You know the story.
David, future king but current sheep herder and runt of the family, takes food to his brothers on the front lines of war with the Philistines and ends up bringing down their nearly-10-foot-tall champion, Goliath, with a slingshot and winning the battle for Israel.
Everybody knows the story, and they think they know the point of it. So what is the main point of this story?
- “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”
- “There is always hope for the underdog, so never stop believing in yourself.”
- “If you trust God, he will give you victory over all the ‘giants’ in your life.”
- Or maybe, “God has appointed you to conquer the giant of mediocrity and dominate in your workplace.”
I’ve heard all these applications. But are they the main point?
The story of David is not David –> You.
The main point is David –> Jesus –> You.
Don’t cut out the middle man. The Bible, first and foremost, is about Jesus, not you. It was written to make you adore Jesus.
It’s not about heroes whose examples you are to emulate; it’s about a Savior you are to worship.
Jesus was the small, unassuming shepherd boy who fought the real giant—our sin and the curse of death—as our representative, while we stood on the sidelines like cowards, doing nothing to help him.
As our representative, he lived the life we were supposed to live and died the death we were condemned to die.
J. D. Greear, “Jesus Is the True and Better David (You Aren’t)”
Treasuring Christ PH 