The Story of King David

The sun beamed, the iron sky gazed, and the Valley of Elah stood firm between the army lines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with only the valley between them. Their army lines roared at each other for forty days and forty nights, but truth be told, the Israelites were afraid of the Philistines.

Everyday, The Champion Goliath from Gath, measuring over nine feet tall, shouted to the ranks of Israel.

“Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us!”

Upon hearing these words, the commander of the Israelites as well as all of Israel were dismayed and terrified. The commander, Saul, had lost all hope, and nervously waited for an Israelite to face Goliath the Champion. The Israelites had no response. They merely

Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem. David was the youngest of his seven brothers. Jesse’s three oldest sons, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah, followed Saul to the war. Worrying about his three oldest sons, Jesse asked of David to deliver food to Saul, Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah.

Next morning, David set out for the army. They were stationed at their battle positions, shouting the war cry. David entered the enemy lines as Goliath stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance.

“Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us!”

When the Israelite saw Goliath, the ran away in great fear, but this time, David heard.
Saul saw David enter the Israelite army lines, and summoned him.

“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine, your servant will go and fight him.”

“David, you are not able to go out against this Philistine, you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from youth.”

But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it, and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul then said to David, “Go, and let the Lord be with you.” Saul was hesitant with sending David out into the battlefield because he loved him, but he knew of the Lord. With his grace, David would succeed in the fight against Goliath.

With confidence, David chose five smooth stones from the stream. Putting them in the pouch of the shepherd’s bag and with his sling in his right hand, he approached Goliath. He then took a moment to draw in his surroundings; the iron sky, the quiet breeze. The crisp air filled his chest with every breath.

This is surely the day of victory.

Once Goliath saw the boy, ruddy and handsome, he mocked David.
“Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? Come here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field!”

You come against me with the sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not only by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.

Ominous clouds followed David as he charged forward, and Goliath unsheathed his longsword and lowered his helmet. The clinking of armored boots grew closer and closer. David roared to the heavens, straightening his arms with the sling in his right hand. Peering through the slit of his visor, Goliath held his sword high, ready to strike.

Thunk!

Goliath fell. A bright brown rock glowed in the middle of his forehead. His longsword then shrieked as it fell. David formed a shadow that stood over the unconscious body, the gleam of the sword calling his name. David grabbed the longsword, and without hesitation, he sliced the the champions head off. He then picked up the head, and held it in front of every Philistine’s eye.

The sun then beamed, the iron sky gazed, and the Philistine army thus ran away in great fear.