1 Samuel 17:24-27 – Perspective – we must get it right

So here was David right at the edge of the battlefront greeting his brothers. And we know that God had it all planned. It was at that moment that Goliath came forth bellowing his threat and denigrating the people of Israel, and David heard it all. As far as what was happening on this side of the Valley of Elah, where the people of Israel were, nothing had changed. Everyone still trembled with fear and diving for cover. No hint of any concrete military strategy that Saul had. All David heard was concerning the man who dared to defy Israel and the king’s offer to the person who would kill Goliath. Saul had offered to “…enrich the man who kills him (Goliath) with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

Puzzled at how the people of Israel responded to the threat of Goliath, David raised two questions with the men standing near him. The first question was  “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?” Clearly, in this question, he was seeking clarification for what he heard. The second question was a rhetorical one. He asked, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” This second question indicates that he was taken aback that none of the people of Israel dared to answer the challenge of Goliath. He must be wondering why should the people of God tremble with fear and cowering for cover? It did not make sense to him that the people who belong to God should tremble in fear and scramble for cover in such a way when they had the backing of the mighty God. As far as he was concerned, this was a pagan denigrating the army of the living God. Here was David, a man who saw Goliath differently. What he got that day was only the answer to the first question. To the second, they had no response, for no one had anything to say.

What we see here concerns the importance of perspective. What we see in any given situation will determine how we will respond. David's perspective was that they were God's people and why should they be threatened by this loud-mouth, uncircumcised menacing fiend from Gath. He saw that Goliath not coming against the people of Israel but the army of the living God. He had a very different perspective from Saul and all the rest of Israel. Perspective is critical in life if we are to truly succeed. Isaiah 40:28-31 tell us how important  perspective is: 

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

What is the goliath in our lives? All we need is to know who our God truly is and who we are in Him. Once we have a glimpse of that we shall not be threatened but enabled to do great exploits with Him. Let us learn to see things in perspective. In Christ Jesus, each of us is a child of the Almighty God. Nothing is able to separate us from HIs love. In Him, we are more than conquerors! Praise His mighty Name!