Intimidation

Time after time the Judges led Israel, depending on God for victory and turning the people back to following Him, and each time their enemies were unable or afraid to attack again until the leader died, because they recognized the power of God.   Saul was more dependent on his own abilities  and motivational skills.  While he had defeated the Philistines decisively, they had no sense of having been fighting God, and attacked again just a few years later, as I Samuel 17:1-3 describes.  “Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.  And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.  And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.”

After their previous battle against Saul, the Philistines were convinced they could win if they used the proper strategy.  They were not concerned about God’s role in battle, sending Goliath to intimidate the Israelites, according to I Samuel 17:4-10.  “And 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.

And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.  If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.  And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. ”

Goliath was huge, standing about nine foot nine.  He was immensely strong, wearing a coat of mail that weighed about a hundred fifty pounds, besides all the other armor.  His weapons were huge, with his spear being a large around as a wooden fence post, and the head weighed almost as much as a twenty pound sledge hammer.  Ordinary armor would provide almost no protection from such a weapon.  The promise that the Philistines would surrender if he was killed did nothing to allay their fear, as I Samuel 17:11 tells us.  “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.”

David was the youngest of Jesse’s sons, and was much too young to fight in the battle, so he was sent home, while the three oldest boys joined the army.  About forty days after the two armies had met, Jesse send David to take some food to his brothers.  He arrived just in time to hear Goliath make his challenge again, in I Samuel 17:20-25.  “And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.  For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.  And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.  And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.  And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.  And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.”

In an effort to motivate the people, Saul had offered great rewards, including financial rewards, membership in the royal family, and exemptions from taxes and property seizures or being drafted for military service or labor on public projects.  While the people were impressed by the promised rewards, none of them had any hope of defeating Goliath.  Like the Philistines, the Israelites had discounted any role God might play in the battle.  In the previous battle with the Philistines, Saul had made the same mistake, saying, “…Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies…” in I Samuel 14:24. 

David recognized that Goliath’s attack was not just on Israel, but was an attack on God’s power, in I Samuel 17;26.  “And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

The people had no understanding of what David was saying.  Even his older brother thought he was daydreaming about being the big hero and winning those rewards, in I Samuel 17:27-30.  “And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?  And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.”

David believed God was still able to do miracles like he had done in the past, and couldn’t understand why the others didn’t think he would.   He was not intimidated by Goliath’s threats as a result.