HOW TO KILL A GIANT (I SAMUEL 17)

    Over nine-foot tall!!! Heavily armoured and powerful. How does one kill a giant?? Let us find out!

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Prisca straddled her hand back on her shoulder as she followed the parents and guardians to the church’s children department. For three Sundays down the line, her five-year-old cousin couldn’t stop talking about the presentation they were preparing for at the children’s church. But Prisca was the least enthusiastic about it, especially today that was the last day for her to pack for her journey to F.A.H Art School. Her whole life was before her.

Taking deep breaths, Prisca entered the brightly decorated hall with a pathway dividing the walls and chairs arranged on both sides. Before she could make a decision, Prisca saw her aunt, Tricia, waving at her from the very front seat on the left side. Using all her will not to roll her eyes at the show of parental pride, Prisca walked to her aunt and took her seat sandwiched between a proud parent and her ten year old cousin, Paul.

“When will the presentation start?” Prisca asked

“I know I can’t wait too! My precious baby would be on stage.” Her aunt replied. Smiling, Prisca turned to Paul, “How about you? Can’t wait to see your sister on stage?”

He was playing a video game and didn’t even bother to react. Prisca turned to face the elevated platform and rested her back on the chair. At times like this, she wished her uncle was around and not on a trip. With him, she was sure he heard her and would tell her what to do, especially with the fear in her heart. The fear that she would fail God.

With the scholarship chance to attend the biggest art school in the country, Prisca felt anything but joyful. Yes, this was what she had always wanted and prayed about, but she didn’t expect it to look this uncertain and unclear. What if she couldn’t stand shoulder to shoulder with other students from all over the world? What if she failed the very first exam? What if she was sent back due to poor performance? She was sure God was sending there, at least that looked like the next phase of her life, what if she disappointed Him?

Prisca sighed as the light dimmed and a hush fell over the hall. Two young girls, wearing brown gowns came out from the curtain with mics attached to the gowns.

“Good afternoon everyone, My name is Jane and I am five years old.” She announced and curtsied.

“Good afternoon all. My name is Anne and I am four years old.”  

“Today, the children church…”

“Have a presentation to render…”

“And the title is…”

“How to Kill a Giant.” Anne said then gave a gap- toothed grin, making everyone laugh.

“As you watch, may God bless you.”

“Amen.” The audience replied as the girls curtsied and left.

       “Long, long, looong time ago,” a boy’s voice was heard in the background. “A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He was very, very, verrrry tall and huge.”

A boy came out from the curtain as tall as a seven year old should be. He was slim and wore glasses. His appearance made everyone chuckle.

“He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armour of bronze weighing five thousand shekels. On his legs, he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels…” While the narrator described his clothing, another boy dressed the bespectacled Goliath with brown designed cardboard for his helmet, a brown coat, brown boots, cardboard designed arrow for his javelin, then straight cardboard designed spear with pointed foil paper at the tip.

“Why do you come out and line up for battle?”, Goliath shouted, his chest puffed up. ” Give me a man and let us fight. I dare you! Come on! If you’re man enough! Fight me!”.

Shrieks broke out backstage followed by a stampede on the stage, all entering from different openings in the curtain and returning another way. Goliath and the shield-bearer that went ahead of him moved to a side of the stage and froze.

“That was very very scary.” The narrator continued. “No man was willing to face the giant and the terror went on day and night for forty days. On one terror-filled day, the King overheard a young boy’s boast.”

A very little boy, of about five years, stepped out from the curtain and said, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?”

“The young boy’s name was David and he was ready to go out and fight the giant”, the narrator said. “Looking at his height and muscles, the King was not encouraged. He tried to change David’s mind by mentioning how he was still a young boy while Goliath had been fighting since he was a young boy. In other words, Goliath had the experience, David had the young good look.

David, not one to be discouraged, went on to list his own experiences. He began to explain vividly, how to kill a giant.”

The young David turned to his side to face the curtain, obviously waiting for someone to emerge. When no one did, the silence became awkward and murmurings rose up in the audience. Prisca’s aunt bent to her ear and whispered, “Have you seen Chloe yet?”

“Nope.” Prisca replied.

“She told me she was a very important character,” Paul added, grinning. Prisca smiled then turned back to the stage

“Should I read it again?” The narrator asked and the parents chuckled. “Okay ma. David, not one to be discouraged, went on to list his own experiences. He began to explain vividly, how to kill a giant”.

Five children dressed in white crawled into the stage bleating. Prisca tried to hold it in but Paul didn’t and bent over in laughter as they both saw Chloe as part of the Sheep. Tricia gave him a warning look and he closed his mouth but still continued laughing.

“David said to King Saul, Your Servant has been keeping his father’s sheep.” Another narrator’s voice squeaked out.

 David went to the Sheep and tapped their head gently. Then a boy came out with an attached tail and red beards. “Roar, roar. I am a Lion, roar.”

Another boy came on stage with a hairy cloth then beat his chest, “Raaah, I am a bear. Raaah”.

“When a Lion or a Bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,” the narrator stopped and waited as the Lion and Bear touched a sheep and they began following behind. “I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.” David did as was said of him to the applause and cheer of the audience. Even though what he mainly did was beat the air. After achieving Victory, He led all the sheep backstage and came back with his chest puffed out.

“Your Servant has killed both the Lion and the bear, the young David said to the shocked King. This uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has defied the armies of the Living God.

After rejecting the King’s armoury, David took five smooth stones and went in the name of the Lord Almighty. With just a stone and a sling, David fired and hit the Giant on his forehead.” The young David took a rounded paper from his pouch and sent it flying. Instead of hitting Goliath, his hand faced the wrong direction and with the speed he applied, it landed on Prisca’s lap.

Everyone laughed as they turned to look at her. David and Goliath on stage were the most confused. Not knowing what to do, bespectacled Goliath screamed then fell down while his shield-bearer ran away. Others backstage entered the stage and dragged him out.

“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him.”

David grinned sheepishly, bowed and left the stage. The audience still laughing, clapped and cheered.

Anne and Jane came back to the stage smiling. “David and Goliath’s story is a very common one. We hoped we were able to pass the message across.” Jane said and turned to leave.

“Jane wait!”, Anne called out in her tiny voice. “Can you give us some points?”

“Of course. David was young and really not capable of facing a huge giant, many times his size. However, four things he did help us understand how to kill a giant.”

“Hmmn. What are they?” Anne asked

“One, David trusted in God. Two, David trusted in his process and three he declared them out. He had so much trust in God, with most of it coming out from what he had been through. He declared out that if God was able to help him defeat the Lion and the Bear, He would also help Him in facing and defeating the giant.” Jane said and even Paul joined the audience to clap

“And four?” Anne asked

“The fourth thing David did was to step out in faith.”

“Wow, I want to face a giant too.” Anne grinned.

“Thank you for watching mummies and daddies!”.

“God bless you!”.

Everyone gave a standing ovation as everyone backstage came on stage, bowed and left. Prisca didn’t know her aunt was crying until she dabbed the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief.

“That was beautiful. Just beautiful.”

“I’m coming!” Paul announced then ran behind the curtain.

“This message was meant for you, hope you know that?” Tricia said looking at her niece.

Prisca picked the ball that landed on her lap, “How?”

“Don’t you see it? I know the art school looks big and challenging to you.” Tricia smiled, then took Prisca’s hand and squeezed it. “I know. It’s like a giant, challenging not only you but the God in you.”

Prisca’s eyes brimmed with tears as she lowered her face. “But remember David faced a giant too and now we know how he did it.” Tricia went on. “Prisca, trust God. He has brought you this far and won’t leave you. If he helped you every step of the way in times past, one challenge after another, He is more than able to keep helping you. You’re never alone. Ever.”

Tricia handed Prisca her ‘kerchief to clean the tears away. “And don’t stop there. Tell that lying, conniving, slimy, loud-mouthed devil that too. Like David, you would go in the name of the Lord Almighty and come back victorious because greater is He that is in you, than He that is in the world.”

“Mummy!”, Chloe said and ran to hug her. Tricia quickly mouthed ‘I love you’ to her niece then bent to focus on her daughter.

“Mummy did you see me when- “,

Prisca bent her head as mother and daughter walked away. Smiling, she dabbed her face with her handkerchief.

 Now, she knew what to do.

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  In life, different things pose as giants but greater is He that is in us, than he in the world. Hope this was helpful? Hit me up in the comment section!!!