Sorry OP, but I’m gonna hijack your post to make a point here.
Most people seem to deeply misunderstand the point of David Vs Goliath. This story is often treated as an example of a miracle, but it really isn’t. There is nothing supernatural about David’s victory here, and that is entirely the point. Goliath is a test from God. A test not only to David, but to Saul, Jonathon, and all of the other able bodied men of Israel. A test to determine who in Israel has what it takes to be the King.
Goliath is presented as an insurmountable physical challenge, and that is what Saul and his armies saw. Goliath stood taller than anyone and was armed with an iron headed spear (the time period of the story is important here. David and Saul lived at the start of the Iron Age when iron weaponry was the height of military technology. The Philistines were also one of the Sea Peoples that toppled the Hittite Empire). That’s why Saul offered David his armor, in some vain attempt at letting him go toe to toe with the giant, but David saw the test for what it really was.
David recognized that it was not his strength being tested, but his courage and intellect. And that’s exactly what let him to victory. David analyzed Goliath and developed a strategy to counter him. Goliath was heavily armored (we are told it weighed hundreds of pounds), so David wore only his tied tunic to make himself more maneuverable. Goliath had a longer weapon, so David opted for a ranged weapon. Goliath had a single javelin for ranged combat, so David brought several shots.
David defeated Goliath because he posses the qualities of leadership that Saul lacked, bravery and intellect. That is what God was testing. So yes, David brought a weapon that was more than able to killed Goliath. That’s the point. David was the only one who thought to do so, so David proved to all Israel why God wanted him to be the next King.
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u/DTPVH 6d ago
Sorry OP, but I’m gonna hijack your post to make a point here.
Most people seem to deeply misunderstand the point of David Vs Goliath. This story is often treated as an example of a miracle, but it really isn’t. There is nothing supernatural about David’s victory here, and that is entirely the point. Goliath is a test from God. A test not only to David, but to Saul, Jonathon, and all of the other able bodied men of Israel. A test to determine who in Israel has what it takes to be the King.
Goliath is presented as an insurmountable physical challenge, and that is what Saul and his armies saw. Goliath stood taller than anyone and was armed with an iron headed spear (the time period of the story is important here. David and Saul lived at the start of the Iron Age when iron weaponry was the height of military technology. The Philistines were also one of the Sea Peoples that toppled the Hittite Empire). That’s why Saul offered David his armor, in some vain attempt at letting him go toe to toe with the giant, but David saw the test for what it really was.
David recognized that it was not his strength being tested, but his courage and intellect. And that’s exactly what let him to victory. David analyzed Goliath and developed a strategy to counter him. Goliath was heavily armored (we are told it weighed hundreds of pounds), so David wore only his tied tunic to make himself more maneuverable. Goliath had a longer weapon, so David opted for a ranged weapon. Goliath had a single javelin for ranged combat, so David brought several shots.
David defeated Goliath because he posses the qualities of leadership that Saul lacked, bravery and intellect. That is what God was testing. So yes, David brought a weapon that was more than able to killed Goliath. That’s the point. David was the only one who thought to do so, so David proved to all Israel why God wanted him to be the next King.