MEMO- January 21, 2015

To: YAM- Grace UMC

From: Andrew Hill
David vs. Goliath: A Metaphor for Faith and Triumph
I feel like youre missing the point. That is my thinking whenever I hear someone use the
David vs. Goliath metaphor to reference anything other than achievement through faith
and staying true to ones identity. Anecdotes abound where people are up against goliath
odds- yes- but it is a misappropriation of the biblical narrative to liken oneself to David in a
manner not celebrating the victory of faith over the insurmountable.
Goliath was a Champion Warrior and a Giant
By all accounts (even yours History Channel) Goliath was a giant human(-oid) who
championed the
army of the Philistines. The insurmountable nature of Goliath like all
giant-based stories is based on sheer size and strength- always some multiple of that of
normal people. David, an opponent that
Goliath recognized as little more than a
boy1 and whose combat-expertise was limited to (to his credit) defending his sheep from
the lion and the bear2 was seen to be vastly outmatched.
Dewey Defeats Truman- Just So You Know, David Won
Regardless of what we make of Davids dark history with local wildlife, he did two
things that no
one else in the Israelite camp was prepared to do: step out on his faith
in God, and play to his own
strengths not Goliaths.
The key here is that David held faith in God that he had been conditioned him to be
specially suited
to accomplish this grand feat. While the strategy with which he killed
the bear and lion was not
using a sling and stone, it is all the more telling than an
innocuous hobby of slinging stones would
come into play on this battlefield.
David played to his strengths. Whether aware or not, Goliath was weighed down by
armor- armor
many times heavier than that which David rejected as being unfit
because of his lack of training under its weight. David thus had mobility, but more
importantly Goliath didnt. David charged
Goliath, closing the distance between the
two while obviously staying clear of the reach of Goliaths blade(s). A final point- David
struck first, slinging a stone then hurtling toward a forehead of an
equal multiple
larger than Davids own. While we may not be taking about throwing a basketball at
a movie screen, David plays reasonable odds in Goliaths size and immobility.
Should he have
missed there is an equally reasonable chance he could try again (cuing
1 1 Samuel 17:42. Judeo-Christian Bible, New International Version. Bible Gateway (Online):
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+17

2 1 Samuel 17:36. Ibid. Lion and bear populations never recovered.

a hilarious yet deadly Lego

First try.)

Movie Batman scene after which he snidely proclaims,

So, Be Like David: Win.

The lesson truly lies in Davids means to victory and less about how likely it was
that David could
lose.
David wins by showing up- he came to the frontlines and made himself available
when the
pressure was too much for the others.
David wins by stepping out on his faith- David trusted in God that he had been
equipped for the problem before him, that he wouldnt have felt that it was his
responsibility or opportunity if it
wasnt meant to be. It has been said Fate rarely
calls on us in a moment of our choosing.3 It is taking the fleeting moments we are given
and living them as well as living up to them.
David wins by being David, trusting in his own ability. As any coach will rant make
them play our
game, meaning that the team shouldnt abandon the identity and
strengths they have to match up
with the opposition. David didnt challenge Goliath
in hand-to-hand combat or a sword fight
because that wasnt where his skills werethat is where Goliaths were, overwhelmingly. Dont shortchange yourself to fit in because
that is a game in which you will always come up short.
We win with faith. No one will tell you that the journey forward is easy, but it is
certainly David vs. Goliath.

3 Michael Bay, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. DreamWorks Pictures, 2009.I always knew I
would quote Optimus Prime one day.