1 Samuel 17:45-51 (NLT) 17:45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. 51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. Israel Routs the Philistines When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
Goliath had been taunting the Israeli army for a long time. No one seemed confident enough to take him on in battle. David didn’t see it that way. He knew his God and he knew what his God had done for him in the past. Brazenly he took Goliath on knowing that it wasn’t with his strength that he battled him but with the strength of the Lord. David relied on that and God gave him a great victory over Goliath. I wonder how often we try to fight our battles on our own strength and how often we move into enemy territory without the strength or hand of the Lord. Every battle that we face, whether big or small, needs to rely on the strength of the Lord. It is only then that our battle will be complete and victorious.
