One of the best known, and best loved stories of the Bible is David and Goliath. Who doesn’t love an underdog? A young man (boy? The Hebrew term is imprecise) takes on a much more powerful veteran soldier and wins. The “good guys” are victorious. There’s so much to love about this story. A common lesson people take from this is that God gives victory to the faithful, no matter the odds.
And when that is His plan, that’s absolutely true. However, the truth is that the story of David is an outlier. That’s part of the appeal of this story; for once, the little guy overcomes. Even in the faith, this is not how things typically turn out. Goliath usually wins.
Victory in the faith more often than not doesn’t look like what we would expect. It looks more like failure. The victory is in the faithfulness and it’s less obvious impact on others, rather than the overt defeat of evil. Victory in the faith tends to look more like Obi-wan Kenobi laying down his life in what appears to be his defeat by Darth Vader. Victory in the faith looks like Jesus on a cross.
So don’t be surprised when you see Goliath win. Don’t be dismayed when you see David defeated. God is playing the long game, and His victory is sure. Of course, we want to see the faithful come out on top every time, but it’s really the ultimate victory we are after, and that most often comes through trial and sacrifice.
