My son loves killing Goliaths.
He also has a thing for pretending to be Herr Thomas (a firefighter from a book), Bob the Builder, and Nick (a drummer from church), but playing with sticks is his current Number 1 passtime. At any given moment, a stick in his hand could take the form of a "spritzer" (fire hose) or a "schlingel" (his mishmash German/English word for a slingshot). As we take walks he often asks us "Where is G'liath?" I point out an upcoming garbage bin or tree (usually about 20 metres ahead, trying to get this walk moving in the right direction) and say "Look, there he is!"
Andreas runs to the spot and throws his stick at the ground (occasionally stomping on the imaginary Goliath for good measure) and proudly tells us, "Ich habe ihm geholt!" (I got him!) A moment later comes the question, "Mama, where is another G'liath?"
Some people watch this somewhat violent game with raised eyebrows. Maybe they are surprised we let our less than 3 year old son pretend to kill someone. Maybe they are surprised that he knows a story from the Bible at all. But I think this classic story of good versus evil calls out to something intrinsic and noble in a boy's heart: the desire to be brave like David, the desire to protect (he thinks he is protecting his parents and little sister from a giant), the desire to stand up for God's people. We read him stories from the Jesus Storybook Bible (a beautiful and true-to-the-original children's Bible, that tells the stories in an age appropriate way, pointing in every story to the Greater Story of Jesus and God's Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love for us).
I'm very familiar with the toddler version of the story [read, "Don't you want to read a different story tonight?" "No. G'liath.], but I happened upon the original version in 1 Samuel 17 as I looked up a cross-reference yesterday. I was curious to read the un-cut version again and verse 16 struck me like a stone out of slingshot: "For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening." (ESV) Right now, as a church, we are reading through the 40-day "This is Revival" devotional in the lead-up to Hillsong Conference. To prepare our hearts. To pray for those who don't yet know his Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love. To position ourselves for revival.
I was struck by the tenacity of Goliath. Are we as committed in coming forward, taking our stand, morning and evening for what we believe is a cause worth fighting for? Are we coming to God in prayer for revival, for our friends and family, for our nations, morning and evening? If we have been getting a little lax, let's renew our determination to take our stand.
Every time we talk about David and go hunting Goliaths, I remind my son that God gave David the strength and the victory. It's God's battle, and God always wins his battles. But even a little boy can slay giants--if he's willing to take a stand.
pic in woods Austria
