The Israelites and the Philistines were at war. The Philistines had a champion;
a giant over 9 feet tall!
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Every day for 40 days he had called out," Choose a man to fight with me.
If he wins, we will be your servants, but if I win, you must serve us!"
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He did this every morning and again in the evening. The soldiers of Israel
were terrified at the sight of the giant.
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David was a shepherd boy. He had already been chosen by God,
and anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel.
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His father, Jesse, sent David to take some food to his brothers who were
soldiers in the army of Israel. So David got someone to watch his sheep
and he set off to see about his brothers.
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His brothers told him about the giant.
"The king will reward the man who conquers the giant. He will give him
great riches, and he can marry the king's daughter. Also his father will
not have to pay taxes anymore.
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David said, " Who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
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King Saul thought David was too young to fight the giant. David told him how he
had killed a lion and a bear when they had tried to harm lambs in the flock.
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"The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear,
He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine," said David.
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The king put his armor and helmet on David, but they didn't fit him. David took
his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the brook,
and put them into his bag. He had his sling in his hand.
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Goliath, the giant, cursed David in the name of his false gods.
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David said," You come to me with a sword and a spear, but I come to you
in the name of the Lord of hosts. The battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into
our hands."
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David took out a stone, slung it and struck the giant in the forehead.
He fell on his face to the earth.
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When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran away.
The Lord won a great victory for the Israelites that day.
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Think about this:
What should we do when we are faced with a really hard job?
David trusted in God. He had seen how God had helped him in the past,
and he knew that He would help him again.
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Think about the times that you have been helped when you needed help. God sends
people to help us. We can be servants of God by looking for ways that we can
help others. God can use our hands and our feet.
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This story can be found in the Bible in
I Samuel chapter 17.
Press "Go" to search for books about David.
Jericho
Daniel
