1 Samuel 17:49
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
David took a stone from his shepherd's bag, slung it to strike the Philistine in the forehead where it sank in, and Goliath fell face down to the ground. He had set aside Saul's armor which he could not wear, and met the giant who defied Israel with the familiar sling and stone he knew how to use. The victory came not by superior armor, weapons, or human strength but by God's deliverance, for David looked to God with steady faith, trusted in Him and went in His name, showing that the battle belonged to the Lord. That blow ended the giant's challenge, saved Israel from peril and turned the battle against the Philistines, who fled after David cut off Goliath's head with his own sword. Proud boasting against God and His people ends in disappointment and defeat, so His cause is to be defended in humility and trust in God rather than in boastful confidence in human armor and strength, with victory coming when His servant depends on the Holy Spirit and meets falsehood with dignity and self-control.
David's Defeat of Goliath
David reached into his shepherd's bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine in the forehead, where the stone sank in, so that Goliath fell face down to the ground. He had set aside Saul's armor because he could not wear it, and he slew the Philistine who defied Israel with the familiar sling and stone he knew how to use.
The victory came not by superior armor or weapons or by human strength but by God's deliverance. It showed that the battle belonged to the Lord, that the Lord saves Israel without sword or spear and gives the battle into David's hands, and that God could save Israel through David. In the great emergency David looked to God with steady faith, trusted in God, and went in God's name. That trust revealed the courage God gave him to do a remarkable deed.
The blow ended the giant's challenge and saved Israel from peril. David's valor in defeating the Philistine champion turned the battle against the Philistines. He then cut off Goliath's head with Goliath's own sword, and the Philistines fled.
Lessons for God's People
Goliath was a proud boaster who defied Israel with contempt and ridicule. That same defiance is repeated when men trample God's law and heap abuse, contempt, and ridicule upon His servants. Contempt and ridicule are the worst insult and the hardest to bear patiently, yet his example shows that such proud boasting against God and His people ends in disappointment and defeat.
A proud and boastful opponent who defies God's people is defeated by truth as plain and small as the pebbles David used, which expose his weakness and bring him down. Victory comes not by sharp and severe dealing but when God's servant depends on the Holy Spirit, prays for victory to the truth, and meets falsehood and misrepresentation with dignity and self-control without losing temper. Then the Lord stands by him to turn minds to favor the truth. God's cause is to be defended in humility and trust in God rather than in boastful confidence in prepared arguments or human armor and strength. Those who magnify themselves instead of relying on God can lose their balance and harm themselves and others.
God assigns people distinct abilities and work, and they should serve faithfully with the gifts suited to them rather than imitate another person, as David set aside Saul's armor he could not wear and slew the Philistine with the familiar sling and stone he knew how to use. God develops and beautifies a consecrated life in its individuality, with unity in diversity and mind blending with mind while no two are of the same mold. No person is to sink his individuality in that of another, and all characters are to be fashioned after the Lord's ideal and not after man's pattern. Fellow workers are to be allowed to grow in religious experience under the molding of the Holy Spirit, and none are to demerit God's workmanship for not bearing their likeness.
David as a seemingly insignificant young man overcoming the boastful Goliath shows how an apparently unequal match can be met, even when the taunting opponent is confident and supported by many ministers, as Healey was a match for the taunting Johnson. Remembering this deliverance, won as David trusted in God and went in His name to strike the Philistine in the forehead so that the stone sank in and Goliath fell face down, could have strengthened David's faith during later danger.