David and the giant · the battle is the Lord’s
A Bible story to tell as a family · 1 Samuel 17:32–50 · ages 4–12 · 10 min
The story
In the Valley of Elah, two armies were camped on two hills, facing each other. On one side, the Philistines. On the other, Israel and King Saul. And every day, morning and evening, a huge warrior came down from the Philistine side: Goliath of Gath, almost ten feet tall, with a bronze helmet and armor and a very heavy spear. He shouted, daring Israel to send someone to fight him. For forty days no one went. Saul and the whole army were terrified.
David was the youngest son of Jesse, a shepherd. One day, his father sent him to take grain, bread and cheese to his brothers who were at war. When he arrived, David heard Goliath shouting and saw the soldiers run away. He was indignant and asked: “Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” His oldest brother, Eliab, got angry with him. But David’s words reached the king.
Standing before Saul, David said: “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!” Saul looked at the young man and answered that he was only a youth, and Goliath had been a warrior since his youth.
Then David told him what he did out in the fields. When a lion or a bear carried off a sheep from the flock, he went after it, rescued the sheep from its mouth and fought the animal. And he concluded: “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.”
Saul dressed David in his own battle gear: a military tunic, a bronze helmet and armor. David strapped on the sword and tried to walk, but he could barely move. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” And he took it all off. He took his staff, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, went out to meet the giant.
Goliath came closer, with his shield-bearer in front of him, and looked at David with contempt, because he was only a young man, ruddy and handsome. He mocked him: “Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” But David answered: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts”. And he said everyone would know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves, “for the battle is the LORD’s”.
Goliath moved forward. And David, instead of running away, ran quickly toward him. He reached into his bag, took out a stone, swung the sling and let it fly. The stone struck the giant’s forehead and sank in, and Goliath fell face down on the ground. The Bible sums it up: “Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone”, without a sword in his hand. The army that had trembled with fear saw that God does not depend on anyone’s size.
32And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him!” 33But Saul replied, “You cannot go out against this Philistine to fight him. You are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35I went after it, struck it down, and delivered the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37David added, “The LORD, who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” “Go,” said Saul, “and may the LORD be with you.” 38Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor. 39David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them. “I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So David took them off. 40And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine. 41Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him. 42When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome. 43“Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all those assembled here will know that it is not 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.” 48As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
What the Bible says
- v. 37: David trusts the LORD because he remembers how God had already delivered him from the lion and the bear.
- v. 45: “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts”.
- v. 47 and 50: “the battle is the LORD’s”, and David wins without a sword in his hand.
What we learn
The center of the story is not David’s strength, but God’s honor: David is indignant because the living God is being defied. His courage is born from remembering what God had already done in the everyday work of shepherding. David also didn’t pretend to be someone he wasn’t: he refused the armor that didn’t fit. Later, Jesus, the descendant of David, faced the greatest enemy, sin and death, alone, and won in place of his people. The battle is the LORD’s.
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- How many stones did David pick up from the stream?
- Who helped David win?
For kids
- Why did David take off the king’s armor?
- What did David remember that gave him courage?
For teens
- David was indignant because they were defying the living God. What makes you indignant, and does it have anything to do with God?
- What borrowed armor do you try to wear to look strong, even though it doesn’t fit who God made you to be?
For adults
- What lions and bears has God already defeated in our story that we need to remember as we face today’s giant?
- Where have we trusted more in sword and spear, our own resources, than in the LORD?
Activity
Make a crumpled paper ball for each person, like David’s smooth stones. On each one, write something God has already done for your family. Then put a paper target on the wall and take aim, saying at every hit: The battle is the LORD’s!
To memorize: 1 Samuel 17:45
Prayer
Lord of Hosts, you took care of David in the field and in the valley. When we are afraid, remind us of what you have already done for us. Give us courage that comes from you, not from our own strength. Amen.