“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.” (1Sa 17:48 AV)
There are two responses to a confrontation. There is fight or flight. Neither is correct in all situations. If we are inclined to flee every time, then the enemy will eventually win all. However, if we incline to fight all the time, we may rush into something we are not able to handle or are unprepared to handle. There is a phrase used in self-defense classes. Evade, assess, engage. EAE. This means when there is a threat, we do not rush in headlong and take it on. We step back and evade possible danger. The next step is to assess the situation. Who is the bad guy? What is the threat? Is there really a threat? Who is involved and if engaged, can the threat be neutralized? What is the collateral damage if the threat is engaged? The third and final step is to engage. How we choose to do that is determined by the assessment. Do we stay out of the fray and call 911? Do we engage the threat with lethal force? How do we do this while keeping everyone else safe? Can the force we apply overcome the force of the threat? Flight may be the proper response to a threat. So, too, might be a fight.
When we read of David’s confrontation with Goliath, he goes through all these steps. When Goliath first appears, David stays back with the armies of Israel and his brothers. He does not rush right down and take on Goliath. He asked, is there not a cause? The moral justification was evident. He took the first step by evading the threat. Next, David assessed the situation. The conclusion was God was bigger than any threat and the honor of God and His people were worth fighting for. He assessed his available resources. He had the armor from Saul that was never used in battle and therefore, would be cumbersome to use. Using the armor would have put him at greater risk than not using it. He tried it on. It didn’t work. Next, he was given a weapon. The problem is, the reach of the giant was greater than the reach of David’s weapon. A sword would not do. He had to devise a plan that would overcome the physical advantages of the giant. Thus, he chose a weapon that could reach well beyond Goliath’s nine-foot height and five-foot reach. David evaded. David assessed. But the final piece of David’s engagement was that which Goliath did not have. Even if David wisely evaded and correctly assessed, the stone would not find its mark unless God was in it. David had all the reason to take on Goliath. He had correctly assessed and came up with a sound plan. But if God was not going to fight for him, it would end in disaster.
We can appreciate David’s zeal here. A leader doesn’t run away from an enemy, he runs toward it. But just because we are running towards an enemy doesn’t mean we are doing the right thing. If God is not in it, then our bravery will end in disaster. Intent is admirable. It is even noteworthy. As Paul said, be zealous always in a good thing. Zeal is a great quality. Too many of us don’t have enough. But zeal must be tempered with wisdom and God’s leading. David ran to the enemy. That is awesome. I wish I had the spirit of David in every situation which I face. He was not afraid to take on a challenge bigger than himself. David was used by God because no matter the challenge, he knew God had his back. David is a soldier’s soldier. He evades (he did so with Saul for seven years), he assesses (he ran to Gath and prepared for God to deal with Saul) and he engages (he rightly judged the principles involved in Saul’s death). Over and over again, we see the wisdom of a military leader who bravely takes on the enemy and the wisdom required to win one for the LORD.
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