Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.” When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. (1 Samuel 17:45-51 ESV).
David’s triumph over Goliath is one of the best-known stories of the Bible. A strong young boy with a few smooth stones defeats a giant, armored warrior decked out with heavy weapons. It’s a story of contrasts and ironies: tall versus short, strength versus weakness, arrogance versus humility, glorious victory versus humiliating defeat. We are often given to this great story of the triumph of the underdog. But this impressive story isn’t mainly about David and Goliath. The core conflict is between the false gods of the Philistines and the God of Israel, Yahweh Sabaoth, “the LORD of Hosts” or “the LORD Almighty.”
Yahweh Sabaoth is one of the most widely used names for God in the Old Testament, occurring nearly 300 times. The name Sabaoth (pronounced “suh-bey-ohth”) comes from the Hebrew word for “that which goes forth” and for “armies” or “hosts.” The name Yahweh Sabaoth declares God’s reign over heaven and earth and over all armies, earthly and spiritual.
David, understanding the real conflict, declares that “the battle is the LORD’s.” And through him, Yahweh Sabaoth, “the LORD of Hosts,” defeats the mighty Philistine and his gods. Whatever your “goliath,” You can be assured Yahweh Saboath is mighty enough to defeat it and bring you victory!