He offers his own testimony regarding his bravery: ‘I went out to meet the foreigner’ (Philistine) ‘and he cursed me with his idols: but I drew the sword from him, and beheaded him, and took away the reproach from the children of Israel’ (1 Sam. 17:43). Observe, dear reader, not just David's bravery, but even more so, his gentleness and humility. Rather than extolling the multitude of foreign foes, their arrogance, their skill, their armor, the defiance of the giant—better described as an elephant—his experience and boldness, the sheer size of his form, the fear that gripped the Jews, the distress of the people, and the confusion faced by their king, Saul, David chooses instead to say nothing of these grand accolades. Although all of Israel trembled before Goliath, who was feared by both leaders and soldiers, young and old alike, it was David, though younger, shorter, unarmed, and lacking in combat experience, who fearlessly confronted the enemy, viewing him merely as a dead, towering pillar. He defeated this formidable foe easily, using the enemy's sword to sever his head, thus removing the terror from the hearts of the Jews, silencing their cries, and rescuing the army, the king, the tombs of their ancestors, the laws passed down through generations, and the temples of their forebears. Though much could have been said in David's honor, he, in his humility, refrains from boasting. Instead, he recounts his courageous encounter with Goliath in the most modest and unassuming fashion. Yet, in this narrative, the deliverer is revealed—both the prophet and the king. Once more, he is overlooked and rejected, but he rises above his brothers in patience, outshines Saul in response, and surpasses Goliath in valor, triumphing over all who came before him and after him through this monumental battle against the giant. And in this, one savior stands forth, representing all, and indeed more than all.
