But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head (Psalms 3:3).
The story of David and Goliath is typically depicted as a contrast of two individuals. One, inexperienced, the other, experienced; one, a youth, and a the other, a veritable mountain of a man; one, a gentle shepherd, and the other a battle-hardened warrior; one, obedient to his father, and the other, rebellious and defiant against the Heavenly Father; one, equipped with simple shepherd tools of a staff, a sling, and stones, and the other, armed to the teeth with the latest military technology of the day. The saying, “don’t bring a knife to a gun fight,” can be paraphrased here as, “Goliath brought a sword, spear, and shield to a God fight”. It is no wonder that he lost.
Yet, there is one detail frequently overlooked in the artist depictions of this epic battle. The clash between Goliath, a giant of a man, and David, a giant of faith, often shows just the two of them alone. However, after David collected his ammunition of five smooth stones from the brook the Bible says, "so the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him" (1 Samuel 17:41). Goliath did not face David alone! Arguably, the story could be called David and Goliath and the Shield-bearer.
The contrast between the God-serving youth and the infidel giant who sought to enslave God's people becomes that much more pronounced when one realizes the presence of another fighter on the field. And the shock caused by David's actions becomes even more apparent when one realizes that an able-bodied, hand-picked warrior was standing by (in my mind’s eye with mouth agape and within arms’ reach) when David charges, unsheathes the sword of the fallen giant, and brings a swift end to the contest. Goliath’s Shield-bearer, whose sole purpose was to defend his champion in battle, was caught flat-footed when the crisis came. At the very least, he should have interposed to prevent David from desecrating Goliath's fallen body. Ultimately, the Bible does not tell the fate of the Shield-bearer. We only know that he fled.
Goliath trusted in a man and died; David hoped in the Lord, and he lived.
"Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:5,7).
Despite the presence of his Shield-bearer, Goliath lost and had his head lifted up by David. And because of the presence of his Divine shield, David won and his head was also lifted up. "But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" (Psalms 3:3).
In his later years, David would go on to write, "Blessed be the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle––my lovingkindness and my fortress, my high tower and my deliverer, my shield and the One in whom I take refuge..." (Psalms 144:1-2).
Since both men had shields in that battle, maybe the story should be called David and Goliath after all.
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“And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15).