Was David really the underdog?
In children's church we all learned that David just a shepherd boy without any armor slayed Goliath a huge giant of a man. Was David really an underdog? Shouldn't he have feared Goliath? In the book David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell we learn that even though David a shepherd boy with just a sling had no fear when he went to battle Goliath. Why was that? David may not have been the underdog everyone has made him out to be. After taking a harder look what we perceive as being true may not always be the case.
Here's why!
Goliath was a huge strong man that stood nine feet nine inches tall. If that's true it would mean that he had gigantism, an excess growth due to a hormonal imbalance would leave him with poor eyesight and a slow moving body. He would have been a very large lumbering giant as unstoppable as a tank when it came to the battle field of his day. As we know now tanks can be stopped. The first developed anti-tank weapon was a scaled-up bolt-action rifle, that could penetrate the thin armor of tanks of the time and destroy the engine or ricochet inside, killing occupants. A sling shot for David was no different. He could stand almost 50 feet away sling a small rock 150 mph and kill a bird the size of a sparrow. And when we look at what was Goliaths strength it turns out it was really his weakness. To say David was the underdog is a real mistake. David was the modern weapon of the time. His skill with the slingshot would be like a heat seeking missile of today. David just looked at the battle differently then his enemies and his fellow warriors. He looked at it from Gods perspective.
What does that mean for us?
At first look we may look at the size of our own giants and feel that we don't have a chance. The obstacle is to big for us to overcome. But when we step away and take a different even better look at what we are up against the tables maybe turned in our favor. David was a man after Gods own heart. As a shepherd boy David would spend hours with God in the fields shepherding his flock honing his skills. As a musician David's music hungered for God as he tried to please God despite all his failures. He loved Gods presence so much that he always wanted to be close to Him. David had a passion for spiritual things. He became a King after growing up a lowly shepherd boy.
So, what does that means for us? It means that if we hunger for God and seek Him in all the things we do we are like David a person after Gods own heart. To know God we need to look for Him in everything, especially in the obstacles that life presents. If we listen to God and follow Word He will be our strength and comfort. David became a mighty king and a warrior armed with Gods own suit of armor. Armor not of precious medals but of Gods word, truth, righteousness and the faithfulness which God offers to all His children. With the coming of Jesus we now have a new suit of armor unlike any other in history. One that offers us salvation and Gods Holy Spirit with more armor then a shepherd boy who became a great musician, warrior and then king. You too can be the David of our time overcoming the world which is our Goliath.
Checkout the video of Malcolm's book David and Goliath were you hear todays stories about discovering what's beautiful and important in the world arises from what looks like suffering and adversity. It was a paradigm shift for me that only Jesus could show me.
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