A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. – 1 Samuel 17:4

Today's Scripture Reading (April 11, 2022): 1 Samuel 17

Ancient literature is littered with the story of Giants. All cultures have tales of powerful men who were significantly taller than the average. The Bible attributes these tall, powerful people as being the descendants of the Nephilim, although, if that were true, it would seem to indicate that the Great Flood did not completely wipe them out. Whether these giants were the physical descendants of the Nephilim, or if these powerful people just reminded the society of the Nephilim who once wandered through the earth depends on your point of view. But every culture seems to know of these giants, and we still tell their stories.

Goliath was a giant. The Bible lists his height as six cubits and a span, likely somewhere between 8'5" and 9'2". Robert Pershing Wadlow was 8'11" at the time of his death on July 15, 1940, so he would have been in the range of Goliath. But Goliath was also a powerfully built man. His armor likely weighed somewhere in the range of 150 to 200 pounds, or around 90 kilograms. In my imagination, Goliath was built more like Shaquille O'Neal than the Wadlow. Or maybe to phrase it another way, Goliath had Wadlow's height with O'Neal's muscular physique. Goliath would have been a phenomenal basketball player, although we would probably have had to change the rules to allow him to play the game.

According to the legend, Goliath had four brothers who were also powerfully built men, and that is why David took five smooth stones from the stream. Ah, but that is just legend.

Goliath was a huge man, but that might not have meant as much as you might think in battle. Like many other things, an army is only as strong as its weakest link; its strongest warrior never defines it. And this was one reason why Goliath wanted to end the battle as one champion against another. In a one-on-one fight, a nine-foot Shaq had an incredible advantage; that advantage was significantly less in the melee of a battle. And standing in defense of Israel, King Saul is tall, but he is not tall enough. He is strong but not as strong as the Philistine champion from Gath. No one in Israel is, and so the presence of the giant from Gath instills a terror that runs through Saul's army.

Experts debate whether this story tells the story of an actual giant or whether Goliath was a character made up to introduce the next King of Israel, David. What we know is that a giant the size of Goliath is possible, and the name of Goliath is also not likely to be a Jewish invention. These facts make the story of Davis and Goliath at least possible. But it does not prove the authenticity of the story. However, it increases the possibility of the historical existence of this warrior and the battle he was about to fight.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 18

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my sister, Cheri. I hope you have a great day!