Facing the Philistines

In the Valley of Elah, two armies faced one another: the army of the Philistines, and the army of the living God. From among the Philistines, a booming voice raised a challenge: “Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.” When the Israelites saw Goliath, the source of that challenge, they were overcome with fear. Before them stood a man of formidable size and power clad in armor made to protect him from all harm – a conventional warrior on steroids.

When young David appeared at the line of battle, he asked a strategic question his tactically focused brothers had yet to discern. Other than being large and loud, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

“Let no one’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine,” David proclaimed. And despite protests from the king on down, that’s what he did. Abandoning the burdensome armor and conventional weaponry of his day, David faced off against Goliath with the tools with which he was most adept: a slingshot and a bag containing 5 smooth stones–four more than he needed. But he wasn’t armed with just a shepherd’s weapon. David faced his opponent with something his adversary was lacking, and his brother’s army had forgotten—the knowledge that the battle belongs to the Lord. And with faith in the living God, David fought and prevailed.

Years ago, I had the honor of meeting some of the fiercest fighters of the Marine Corps. Men who had faced off against a brutal enemy – not in the Valley of Elah, but in places with names like Tulagi, Tasimboko, Guadalcanal, New Georgia and bloody Edson’s Ridge. An elite force trained to close with and destroy the enemy, Edson’s Raiders, like David, put off the heavy armor and weaponry of their day, preferring instead the tools that made them agile, yet effective. At first, the idea of Raiders infiltrating and overcoming the enemy in unconventional ways met with resistance, but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. Like David, their small force felled great giants and not only affected the outcome of the war, but created a model which has become the forbearer of today’s special operations units. Their legacy of courage and competence set the standard of what it means to be a Marine. It also set a standard of what it means to be a person of faith—a soldier of God trained to overcome the enemy in whatever form he presents himself.

To David, the enemy was a loudmouth, uncircumcised Philistine, intent on demoralizing God’s people. For Edson’s Raiders, evil manifested itself in those wearing the cloth of nations opposed to freedom and democracy and devoted to tyranny.

Today, the enemy is more elusive and many of us are afraid to even point in his direction for fear we might offend. Day by day he gains a stronger foothold, cajoling us to lower our standards, convincing us our values are antiquated, our faith is impotent, and our God is irrelevant. The loud and persuasive taunts of today’s Philistines are making many hearts weaken nigh unto failing.

And so today, more than ever, we need a David. We need an Edson Raider. We need those who will put on the whole armor of God and meet the enemy in battle. We need those who are not afraid because they know the battle belongs to the Lord. Are you ready?

Ephesians 6:12

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