A Study of Contrasts - The story of David and Goliath does
more than show David as a young shepherd-aspirant to the throne; the story also functions
to reveal the gradual mental deterioration of Saul. [1]
Context - The first three verses set the stage for this story. The
Philistines are still the entrenched enemies that pose a very real threat to Israel’s
future. Saul is selected from Israel’s ranks and commissioned to face this very
threat, though at this point he seems to have run out of courage. Each of the armies face
one another across a ravine somewhere near the border near Ekron and Gath. [2]
One For All - Goliath challenges Israel to the mat - representational
warfare, or "single combat" was a common motif in the ancient Near East (cf. 2
Samuel 21:15-22; 23:20; Paris/Menelaus and Hector/Achilles in the Iliad.)
NIB on D and G:
The story is not simply a matter of rooting for the underdog. It embodies the hopes
of all persons when they are faced with overwhelming and evil power that there is a way to
overcome that power and win the future. This story has been told and retold especially by
the weak, the oppressed, the marginal, and the powerless-those who do not simply hope for
a David but see themselves as David, faced with the giants of oppression, and who know
that their only hope lies with a living God. [3]
Why do so many people root for the
underdog? What’s wrong with champions?
Describe a time when you were that underdog-what were the limitations, the obstacles
that you faced in the contest or challenge?
Why might this story of David and Goliath need to be heard by "the least of
these" and who face systems of death and violence?
Please see the homily for this week on
DPS, "The World’s Greatest Children’s Story for Adults."