David Versus Goliath

Most people are familiar with the Biblical account of "David and Goliath." For those of you who are not familiar with this story, I'll give you a brief rundown on it. The story is found in the Old Testament book of First Samuel, Chapter 17. Here we find the Philistine Army pitted against the Israelite Army. The armies are encamped on opposite mountains with a valley between them. Now, the Philistines were a "warrior culture." The Israelites, not so much.

In the Philistine Army was a man by the name of Goliath. Some historians estimate that he was as much as eight or nine feet tall, if not taller. By anybody's standards, this would make him a "giant." Well, for several days, Goliath went down into the valley and up on the Israelites' mountain. He would shout taunts and insults at the Israelites, including blaspheming God. He also issued a challenge to the Israelites. Goliath told them to send out a "champion" to engage him in a one-on-one duel to the death. None of the Israelite men were up to the challenge. In fact, they cowered at the presence of Goliath.

Meanwhile, a man by the name of Jesse had sent his youngest son to visit the camp of the Israelites. The son, David, was a shepherd. Many believe that David wasn't quite a teenager at this point in his life, much less of fighting age. He was in fact quite small, especially when compared to Goliath. David's mission from his father was to take a few provisions to his brothers who were Soldiers in the Israelite Army.

When David got to the Israelite camp, he was dismayed. He heard the taunts of Goliath and wondered why none of the Israelite men had risen to meet the giant's challenge. David was angered at the fact that this giant would dare say the things he was saying about Israel and about the God of the Israelites. He was further upset by the lack of courage being displayed by Israel's army. So, he decided that he would take it upon himself to answer the giant. David recalled experiences he had had as a shepherd. There were times when lions and bears attacked his flock, yet David was able to drive these beasts off and protect the flock. He truly believed that God had provided for him during those times and gave him the courage, strenght, and skill to fend off the predators. With these experiences in mind, David persuaded the king (Saul) to let him take a whack at Goliath.

At first, King Saul tried to put his own armor on David, but the armor was much too big and unwieldy for the youth. David protested that he hadn't "proved" the armor. That is to say that he was inexperienced with it and he didn't want to go into battle with equipment that he didn't trust. Instead, David had a sling that he had used to protect his flock.

So, David set out down into the valley to face the giant. On the way, he stopped by a brook and selected five smooth stones to use as ammunition for his sling. When Goliath saw David approach, he was insulted. He demanded to know why a mere boy was being sent out to face him. David answered him by saying that he had come in the name of the God whom Goliath had defied. Goliath taunted David and said that he would feed David's remains to the birds.

David placed a single stone into his sling and launched it at Goliath, penetrating the giant's helmet between his eyes and killing him instantly. At that point, Goliath's armor-bearer took off running and David unsheathed Goliath's sword and cut the giant's head off. David then raised the severed head in the air, prompting cheers from the Israelite army. The Philistine army took off running and the Israelites persued, wreaking a great deal of havoc and carnage among the Philistines.

Now, why am I writing all of this? Well, it's because I believe that God gives all of us giants to face. For some, the giant is a matter of finding a spouse. For others, it is an education thing. For many, it may be making a particular career decision. There are lots of giants in our lives. They manifest themselves in various ways. Having said that, these giants can be beat. It's just a question of whether or not you are willing to believe God and then go do something about the giants.

I hear lots of excuses from people. I know of girls who have met guys and been infatuated by them. Now, these girls would never admit to such infatuation. Instead, they make up some lame excuse about being "in love with Jesus" or waiting until God "brings the right man along." Well, being in love with Jesus is certainly a good thing. I'm not knocking that at all. Waiting on God is a good thing, as well. In fact, one of the most difficult things to do in life is to wait on God. Patience is difficult. But, when a guy comes along and he is a nice guy who is actually trying to make something of himself and not just looking to take every girl he can to bed with him, that might just be God "bringing the right one along." So, show the guy a little interest. It doesn't hurt, I promise. Now, I'm not suggesting that you stalk the guy, or anything. Stalking is never cool. I'm not telling you to blow up his cell phone with a hundred text messages or to post a million things on his Facebook wall. But, if you see him around, it's okay to initiate a little contact. Perhaps you can tell him "hi" and ask him how his day is going. That may sound a little lame, but at least it lets the guy know that you want to talk to him. Heck, you might even be really brave and ask him out for coffee or invite him over to watch a movie. Trust me on this one, nobody will die. This is, after all, the 21st Century. The old rules of courting went out the window a long time ago, for better or for worse.

But, enough about dating. Let's talk a little bit about that giant of getting more education. One excuse I've heard is that "I'm sick of having to meet man's requirements in order to do God's work." Well, yeh, I will admit that it is pretty sad when men place a lot more requirements on something than God does. For instance, there is nothing in the Bible that says that a man has to have a certain degree in order to become a preacher or pastor. I get that. I also get that God has used a lot of people over the centuries who had no formal education. But still, if you think that maybe an advanced degree may be useful, don't be afraid to go after it. Granted, it's going to take a little work, even if you do one of these "degree mills." It's going to require an investment of your time and money. You say that time is an issue because you have a family. Okay, got it. But remember my comment about the 21st Century earlier. Yeh, that one is valid here, too. In this day and age, we have this thing called the Internet. You know that because you're reading this. The Internet has allowed lots of schools to offer a wide selection of degrees in an on-line format. You can study and take classes while sitting at home in your underwear. It's freaking awesome. What's more, you can do it at your own pace, on your own schedule. So, you can go work your job, then go home and spend some quality time with the wife, kids, and dog, and then study for an hour or two. Now, you might have to give up watching your favorite college football team whip up on Podunk State on Pay Per View in order to get a test or two in, but that's okay. It's called sacrifice. That means you may have to give up something. Okay, so you're now telling me that money is the issue. Um, there are actually lots of financial aid options out there. You just have to look for them. Not all financial aid involves loans, either. There are lots of grants and scholarships available. What? You know about that already. Okay, good. So what's stopping you? Oh, I see, you're not a "distance learner type." Okay, so suck it up and enroll in night school. Many colleges and universities offer evening classes that only meet one, two, or three days a week. Oh, that doesn't work for you? Well then, you had better figure something out. I mean, you're telling me that you can't get that raise or promotion because your boss is telling you that your coworkers are out-competing you because they have degrees and you don't. They're better qualified and in this economy, only the most qualified are going to be competetive. You're telling me that your "dream job" is out there, but in order to get into that field, you must have a graduate degree. You feel that you have all of the qualifications to get into that field, but you lack the "stinking piece of paper" that those making the hiring decisions are looking for. So, do you want the job? Do you want the position? Do you want the raise? Do you want to take better care of your family? Okay then, do something about it! Get off your lazy behind and get in school. That may very well be God's way of telling you that He requires that you take that step.

Speaking of careers, let's talk about that for a while. I graduated from Tennessee Temple University in 2002. My goal was to become a missionary. The original plan was to pay off my student loans and then begin raising money to go do missions work in England. Only one problem: I had like $20,000 in student loans plus a little additional debt from where I had financed a computer. Okay, so financing a computer is a little dumb, but over all, I was still doing better than a lot of college grads. Even still, it was going to take me a very long time to pay off the student loans and most mission boards wouldn't even talk to me if I had any debt. One or two told me that they might be able to work with the student loan debt, if I got it below $10,000. Either way, it was going to take me a long time to get where I wanted to go in life. Now, one possible option was the military. You can make a lot of money very quickly in the military, if you know what you're doing. Now, I'm not saying that a man can get rich very quickly in the military. But, at the time, the Army was offering large enlistment bonuses. When you get deployed to a combat zone, your pay is not subject to Federal income tax and you get several entitlements. What's more, the Army has a great Student Loan Repayment Program. So Spurlock, why not join the Army? "Well, God has called me to be a missionary." Okay, so? "Well, I don't want to end up committed to the Army when God wants me committed to missions. Besides, I might get to Iraq and get killed, or something." Okay, so you're $20K in debt which is going to take you a lot longer than the average Army enlistment to pay off, but you're willing to spend all of those years paying that debt off? Does that really make any sense? "Eh, not really." Okay, you're afraid that you'll get to Iraq and get killed, yet you're sure that God wants you to go and do missions work. Do you not think that if God has really "called" you to go and do missions work, that He will preserve you and keep you safe until you can get there to do it? "Okay, you've got me here." Do you not realize that you can get killed right here in the United States just as easily as you can in a war zone? Have you not seen the way people drive around here? "True." Okay, you want to do missions work. Who's to say that you can't do that in the Army? Do you not realize that there are people in the Army who need God? "I've never thought about it that way before." Do you really think that you have to go to a foreign country to do missions work? Do you think that missions work just involves planting churches, passing out flyers, and doing Bible studies? "What's your point?" My point is that the Army actually provides lots of opportunities to go to foreign countries, take Iraq for instance. My point is that missions work is more than just planting churches, passing out flyers, and doing Bible studies. It is about ministering to people. It is about telling them about Christ. It is about showing them the difference God has made in your life. The funny thing is that it can be done in any country, even the United States. What's more, there are people you can minister to in the Army that the average pastor or missionary would never get the chance to minister to. There are people who will listen to you because you are going through the same things they are going through, who would never listen to a "Bible-thumping preacher." "Okay, okay." Anyway, I managed to put away my excuses and I finally did join the Army in 2006. The student loans are paid off and I'm considering making the Army a career. I may stay in until I retire. Way I figure, God has used me numerous times in just over five years. I even got to "preach" during a chapel service in Iraq. How many missionaries can say they've done that? Sure, it's not "traditional" missionary work, but it is something. Besides, when I retire, I'll only be 47 or 48. I'll still have lots of years to go and do "traditional" missionary work, if God wants me to do that then. For now, I've found something that I really love doing, that I'm good at, and that God has blessed me in. I've also got a wonderful wife and I'm expecting my first child in February. I'm right now living in Colorado, but moving to the Netherlands in the spring. I've been to Iraq twice and I'm still alive. Life is by no means perfect, but it is definitely better than I had it before I joined the Army. Now, I'm not trying to make a sales pitch for the Army, or even for the military in general here. I'm just trying to make the point that a career change can be a good thing. We do not have to get so stuck in our plans that we cost ourselves the opportunities and blessings that God has for us. It's good to have a plan, but it's also good to be flexible. The best plans are the plans that follow God's plans, rather than just our own goals and dreams.

So, why have I written all of this? Well, it's because there are things out there that mock us. There are events and circumstances out there that try to tell us that God is powerless to do anything for us. Sometimes we have to get a little upset about that. Sometimes we have to stand up and say "I'll go." Sometimes we have to put down the armor that we haven't tried and grab the weapons that we know will work. Then, we have to march down into the valley. Once there, grab a little ammunition and nail the giant between the eyes. To do this, we've first got to quit making excuses. Excuses will get us nowhere. Execution will get us to places we've never dreamed of going. That's why I'm saying all of this. Now, identify your giant and get your behind down into the valley to take him down!