(This is the script, with a few edits, from the third Giant Killers podcast done on April 25, 2023)
We started off in Numbers 13 where Moses sends 12 men, one from each tribe, into the Promised Land to bring back reports about the people, the crops, and the cities.
You might remember God had already promised to give them the land. I believe the purpose of this excursion was to bring back such a glowing report that it would energize the people of God to continue moving forward. They had spent a lot of time in the desert. They were hot, dusty, and tired. They wanted to see this Promised Land that was flowing with milk and honey.
But that’s not what happened. The crops were great. The land was great. But the cities were fortified and then someone saw giants and everything changed. The giants made them feel like grasshoppers.
Ten members of the group brought negative reports. Their reports were full of negativity, fear, and doubt. Only Joshua and Caleb came back convinced that God would provide the victory over the walled cities and the giants. They were confident of this.
We also discussed David and his encounter with Goliath. We know that God had prepared David for this time by bringing a bear and a lion for David to fight. So, when David faced the giant, he did so with confidence that God would help him just as God had done with the bear and the lion.
Later, we read about some of David’s mighty men and how they faced giants. They defeated the giants and brought about great victory for God’s people.
The truth is that we are all going to have to face giants in our lives. Some of those giants are large and intimidating. Some can cause us to doubt whether we can go on. But we have been given a promise that the same God who was with David and his mighty men will be with us.
There’s a little saying that makes the rounds of social media from time to time about how when we face the giants, we need to focus on how big our God is rather than on how big the giant is.
We also talked about the benefit of hanging around others who have defeated their giants.
The mighty men of David were part of his army. They were loyal to David. They disciplined themselves so they were ready for battle whenever the time came. They didn’t have to go into training, they never stopped training.
There are a couple of other things about being a giant killer that we need to be aware of.
When David was preparing to face Goliath, King Saul called him and forced him to try on his suit of armor.
Now we know Saul was a head taller than most of the Israelis. And his armor would have been made just for him. So, I would imagine when David tried on this armor, it was almost humorous to see. It’s a sure thing it didn’t fit and if David had tried to wear it, he would have been fed to the dogs by Goliath.
Don’t try to be like someone else. Yes, I know I mentioned trying to find a mentor, or a coach to help you. But if they are truly going to help you, they won’t try to make you do everything the way they do. They will help you find your strength, develop your abilities, and help you be what God has created you to be.
Be faithful to the things of God in every part of your life. Don’t try to wear someone else’s armor. You won’t survive.
None of David’s mighty men had walked the same path as David. They all had unique abilities. Different backgrounds in their training. But they all stayed true to who God created them to be.
One more thing about being a giant killer is that it takes determination. We must be committed to the task.
After David discarded Saul’s armor, he picked up his sling and found five smooth stones.
We understand the sling since that was probably a weapon used by a shepherd. But why five smooth stones?
Truthfully, no one knows. It’s all speculation. But it’s an interesting speculation. Perhaps David knew of the four giants referred to 2 Samuel 22. Remember the guy with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot? And Goliath even had a brother.
Maybe those extra smooth stones were for them.
Or maybe picking up five smooth stones to go after Goliath was a picture of determination.
David could have said as he picked up each stone, “I’ll get you with this, but if I miss, I’ll get you with this one……”
In David’s journey, he faced many giants. Some of them were four footed, some had two feet but some of the giants David faced were things within his own self. He had to learn to deal with his own failures. He had to learn to repent. And he had to learn how to find strength in the Lord.
In 1 Samuel 30 we read about the time the Amalekites attacked David’s city. They ransacked the city and burned it down. All the wives and children of David and his men had been taken.
I don’t know why but David’s 400 men turned on David and were talking of stoning him.
In verse 6 of 1 Samuel 30, we read that David is destressed due to all of this but we are told that David found strength in the Lord his God.
I remember one time I decided to try and figure out what it was that David did to find strength in the Lord.
After a couple of hours of researching the original language, reading several commentaries, and going back to some ancient scholars, I still didn’t know what he did.
I just knew that David found whatever it was that he needed to do to find strength in the Lord.
Maybe he prayed. Maybe he played a harp and sang to the Lord. We each need to discover what works for us in tough times and then remember to do what helps us find strength in the Lord.
Always remember our God is bigger than the giants. Our God is faithful! He is mighty! And He is more than able and willing to go before us and give us what we need to defeat the giants in our lives.
In Pursuit! 