Why David Grabbed 5 Stones

Have you ever thought to yourself why David grabbed 5 stones instead of 1 to kill Goliath? Some might have thought, "Well, if he misses, he has 4 more shots." But if we assumed that David thought he might miss and needed those extra stones, we would also have to assume that his faith in God wasn't as strong or confident. According to scripture, if we assumed he lacked in faith, it would contradict what the scripture says and also contradict the confident young boy that he was deemed as. I Samuel 17:34-37 gives us a glimpse of how confident David was in God as he is describing his encounter with a lion and a bear.

"But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

 

 

Who in their right mind takes off running after a lion or bear to grab it's prey from it's mouth? Keep in mind, too, that David was just a boy when he fought Goliath right after this ordeal. The King James Version and ESV version states that he is "but a youth" (I Samuel 17:33). With David being born in 1040 BC and the defeat of Goliath being in 1025, that would put David at 15 years old. Granted, his cockiness could be attributed to what we modernly deem as "puberty" setting in for this young guy, but in David's case, he was special. David is wise beyond his years and very astute in his faith and trust in God Almighty. Why? Could it be in his genes? Could we assume that considering that Jesus was of the line of David, that that same lineage produced generations of favor and victory against any enemy? Genesis 18:18 tells us that the "The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" If David is a descendant of Abraham, he is guaranteed victory. Jesus, years later, was granted victory over Satan when He was born, when He died, and when He resurrected. David, being of the same lineage, would also receive victory and it wasn't only in his fight with the beasts of the land, but with Goliath as well.

 

So, with that promised victory and favor, why the 4 extra stones? Being in the "BC" era, the Old Testament Law is what these people abided by. Before Moses, there was Noah. After the Ark settled and the flood waters descended, God gave Noah His rules on what to eat and how to live. This was a new time and a new lineage of people who would come. After God had told Noah that the beasts of the land were his to eat, in Genesis 9:6, He also gave him a law about shedding blood of a man.

 

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image."

 

With that being said, jump over to II Samuel 21:22. After the death of Goliath, word spread quickly (and probably not even that considering Goliath's family members were probably watching the whole time). Verse 22 reads, "These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants." Read chapter 21 and you will find that 4 of Goliath's relatives (brother-like descendants or maybe even immediate family to Goliath) came face-to-face with David probably for the sole purpose to avenge the death of Goliath. David wasn't stupid when he picked up those 4 extra stones. Could we assume that he knew that if he shed Goliath's blood, that Goliath's relatives also knew of the "avenge blood law" and that David took precautions when he grabbed those extra stones? He probably didn't even know he would run into 4 of his relatives later but that God did and God led him to grab 4 extra stones. I don't know. He did believe that that one shot to the head would do the trick, didn't he? These 4 particular descendants were from the same place that Goliath was from: Gath.

 

I believe that God had put on David's heart and mind to pick up those 4 extra stones but only for maybe a reminder or promise to David, that God would deliver 4 of Goliath's descendants into David's hands later. Whether David knew of this at the time or not, it doesn't say. We find out in verse 15 and 17 of II Samuel 21, that David was too weary to fight those 4 so God had allowed David's servants to kill them. Could we also assume that maybe God likes giving us hints as to how we will become victorious over our enemies? David probably didn't understand why he picked up those 4 extra stones until those 4 descendants had been defeated. In I Samuel 22:1, right after this victory, we read:

 

"And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul."

 



Notice that word "all"? Those 5 stones represented major victories for David. Those 5 stones served as reminders to David that God would bring him victory. Does this theory of mine fit? It might or it might not. Regardless, major lessons can be taken from this story of David. His confidence was found in one person alone- God. His faith rested on the promise that God would never leave him nor forsake him. God wants us to call upon Him for help against our enemies. God wants us to ask Him for help against Satan and his schemes. With God, there is always victory and whether we get what's going on now or not, God always comes out in the end with the Truth leading the way.