I recently read a devotional based on the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. The author suggested writing out the truths and lies we saw in that chapter. So I did.
My breakdown of truth and lies in 1 Samuel 17, verse by verse:
Truth
12: David is the son of Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, Jesse.
12: David is one of eight sons.
14: David is the youngest son.
15: David shepherds his father’s flocks.
29: David should be able to challenge the men about Goliath.
32: David’s words and actions are the same.
39: Saul’s armor isn’t right for David.
45: David acts in God’s name.
Lies
28: Eliab, his brother, says David has a wicked heart.
33: Saul, his king, says David is too young to fight.
David was a shepherd stepping into the role of a soldier. Many men before him had attempted and failed to kill Goliath. Did you notice what I noticed? Although this chapter has more truths than lies, the lies feel weightier.
What was it that kept David from believing his brother when he was accused of having a wicked heart? David’s response is so simple: “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” (1 Samuel 17:29 NASB). David knew the intention behind his words, and he didn’t let his brother’s untrue opinion change that for him.
Saul told David he believed he was too young to fight, but that turned out to be untrue as well. Where did David’s confidence come from? First Samuel 17:37 gives us a clue: “And David said, ‘The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you’” (NASB).
David defeated Goliath, and in 1 Samuel 18, we learn that from then on he lived in the king’s palace and led the troops in battle. David became known, loved, and trusted in the eyes of the Israelites.
When confronted with lies, David didn’t flinch, because, I believe, he had enough life experience to know God is who he says he is. David had faced death before, and he expected God would protect him.
I confess that my own season of weakness, of not embracing truth, lasted much longer than it should have in my life. I developed a bad habit of accepting others’ truths about me even when they contradicted God’s truth. For instance, when someone unfairly accused me of acting selfishly or with cruel intentions, I wouldn’t defend myself. I allowed their version of the truth to supersede mine.
This simple choice was detrimental to me in more ways than I care to admit. Every time I accepted a lie, I chose to believe that God’s understanding of my intentions—his knowledge of my heart and thoughts—was less valuable than the assessment of the person standing in front of me.
This story of David defeating Goliath is more important than it might seem at first. If we back up one chapter to 1 Samuel 16, we learn another truth about David: he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to become the next king of Israel.
If David had believed his brother or Saul and hadn’t moved forward with his conviction to kill Goliath and honor God, the entire trajectory of his life would have changed. I’m not saying he wouldn’t have become king if he hadn’t stayed on course, but just as happened with the Israelites trying to enter the promised land, his actions could have caused his coronation to take much longer and cost many people their lives.
Much of life depends on knowing a truth from a lie, because lies are one of the easiest ways for Satan to derail us in the pursuit of our calling. I loved the exercise of identifying truth from lies in 1 Samuel 17. It was empowering to see David respond to each lie with truth and to stay the course of his convictions. It might seem as if David’s boldness with Goliath was one of innocent youth or blind faith that didn’t think through all the consequences, but I think we can see a different reason for it.
As a shepherd, David spent a lot of time alone with God, worshiping him. As he developed a personal relationship with him, he also developed the ability to quickly distinguish truth from lies. This came from knowing God intimately, and it is true for me as well. I’ve learned that God’s character—who he says he is—can be seen throughout all of Scripture. The more I read the Bible, the easier it becomes to identify when someone is lying, or at least saying what is untrue because of mistaken belief.
Just as it was for David, life experience and the pursuit of learning more about God daily gives me not only the strength to identify a lie, but to respond with the truth.
One other thing helps as well: a community around me committed to pointing me to the truth when I start to waver. If you’re having a hard time finding truth tellers, I encourage you to join us at The Glorious Table Community Facebook page. We’re committed to praying for one another, and we’d love to pray for you too.
Note: Originally published on The Glorious Table.
What a powerful activity. Have you done this with other texts?