Science Meets Theology In David And Goliath

It is very possible that no tale from the Bible is more popular or recounted as frequently as the Old Testament account of David and Goliath. One of God's best lessons of faith comes with this story and that lesson is if you trust in Him, no problem is too large to tackle. When seen through God's eyes, what may seem to us to be insurmountable problems become less intimidating. With him behind you, you can handle anything.

The story explains the war that the Philistines initiated against King Saul and the Israelites. Goliath, a giant who towered 9-feet tall, was part of the army of the Philistines. Each day he came to the front lines of the fighting adorned in a full set of armor to intimidate the Israelites. Not one man was brave enough to take on Goliath. His mocking of Saul and the rest of the Israelite army was unrelenting.

While no "man" would fight Goliath, a young shepherd named David shook off his fear and doubt. With only a sling, a bag full of stones, and his faith in God, David confronted Goliath while shouting, "I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty." Before Goliath could strike a blow, David pulled out his sling and struck Goliath in the forehead through the smallest of openings in his armor. Goliath dropped to the ground and was dead.

These days, scientists are fascinated with biblical history and are anxious to prove or disprove what man has believed for years. One of these areas of interest has been the fate of Goliath. A theory put forth by neurologists is that Goliath may have had a disease known as gigantism. The scientific name is acromelagy and it is a condition that makes the pituitary gland secrete abnormal levels of growth hormones. The result is people who become unusually tall. If this is true, the disease may have precipitated an early death for Goliath anyway.

Another question arises as to how David was able to catch Goliath by surprise to kill him so quickly. Again, researchers explain this scientifically suggesting that Goliath was partially blind or had tunnel vision, a result of the gigantism. A tumor is what is responsible for the excess production of growth hormones in this disease. It is possible the tumor compacted Goliath's optic chiasm, thus pinching the optic nerves. An enemy with impaired vision and possibly no side vision would have made it easy for young David to get close enough to fire the deadly stone.

Others who are skeptical ask how a single stone could bring down the fearsome giant. The tumor is also the explanation for this. If it was the tumor that was struck by the rock, it may have ruptured and then bled, causing Goliath to die.

The reasons for Goliath's great size are not important to the lesson of this story. Even if Goliath suffered from a disease, David had no way of knowing. David saw merely a giant man who was a threat to his king and his people who no one but he had the faith to challenge. He trusted in God to help him face this overwhelming challenge.