Is There Not A Cause?

JOSHUA ALEXANDER

“And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause” (1 Sam 17:29)?

The Philistine army gathered on one side of the valley of Elah, and Saul’s army amassed on the other. A warrior from amongst the Philistines named Goliath issued a challenge to Saul’s army. He called for one man to come and face him in battle. As Goliath made this challenge, he also proceeded to curse the God of Israel. When Saul and his army heard the words of Goliath, they were overcome with fear (1 Sam. 17:11). A young shepherd boy named David was sent by his father to give food to his brothers and check on them. As David approached Saul’s army, he heard the words of Goliath. When those words reached his ears, he responded differently than his brothers. David said, “What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God” (1 Sam 17:26)?

These words angered David’s brother Eliab. Eliab knew that this should have been his attitude toward Goliath, but his fear had overtaken him. Eliab responded to his brother and said, “Why camest thou down hither, and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle” (1 Sam. 17:28). He surmised that David came and said these words not out of genuine conviction, but out of pride and perhaps arrogance. However, that was not the heart of David. David responded to his brother in a simple yet profound way, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause” (1 Sam. 17:29)? There indeed was a cause. This Philistine had defied the army of the living God! David would go on to fight Goliath and be victorious over him. David clearly expresses why it was so important that he fight this battle, “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands (1 Sam. 17:46-47).

Is there anything worth fighting for in our world today? Indeed God had been mocked and belittled across all forms of media. Celebrities have mocked those who worship God, and even those who claim to be members of the Lord’s church are sometimes guilty of poking fun at God’s precepts and commandments. We need to stand firm as soldiers for Christ, never wavering or giving in to the pressures of the world. Is there a cause in our world today? If there is, what will be our response? Will we be like Saul and the army of Israel and back down with fear? Or will we be like David and stand firm in the face of opposition? Rejoice, brethren, for the battle indeed belongs to the Lord!