In the words before us we have David's address to his antagonist just on the commencement of his en- gagement with him : and from them we shall be led to notice,
I. The character of the combatants —
In Goliath we behold a proud, self-confident blas- phemer—
[He was of gigantic stature, (above eleven feet in height, or, at the lowest possible computation, ten,) and possessed strength in proportion to his size. His armour was such as would have almost borne down a man of moderate strength*': and, clad in this, he deemed himself invulnerable and irre- sistible. Hence, whilst he stalked in proud defiance between the two hostile armies, he, in mind and spirit, presumed to defy even God himself.
Characters of this description are by no means uncommon in the world : for, though we behold not in these days men of such extraordinary bulk, we behold the same pride of heart in multitudes around us, who, glorying in their own bodily or intellectual powers, use them only as instruments of aggran- dizing themselves, and of insulting God*^.]
David, on the contrary, was humbly dependent on
God alone —
[Being sent by his father to visit his brethren, he came to them in the ranks just at the time that this proud blasphemer was challenging the hosts of Israel. Filled with indignation at his impiety, and desirous to vindicate the honour of his God, he manifested a wish to accept the challenge : and, when reproved by his eldest brother, he meekly but firmly persisted in his purpose, saying, " What have I now done? Is there not a cause '^?"
On being brought to Saul, and warned of his incompetency to contend with such a mighty and experienced warrior, he shewed at once what his true motives were, and in whom his confidence was placed. He had before experienced the pro- tection of Heaven, in two conflicts with a lion and a bear, which he had slain, when they rose up against him ; and he doubted not but that God would crown him with similar success in his conflict with this uncircumcised Philistine ^.
Saul would have lent him his own armour for the combat : but David found it only an encumbrance ; and therefore went forth unarmed, except with a sling, and five stones in his
* ver. 4 — 7. = Ps. xii. 3, 4. and Ixxiii. 6 — 9.
^ ver. 29. ^ ver. 33—36.