“And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs and a target of brass between his shoulders.”
“Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 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 carcasses 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.” I Samuel 17:4-6; 45-46.
“That is a huge goldfish!” I hear this a lot when people first meet “Goldie,” my very well-fed and loved feeder fish who has now been a part of our family for 5 years. He is a happy fish. He has his own tank, placed on the kitchen counter so he can enjoy the family antics of meal preparation and eating, and he interacts with us by blowing bubbles and showing us his “fish face.”
Goldie became an illustration for me one day as I read the story of David & Goliath. As I tried to picture Goliath standing on that hill, glaring down at David, I could not help myself. I burst out laughing! Here’s the picture: Goliath is a Philistine. The Philistines worshipped Dagon—the fish god. Goliath is coated in brass—an orange metal. The sun glistens off the “mail” (scales) and he tops it off with a brass helmet on his head. Goliath was dressed in his god’s protection—goldfish scales!! David, you might remember, put off man’s armor, and he came at Goliath “…in the name of the LORD.” David couldn’t wear armor because there is no armor on Earth that is befitting of the LORD. I know David was not afraid of Goliath because of his great faith in God, but I couldn’t help but giggle that day as I pictured David trying not to laugh at the thought of fighting a big goldfish!
In our lives, if we can just picture our enemies as they truly are—false gods, pathetic imitators and powerless deceivers—we can go at them in the name of the LORD and be victorious. And, we might even find a “really big goldfish” to fight along the way!
Thought provoker: Are you hiding behind a false armor or are you standing in the “name of the LORD of hosts” today? When you are standing in His name, your enemy is nothing more than a big fish!
Lord, help me to see You for who You truly are—the LORD of hosts, and then help me to see my enemy as You do—powerless and defeated! Amen.
simplydevotions 
Great description of Goliath’s armor. Isn’t it amazing all of the false-confidence that was placed in Goliath?! Looks can sure be deceiving. Everyone thought David was the underdog. I guess I’d rather root for the “underdog” than the goldfish. Great example as to why we should not follow the crowd.
I am enjoying reading your devotionals. Thank you for posting them! It is exciting and encouraging to see how the Holy Spirit gives you concrete examples of the truths/challenges in our walk.
You’re welcome, and thank you for the encouragement to keep going :).
I was going to read this the other day when you first posted it, but I got busy and forgot about it. This morning I remembered you had a new post and went back to read it. Perfect for what I am dealing with right now. Had I read it the other day I would have appreciated it, but today it is encouraging. Thank you.
You’re so welcome! I hope things are looking up and you are seeing your enemies as goldfish instead of giants! Hope you have a good, Godly day!!
I never thought of it that way, well put!
Thank you :).