Story 33 of 100 · Based on 1 Samuel 17
David and the Giant Goliath
The Philistines had come out to fight against God's people. Among them was a giant named Goliath, from the city of Gath. He was very tall, and he wore bronze armor.
For forty days, morning and evening, Goliath stood in front of the soldiers of Israel and shouted:
—Why do you come out to line up for battle? Choose one of your men and let him come down to fight me. If he defeats me, we will be your servants.
The soldiers of Israel were very afraid.
David, the youngest son of Jesse, had come to the camp to bring food to his brothers. He heard Goliath and asked:
—Who is this Philistine, to defy the army of the living God?
They took him to King Saul.
—You cannot go and fight him —Saul told him—. You are only a boy.
—Your servant looks after his father's sheep —David answered—. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb, I went after it and rescued it. The Lord, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this Philistine.
—Go —said Saul—, and may the Lord be with you.
David did not want Saul's armor. He took his staff, picked five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. With his sling in his hand he approached the giant.
—You come against me with sword and spear —said David—, but I come against you in the name of the Lord.
David hurled a stone with his sling. It struck the giant on the forehead, and Goliath fell to the ground.
That is how David won, with a sling and a stone, trusting in God.
Let's talk: David trusted God even though he was small. What are you afraid of? Can you tell God about it?
With God, even the smallest can be brave. Goodnight.