In a wide valley in Israel, two large armies faced each other. On one side were the Israelites, and on the other side were the Philistines. Among the Philistines, there was a huge warrior named Goliath. He was a true giant, big and strong, and everyone was afraid of him. Every day Goliath came out of his camp and cried out to the Israelites: “Who dares to fight against me? If you defeat me, we will be your servants. But if I win, you will be our servants.”
Goliath frightened the Israelites. No one dared to compete against him. But then, one day, a young shepherd boy named David came to the camp of the Israelites. David had come to bring food to his brothers, for they were soldiers in the army. When David heard the loud cries of Goliath, he asked: “Why does no one have the courage to fight this man?”
David said to King Saul, “Do not be afraid. I’m going to fight Goliath.” Saul looked at David and said, “You are still so young! How are you going to fight against this giant?” But David said, “As a shepherd, I have protected my sheep from lions and bears. God helped me to defeat them, and He will also help me to defeat Goliath.”
Saul tried to put his own armor on David, but it was far too big and heavy for David. Instead, David took his shepherd’s staff, his sling, and five smooth stones from a stream. Thus equipped, he went to meet the giant.
Goliath saw David coming and laughed loudly: “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?” But David called back, “You come with sword and spear, but I come in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, whom you mocked.”
David put a stone in his slingshot and hurled it into the air with all his might. The stone hit Goliath directly on the forehead, and the giant fell to the ground. David had defeated Goliath! The Philistines were so frightened that they ran away, and the Israelites rejoiced at the victory.
Message of history
With God at our side, we can be courageous and strong, even when the challenges seem great. He gives us strength and victory.
Bible passage
The story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17 describes how young David defeats the giant warrior Goliath. Here are the relevant verses:
1 Samuel 17:45-50 (Schlachter 2000):
“And David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have mocked. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will slay you and take your head off you, and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth on that day, so that the whole earth may know that Israel has a God. And let all this church know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or spear; for the battle is the Lord’s business, and He will give you into our hands. And it came to pass that when the Philistine got up and came up and approached David, David hurried and ran towards the line of battle towards the Philistine. And David put his hand in his pocket and took out a stone; and he hurled and struck the Philistine on his forehead, so that the stone pierced his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David overcame the Philistine with the sling and with the stone, and he slew the Philistine and killed him. And because David had no sword in his hand,”
This passage shows the decisive confrontation and victory of David over Goliath. David trusted in the Lord and became victorious, even though he did not correspond to a warrior.
