David and Goliath.

The shepherd and the warrior. The sling and the sword.

Even those who have never opened a Bible know something of or about this story. It has become shorthand for improbable victory, for the little guy taking on the establishment, for overcoming the odds.

What makes this passage challenging is the fact that if we reduce this story to a motivational tale about self-empowerment, we have missed its true beauty. We have traded the bread of heaven for stones that cannot satisfy.

The truth is that 1 Samuel 17 is not primarily about David’s courage, though he was courageous. It is not primarily about Goliath’s size, though he was terrifying. It is not even primarily about Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines, though that deliverance was real and necessary.

At its deepest level, this chapter is about:

• God: His honor, His power, His faithfulness, and His determination to save His people through means that puzzle human wisdom.
• The God who steps into the valley where we face our giants, not because we are strong enough to win, but because He is strong enough to win for us.

Therefore, we need to read this text with the eyes of faith, with the PoV of the New Testament. If we do that, we will discover something even more glorious.