The challenge to see God’s perspective (1 Sam 17:1-30)

On the night before the comprehensive exams at the end of my secondary school education, I was terrified. Although I was generally a conscientious student, I was also in the first few years of being a Christian and I enthusiastically threw myself into church life and ministry and this took up considerable time and energy during the period that I was meant to study. That evening, panic gripped me as I realised the various broad gaps I had in my exam preparation. I was overwhelmed by fear and guilt and chided myself for not working harder and being more efficient. Seeing my distress, a friend copied Psalm 91 into a card and gave it to me. I was so preoccupied by my dread of what would happen and full of self-reproach that I did not think I could count on God. Yet, when I got home and read the card with the psalm, it opened my eyes to a different perspective. Whatever my shortcomings, God was not absent from my situation, and I found myself reading and re-reading that psalm, desperately seeking the Lord for help. To this day I remember the relief I felt when I got through that exam without disaster. The Lord did come through for me in tangible ways, even when I did not deserve it.

Facing a giant

I suspect that most of us can remember times of distress when the obstacles and difficulties seemed so overwhelming that they left no room for remembering God. Reading about Israel’s preparations for battle with the Philistines and Goliath’s description, I am not surprised that God’s people, including Saul, were dismayed and terrified (1 Sam 17:11). Goliath was 2-3 metres tall (almost 7-9 feet; 1 Sam 17:4),[1] and his bronze chain mail weighed 57 kg (125 pounds; 1 Sam 17:5). Even just carrying such a weight would have been exhausting. He probably looked like he could gobble up any Israelite for breakfast! No wonder the people were petrified. The theme of appearance and reality continues, but Israel and its king can only see the former, so that all they perceive is Goliath’s strength and the affront to Israel (he has come up to defy them; 1 Sam 17:25).

David and a different perspective

David’s visit to the battlefield is described at length and, as Chapman points out, this underlines God’s providential involvement through what looks like coincidence.[2] David just happens to be sent to bring provisions to his older brothers on the battlefield (1 Sam 17:17) and he happens to arrive just when Goliath voices his challenge (1 Sam 17:23). Despite appearances that God’s people are abandoned and can only rely on their inadequate self, the Lord is at work. Moreover, David brings a strikingly different perspective to the situation. In his interpretation, when Goliath taunts Israel, he actually disparages the armies of the living God (1 Sam 17:26)! War in ancient Near Eastern thinking was not simply about two armies fighting but also a contest between their respective gods. Mocking the human army was tantamount to belittling the god that supported them.[3] Compared to David’s perception that goes deeper and involves God, Eliab’s accusations of David show superficial judgment of appearances and jealousy (1 Sam 17:28-30). This brief episode points to the reason why this older brother was passed over and the younger chosen by God for a king.

Trust in the Lord

We all face difficulties from time to time, some of which feel overwhelming much like facing a giant felt for Israel. For many, worries and anxieties are magnified, especially at night, so it is hard for us to see God’s perspective. No matter what our troubles, financial pressure, seemingly insurmountable tensions in relationship, health concerns, or anything else, our reading challenges us to seek God and His perspective. Although not all issues are eliminated or resolved, the Lord can help us develop an attitude of trust and hope even in the midst of suffering.

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[1] The Hebrew has 6 cubits and one span (almost 3 metres), while the Septuagint and manuscripts among the Dead Sea Scrolls have 4 cubits and one span (almost 2 metres).

[2] Stephen B. Chapman, 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 154.

[3] A good example is the story of Sennacherib’s Assyrian army about to besiege Jerusalem. His envoys mock Judah and Jerusalem, which God takes as a personal affront to Himself (2 kings 19:20-22; see also 2 Kings 19:10-13).

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