What Looks Strong Isn’t Always Strong
What looks strong isn’t always strong. Last week’s rapid collapse of media darlings FTX and Sam Bankman-Fried exposed shocking accounts of liabilities, lies, losses, stupidity, and sinister character where many had “seen” riches, truth, gains, brilliance, and altruistic leadership. What a culture reveres and trusts as strong, may not be that strong.
The opportunity here is to develop discernment—to identify the persons, institutions, objects, tools, and traditions that a culture holds up as strong, and to freshly think through whether or not such entities possess a strength to be trusted and feared. This is the opportunity young David seized.
Three thousand years ago, the people of the ancient Near East found their strength in metal weapons and size of man and army. Everyone feared Goliath because he was the biggest man with the biggest weapons and the bigger army.
When David looked at Goliath, David saw differently. David saw vulnerability where others saw strength. This is David talking to Goliath: “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin…” Sword, spear, and javelin—the giant wields three giant weapons, but notice that David isn’t afraid of these objects of strength. David isn’t afraid of what “You come to me with.” Remember these five words. Use them to evaluate your conflicts and your enemies. Always be discerning: “You come to me with _____.” Is your Goliath’s sword, spear, and javelin really that scary?
Why isn’t David afraid? What else does David see? What does David know that Goliath doesn’t know? David sees and knows that what he comes with is stronger than what Goliath comes with. Let’s now read the whole verse, the one verse, I’m unpacking:
“Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’” -1 Samuel 17:45
David discerns a giant who comes with three pieces of metal. But David comes with/in the name of “the Lord of hosts” (literally: the God of angel armies), further defined as “the God of the armies of Israel” (meaning: the living God is with me, and his army of heavenly angels, and all these earthly warriors of Israel). And, one more detail: “whom you have defied” (Goliath, you have dishonored the living God, he will not let you get away with this, you and your metal weapons are nothing, prepare to die). You come to me with < But I come to you with.
David teaches us to see better. What your Goliath comes to you with may not be as strong as everyone thinks. Perhaps your giant inflicted previous damage with his sword, spear, and javelin. But what did his previous victims come at him with? The battle depends on what you come with. You come to me with < But I come to you with.
Use this lens to see well, lead well, and fight well:
“You come to me with ______” < “But I come to you with ______”
If you come with the Lord of hosts, you have discovered true strength.