites could defeat Goliath, the Philistines would surrender, but if Goliath won the battle the Israelites would surrender to the Philistines. Now Goliath was more than nine feet tall and carried weapons equally as large. Needless to say, there were no volunteers from the Israelite army. King Saul and all his men were naturally dismayed and greatly afraid of this giant man; they were not eager to fight a battle they could not win.

    David, however, was not afraid. At least he did not appear to be afraid when he volunteered to accept Goliath’s challenge even though most thought his challenge of Goliath was foolish. David’s brother, Eliab, certainly thought him foolish. He reminded David that he was not a warrior, but a shepherd and that he only had responsibility for a few sheep at that. He further accused David of leaving those sheep with someone else so he could come and watch the battle, implying that he was not a good shepherd. Even King Saul, who was desperate for someone to volunteer to fight Goliath and solve this problem, did not believe David had a chance to win. David was just too young and inexperienced to be taken seriously. Everyone figured he would go out and be quickly defeated, but David did not see it that way. He had great confidence that God would defeat this “uncircumcised Philistine.”

    So what did David know that his brother, the king, the king’s military advisors, and the rank and file soldiers not know? David knew history. David knew what God had done for his people over the centuries. He knew that when his ancestors referred to God as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” they were reminding their brothers of all God had done for them that they could not do for themselves. He knew that God was faithful to Abraham and kept his promise to give him a son in spite of his great age, and that God had done so in a way that unmistakably was an act of God. After all, his son was probably the only child ever born to a hundred year-old father and a ninety year-old mother. He knew that God had blessed Isaac, and that he had not only blessed Jacob but had redeemed him and changed both is name and his character. David knew that God had liberated his people from slavery in Egypt, that God had sent manna and quail and given them water from a rock, that God had knocked down the walls of Jericho, that God had liberated his people from their enemies in the stories of the judges, that God had toppled the Philistine god in its temple, and that through many other afflictions God had faithfully cared for his people in ways they could not do for themselves.

    David also knew that God was faithful from his own experience. It may seem to us that David killing the bear and the lion is unrelated to his valiant offer to fight Goliath one-on-one, but it is not. David knew he was no match for a lion or a bear. He knew that in the natural order of things both of these wild animals would have easily taken his sheep and would have probably killed him had he intervened. God used these experiences to strengthen the lessons David had learned from history. God proved to David that he could and would defeat all David’s enemies. David knew this included giant, uncircumcised Philistines. David knew that his God was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

    David also knew he was not fighting a common battle and, therefore, could not use common weapons and armor. This faithful young man who walked in the way of the Lord could not walk in the king’s armor much less fight. Goliath was an extraordinary enemy. Ordinary weapons and armor were not effective. David knew that. After all, Saul had all the armor he wanted and he was still afraid to accept Goliath’s challenge. For David, the weapons of this world were untested and unreliable. He preferred to fight with the weapon he knew would be sufficient to defeat the enemy. That weapon was absolute faith in the covenant-keeping God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and yes, even us. He had another weapon as well. That weapon was the glory of God, and David knew God would protect his glory by doing for his people what they clearly could not do for themselves.

    Perhaps this great lesson has been best expressed by another faithful believer, Corrie Ten Boom, when she said, “Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” That, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is a profound truth.  May “he who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (Revelation 2:11)”