Both encampments waited in anticipation for an accomplished warrior to march out against the Philistine champion. This battle called for a man of immense stature and well-sculpted body, a man skilled in the art of combat and good with the kidon and spear, a man hardened by the slaughter of war.

The hosts cried out in amazement as the son of Jesse dressed in a plain halug and carrying a staff appeared. Some wailed in dismay, while others shouted with rage. Feeling betrayed by their reaction, David froze as he looked at his countrymen.
His heart pounded.

“I shouldn’t have let him go out there. If anything should happen to him.…” Saul murmured, his face tight with worry. Jonathan placed his hand on his father’s shoulder, and forced a smile. “Remember what David told us? That God had delivered him out of the paws of the lion and the bear. Yahweh will give him victory today, I’m sure of it.”

“Yes, now he goes with God,” Abner replied, detached. The Philistines laughed and taunted. Goliath faced his people and lifted his arms in display. “What’s he going to do—beat me to death?” he said to his shield-bearer with a snigger.

“Am I a dog that you come to me with a staff?” he shouted, as his face straightened. “I curse you in the name of Chemosh.” The Gath snorted mockingly.

“Come, little man, I will give your flesh to the birds and to the beasts of the field,” he sneered, flailing his sword through the air. The Philistines hailed their champion, beating their spears against their shields.

David stopped. “Give me strength, God,” he prayed, his lips barely moving. “You are the creator of all things, the Might of Israel.”

Steadily, he started moving.

“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied,” David shouted. “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I will strike you and cut off your head. Today, I will give the carcasses of the hosts of the Philistines to the carnivores of the air and to the beasts of the Earth. All the world shall know that there is a God in Israel.” He felt the cold air bite at his uncovered skin as he paused for a moment, his lips shaking. He wanted to rub his hands together for heat, but resisted the urge.

“And all in this assembly shall know that the Lord doesn’t save with the sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands,” David cried passionately, raising his fists in the air. Israel shouted and cheered wildly.

“Abner,” Saul asked, intrigued by the spectacle, “inquire whether David, who we know is of the tribe of Judah, is from the clan of the Perez or from the clan of the Zerah?”

“As your soul lives, oh king, I cannot tell,” Abner said.

Goliath planted his spear and sheathed his sword. “I will rip this runt’s head from his shoulders with my bare hands.”

Screaming, he broke into a sprint. The opposing hordes quieted as the Gath stormed on, his screams muffled by sudden gusty winds. Calmly, David stopped, undid his sling from his belt and loaded one of the five smooth stones he had collected from the brook. Swirling the leather weapon faster and faster, he took aim and fired.

In a flash of blackness, the rock struck the colossus squarely in the face. His head snapped back as his skull cracked. Torrents of blood gushed from his forehead as Goliath wheezed and stumbled. With the stone lodged in his brain, he plunged into the mud, dead.

David ran across the valley as the entire Israelite army exploded into shouts of victory.

Panting, he unsheathed Goliath’s golden kidon and took hold of his beard. David hesitated for a moment and then hacked at Goliath’s neck, grimacing in disgust. Blood spattered across his face and hands, as the blade easily cut through the flesh. With a few strokes, it severed the spine and David lifted the head into the air. He shuddered as he held the massive head up for all to see.

The Israelite shofar, the horn of war, blew triumphantly and the Israelites swept across the Elah Valley. The Philistines retreated, abandoning their camp as they scattered toward their cities. Israel routed them all the way to Ekron, slaughtering hundreds of the enemy as they fled.

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