There are two ways to look at the account of David and Goliath. One is the literal reading of the story as a historical account in the life of David. As such, it is full of instruction, encouragement, and warning, with many valuable lessons to be gained from reading it at face value.

Another way to look at this story is as a type. For those who may be unfamiliar with how a type works, they are really very simple. Types use people or events to illustrate a spiritual truth or even a prophetic event, much like a parable. They take a concept that can be elusive to our grasp, or vague to our understanding, and make it tangible.

For instance, the story of David and Goliath can be seen as a type of Christ and Satan. The account is found in 1 Samuel 17. Just as Goliath came at David with three weapons: a sword, a spear, and a shield, (1 Sam. 17:45) so Satan came at Christ in the wilderness with three leading temptations: Appetite, presumption, and worship, also known as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16)

David defeated Goliath with a stone he picked up out of the brook. He took five smooth stones and put them into his shepherd?s bag so he could easily and quickly access them. Just so, Christ used God?s word that He had placed in His memory, so He could easily and quickly use them against Satan. The water of the brook represents God?s Word, the stones represent His promises, and the sling represents faith and prayer. We are to store our minds with God?s Word and promises, and then use the sling of faith and prayer to deliver them to defeat the enemy. ?Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.? (Ps. 119:11)

I wondered why David chose five stones? In studying it out I found that Goliath had four brothers, (2 Sam. 21:18-22) representing in type that Satan comes to us through the avenue of our five senses.

?The apostle sought to teach the believers how important it is to keep the mind from wandering to forbidden themes, or from spending its energies on trifling subjects. Those who would not fall a prey to Satan's devices, must guard well the avenues of the soul; they must avoid reading, seeing, or hearing that which will suggest impure thoughts. The mind must not be left to dwell at random upon every subject that the enemy of souls may suggest. The heart must be faithfully sentineled, or evils without will awaken evils within, and the soul will wander in darkness. "Gird up the loins of your mind," Peter wrote, "be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; . . . not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (RH, July 25, 1912 par. 14)

It wasn?t enough that David knocked Goliath down with the stone, but he had to also cut off Goliath?s head. In other words, he had to finish him off. The Bible tells us ?but there was no sword in the hand of David.? (v. 50) David used Goliath?s own sword to defeat him. Hebrews 2:14 tells us how Christ defeated Satan. ?Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.? Satan bruised Christ?s heel, but Christ bruised Satan?s head. Christ took Satan?s own weapon of death and used it to defeat him at the cross. It is the same with us; in order to defeat self, we must die to self.

?To keep His glory veiled as the child of a fallen race, this was the most severe discipline to which the Prince of Life could subject Himself. Thus He measured His strength with Satan. He who had been expelled from heaven fought desperately for the mastery over the One of whom in the courts above he had been jealous. What a battle was this! No language is adequate to describe it. But in the near future it will be understood by those who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. And as they learn what it means to overcome, they will endure the seeing of Him who is invisible.? (21MR 271.4)

There is a lot more to this type, but for now it shows how a type works. One last thing is to see is why Goliath failed. We of course know that God gave David the victory, but there is always more to learn if we look closely. Goliath was the bad guy, and David was the good guy, but looking at the failure of the bad can also be instructive for us. Goliath can be compared with the soldier of Ephesians 6:10-18.

Goliath certainly had on the whole armor, so to speak, but in the end it did not protect him. One of the first things to notice is that he had a shield bearer; that is, another man was carrying his shield. (v.7) Paul lets us know that the shield represents faith, and is the way to quench the fiery darts of the wicked. (Eph. 6:16) The man who was carrying Goliath?s shield had in his hands the most effective means of intercepting the stone from David?s sling. The point to make is that Goliath made the fatal mistake of relying on someone else to carry his shield. The same is true with us. We must have our own faith that results from our own study of the Bible, able to test the experiences we pass through, rather than to rely on the faith of others.

The other thing to notice is found in the account given by Mrs White in Patriarchs and Prophets p. 648.1: ?The anger of Goliath was roused to the very highest heat. In his rage he pushed up the helmet that protected his forehead and rushed forward to wreak vengeance upon his opponent.? Again in Ephesians 6:17, Paul lets us know that the helmet represents salvation. In other words, it is when we are not sure of our salvation in Christ, or have incorrect ideas concerning how we are saved, that we leave ourselves open to the attacks of Satan. We are to rely solely on the merits of Christ for our salvation, and then in faith, cooperate with Him in the work of our character building.

The stone got past the unused shield, and struck Goliath?s unprotected forehead. The forehead represents our frontal lobe, where our conscience and will reside. This is where we are able to critically assess information and employ our power of choice. Satan is doing all in his power to blunt our powers of discernment. He does this through the unguarded avenues of our souls.

In closing, Mrs White lets us know that ?The scene of trial with Christ in the wilderness was the foundation of the plan of salvation, and gives to fallen man the key whereby he, in Christ?s name, may overcome.? She goes on to say ?When we are able to comprehend the temptations and victories of the Son of God while in severe conflict with Satan, we shall have a more correct idea of the greatness of the work before us in overcoming.? (ST Oct. 24, 1878.6; ST April 19, 1883.13)

Thank you for an excellent exposition of David and Goliath! I have also visited your website. Very nice! I look forward to exploring it more thoroughly.

Thank you for your encouraging words!

David and Goliath Part Two.

As we have seen, the story of David and Goliath can also be seen as a type of the battle between Christ and Satan. It also has a closer application to us as individuals regarding the nature of self. 'Self' is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but is rarely understood for what it is. This account also has to do with the correct use of the will, as two kings are involved, David and Saul. One king has the Spirit of God, and the other king does not.

"The will is the governing power in the nature of man. If the will is set right, all the rest of the being will come under its sway. The will is not the taste or the inclination, but it is the choice, the deciding power, the kingly power, which works in the children of men unto obedience to God or to disobedience." (ML 318.3)

This concept can be seen throughout in the books of the Kings and Chronicles in the Bible. When the king does right in the sight of the Lord, the people also do right; and when the king does evil, the people in turn do evil. The same is true with us as individuals, when the will is set correctly, the thoughts and actions follow correctly.


Setting the Stage

There are three main players in our story; David, Saul, and Goliath; and in this type, each represent a certain attribute that is inherent in the human mind.

The account details a seemingly lopsided battle between two men. Goliath, a giant of a man, a trained fighter from his youth, armed to the teeth with the most modern weaponry of his time; and accompanied by a man with a shield, whose purpose is to deflect the offensive weapons of the opponent, and also to participate in the battle. The armor bearer could be both a defensive and an offensive asset as needed.

David, on the other hand, is a simple shepherd, armed only with a staff and a slingshot, with some stones he picked up out of a creek.

There is a lot riding on this battle between these two men. Only one man will be left standing, and which ever one that is will determine which nation will be subjected to the other. That would be like the USA and Russia each sending its best man, and whoever won, that man?s country would rule. Wow!! Safe to say, there would be a pretty serious selection committee!


David's Opponent

1 Samuel 17:4-7
V4. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

V5. And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

V6. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

V7. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver?s beam; and his spear?s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and one bearing a shield went before him.

V33. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.


There are two significant things that stand out about Goliath. First of all, he is an extremely formidable opponent all by himself. Take away his body armor, weapons, and his armor bearer, and that still leaves a twelve-foot tall man (1SP370.1) who has been trained in the arts of war from his youth.

The other thing to notice is his weapons systems. It includes both an offensive and a defensive system. Even though he is tough and capable with up to date weapons, he is not so arrogant to think he will never face someone who could possibly hurt him. With that in mind, his strategy also includes a highly sophisticated defense system. The principle behind this system is to protect him from a lethal wound, and to enable him to maintain his ability to utilize the offensive weaponry he has.

Goliath as a fighter trained in war from his youth represents our inherited defects of character, and his weapons and defenses represent the acquired tendencies to evil in our character, or, our cultivated defects of character. Combined, they make up the part of us that we term as 'self'.

The first comes from the law of genetics, that is, the traits of character handed to us at our birth which we have no control over. Exodus 20:5, "visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

These inherited defects of character are what starts us down the path of wrong thoughts and resulting behaviors. They begin to give shape to the walls which will confine us. Or put in a different way, they mar the lens through which we see and interact in life.

The second, the acquired tendencies, stems from the fact that in our ignorance or indifference of what we have inherited, we begin to defend our wrong thoughts and behaviors, and acquire new ones along the way. In other words, these are what add the strength to our walls, until they become an impregnable fortress, or more to the point, a prison of our own making.

Some of the defensive armor could include pride, fear, envy, doubt, guilt, bitterness, insecurities and so on. If you think about it, these kinds of emotions justify, or protect, our wrong thoughts and behaviors. When these behaviors are confronted, that same thing which lies within us called self, will then choose the appropriate offensive weapon to neutralize our perceived opponent. Instead of swords, spears, and daggers, our weapons take on the form of anger, deceit, silence, sarcasm, joking, etc. These perceived opponents are friends, loved ones, spouses, coworkers, inspired counsel, unfair treatment, circumstances, and the like.


The Challenge of Goliath

Verses 8-11 gives us the details of Goliath?s challenge:

V8. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? Am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

V9. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

V10. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

V11. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.


Who is Goliath Calling Out?

Is this just some generic challenge, hoping that anyone will take the bait? Or was it more specific?

Goliath was the biggest man in their camp. Who was the biggest man in Israel? In 1 Samuel 9:2 we are told that Saul "was a choice young man, and a goodly," and that "from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people."

So each man, Goliath and Saul, are the tallest men of their respective nations.

Goliath is calling king Saul out, and he realizes that if he gets the king he gets the people too.

The Bible says that Saul was afraid, and the people also. Saul and all of Israel knew full well that he was no match for Goliath.

Here in our case with poor Saul, a king represents the will. The Spirit of Prophecy defines the will as the governing, or kingly power. So, putting that into perspective, Goliath, representing our defects of character, is coming to Saul, who represents us with an unsanctified will, with the proposition that whoever wins will rule.

The Bible helps us to see this in Romans 6:16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

So this challenge is all about who is going to obey who. Does the will power win out, or self?


The Contrast Between David and Saul

In 1 Samuel 16:13-14, we read that "Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah."

"But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him."

One has the Spirit of the Lord, and the other doesn?t. It was when Saul was 'little in his own sight' that he was anointed king over Israel. But now, the Spirit has been withdrawn.

In Saul?s case, without the Spirit, he would represent an unsanctified will. David, with the Spirit, would represent a sanctified will; the governing power being under the power and supervision of the Holy Spirit.

An unsanctified will is no match for deeply rooted character defects, and Goliath knows that he can easily take Saul, but what he doesn?t realize, is that it will be David instead of Saul whom he will fight. He will be fighting against the real king of Israel who has been anointed with the Spirit of God! Not only that, he will be confronted with a weapons system which on the surface appears simple, yet as he will soon find out, is highly effective.

This same concept regarding the two wills can also be seen in the account of the two kings of Luke 14:28-33, and they are also shown in the account of Esau and Jacob.

David?s Choice of Weapons

V38. And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

V39. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

As Saul compared David with Goliath, he faced the same problem that many of us have, that is, he could not think outside of the box. The point to make is that Saul saw Goliath as a man of war with all of his armor, and the only thing he knew was to fight him in the same way, with the same type of equipment. Saul did not know any other way to fight. It is the same concept as with Israel in Numbers 13:31-33, when the spies brought back their report of the giants in the land.

For us in the battle against self, our box can be preconceived ideas, church tradition, incorrect theology, education, personal bias, the list could go on, but these things can prevent us from truly experiencing the genuine article of righteousness by faith.

David could not use Saul?s armor, and as we have already seen, he relied instead on his sling and some well-chosen stones. They weren?t just any stones, but the Bible tells us that they were ?smooth? stones. They were worn smooth by the moving water, and when employed, they moved through the air with perfect accuracy. The water represents God?s Word, which is living and active in our lives, and these stones represent the promises that are contained in the Bible that enable us to defeat Satan in any form. These promises should also be worn smooth by our continued use, with confidence that they can never be worn out.

The Bible tells us that God?s Word will not return unto Him void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11) In this case, the stone was sent straight to the mark, and did not fail to accomplish its purpose. So it was with Christ in His battle with Satan, and so it is with us.

"You will be in constant peril until you understand the true force of the will. You may believe and promise all things, but your promises and your faith are of no account until you put your will on the right side. If you will fight the fight of faith with your will power, there is no doubt that you will conquer.

"Your part is to put your will on the side of Christ. When you yield your will to His, He immediately takes possession of you, and works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure. Your nature is brought under the control of His Spirit. Even your thoughts are subject to Him. If you cannot control your impulses, your emotions, as you may desire, you can control the will, and thus an entire change will be wrought in your life. When you yield up your will to Christ, your life is hid with Christ in God. It is allied to the power which is above all principalities and powers. You have a strength from God that holds you fast to His strength; and a new life, even the life of faith, is possible to you.

"You can never be successful in elevating yourself, unless your will is on the side of Christ, cooperating with the Spirit of God. Do not feel that you cannot; but say, "I can, I will." And God has pledged His Holy Spirit to help you in every decided effort." (ML 318.4-6)