“David and Goliath,” Old Testament Stories (2021)
“David and Goliath,” Old Testament Stories
1 Samuel 17
David and Goliath
Facing a giant challenge
The Philistines were attacking the Israelites. Every morning a giant Philistine named Goliath challenged any Israelite to fight him. Goliath was bigger and taller than anyone else, and he was fierce. He wore heavy armor and carried a sword, spear, and large shield. No one dared to fight him.
David was a young shepherd boy who had faith in the Lord. His older brothers were soldiers in Israel’s army. One day, David took his brothers some food. When he arrived at the army’s camp, he heard Goliath’s challenge.
David asked the soldiers why no one defended Israel. His brothers were angry and told him to go take care of the sheep. But David knew the Lord would defend Israel.
King Saul knew of David’s faith, so he asked to see David. David told Saul he was not afraid to fight Goliath. David explained that once when he was looking after his sheep, he killed a lion and a bear. The Lord protected him then, and David knew the Lord would protect him now.
Saul gave David his armor. But it didn’t fit, so David took it off. He decided to fight without any armor.
David collected five smooth stones and put them in a bag. He took his sling and shepherd’s staff and went to face Goliath.
When Goliath saw David, he shouted and made fun of him. He said a shepherd boy could not beat him. David shouted back that he trusted the Lord to protect him! David said he would beat Goliath to show the Lord’s greatness.
David ran toward Goliath. He quickly threw a stone with his sling. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead, and the giant man fell to the ground. The Lord helped David defeat Goliath without a sword or armor.
When the Philistines saw that Goliath was dead, they ran away in fear. The Israelites won the battle. David trusted the Lord, and the Lord protected Israel.