An unlikely candidate for leadership, a small county teenager goes up against the more experienced, more mature, and much larger warrior: Goliath. The account of David in the Old Testament is the archetypical underdog-becomes-hero story. And while Sunday School children have heard this story told (accompanied by flannel graph figures and plenty of sound effects), there are lessons in this story for the rest of us, as well.
After a recent re-reading of the story, I was struck by the fact that David had a firm grasp of the answer to two very important concepts. And by answering these two simple, but profound questions, we might be able to kill some giants of our own.
Granted, these thoughts that follow are not new. You may have heard them before somewhere. If I’m plagiarizing someone else’s thoughts—some forgotten author or speaker, forgive me. But here it is.
First, David knew who he was.
David had a firm grasp on his own identity. David was good at killing predatory animals, and he knew it. David’s skill as a slingshot marksman was developed to a fine art. His time in the fields taking care of his father’s sheep had afforded him the opportunity to become proficient with his weapon of choice. He could kill a lion with his slingshot and not break a sweat. No time for modesty here. David was skilled, confident and self-aware.
When given the opportunity to put on Saul’s armor, David knew in short order it wasn’t for him. Not only did the armor not fit, it was confining and all too cumbersome. David was accustomed to the agility that a tunic and sandals gave him. He knew himself, and was confident that Saul’s armor would only get in the way. And the sword? Was it too heavy? Too big? Or just not David’s preference? At any rate, David knew not to try to imitate Saul. He was David the Shepherd boy, and skilled enough for the task.
And that brings us to the second thing David knew.
David knew who his God was.
David’s confidence was not only in his own skill, but in the God who gave him that skill. David had more than confidence in his own confidence. David had a vital relationship with his creator.
Again, we can credit David’s years among the sheep for this. Hours, perhaps days, of solitude for David were opportunities for growing a relationship with God. Somehow David’s bravado in dealing with Goliath came out of the time he spent with God. David had an intimate knowledge that God would come through for him in dealing with the Giant.
So, can you answer these two simple questions?
Who are you?
Who is your God?
Answer those two questions, and find where they come together. The intersection of your identity (skills and passions) and the nature of God is the place where you will kill giants. David did it. You can too.
