17:1-3
We now come to what is undoubtedly the most famous incident in David’s life, the battle with Goliath. This is generally seen in popular culture as a victory for the underdog, but this is not the way the Bible presents it. Rather it is presented as the victory of the man of faith, regardless of the size of the opposition. Interestingly, nowhere else does the Bible refer to this victory, though there are a couple of references to brothers of Goliath. The Philistines had been a perpetual problem for Israel, and once again they were assembled for war against Israel. It is only through the man of faith that Israel gains victory.The opposing armies are lined up against each other, with a valley separating them. For a time we will have something of a phoney war.
17:4-7
Rather unusually the Philistines are presenting a champion, Goliath. So the victory will be determined by a fight between two men, rather than a more straightforward battle. One wonders why the Philistines did this, surely they could have just routed the Israelites? Maybe they had memories of some past defeats. We then get a description of Goliath, who was certainly a mighty fellow. He was extremely tall, and was dressed in very heavy armour. He was also equipped with mighty weapons.
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