1 Samuel 17:45, New International Version

“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.’”

What is the difference between David and Goliath? Does one represent the army of God and the other the army of the enemy? Or is it that one who humbled himself before God, and the other one stood pridefully before men? How about Saul in this story? If David is a servant of God, and Goliath is the servant of the enemy, then I must say: Saul is the servant of men. The servant of God was acting on faith, the servant of the enemy was working by intimidation, but the servant of men was moving with fear. (Look at the verses of 8-10, 44 of Goliath saying, the verse 11 of Saul reacting, and verses 45-46 of David responding)

For forty days, every morning and every evening, Goliath stood and shouted with his mocking voice to the Lord God almighty. Yet not one of the trained soldiers – nor king Saul himself took one step forward. Those who were supposed to stand and fight for the Lord’s Kingdom, those who had been chosen and called by the Lord were dismayed and terrified and ran away from him (Goliath) in great fear. (Verses 11, 24) His height, his armor, his weapon, and his voice were like a raging storm to them. They did just as Peter did when he saw the strong wind and the waves. He looked not at his Lord but the storm, and the hearts of the army of Israel sank! (Matthew 14:29-31)

The intimidation, the terror, the shadow of death in the valley has its hold on the servants of men. Those who are supposed to be the army of God, to stand firm, and to reflect the image of the Lord, the Great I AM. But there was one, and the Lord prepared him as he went through life. Through facing the lion and bear he learned how what is impossible with men is possible with God. (Verses 34, 35, Matthew 19:26) He, David, may not have been in the earthly king’s army or be one a trained soldier, but he surely was a humble servant and a great warrior of God. His heart for the Lord helped him to see by faith and not by sight. (Verse 26, 34-37, 45-47)

My fellow Christ followers, are you the servant of men or of God? Are you intimidated by the enemy? Do you give in to your fear when the wind and waves come your way? Do you first consider the circumstances and obstacles that you see? Or do you choose to focus on the power and might of the Lord your God is? Listen, we can say we are Christians and that we belong to Jesus, just as Saul and his army, however according to James we must remember:

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’ Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.” (James 2:18, NIV)

I will ask you again: Are you a servant of men or of God?