David and Goliath

  The story of David and Goliath is a well know bible story about a young shepherd boy who was delivering food to his brothers who were part of the King's Army fighting a battle.  The enemy had a giant who would come out daily and challenge the Israeli Army to a one on one battle, winner take all.  No one would accept the challenge but David convinced King Saul that he could defeat the giant.  Why King Saul saw fit to let this skinny youth fight the giant when the fate of his Army lay in his hands I have no idea.  He did though.
   Goliath was 6 cubits and a span or about 9 feet six inches tall.  Extraordinary and unusual but I do believe from the description of Goliath and his actions that Goliath suffered from giantism.  That is a condition cased by a tumor or other malfunction of the pituitary gland that regulates growth.  That condition is called Acromegaly and the symptoms include enlargement of the hands and feet, forehead and nose, joint pain, thick skin, deepening of the voice, headaches, and vision problems.
complications can include type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure.
  I believe that Goliath had vision problems because he needed the aid of a shield bearer.  When David was winding up his sling, Goliath made no effort to raise his shield to block the toss of the stone farther enhancing this viewpoint.    We all know how the story ends:  The stone from David's sling hits Goliath between the eyes and he falls to the ground.  He is killed when David takes the sword of Goliath and cuts his head off.
  This story is almost always given from the vantage point of David being the underdog and is used to encourage people facing overwhelming odds.  Most don't have the courage of David.  But David didn't act like an underdog.  The soldiers in the Israeli Army did.  That's why they did not come out to fight.     But the truth of the story is David was no underdog.  Actually, Goliath was.  He had never been tested in battle, needed guidance to get to the place of the battle, and couldn't see his opponent well enough to defend himself.  David, on the other had,  was well  skilled in the use of the sling and had tested his skill when his flock was threatened by a bear and a lion.  David also knew that God was with him.
  To often we as Christian face our battles as if we were the underdogs and as such we often shrink from the fight.  God has given us the skills we need to fight  and with God on our side we are the champions answering the challenge.  Too often we act like we are mere mortals when, in fact, we are the sons of God.