Fear in the Valley

1 Samuel 17:1-11

¹Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. ²And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. ³And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. ⁴And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. ⁷The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. ⁸He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Even in our post-Christian world of Biblical illiteracy, almost everyone knows the story of a teenager who defeated a seasoned (and huge) warrior on the battlefield with a sling, a stone, and the power of God. David and Goliath have become the cliché for empowering the underdog. But this story is so much more. We simply cannot break David’s faith down into “you can accomplish anything if you believe in yourself.”

This famous story begins with two nations facing off against one another in the Valley of Elah. On one side, you have the Philistines. On the other, Israel; the Children of God. The battle lines are clearly drawn – literally. These two armies meet across the Valley of Elah with each nation stationed on ridges bordering either side of the valley. To try and cross that valley to attack the other army would be pure foolishness, for as the soldiers ran across the valley, they would simply be picked off. It was a standoff in the purest sense of the word.

Into this situation comes the Philistine champion, Goliath. He is a huge and impressive life-long soldier who was easily the strongest man on both sides. But even he couldn’t simply cross the valley to engage in the battle. He would just be shot down as he made the trek. So instead, he challenges Israel to a one-on-one (single combat) battle to determine the winning nation. He does so out of complete confidence that he will be the victor. That opinion was probably well founded by his skill and size. Israel is terrified.

And that is where our story begins – Israel is terrified. Unfortunately, that terror begins at the top with King Saul. He is quaking in his crown as he looks upon this situation and realizes he has no one to send into that situation who can possibly win. His fear spreads through his army like a disease. “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

As Saul and his army stand in fear, we don’t find any of them turning to the Lord. Instead, they let their fear consume them. While we might be disappointed in them, I think we can relate. Fear has the power to take over our minds. Fear is a killer. It damages our hope, our courage, our peace, and sometimes even our faith. Fear knows how to immobilize us so that we forget to reach out to the God and hand Him whatever overwhelming situation has assailed us. That is where Saul and his army stand. They are caught between the enemy and their own fear.

When fear grabs us by the throat, it is important to try and remember that just as God sent a champion to Israel during that battle, so too did He send us a Champion. We are just as helpless as those soldiers were when faced with the eternal consequences of our foolish choices and sins. But God sent Jesus onto the battlefield of the Cross and there He defeated our greatest enemy – sin. He didn’t use a sling, but instead His own blood won the battle and we are forgiven. Fear – you are defeated.