Probably the most famous story of a little guy triumphing over a big guy is in the Bible. The little shepherd boy, David, knocking the stuffing out of the giant, Goliath, is so famous that people who don’t even know it’s a Bible story have heard it. It’s an inspirational tale of how frailty and weakness beats overwhelming odds. But not really.
The misunderstanding is not totally your fault. The David and Goliath saga is usually setup improperly. The real underdog in the story is not David.
The story usually starts with a description of the combatants. On the one side, we’ve got Goliath. He has the advantage of being huge, physically strong, professionally trained, well armed, covered in armor, and experienced in battle. And on the other side, we’ve got David. He’s a small boy with no experience or armor, carrying only a sling and some rocks.
David appears to be the underdog because you’re not given a complete list of his assets at the start. Along with some rocks, David has the omnipotent creator of the universe on his side. That shifts the balance of power in a big, big, big, big way. David could leave the rocks behind, strip naked, run into battle blind-folded, and he would STILL be the odds on favorite to win.
The real underdog is Goliath. The gigantic, well trained, battle hardened, fully equipped soldier never stood a chance. It’s hard not to feel a little sorry for him. The poor guy genuinely thought his strength would deliver a victory while his heart was kept beating by the God he mocked. God doesn’t need David’s help to snuff the Philistine champion. This fight was rigged from the beginning. The hapless giant was oblivious. A dead man walking.
From the way he talked, it doesn’t seem like David ever thought of himself as the underdog. I’ve heard him described as “cocky” in more than one sermon but I don’t think that’s the correct word to use. David knew that God always prevails. Like he knew water is wet. Like he knew fire burns. Telling Goliath he was doomed was no more “cocky” than saying, “Tonight, there will be stars in the sky.”
Evil is always the underdog.
Wickedness shall not prevail. It towers over you carrying a spear and wearing armor. Evil snarls at you and mocks your God. It stuffs the ballot box with phony votes. It occupies powerful government positions. It prohibits church attendance and sanctions rioting. It encourages fear. Wickedness looks unbeatable to everyone with just a pocketful of rocks.
Will Biden become President? Maybe.
Will America move closer to tyranny? Maybe.
Will Christians suffer for their faith? Almost certainly.
But this giant is a dead man walking. If you’re a Philistine, you should be worried. If you belong to God, you’re not the underdog. Stop acting like one.
6 Responses
I feel empowered
You are right Biden is more Christian than Trump, therefore God chose Biden to try and save your sorry butts do you extreme right wing Christians not see that?
The Philistine has spoken.
If you were wise, you would be worried.
I have never thought about David that way. You are absolutely correct, no one can defeat us when we have the power of Christ living within us. Great perspective, thanks John. You know you’re smart sometimes.
Brilliant! Thanks for the reminder!!
Heck yeah! No more Jell-O for me, Mom!