Superior Weaponry

The nations of the world are in a ceaseless struggle to achieve military strength and ultimately superiority. Nearly every day we hear news of some nation testing a new missile or another pursuing nuclear weapons. The U.S. has followed a doctrine of peace through strength, of achieving overwhelming military dominance, thereby deterring others from taking offensive action against us.

The Bible speaks to the role of superior weaponry in the familiar story of David vs. Goliath. The shepherd boy defeated the veteran warrior--not through an overwhelming display of strength but because of his unwavering confidence that God’s power would bring him victory.

As the Israeli army quaked in fear with their impotent king, David answers Goliath’s defiant words with the following: “The battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

A timeless lesson from this story is that the Almighty is not limited to human firepower in granting victory. Goliath fell because God inspired a boy to trust him and guided his sling-impelled stone to its deadly mark.

Today in America we face giant challenges to our moral and economic integrity. The circumstances appear to be so overwhelming that there is little we can do but submit. Despair can be immobilizing, the apparent disparity of strength paralyzing.

But we who know God must remember the lesson of David. The Lord delights in using the efforts of the weak and “outgunned” so that His name and power are justly honored when deliverance comes. Let us be encouraged to step out in faith and take action to resist the will of the “giants” in our land. The battle is not lost. Rather, it is time for the people of God to rise to the occasion and recognize that ultimately His power will prevail.

This ancient story does not teach pacifism. Instead, faithful men are called to utilize whatever means at their disposal, recognizing that victory ultimately comes through divine intervention.