Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods” (1 Samuel 17:43).
The story of David and Goliath is legendary in all cultures. The Biblical account tells the story of the mighty defeated by the lowly.
Looking at a map of Ukraine and Russia, you might use the caption “David & Goliath.”
Superpowers throughout history have made the mistake of underestimating the power of humility. And the effectiveness of faith, prayer, and patriotism as a defensive weapon.
As David said to Goliath:
You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a saber, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied (1 Samuel 17:45).,
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book, David and Goliath, describes a historical study that totals all the wars of the past 200 years between large and small countries. Gladwell reports that the weaker country’s percentage of winning is almost 30 percent.
How does a David defeat a Goliath?
The Bible gives insight:
- The Israelites were defending their country against the invading Philistines.
- David was willing to die for his God and country. Goliath didn’t instill fear but courage in David.
- A sling and stones – far nimbler – were used against cumbersome armor and weaponry. The strengths of the strong are often their weaknesses.
Money, power, size, and numbers do not always win battles. The most powerful weapon in any battle – that all of us should use in our struggles – is what David spoke about thousands of years ago:
I come against you in the name of the Lord of armies… the God whom you have defiled.
The strong are never as mighty as they think. Bullies promote fear and lose power when confronted by courage. In Ukraine, we are witnessing a battle of the humble and oppressed against the mighty and proud – and the battle for world opinion has already been won.
The weapons of the battle for Ukraine are not planes and tanks but images on social media of courage, faith, prayer, and confessing God.
As David concluded to Goliath:
That this entire assembly [and the entire world] may know that the Lord does not save by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will hand you over to us! (1 Samuel 17:47)
When the world starts to pray in unity, when both Ukrainian and Russian believers pray for the same outcome, even with the battlefield success of Russia…
…David wins the war.
There are no differing religions, denominational doctrines, or cultural differences in the foxholes of Ukraine. There is unity for a common victory!
Continue to pray for peace, the power of God, and end-time revival.