The Reality of What Really Makes a Hero
The story of David and Goliath is a classic.
David and Goliath is the perfect narrative of good versus evil. It never gets old. It is the front-load of many of the greatest films of the century.
It is the classic story for uncovering a not so obvious hero.
Not every hero is amazing, and amazing heroes rarely look amazing.
David is a young Hebrew shepherd boy. David is a teenager who serves God and dares to dive into a hand to hand combat with a warrior named Goliath.
Goliath is a trained soldier. He stands 9’ 9″ tall. That is 2 1/2’ taller than Shaquille O’Neal. Shaquille was the once-famous center for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The teenager, David, was less than 5’ in stature. Despite his size and lack of experience, David lacks no courage in his willingness to do hand to hand battle with Goliath, the Philistine.
Where did this young boy find such courage and confidence?
“Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” (1 Samuel 16:13, NKJV).
Notice the game-changer. The Spirit of the Lord came upon David. David has an advantage, the God advantage. David is no stranger to God helping Him in battle.
And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” (I Samuel 17: 34–37, NKJV)
Although young, David had faced ferocious enemies. Many of them were bigger and badder than him. David was fearless. He had seen God empower Him and deliver him from the hands of his enemies and even dangerous animals.
If God is for you, who can be against you?
The truth is Goliath never had a chance. And your giants don’t have a chance either. Our challenges look overwhelming at times. Our enemies have more experience and more ability.
Fear, sickness, disease, poverty, and loneliness, and suicide are all gigantic.
But God has a plan.
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.” (I Samuel 17:45–46a, NKJV)
All the odds were against David. Including the weapons he chose. David used unconventional weapons. The first weapon that David chose was a name.
“But I come to you in the name of the Lord of host.” (I Samuel 17:45, NKJV)
Then, a slingshot and a stone. Like David, you’re underrated, but it never means you cannot win. Especially if God is on your side. And He is.
David knocks the giant down with a stone from his slingshot. Then David took the sword from the hand of Goliath and killed him with his own sword.
What?
Impossible. It certainly looked impossible.
And in the natural realm it was.
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, NKJV)
Many of us are facing devastating circumstances. Negative thoughts with giant fears fill our minds and unravel our emotions.
We must know, nothing is ever as bad as it seems. Nothing!
God is using your difficulties as a training ground to unlock your faith.
Use your faith.
Faith moves mountains.
For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17, NKJV)
The shall live by faith. How? By faith. David did not possess the knowledge, talent, or ability to defeat Goliath.
David killed Goliath with faith and skill. God uses both.
There is more to the story.
“As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head. ‘Whose son are you, young man?’ Saul asked him. David said, ‘I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.” (I Samuel 17:57–58, NKJV)
Then it happened. What? A defining moment. David’s life changes forever.
God has defining moments scheduled for you.
David kills Goliath and becomes the poster child for Israel. He is now a national hero at 13 years old. David is now renown in Israel and considered immortal.
His life will never be the same. The victory over Goliath thrust David into the limelight and a life that he had never imagined.
David was famous. A celebrity. So how did David handle fame?
David becomes King of Israel
13 years later, David becomes the King of Israel. After David killed Goliath, his fame was short-lived. The king of Israel was Saul. Saul became insanely jealous of David and his popularity.
David becomes an enemy of the crown and wanders in the wilderness. God used the wilderness struggle to prepare David for becoming the King of Israel.
Has God ever used the difficulties of your life as a stepping stone to your next level of greatness?
Throughout the struggle in the wilderness, David was always a man after the heart of God.
Even though He had sinned and failed God. Does that remind us of ourselves?
David’s greatest trait was that he was a God-seeker.
David seeks God’s direction.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me and lead me in the ever-lasting way.” (Psalm 139:23–24, NKJV)
David made room for God to examine his heart a top priority.
David postures himself for God to try his actions and search his heart.
Let’s take that as full disclosure.
David’s heart resembles the heart of another bible character named; Paul.
Paul said:
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,” (Philippians 3:10, NKJV)
One man desires to be known by God. The other wants God to know him.
Let’s resemble both.
Thank you for reading this post. This article first appeared on Medium.
