And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled. — 1 Samuel 17:51
The story of David and Goliath is one of my favorites from the Bible for many reasons. As a child, I remember reading the story and thinking to myself, I can do anything with God. David should have never won against Goliath, but because of David’s faith in God, David was able to defeat Goliath. That is certainly a true aspect of the story.
A lot of people also find the story about how David used Goliath’s own sword to confirm his triumphant victory. I am sure that such a giant as Goliath had a mighty sword. Yet, it was not enough to overcome God and his servant David. It’s yet another great picture from this story. So many times I have read the story, and so many times I have overlooked these words from verse 51.
Goliath was the one that the Philistines looked up to. He was their hero, the one that would lead them to victory in all situations. Now, he was gone. We can probably all relate to that in some area of our lives. Chances are, we have all lost a hero to us in some fashion.
Maybe it was a family member, a spouse, a spiritual hero, or a close friend. You had a hero but now, they are gone. What do you do when your hero is gone?
We find that the Philistines ran. They ran from all the things they once believed in. I’m afraid that many times we do the same thing. We were strong in faith when we had our hero nearby. Our faith was strong, we believed in God, we trusted God, and now, when our hero is gone, we seem to run the other way.
As Christians, we cannot give up in these situations. Life may take our heroes from us. They may leave this world far too soon, long before we feel we are ready. But we must remember that as Christians, we have God on our side. We must continue on, trusting in Him, knowing that He will give us strength. Don’t run away when your hero is gone. God will see you through.
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