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former God-inspired courage fire Israel. The Spirit of God had departed from their
leader, and his followers seemed to share in the depression which this consciousness
brought. In such a warfare, especially among Easterns, all depended on decision and
boldness. But unbelief makes cowards; and Saul and his army were content with a
merely defensive position, without venturing to attack their enemies. Day by day the
two armies gathered on the opposite slopes, only to witness what was for Israel more
than humiliation, even an open defiance of their ability to resist the power of
Philistia - by implication, a defiance of the covenant-people as such, and of Jehovah,
the covenant-God, and a challenge to a fight between might in the flesh and power in
the Spirit. And truly Israel, under the leadership of a Saul, was ill prepared for such a
contest. But herein also lay the significance of the Philistine challenge, and of the
manner in which it was taken up by David, as well as of his victory. It is not too
much to assert that this event was a turning-point in the history of the theocracy, and
marked David as the true king of Israel, ready to take up the Philistine challenge of
God and of His people, to kindle in Israel a new spirit, and, in the might of the living
God, to bring the contest to victory.
Forty days successively, as the opposing armies had stood marshaled in battle-array,
Goliath of Gath - a descendant of those giants that had been left at the time of Joshua
(Joshua 11:21, 22) - had stepped out of the ranks of the Philistines to challenge a
champion of Israel to single combat, which should decide the fate of the campaign,
and the subjection of either Israel or the Philistines. Such challenges were common
enough in antiquity. But it indicated a terrible state of things when it could be
thrown down and not taken up, - a fearful "reproach" when an "uncircumcised
Philistine" could so "defy the armies of the living God" (1 Samuel 17:8-10, 26, 36).
And yet as Goliath left the ranks of his camp, and "came down" (ver. 8) into the
valley that separated the two hosts, and, as it were, shook his hand in scorn of high
heaven and of Israel, not a man dared answer; till at last the Philistine, rendered
more and more bold, began to cross the wady, and "came up" the slopes towards
where Israel stood (ver. 25), when at sight of him they "fled," and "were sore afraid."
For, where the realizing sense of God's presence was wanting, the contest would
only seem one of strength against strength. In that case, the appearance and bearing
of the Philistine must have been sufficiently terrifying to Orientals. Measuring about
nine feet nine inches,^166 he was covered front and back by a coat of mail of brass,
consisting of scales overlapping each other, such as we know were used in ancient
times,^167 but weighing not less than about one hundred and fifty-seven pounds.^168
That armor, no doubt, descended to his legs, which were cased in "greaves of brass,"
while a helmet of the same material defended his head. As weapons of offense he
carried, besides the sword with which he was girded (ver. 51; 21:9), an enormous
javelin^169 of brass, which, after the manner of the ancient soldiers, was slung on his
(^)