We all desire success in our lives, and being a child of God allows us to experience a life filled with triumphs. But what is the price we must pay for these victories? Who will fight on our behalf to secure these wins? While all battles belong to God, He seeks brave individuals to stand for Him and engage in the fight. If such people are willing to fight for God, then no one can take away their triumphs. The victory of the Israelites was uncertain as long as Moses’ hands were not raised. Therefore, God needs individuals like Moses to direct the battle to success. Let’s explore one of the well-known battles between the Israelites and the Philistines, where the star of Israel, David, emerged.
A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. 1Samuel 17:4
The Israelites frequently emerged victorious in their battles against the Philistines. Even without weapons, they managed to defeat the Philistines and savor triumphs. When news spread that the Philistines were assembling for another battle, the Israelites should have been filled with confidence. However, their confidence in God wavered when they laid eyes on Goliath.
Now, let’s understand who Goliath really was—a giant. The Bible mentions several giants, and a common pattern emerges: these giants often instill fear in God’s people, causing them to lose trust in God.
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes and we looked the same to them. Numbers 13:31-33
In this verse, we see some giants, descendants of Anak. Moses had sent twelve leaders from all the tribes of Israel to explore the land of Canaan. There they saw giants and were terrified. They forgot who their God was, a God who helped them cross the Red Sea, a God who moved with them in the desert in the form of fire by night and cloud by day. Only two leaders, Joshua and Caleb, had the courage to say that giants don’t matter and they can be defeated. Hence, these giants instill fear even in the bravest of soldiers. Only the anointed ones can defeat them.
Back to our battle in the valley of Ellah, the soldiers of Israel are ready to fight. They have gathered there to fight. But the only problem is Goliath. The soldiers must have said, “Just defeat the giant Goliath, and we’ll handle the rest.” The question arises: Who can confront Goliath?
In our lives, we may encounter many believers like this. We are ready to believe in God; just remove this big obstacle from our lives. Some may say, “I am ready to pray, but first, heal my sickness.” While others may point out, “We are ready to fight; just show us who to follow. We are ready to pray, but show us a prayer warrior. We are ready to believe; just show us a believer.”
Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” Based on this verse we can also say that we have many enemies to defeat and many soldiers to fight them, but we lack a leader who can remove Goliaths from the battlefield and instill courage in fellow soldiers. Are we ready to face Goliaths in our life? For that, we need God’s anointing and grace.
Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40
Let’s examine David’s approach to Goliath. David was confident that God would grant victory to the Israelites. He understood that the battle belonged to God, regardless of how long the enemies taunted them. Always remember in whose control the battle lies; it belongs to God and all honour and praise belongs to Him. David couldn’t manage the armor, helmets, and swords Saul provided for him to fight. However, he trusted that God would grant him victory in His own way. He used the same words of Goliath against him. He used the same sword of Goliath to kill him. Through these actions, he instilled courage in every Israeli soldier, enabling them to defeat the Philistines.
To gauge the extent of David’s courage, consider the number of stones he selected from the stream. He chose five stones, perhaps because he had heard that Goliath had four giant brothers in Gath (these giants are mentioned in 2 Samuel 21). David may have thought that if, while defeating Goliath, other giants appeared, he would need extra stones to overcome them. One stone for each giant. This illustrates the depth of David’s courage—he was not only prepared to face Goliath but also ready to confront other giants. Although, these giants did not accompany Goliath, later we see David’s men successfully defeating them.
These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men. 2 Samuel 21:22
The men of Israel initially feared Goliath, but later, when David became their leader, they were able to defeat the other four giants. David and his men emerged victorious. This highlights the transformative impact a leader like David can have on people. He demonstrated that, regardless of the enemy’s size, with God on our side, victory is assured. Even when David grew weary in battle against such formidable giants, his men came to his aid. They insisted that he need not join the fight and were prepared to battle without him. How many of us truly need such leaders in our lives—leaders capable of genuine transformation? Alternatively, are we capable of being such leaders?
The women of Israel celebrated and sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” While it’s certain that David didn’t personally kill tens of thousands, the collective efforts of the Israelite soldiers resulted in tens of thousands of casualties. The credit for these victories was attributed to their leader, David, who guided them to triumph.
Another man, named Gideon, initially hesitated to face the Midianites when God chose him. However, God instilled courage in him, and when the time for battle arrived, his fellow soldiers accompanying him shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” The victory was, in a way, dedicated to him. While there were thousands of people ready to face the Midianites, only Gideon had received the divine calling.
In today’s world, there is a need for leaders to guide the army of God. If such leaders arise, the world may witness a revival, as many giants and Goliaths will be defeated. Witnessing these victories, many soldiers will regain their courage.
There may be many arrows in the quiver but there is always a special Arrow kept in the QUIVER OF GOD.
May God bless you all.