1 Chronicles 20:4-8 Giants Killed
David broke onto the scene with his victory over Goliath. But Goliath wasn’t the only giant the Philistines had. We see the downfall of several more today.
Gath seems to be the ‘gathering place’ for the giants in bible stories. I wonder if they were all related. Did they come from a family that produced abnormally large children? How did they all wind up in Philistine territories? Were there other nations that had giants? The Philistines certainly used theirs as a military advantage.
I don’t know for certain but it appears that the giants gave the Philistine army confidence. Three different wars are mentioned here. In each there is a giant who fights for the Philistines. Once the giant falls the “Philistines were subdued” (verse 4b). This isn’t the verbiage used in all the accounts but the feeling I get when reading the accounts brings me to this conclusion. The battles are not spoken of as other battles. ‘_______ was routed by Israel and they chased them as far as the ______.’ There is no chasing or count of fallen troops here. Only the fallen giant with the name of whose hand it was at.
When David killed Goliath the battle was a lot like this. The Philistine army was brave and bold while their champion lived. As soon as he fell they ran for it. They were chased by Israel but they were in full retreat mode and put up no resistance. Is this how these three battles went?
The Philistines put their trust in the wrong place. Man will ALWAYS fail you, no matter how strong he looks. Israel placed their faith in God. He never fails! I don’t suppose every giant fell with the ease David had with Goliath but they fell nonetheless. But it took reliance on God for it to happen.
It also took employing the weapons and skills that had been built up over time. Even David knew to use processes tried and tested by him in battle. He had used his sling many times over. The Lord gave him opportunities to be successful BEFORE placing him in the battle with Goliath.
He does the same for us. He gives us opportunities to try out the ‘weapons’ He provides for us; prayer, praise, and faith to name a few. Only by proving them in the little battles can we carry them into the big ones with confidence. And ONLY when we put our trust in HIM to provide the power behind the weapons. Some trust in chariots, some in horses but WE will remember the name of the Lord our God! In him is victory! Watch the giants fall!
Father God, thank You for training ground. Thank You for standing with me in ALL the fights. Thank You for the giants that have already fallen and for all the ones that still loom ahead. I trust You to prepare me for whatever situation I will face. And I trust YOU to decide what ‘victory’ will look like.
