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WhatsappMany people know the famous Biblical names of David and Goliath, but how
many people know the true story? About three thousand years ago, David
went to visit his brothers, who were serving in the army of King Saul.
When he arrived, he found everyone scared. Goliath had challenged the
Israelites, and no one was prepared to face him. Goliath was a giant,
and was a skilled warrior. The young David, full of faith in God, took
on the challenge. King Saul offered David his own armor, but it was too
heavy for David. So the young man went to the battlefield without armor.
Along the way, he picked up some flat stones from near the riverbank.
David and Goliath began the battle, and David slung a stone in his sling,
hitting Goliath between the eyes. Goliath fell forward, and David killed
him, thus stopping the Philistine threat, and proving that with faith in
God, he succeeded when the odds were completely against him.
The essence of Goliath was not merely his size, but his mocking attitude towards all that is Holy in this world.
The essence of David was his deep belief in God and the eternity of the Chosen People.
David’s bravery would not lead him towards a smooth path that ultimately led to him becoming King David.
At first, he would be a small-time King – leading a small area in Judea – while his throne was centered in Hebron.
The 1st King of Israel, Saul, would chase after him and nearly kill him.
But, David survived the attacks and remained enormously popular among the entire Nation. His popularity would just grow with each attempt to quash him.
Later, he would become King over the entire Jewish people and be based in Jerusalem and dream about building the Temple.
But, he would face rebellion by none other than his own popular son, Avshalom, and David chose to go into self-imposed exile, when he judged that the Jewish people were not favoring his leadership anymore.
After Avshalom’s death, David would return to assume the leadership of the entire Nation and live to the age of 70 while appointing his younger son, Solomon, to the throne. Solomon would build the 1st Temple in Jerusalem and build the Jewish Empire to enormous strength.
David passed away as a King and will always be remembered for his idealism and total dedication to God and the Jewish people.
