However, Movies and TV are a different story. I have been asked more than once by my husband, "have you no soul?!" as he's fighting tears and I'm staring blankly at the screen. Nothing gets him like an underdog story. Rudy, The Blind Side, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans, Rocky IV, and A League of Their Own (I'm not making this stuff up, he's texting me titles as I'm writing) are some of his favorites. He says it's because, "they're relatable and we all aspire to be something more than we are; even more when the odds are stacked against us." Though it probably won't draw tears from me, that is something I know resonates with pretty much everyone.
We love to cheer a hero as much as we love to hate a villain. We hope for the underdog even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. That's probably one reason why the story of David and Goliath is one of the most well known stories in the Bible. Even if you haven't grown up in the church chances are you know at least the general story of this historic showdown: David is little, Goliath is big, and David wins. As usual, I think scripture tells it best. If you have access to a Bible, why not take a couple minutes to check out 1 Samuel 17? Keep in mind as you're reading that David has already been anointed by God to be King over Israel, but the current king, Saul, doesn't know that yet. Also interesting to realize is that David is a youth and considered too young to join the other soldiers, whereas Saul is an accomplished warrior. I'll include a bit of the story I'm going to focus on (so I don't drive too many people away who take one look at a long post and quit before they begin), but I strongly urge you to read the entire thing!
And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”I don't want to leave you with a cliffhanger so I'll summarize the ending. David approaches Goliath and they talk smack back and forth, as guys do, then David runs forward and uses his sling to chuck a rock that hits the nearly 9'9" monster of a man in the forehead and sends him crashing. The text points out that there wasn't even a sword in David's hand if he had needed one; he uses Goliath's own sword after to chop of the giant's head. Gross, but I suppose it provides a very vivid picture of who was the victor. The underdog emerges triumphant! Bloody, severed head dripping from his fist. Sounds like a scene out of one the action movies toward which my husband gravitates.
Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
(1 Samuel 17:32-40 ESV)
Did it stand out to anyone else that David had already faced lions and bears? Oh my! I find it intriguing that he mentions these experiences to Saul not as a means of boasting over his own strength, but as an example of God's faithful deliverance in the past and as a measure of reliability in his faith that God would protect him again. God doesn't allow anything to happen to us just by chance (Jeremiah 29:11). This means that every event in our lives has value and purpose. At first this truth can be a bit hard to swallow, especially if we have painful events in our past. You might wonder how any good could ever come from something terrible or tragic. At the same time, the beauty of putting your faith in a sovereign God means that none of the testing was endured in vain. We are being refined that we would call upon the Lord and receive deliverance (Zechariah 13:9). Not one ounce of pain was purposeless; we are much too valuable to Him for our lives to be left up to random chance. The lions and bears we have faced, and are still fighting, are training us to achieve victory in the greater battles ahead. Fight the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12) that when we have received our eternal victory we can boast of God's faithful deliverance of our lives over every villain on our path.
Maybe it's just my personal insecurities flaring up, you might be a far more secure person, but I can say with a fair amount of confidence that if I had the option of wearing expensive, heavy armor and carrying a sword I would have worn them regardless of fit. I would have stumbled my way onto the battlefield looking like a fool as long as I had something physical to put my confidence in. It has always been a struggle of mine to find something, or someone, to hide behind in the face of conflict. I want some immediate assurance of protection and insulation from the giant of reality waiting for me. The idea is if I can hide behind my education (or lack thereof), economic status, mentors, or innumerable other excuses to cover my weaknesses, then I won't get hurt because it's not really me I'm presenting. It's the shined up, impressive version of myself I would like everyone to see. David walked out with nothing more than his staff, sling, stones, and pouch. Shepherd's tools he had used nearly all his life. His confidence was rightly placed in his faith that God had already equipped him with everything he needed for success, mainly his faith in the Lord Almighty. He required nothing impressive to boost his self confidence, but boldly showed his human vulnerability that God's might and faithfulness and sovereignty would be that much more apparent.
I want to be full of faith, learning and maturing from my past, vulnerable yet confident in how God has chosen to equip me. I want to run to the battle like David completely trusting in Lord's deliverance, but I won't. It's nearly a "can't" actually. No amount of willpower can make me more like David. What does your track record look like with resolutions? Mine is abysmal to the point that I made a resolution to stop making them, but couldn't even stay committed to that and made one this year. On my own I am just the underdog and seeking self-help will only reaffirm my weakness and inability to effect change in the end.
But wait, there's hope. An underdog always has hope, a way to, "aspire to be something more than we are, even when the odds are stacked against us." We have to expand our perspective past David to the great story unfolding in all of scripture, and the true anointed, eternal King to whom David's triumph truly points. Jesus, our hero, stood in our place to defeat a villain more fearsome than any we will ever face: the full wrath and punishment of sin in death. He presented himself in complete human frailty, vulnerable, though he could have spoken a word and legions of angels would have come to His defense. He boldly approached the cross clothed with nothing more nor less than a life lived righteously and absolute faith in His victory. Just as David's qualifications to fight were questioned by Saul, so Jesus endured the gathered crowd mocking, "He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe (Mark 15:31-32 ESV)." And yet, like David, in the face of insurmountable odds He emerges resurrected, nail pierced hands held out to us in victory, death slain under His battle scarred feet. He accomplished a task David's triumph was only a weak shadow of and gave more to free His beloved people than David could ever give.
If you don't know Jesus, our culture will tell you that you can accomplish anything on your own, and when you fail tell you to try harder. If you want it bad enough, if you can visualize it, then it is within your reach and if you can't make it happen you're a nobody. The problem with working in your own strength to be a "better" person is that you don't have any reliable measure of what that looks like. If everything is relative then where do you turn? You will try on different suits of armor, new methods of overcoming vices seeking self worth, trying to find one that fits but none will be worthy of the battles faced in this life. Maybe you'll settle for gear that feels like it nearly fits or maybe you'll continue to search the self-help shelves for some DIY armor-fix tips. Or perhaps you will see the futility in it, call out to the Hero who lovingly stood in your place, and, with His help, begin to remove the layers of ill fitting steel until the immeasurable beauty of your true self as you were created to be is visible. Even your past will be redeemed and purposed for good beyond anything imaginable.
Believing brothers and sisters, let's stop trying so hard to be like David in our own strength! Of course we all want to be men and women after God's own heart, and we're told to learn from the lives of the saints who have gone before us. But that all needs to be secondary to our passionate, consuming pursuit of growing closer to our God and knowing Him in His word. Let's agree to stop putting on clunky armor of good works, or money given charitably, or doctrinal superiority and expect it to protect. The armor just makes us look like fools and hypocrites before the rest of the world because they can tell our ways look no different from theirs. Instead, let's tap into the omnipotent power dwelling within us to gain the courage to present our humble true selves and have faith in the victory we will gain! We have already been equipped with all we need in our individual experiences to serve faithfully and fruitfully.
Thank you, Lord, that the victory of David brings such hope to us underdogs as we stand before the giants of this life. God to you be all glory for the complete victory and redemption we have offered to us in Jesus. You love us not for anything we can bring to You, and yet You pour out Your blessings on those who seek to truly know You with all our hearts. Thank you for giving us value and passion and purpose. Amen.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.(Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)
David writes of God's love for the underdog beautifully in Psalm 145:14, 18-19:
The LORD upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The LORD is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
