Goliath Brought a Spear to a Gun Fight
Growing up, one of the stories I consistently heard was David and Goliath. In these stories, David always seemed to be an incredible underdog. He was small, wasn’t bright enough to wear armor and fought with a puny sling. Later, as I struggled through a Biblical Studies degree, I became convinced Goliath was profoundly outgunned and clearly outmaneuvered. David carried a mobile weapon that could be reloaded and launched a projectile from a distance which was far superior to the range of a longbow. Goliath was mired down by an in-close weapon that could be hurled once. Let’s examine the velocity of David’s stone as it left the sling. The acceleration of a projectile leaving the sling of a trained slinger approached the speed of 492 feet per second. Let’s put that in perspective. A major league baseball player heaves a fastball at around 140 feet per second; a longbow (used during David’s time) launches an arrow at about 197 feet per second. (Paul Kriwaczek, “Babylon; Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization,” Kindle location 1633) David’s stone accelerated at almost 300 feet more per second than an arrow. I vigorously believe David knew he had Goliath outclassed and outmaneuvered. There have been times when I have been confronted with a Goliath (sickness, addiction, bill collectors, unfair supervisor, etc.) and the odds had the appearance of being incredibly small. Yet just as God gave David the wisdom to not use body armor and to choose his weapon, He also provides us wisdom for our situations (even if it’s to go to others for help). As I think that through, I realize I need to quit looking at the size of what I encounter and instead, use the wisdom God yields me to confront the situation, allowing the LORD my God to lead me through.