David And Goliath

Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.—1 Samuel 17:45

The story of David’s victory over Goliath is famous and perhaps the most endearing of stories about this valiant leader, who was “a man after his [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Some years ago we heard a discourse about this familiar subject which opened our appreciation to a prophetic meaning in this episode. The speaker proposed that Goliath, the tall giant plated in metallic armor but felled by a single stone, was a picture of the giant metallic image of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, also felled by a single stone. This view is the basis for the treatment following.

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is recorded in Daniel 2:31-35, and its interpretation in verses 37-45. The image in this dream had a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron. These represented, respectively, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. The feet and ten toes of the image were a mixture of iron and clay, showing that the Roman Empire would break into a variety of governments (iron) mixed with the religious element, the Roman Catholic Church. At last a stone “cut out without hands”—Christ and his elect who are separated from this world through the holy spirit—would smite the image at the feet, causing it to crash, fragment, and blow away with the wind “like the chaff of the summer threshingfloor” (Daniel 2:34,35). The stone then grew into a great mountain which filled the earth, just as the Kingdom of Christ, which brings low the kingdoms of this world, will fill the world.

The various prophecies, dreams, and visions of Daniel are unified in their teachings from chapter to chapter. This leads us to conclude the image in Daniel 2 endures for the “seven times” spoken of in Daniel 4. In the vision of Daniel 7 four beasts represent the same as the four parts of the image in Daniel 2. The time which would pass in the rule of these four empires would be the same as represented in the “seven times” King Nebuchadnezzar conducted himself as a beast in Daniel 4—name­ly, 2,520 years.

Thus the demise of the image commenced in 1914, at the conclusion of 2,520 years of Gentile authority over Israel, beginning with 607 B.C. (There is an earlier parallel also, dating from the fall and dispersion of the ten-tribe kingdom in the north, followed 2,520 years later with the Napoleonic Wars which wreaked a preliminary devastation, magnified in World War I. These dates would be ca. 722 B.C. to 1799 A.D.)

The Description of Goliath

“There went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him” (1 Samuel 17:4-7).

The metals mentioned are brass and iron, the two strongest of the four in Daniel 2. These two metals were used to symbolize the strength of the powers which would oppress and dominate Israel, and in fact Greece (through Antiochus Epiphanes) and Rome (which destroyed their nation, capital city, and temple) were the greatest oppressors of Israel of all the four empires. In Daniel 4 the bands restraining the growth of the tree during the “seven times” of beastly conduct were made of brass and iron, and when Moses predicted this coming punishment he used the same metals: “I will punish you seven times more for your sins … I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass” (Leviticus 26:18,19).

Psalm 107:10-16 refers to the same period, during which the Israelites are brought low because of their rebellion, and are “bound in ­affliction and iron” (verse 10). At last God breaks “the gates of brass, and cut[s] the bars of iron in sunder” (verse 16) and allows Israel’s national aspirations to sprout again, as occurred following World War I. All of this which Christ does for Israel was foreshadowed centuries ago by the temporary relief Cyrus brought to Israel when he freed Israel from bondage, breaking “in pieces the gates of brass, and cut[ting] in sunder the bars of iron” (Isaiah 45:2).

The Predicate for David’s Faith

When David volunteered to fight the Philistine champion his elders were incredulous. “Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth” (1 Samuel 17:33). This was an understandable concern, but David was undaunted. From his previous experience he had learned how strong was the Lord’s protecting care.

“And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

David represents the Lord’s people, the saints, who will overcome the powers of this world and, together with Christ, establish a un­iversal kingdom of righteousness. The Lord’s people can look back over history and see that God delivered his people from the “Lion” and “Bear”—Babylon and Medo-Persia—and the remaining governments, although stronger, will similarly fall to the power of the Spirit.

In all of our triumphs over the enemies of faith, we can be confident that “hitherto hath the LORD helped us” (1 Samuel 7:12), and he will give us the necessary victory. We cannot be sure in what way the Lord will deliver us, or what trials, wounds, and apparent defeats we may endure before the final victory, but victory at last is assured.

David’s Weapons

After donning Saul’s armor at the behest of the king, he realized it was unsuitable. He was not accustomed to it, and chose to rely upon his familiar implements and his faith in God. He chose “five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag” (1 Samuel 17:40), and proceeded with his sling in hand. Five is a number identified with the New Creation, as for example the five wise virgins of the parable, and these five stones relate jointly to the stone cut out without hands in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.

These stones had been smoothed over time by the running brook, just as the saints have been polished and refined in their spiritual graces by the power of the truth running over and around them during their lifetimes. These are instruments to be used of the shepherd, and stored in his bag until the necessary time.

Probably the difference in the sites of impact in the David narrative and the Daniel narrative show a different perspective about the impact of God’s power upon the kingdoms of this world. In Daniel the blow is struck at the feet, showing the relative time frame of the impact, late in the age, against the last powers representing the collective image of Gentile authority. In David’s experience the weapons express the force of the truth as the active agent. After the giant was felled David removed his head with a sword, reminding us of the weapon Christ uses in Revelation 19:15 in the climax of this age, at the end of the harvest. But the initial impact of the stone was in the forehead, which normally protects the center of thought, suggesting again the truth as the essential offensive weapon which brings low the kingdoms of this world.

Goliath’s Disdain

As the Philistine champion approached, preceded by his shield bearer, he looked about for his adversary and saw only a small, ruddy lad. “He disdained him, for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance” (1 Samuel 17:42). Some challenge! It seemed so pitiful as to insult his dignity. “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?” (1 Samuel 17:43). So the kingdoms of this world will be in unbelief to suppose they could be upstaged by the motley remnant of Christ’s faithful, as they appear to others. The rhetorical question of Goliath—“Am I a dog?”—actually does assist the identification of the symbols, for dogs are elsewhere used to represent Gentiles, and Goliath represents the Gentile kingdoms (Matthew 15:26; Luke 16:21; Phi­lippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15).

He cursed David by his gods, and repaid the indignity of David’s approach with his threat to “give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field” (1 Samuel 17:44). But David was undaunted. No intimidation shook his frame. He boldly replied with his confidence in God: “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied,” and he returned the threat without hesitation. “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee, and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:45,46).

He followed these confident words with quick action. “David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine” (verse 48). He removed one stone from his bag, which was sufficient for the task. The stone sunk into the exposed forehead of his enemy who fell face down upon the earth and was shortly thereafter relieved of his head by his own sword.

Goliath’s taunts of 40 days had ended (1 Samuel 17:16). As so often in Scripture a period of 40 represents an age of testing and trial (see the article “Saul, Jonathan, and David” in this issue), so here the 40 days of taunting may refer to the Gospel age, during which the Gentile powers have proudly presented themselves as powerful defenders of the present order of Satan.

Goliath’s Armor

The last part of the image in Daniel 2, the iron mixed with clay, represents the mixture of the political systems with the ecclesiastical power, the Church of Rome. That system is identified with the number 666 in Revelation 13:18, and Goliath’s description bears similar numbers. His iron spearhead weighed 600 shekels, and his height was just over 6 cubits (1 Samuel 17:4-7). His armor was of brass, and his spear of iron, the two metals describing the nails and teeth of the Roman beast in Daniel 7:19. The weight of his coat of mail was 5,000 shekels, as though to suggest he represents the counterfeit kingdom of Christ.

In all it was a foreboding sight, and terrified the Israelites to whom he approached: “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid” (1 Samuel 17:24). This is compatible with the exclamation of Revelation 13:4, “Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?” The might of the powers of Europe in league with the Papal See was an imposing sight, and appeared invincible. “Behold now behemoth … his strength is in his loins … His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron” (Job 40:15-18). But he that made all things “can make his sword to approach unto him” and vanquish even such enemies (verse 19).

David’s Reward

In the aftermath of his victory David received the adulation of all Israel, became their champion against the Philistines, and received riches from the king. So Christ and his body members will be acclaimed the greatest heroes against the enemies of righteousness, endowed with wonderful riches in their spiritual inheritance, and receive the adulation of the world. But David’s motive was not self honor. He heard the travesty of Goliath’s assault upon the honor of the God of Israel, and in simple faith declared there was a God in Israel, and he would be known in a victory over this imposing enemy. So there are great things in store for the simple ones of faith who look to the Lord for victory, which comes not by pride or self-reliance, but by the strength of God on their behalf.

David knew victory would come. He did not know what he might suffer in the process, and seemed little concerned for that. He would have many occasions to suffer in the years following, but never did the God of Israel permit him to be defeated by the sword of his enemies. “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked” (Psalm 91:7,8).