Strange Story: I Samuel 17 David Vs Saul Not David Vs Goliath

The story of David vs. Goliath should really be titled David vs. Saul. This does not mean that David and Saul were going to fight to the death; what it means is that there was a competition going on between David and Saul and that competition was the real issue in a bigger story in which the encounter between David and Goliath was one part among many. The comparison and contrast between David and Goliath were not the main point in that story; the contrast between David and Saul was actually one of the main points, along with David’s faith. Goliath was just a tool that demonstrated the contrast between David and Saul and gave David the opportunity to show his faith.

What do I mean by a competition between Saul and David? This was not a competition that David was actively seeking, rather it was a device used by the author of I Samuel (who ever that was) to paint a picture for the reader showing the difference between David and Saul. Over the course of several chapters, the author makes the case that Saul had become unfit to be king and David was a much better candidate.

Using the narrative of actual events, the author demonstrates that David was a man of integrity, Saul was not; David was a man of faith, Saul was not. David had a strong relationship with God, Saul did not; David put God first, Saul put himself first.

The story we call David and Goliath was considered by the Jews of that day as a powerful demonstration of the difference between the shepherd and the king.

Saul was a tall man; he stood head and shoulders above the average Israelite (I Sam 9:2). Therefore, he should have been a powerful warrior and a champion fighter for his people. In reality, Saul did lead his army to battle and was successful in several military conflicts. So he was no slouch, nor was he unfamiliar with warfare. His size made him a reasonable option for a leader for the people to follow and a hero for the people to admire. However, he had some other qualities which ruined the picture. He was prone to be sullen and have angry outbursts. During those outbursts, there was no way to know what he might do; he might even try to kill his own son with a spear (I Sam 20:33). He became self-centered and lived in fear of someone taking what he considered his.

When the philistines came to threaten the Israelites and sent out their champion, Goliath, to meet whomever the Israelites might send against him, it should have been Saul going to face him. Saul was large, though not quite as large as Goliath; he was experienced in battle, though not as experienced as Goliath. The Israelite army had no military champion or hero other than Saul. By human standards, Saul should have been their man. By his refusal to face Goliath, Saul proved he was a man of fear not a man of faith.

In contrast David was small, or average height at best (see my lesson on How tall was Goliath?). David had seen a little bit of fighting action, and was known for his courage, but at this point in his life he was not the military leader that Saul was. David wasn’t even old enough to be a regular soldier. So by human standards, David was not qualified at all to face the Philistine champion. But here is where the spiritual elements enter the picture. While Saul was the better candidate in a physical way, David was the better candidate due to spiritual factors. David had unshakable faith in God, and he had something that Saul knew nothing about – he had righteous indignation. David could not stand by and watch a godless heathen imply that the God of Israel was weak or uninterested in helping His people. He also had confidence in the abilities he had perfected (slinging a stone) and he was sure that God could use what he had learned to defeat the God-mocking enemy.

The author of I Samuel goes on to tell how, after David killed Goliath, the people began to sing his praises, literally. Someone had put what everyone was thinking into a succinct set of word, and then those words were put to music. They sang, “Saul has killed his thousands, but David his ten thousands.” This little ditty caught on and became so popular that Saul heard them singing it, and it made him furious. It is interesting that the author of I Samuel recites the words to this little song three times in his narrative (I Sam 18:7, 21:11, and 29:5). From this it should be obvious that, in the minds of the people, a comparison was going on between Saul and David. They were looking at these two men and asking themselves which one was the better hero and leader. They acknowledged that Saul had won some victories, but they quickly admitted that Saul’s victories paled in comparison to David’s victories.

By the time you read about David being crowned king of Judah, then later being made king over all of Israel, the author has convinced you that David deserves to be the king. God chose him years earlier and the venerable prophet Samuel had anointed him; he had proven himself in battle many times; he had served the king faithfully despite the king’s outbursts; and he had refused to take the life of the king who hated him out of respect for the one God had initially chosen for that office. While Saul was punished for his partial obedience (which God sees as disobedience – see I Samuel chapter 15), David had proved himself trustworthy to God and to his countrymen. He was obviously the right man for his hour. Even the king’s son Jonathan affirmed it.

That is the larger story that is being told. The small part about David defeating Goliath is a poignant and powerful illustration that David is the one who should lead Israel. But Goliath was only a tool used to demonstrate the qualities of this young man named David. The true contrast is between David, the man of faith, and Saul, the man of fear.