The story of David and Goliath has been told again and again as an inspirational story. It has been coined as the “underdog’s story” and stresses that no matter how outmatched you might seem, you can always prevail.
The story is told in the book of Samuel. In the story, Saul and the Israelites are facing the Philistines at the Valley of Elah. Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, challenge the Israelites to send someone who is strong enough to defeat him. All of them are afraid, however, and send no one.
Saul promises a reward to the person who is brave enough to defeat Goliath. David, who has been bringing food to his elder brothers, knows how they could use the reward – so he declares he is not afraid. He even refuses Saul’s armor in favor of his slingshot and five stones from a nearby brook.
The two confront each other. David has only his slingshot. Goliath has his shield and armor. Goliath curses David, but David respondly calmly that this day is the one in which God would deliver the victory. He then used his slingshot to hit Goliath in the middle of the forehead with a stone, felling the giant with one blow. He then cut off his head and in doing so, encouraged the Israelites to believe they could prevail.
How big was Goliath? Some biblical experts say he was as large as “four cubits and a span” – which would mean he was six feet, seven inches tall in modern terms. Other texts claim he is “six cubits and a span,” which would suggest he was nine feet, six inches tall.
Regardless of his height, it was clear that David was the lesser of the challenge. David is repeatedly refered to as the “youth,” suggesting he was of a very young age, as opposed to Goliath’s full adulthood. The fact that David used a slingshot also seems to denote his age, as an older challenger would probably choose to use a sword in battle.
Everyone can take away something of significance from the story of David and Goliath: That anyone can overcome great odds and succeed, that even though you might be small, you can be mighty – and that sometimes, the simplest solution is the one that brings down a massive problem.