When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
When Saul and all Israel heard the Philistine's words they were dismayed and greatly afraid and filled with terror. His challenge was repeated for forty days and went unanswered, for no one dared to fight the giant. His words were a proud, boastful and self-confident defiance of Israel.
His defiance came with contempt and ridicule, the worst kind of insult and the most difficult to endure patiently. Israel was afraid because transgression had weakened them and they had lost the trust in God that would have led them to battle in his name. Saul expected no special help from God, and could see no way to escape and had no hope of deliverance. Saul's fear and lack of confidence in God left him unable to lead or act decisively, and the army seemed paralyzed.
In contrast, David was stirred to defend God's honor and his people, trusting in God rather than his own strength. The outcome of the story shows that apparent weakness can be overcome, for David's small stones defeated Goliath. David later faced danger among the Philistines because they recognized him as the man who had slain their champion. The setting warns that a defier's boldness can intimidate God's people.
Goliath's proud challenge to Israel is like a boastful opponent challenging the truth. His defiance is repeated when a preacher of truth is heaped with personal abuse and held up to ridicule, pitied and shamed before the people by an opponent whose position against the law of God is supported mainly by abuse. Goliath stands for boastful opposers of God's cause whose speech is bombast, ridicule, bold assertions, falsehood and misrepresentation while taking on the appearance of a godly man, and whose work stirs a noisy rabble carried along with a high, boasting spirit infuriated by the demon spirit.
When Saul and all Israel heard the Philistine's words they were dismayed and greatly afraid and filled with terror. His challenge was repeated for forty days and went unanswered, for no one dared to fight the giant. His words were a proud, boastful and self-confident defiance of Israel.
His defiance came with contempt and ridicule, the worst kind of insult and the most difficult to endure patiently. Israel was afraid because transgression had weakened them and they had lost the trust in God that would have led them to battle in his name. Saul expected no special help from God, and could see no way to escape and had no hope of deliverance. Saul's fear and lack of confidence in God left him unable to lead or act decisively, and the army seemed paralyzed.
In contrast, David was stirred to defend God's honor and his people, trusting in God rather than his own strength. The outcome of the story shows that apparent weakness can be overcome, for David's small stones defeated Goliath. David later faced danger among the Philistines because they recognized him as the man who had slain their champion. The setting warns that a defier's boldness can intimidate God's people.
Goliath's proud challenge to Israel is like a boastful opponent challenging the truth. His defiance is repeated when a preacher of truth is heaped with personal abuse and held up to ridicule, pitied and shamed before the people by an opponent whose position against the law of God is supported mainly by abuse. Goliath stands for boastful opposers of God's cause whose speech is bombast, ridicule, bold assertions, falsehood and misrepresentation while taking on the appearance of a godly man, and whose work stirs a noisy rabble carried along with a high, boasting spirit infuriated by the demon spirit.