David and the Giant

Long ago, in a land of hills and sheep, there lived a boy named David.

David was the youngest of eight brothers. His three oldest brothers were soldiers in King Saul's army, but David looked after his father's sheep. He led them to green grass and cool water, and he kept them safe as the wind blew across the hills. One day, David's father asked him to carry roasted grain and ten loaves of bread to his brothers at the army camp. Oh, and ten cheeses for their captain! So David got up early, left the sheep with a keeper, and set off.

When David reached the camp, he saw the army of Israel on one side of a valley, and their enemies, the Philistines, on the other. Then, out from the Philistine army, stepped a giant. His name was Goliath, and he was taller than a doorway, taller than any man you have ever seen! He wore a shiny bronze helmet and a heavy coat of armor, and his spear was enormous.

Every morning and every evening, Goliath stomped out and shouted across the valley. He roared, "Give me a man, that we may fight together!" King Saul and his soldiers were terribly afraid, and this went on for forty days! When David heard Goliath, he asked who this giant thought he was, making fun of the armies of the living God.

His oldest brother, Eliab, grumbled and asked who was looking after David's few little sheep. But soon David was brought to King Saul, and he said, "Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." King Saul shook his head. David was only a young man, and Goliath had been a soldier all his life. So David told the king how he had chased a lion and a bear, and rescued his lambs right out of their mouths!

Then David said, "The Lord, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."

And King Saul said, "Go! The Lord will be with you." Saul dressed David in his own armor, with a bronze helmet on his head. David tried to walk. Clank, clunk, clank. David said, "I can't go with these, for I have not tested them." So he took it all off again. Instead, David took his shepherd's staff and his sling, a strap for throwing stones.

He chose five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd's bag. Then David walked down into the valley, toward the giant.

When Goliath saw David, he laughed. David was just a young man with a shepherd's stick! Goliath said, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" But David was not afraid. He called out, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Armies."

He told Goliath that the whole world would know there is a God in Israel, because "the battle is the Lord's." Goliath came stomping closer. And David ran toward him! David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and put it in his sling. Round and round it went, and then, whoosh! The stone flew straight and hit Goliath right on the forehead.

The giant wobbled, and then down he went, flat on his face, with a great big thud!

When the Philistines saw that their champion had fallen, they turned and ran away. The battle was won! David had won with just a sling and a stone. There wasn't even a sword in his hand, because God was on his side.

This story teaches us that God is bigger than any giant. When something feels too big or scary, we can be brave like David, because God is with us.