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From Eternity Past
him. As he came near he saw but a stripling. David’s well-knit form,
unprotected by armor, was displayed to advantage; yet between its
youthful outline and the massive proportions of the Philistine, there
was a marked contrast.
Goliath Despises the Youthful David
Goliath was filled with amazement and anger. “Am I a dog,” he
exclaimed, “that thou comest to me with staves?” He poured upon
David terrible curses, then cried in derision, “Come to me, and I will
give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.”
David did not weaken. Stepping forward, he said to his antagonist:
“Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield:
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but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the
armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver
thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from
thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day
unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all
the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly
shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle
is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
This speech, given in a clear voice, rang out on the air and was
distinctly heard by the listening thousands. In his rage Goliath pushed
up the helmet that protected his forehead and rushed forward. “And it
came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to
meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the
Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone,
and slang it, and smote the Philistine in the forehead, that the stone
sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.”
The two armies had been confident that David would be slain. But
when the stone went whizzing through the air straight to the mark,
they saw the mighty warrior tremble and reach forth his hands as if
struck with blindness. The giant staggered, and like a smitten oak fell
to the ground.
David did not wait an instant. He sprang upon the prostrate form
of the Philistine and with both hands laid hold of Goliath’s sword. It
was lifted in the air, and the head of the boaster rolled from his trunk.
A shout of exultation went up from the camp of Israel.