1 Samuel 17:45-47 ‘David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

When you think of underdogs one can’t help but think of sports. Their are so many stories in the sports world of teams who were told they never have a chance of winning and yet they went on to beat the odds and end up shocking the world. I’m sure I could list tons of teams who were told they never had a chance, or why even show up? but as they say in the sports world “that’s why they play the game”.

Now to be called an underdog you have to meet certain criteria, you have to lack more skill than your opponent, you have to be weaker, or you have to make less money than your opponent. Payroll seems to be everything in the sports world these days so if your team doesn’t have a high payroll or enough star talent and you some how walk into the playoffs then you might be an underdog. If one of your star players is injured and can’t make the big game you could be an underdog. If you don’t have home field advantage and a first round bye that could make you an underdog too.

With so many possibilities out there any team could be an underdog on any given day. So why do we make such a fuss when it comes to underdogs? Why do we find them so hard to not route for? Probably because we love to hear stories of people or teams who beat the odds when everything was stacked against them. We like knowing that some times the little guy can come out on top in the end.

We all have experienced moments when it seemed like their was no use in trying, when we felt like we should just cut our loses and run. But underdogs never give up, they never throw in the towel, they always have hope leading them on. I mean that’s what being an underdog is all about isn’t it? It’s about having hope even when everyone else has given up all hope. It’s about believing in yourself and God when everyone else chooses to throw in the towel.

Take David for instance. Here’s a guy who by the worlds standards never had a chance when he went up against Goliath. I mean Goliath was huge, he was over 9 feet tall. His armor and his helmet alone weighed about 125 pounds. That’s probably more than what David weighed soaked and wet. The shaft of Goliath’s mighty spear weighed another 15 pounds. This is crazy! Who in their right mind would even want to take a shot at this giant Philistine.

Goliath would come out every day for 40 days and shout at the Israelites mocking them and how did they respond? verse 11 says Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. They wanted nothing to do with this giant.

Luckily for the Israelites David enters the scene. David was a man who feared know one, except God that is. He knew that it was God who determined the victor not man. It’s hard to believe that of all the people who would dare to stand up against the giant it would be a lowly inexperienced shepherd boy. I mean other than protecting some sheep in the field from wild animals his resume was pretty small. It’s not like he had a long list of past experiences he could fall back on. Yet he got the job to take on this Philistine.

The king offered David his best armor but David was so young and small that he could hardly move with it on. Instead he decided he was going to take on this giant with God as his shield and protector. He didn’t need any armor because God was going to fight for him, God was going to give him the victory. I love his words in verse 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

If only we could have as much faith as David did when we face our giants. If only we believed that God could help us overcome any obstacle like David. We know what God has done in the past, we’ve seen what he can do in the present, why do we doubt what he can do in the future. He’s the same God yesterday, today and always.

The problem is that we are not the same as we were yesterday, today, and always. We allow our faith to falter, we get out of step and out of touch with God and we like the Israelites get scared when the giants come on the scene. The giants only look big when we allow our God to become a small part in our lives. When you’re not giving God the time he deserves then be sure that even the smallest of giants can look GIGANTIC.

1 Samuel 17:46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.

Thanks to Rob Heverling (robhev (at) yahoo.com) for graciously sharing this with us for the website. Drop this brother in Christ an email and let him know you appreciate him!

Go for the Gold

What is salvation all about? What does it mean to be saved? This sports themed Bible Study / Camp Curriculum uses the Olympic Flag to introduce the concepts of sin (black circle), forgiveness (red circle), purity (white background), spiritual growth (green circle), heaven (Yellow Circle) and (Baptism) blue circle.
-> Tell me about “Go for the Gold”

The race as a metaphor for the Christian life is used in several places in the Bible. This series is a great follow up for new Christians or to re-emphasize the basics of our spiritual Journey in the Faith. This Bible Study / Camp Curriculum has a sports theme and is great for athletes as well as a tie in to the youth Olympic Games.
->Tell me about “Destined to Win”