1 Samuel 17: The "Overdog"

Imagine the scene: Goliath, the grizzled, battle hardened giant, swaggering fully armored out to the battlefield to issue his daily challenge to the cowardly Israelite army. Tauntingly, he shouts, “Send out your best to take me on, mano a mano - winner take all.” For forty days his enemies have remained silent, cringing in fear. But on this day something different seems to stir within the opposing ranks. Perhaps now, his persistence will be rewarded. With the sweat of anticipation he watches for his opponent, practically smelling the blood of a battle - for today, someone will die. But instead of the anticipated warrior, worthy of his skills, out steps a small un-armored boy, swinging a puny shepherd’s sling. To Goliath, it seemed like the ultimate insult. “What do you think I am, a dog?” he roars with anger and humiliation. The small boy only smiles and shouts in return that he has come in the name of the Lord Almighty, and that the Lord will give him victory. The nerve of this scrawny runt. In rage, Goliath rushes forward to chop this fool into a thousand tiny pieces and feed him to the birds. But with skillful aim and stony confidence that his God is fully on his side, David slings the stone straight and true, striking right between the eyes. Like a redwood felled in the forest, the stricken giant falls … dead. Today, victory belongs to God.

Everyone loves to cheer for the underdog. Small shepherd boy armed with sling and five stones takes on nine foot armored war veteran wielding monstrous sword and spear. Yet, if we read today’s passage closely, Goliath never had a chance. What was the secret to David’s victory? Here are three points to consider.

1) David trusted God without reservation. In today’s passage, we read that “Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” at the possibility of standing up to Goliath. David, however, was a man of faith, fearless, unwavering in his trust in God. His faith didn’t grow out of nothing; rather it was tried and tested multiple times as he overcame lions and bears in his work as a shepherd. In David’s mind, this was God’s battle and he couldn’t possibly lose.

2) David’s concern was not for his own personal gain; rather it was for God’s honor. To David, this was God’s battle and they belonged to God’s army, therefore the Lord would assure the victory. Often, when warriors approached each other in battle, verbal bravado was common and expected. In this case, David gave the credit for his impending victory entirely to God (vs 45-47).

3) While others were petrified by Goliath’s size, David didn’t seem to notice. This chapter goes to great lengths to describe Goliath’s size and battle prowess. Yet David never acknowledged anything about Goliath except that he was this “uncircumcised Philistine” who defied the armies of the living God. Instead, David’s focus is on the size of the Lord Almighty, which of course was vastly superior to anything this puny Goliath could muster.

In reality, David was not the underdog as he is so commonly portrayed; rather, he was the “overdog”. An overdog as defined as “one who as a significant advantage.” Most of us are involved in God’s ministry one way or another (if not, you should be). Therefore when obstacles in your ministry seem to come in Goliath proportions - follow David’s example: 1) Trust in God and “lean not on our own understanding.” Our trust and faith in God are keys to unlocking His power and resources. 2) Remember that we are ministering for God’s honor and glory, not our own. Don’t let pride or desire for recognition get in the way of assuring that God is at the center, 3) Understand that the size of our God is vastly bigger than the size of the obstacle, and his full resources are only a prayer away. In your service to God, assume the role of “overdog”, for you have the exact same advantage that David did.

Posted by Michael Adkins