A little over five years later, David came in to clean up after a day watching the sheep in the pasture. He had just got them into their corral with the help of his Nephew Joab, and had finished washing up, when his dad spoke to him.

"David, I want you to go and find out how your brothers are doing with the army fighting the Philistines. We can let Joab watch over the sheep, he has been doing very good lately, hasn't he?"

"Yes," said David, "I trust him alone with the sheep, and I think it will please him to be trusted with them by himself. Has there been trouble?"

"It's just that it has been weeks since we have had any word from your brothers, and I am a little worried about them."

"Sure dad, I would love to go. Is there any message you want me to give them?"

"No, just find out how things are going, and bring me the news." Jesse added, "You might pack them some corn and bread as a treat for them and the army, I'm sure they don't get much good food out in the battlefield. Also, take some of our family cheeses to give to their commanding officer. It should convince him to allow you to see your brothers!"

So early the next morning David got the corn, bread and cheese together, as well as a few other family treats he figured his brothers would enjoy, and set off to find the army of Israel on his favorite mule, pulling a carriage with all the goodies for his brothers.

As he approached the army in the valley of Elah, David wondered why everything was so very quiet. Were they not at war with the Philistines? Why was there no fighting going on? Had not the Lord promised to fight for Israel? Why was the army hiding in trenches? David was puzzled as he presented himself to the commander, and gave him the cheese, asking to see his brothers. The commander said it was okay, so David went over to see his brothers. They were glad to see him, and very glad to get the good food, which they shared with some of the others around them. They were chatting together about simple, family issues when they were interrupted by a loud voice.

"Armies of Israel! Why are you come out to fight against the Philistines? I am one man, you choose and send out a man to fight me! We will base the out-come of the war on this one battle! If the man you send out kills me, the Philistines will be your slaves, but if I kill him, then you will serve us! I defy the armies of Israel to send a man who can fight me, and beat me!"

David was outraged at this man who dare defy the God of Israel! As he looked around he saw that his brothers and the rest of the army were all scared to death of this man. He looked at the man who was defying Israel. Over nine feet tall, he could see, but what was that to such a great God as his?

"Have you seen this great giant?" One of the soldiers asked David, "He comes out every morning with the same threat! We are to choose a man to come and fight him for the war! But we are all afraid! So much so that the King has promised to make the man who kills him very rich! He has also promised to give him is daughter as a wife, and to exempt his family forever from taxes!"

David couldn't believe his ears! He asked someone else who was standing nearby, "What is this I hear the king will do for the one who will kill this ungodly man who defies the Holy God of Israel? Who does this man think he is, to think he can come out here and blaspheme the living God like this?"

"It is just like the man told you!" several around him said, "the King has promised to make the man rich who can deal with this Goliath." "But he is defying the Living God of Isr. . ."

Eliab angrily grabbed David by the shoulder and spun him around to look at him. "Why are you here, and just who did you leave to watch the family sheep while you are out here meddling where you donıt belong? I know the wickedness and pride of your heart! You want to watch the battle, and see the bloodshed!"

"What have I done?" David asked back, "Is there not a reason? This man is blaspheming the Holy God of Israel!" David left his brothers, and started talking with the soldiers around the camp about Goliath. Each time he got the same response. One of the commanders heard him, and told King Saul about him. Saul sent for David right away. As soon as David saw the King he said, "Oh King, tell everyone not to be afraid any more, for I will kill this man who spits in the face of my God!"

Saul looked at David, amused. He saw a very small and handsome young man, who had no training or even any physical power to use against the giant. "You cannot fight this giant! You are just a young man, and this giant is a warrior. He has been killing men from his youth until now!"

"There is a God in Israel, oh King!" David answered, "It is in His name I will go against this ungodly Philistine, not in my name! Your servant is a shepherd, and one day one of my sheep was stolen by a lion!"

Saul looked at David more closely, "And you were able to save the sheep?" "Yes, my lord, and kill the lion too! Not because I am strong, but because my Lord fights for me!"

"But even a lion would be no match for that giant!" Saul said with a sigh. "There was another time that I killed a bear trying to take a sheep!" David commented. "But even a bear would not win against Goliath!" the King asserted.

"Oh King," David said, "It is God that delivered the bear and the lion into my hand, not my own strength. My God who was stronger than those brute beasts, who were doing what they were doing by instinct,

and not to defy the God of Israel, is also stronger than this man who blasphemes the very name of God! Let me go in the name of the God of Israel to fight this giant, oh King!"

Saul considered David quietly for a moment. No one else had even come close to offering to fight for Israel, maybe he should let him. "Tell you what," he said, "you put on my armor, and take my sword with you, and I will let you fight the giant for Israel!" And Saul motioned to a soldier who promptly put his armor on David. Now Saul was a big man himself, standing head and shoulders above most other men in all of Israel, so while he was wearing his armor, David could hardly even move!

"Uh, King!" David said, "I can't wear these things in battle! I can't even move with them on! The Lord will fight for me!"

So David left with the King's blessing to fight against Goliath, the evil giant who was defying the God of Israel day and night before the army of the Lord. He went straight down to the brook, and took five smooth stones, and put them into his shepherd's bag. He put his sling into his hand, and went out to fight the giant of the Philistines.

Goliath looked, and saw this small youth, to him he looked like a child, coming towards him. He sneered at him and said, "Am I a dog, that you are coming out here to fight me with play toys? I curse you and the God of Israel by my gods! Come over here, and I will feed your very flesh to the birds of the air, and the to beasts in the fields!"

"You are coming against me with a sword and with a spear!" David answered, "You even have a man to carry that shield for you, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts! The mighty God of the armies of Israel, whom you have been defying these many days! Today the Lord is going to give you into my hand! I am going to kill you, and cut off your head! Then in the name of the Lord I will give not only you, but the carcasses of the hosts of the Philistines to the birds of the air, and the beasts in the fields! This day, all the earth will know for sure that there is a God in Israel!"

"Who is this god that shall give me into your hands? I am the great Goliath!"

"You and this whole assembly will learn this day who my God is! All these here will know that the Lord doesn't save with a sword or a spear: For the battle itself is the Lords! He is the one who is giving you into my hands!"

Once again, David saw rage rising in the eyes of an enemy. As the giant began moving towards him in his wrath, David reached into his shepherdıs bag and took out one of the stones he had gotten from the brook. He put the stone into his sling, and threw it at the Philistine, trusting God to guide it. The stone hit Goliath in the forehead, right between his eyes. The stone sunk into the giant's forehead, and he fell to the earth with a terrible crash!

Now David had brought no sword with him, but he had promised Goliath he would cut off his head. So he ran over to the fallen giant, and pulled his own huge sword from its sheath. He then lifted it high over his foe, and used it to cut off the giant's head!

As soon as the Philistine army saw that their champion was dead, they broke their promise to Israel and ran away! The armies of Israel shouted to the Lord in victory, and followed after them. There was a great victory for the armies of the Lord that day, and after the battle was over, the men of Israel went into the tents of the Philistines, and took all the wealth that was found in them for themselves.

When David came back with the army from slaughtering the Philistines, Saul's Uncle Abner, who was the chief commander in the army, took him to stand before Saul. David was a little ways away while Abner talked with the king, and Saul asked Abner, "Just who is this young man, anyway?"

"I don't have any idea, oh King!" declared Abner.

"He certainly has fought valiantly for his God today! Bring him near."

Abner brought David in closer, and the King asked him, "Just who are you, young man?"

David answered, "I am David, son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

"I cannot tell you how much I and my kingdom appreciate what you have done today, David."

"It was not in me, oh my King, but it was the Lord who fought for Israel this day!"

"Yes, David, I understand that." Saul answered wryly, then he continued, "You told me you were a shepherd, can someone else be found to watch over your family's sheep? I would like to have you join my army, and be always by my side during a battle!"

"Oh I think we can find someone," David smiled, "I would be honored, oh King!"

"Then we will send a messenger to your father (Jesse of Bethlehem did you say?) right away, telling him I would like you to stay and be with me!" and David knew he was being dismissed by Saul.

As he walked away, a young man around his own age fell in beside David, and walked with him. "I was out there watching you today!" he said, "You did a great thing today for the nation of Israel!"

David turned and looked at him. "I did nothing. The Lord, the God of Israel delivered the nation from the Philistines great threat! I am just the one He chose to use."

The young man smiled and extended his hand, "My name is Jonathan. I am Saul's oldest son."

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Jonathan," said David as they embraced, "I am David of Bethlehem."