Who was David?
David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, who lived in Bethlehem. He was a strong, happy and good-natured boy. When David was young, he helped his father look after their sheep and goats in the field and from an early age, he was able to develop his courage and fighting skills by defending the flock from the wild animals, who roamed the area looking for food. As well as being a brave shepherd boy, David also played beautiful music on the harp and wrote and sang songs about God’s goodness.
The story of David and Goliath
The story of David and Goliath was set during the time when the Israelites were at war with their old enemy, the Philistines. The Philistine army had gathered for war against Israel and on their side was a giant named Goliath, who was three metres tall, gigantic in size, and fully armed. Each day Goliath would shout out to the Israelites, “Choose a man, and if he is able to fight against me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I kill him, then you shall serve us.” Since the Israelites and even their King, Saul, trembled at the voice of Goliath, no one ever came forward to fight this giant Philistine. Then, one day, David came to the Israelites’ camp to bring food for his brothers and he heard Goliath’s words. David was very surprised that everyone seemed to be so scared of the giant, and so, he volunteered to fight Goliath. David was only a young teenager at the time but he believed that God, who had already saved him from the claws of lions and bears, would help him. He confronted Goliath, wearing a simple tunic and carrying his shepherd’s staff, a sling and a pouch of stones. As Goliath moved in to attack him, David slipped one of the stones into his sling, and flung it so skilfully that it hit Goliath on the forehead. The giant fell down and using Goliath’s own sword, David cut off his head. This is how the Israelites won the battle, all thanks to David knowing that with God’s strength, nothing is impossible.
What does this story teach us?
The complete faith that David had in God made him look at the giant in a way that none of the other Israelites could. David saw Goliath as just a mere person who stood no chance against an all-powerful, immortal God. This teaches us that instead of worrying about how difficult or terrible the situations in our lives might be, we should concentrate on the fact that we have a God who is greater than all the problems that we could ever encounter. Our Heavenly Father has authority over anything and everything so pray and trust in God. Our worries and anxieties are the size of a mustard seed, compared to the infinite power and love of God.
The story of David and Goliath can be found in 1 Samuel 17. Other stories about David life and exploits can be found in later chapters of the Books of Samuel.