¶ … Bible: 1 Samuel 17
The story of David and Goliath has become a classic parable of how the weak can defeat the strong, size doesn't matter, and that all things are possible through "the Lord Almighty" (New International Version, 1 Sam. 17.45). From a secular point-of-view, it can be read as a parable of how physical size matters little when set against courage, skill, and an iron will, which is why it is often taught within secular households as well as in Jewish and Christian households.
David and Goliath's widespread notoriety is merely one of the reasons I chose 1 Samuel 17 as my rewritten bible passage. Personally, the story has always resonated with me as a tale of how the combination of courage, willpower, and faith in the Almighty can accomplish all things. While David's courage allowed him to wrestle lions and bears, teaching him to be unafraid of things that were larger than him, his faith in God informed his will and faith in himself to engage and slay the giant Goliath.
I was also drawn to the story out of curiosity about Goliath, who is typically portrayed as a mindless brute who cares for nothing but war. And certainly, Goliath was a great warrior who had "been a fighting man from his youth" (1 Sam. 17.33). He too displayed tremendous courage, as every day for forty days he stood in defiance of Israel's army, challenging any man among them to meet him in head to head combat. Goliath has always reminded me of the Greek warrior Achilles, who, though brave and unsurpassed in combative skill, underestimated both his own vulnerability and the skill of his final opponent, resulting in his inevitable and ironic death.
In my decision to rewrite the passage from Goliath's point-of-view, I sought to convey the message that even the great can fall when they overestimate their own skill and correspondingly underestimate the skill of another, or when they are driven not by faith, love and honor, but by guilt, self-and-other loathing, the inability to forgive, and a corresponding thirst for bloody vengence. I sought also to lend some humanity and additional dimensions to Goliath, showing him not only as great warrior but also as a man with human flaws, vulnerabilities, passions and underlying motivations not seen in previous textual interpretations. In essence, I wanted to interpret Goliath not as a mere giant defeated by a boy, but as a human man defeated by his giant ego.
Composition
It was late in the day when we reached the Valley of Elah and made camp at Ephes Dammin. On the other side of the valley, Saul and his Israelis made their own camp. I couldn't but wonder if it was a play of the fading light, the configuration of the camp, or if we really did have them as outnumbered as we appeared to. I rather hoped it was only the light or the camp; it would not much of a fight with their numbers so few.
Just as the sun disappeared from the horizon and I was making my way to the tent where the men gathered for supper, one of the youngest men -- little more than a boy -- came forth and called me by name. "Goliath!"
"Don't shout, boy. You hurt my head."
"Forgive me, sir, but the King asks for you."
"Does he now."
"He sent me to find you."
"It is suppertime, boy. Tell him I'm eating."
"He asks that you asks with him," the boy insisted, "in his tent."
Hmm. That was wise of him. That I despise the King, he well knows. That I am a man who appreciates a good cut of meat he knows also. "Lead on, boy. My stomach growls ever louder as we stand here."
The boy led me to the inner-most center of the camp and the King's tent. The King poured wine and allowed me a single bite before he got to the heart of things. "Goliath, I have a proposition for you." I grunted at this but said nothing. He would have been wiser to have allowed me to finish my meal before speaking. "As I'm certain you've taken note of, we have the Israelis sorely outnumbered." Another grunt, but no more. "If we fight them in force, we will have them beaten in a day and home to our wives within six days."
"I have no wife." This was not always the case, but it is now.
"And our children."
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