David & Goliath: Tormenting Spirit & God's Shield

The tale of David and Goliath might be familiar, but have you ever considered what it truly reveals about facing impossible battles in your own life? Jessi Morgan takes us deep into this ancient showdown, uncovering five surprising observations that transform how we understand this iconic biblical moment.

Starting with a vulnerable story from her own childhood—when a classmate unexpectedly stood between her and a cruel bully—Jessi draws a powerful parallel to how God provides protection just when we need it most. She explores the fascinating spiritual dynamics surrounding Saul and David, comparing the tormenting spirit that troubled Saul with the modern experience of anxiety, stress, and depression that can plague us when we disconnect from God's presence.

Whether you're battling relationship struggles, career obstacles, health challenges, or personal fears, this devotional offers a fresh perspective on how God prepares us for difficult moments and stands with us through them. 

Connect with Jessi on Instagram or TikTok at JesseMorganFaith for more encouragement, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss these weekly devotionals that bridge ancient wisdom with everyday challenges.

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Podcast Music by: prazkhanal
Song: Whip

Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Jesse Morgan's Devotional Podcast
• 1:28 Childhood Bullying and Divine Protection
• 4:05 David's First Appearance in Saul's Court
• 6:57 Five Key Observations from David and Goliath
• 13:33 Facing Our Giants with God's Help
• 16:53 Behind the Scenes: Samuel's Biblical Context

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:00

Hello everyone. You are listening to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Heart Podcast, episode 71. This week's devotional is titled David and Goliath: Tormenting Spirit and God Shield. Let's do this. Hi, I'm Jesse Morgan. I used to just share home decor and renovation tips on social media, but now I'm sharing something even closer to my heart. My journey in love for Jesus Christ, my Savior. Welcome to the Jesse Morgan Devotions for the Christian Hawk Podcast. This is a weekly devotional I started back in May 2024, but the inspiration for it came much earlier. It was rooted in a faith journey that began when my daughter was born four months early in 2023. Through that challenging time, God worked in ways that truly amazed me. On this podcast, I share personal stories of faith woven together with Scripture to show just how incredible God's word can be in our everyday lives. My hope is that through these stories, you'll be encouraged, uplifted, and reminded of God's love and presence, no matter what you're going through. So I invite you to spend less than 15 minutes with me each week as we reflect on these devotionals together. Let's all pray within. David and Goliath, Tormenting Spirit and God's Shield. Key passages. I want to start right off the bat today with a little story from when I was about in fourth grade, I believe. This was this is about my first little boyfriend. His name was Omar. You know how it is at that age. It was innocent, kind of cute. He gave me a little necklace. I gave him a jersey that my parents helped me pick out. For a while, it was fun, lighthearted, and just sweet. But then things turned, like the second half of the school year. His friends started making fun of him for having a girlfriend. And almost overnight, he went from being nice to being really cruel. For months, um, like basically the springtime, I was bullied by him and his little group of friends. They would call me names, like I was a monster, I was ugly, they laugh at me, make fun of me loudly in the cafeteria every single day. It got to the point where I dreaded walking by their table because I knew what was coming. And then one day in PE, our classes overlapped. So I had to deal with him and his friends. And they started again and they started making fun of me, and I just finally had enough. I pushed him back, and then he pushed me really hard. And for a moment it looked like it was going to get worse. But right then and there, a girl from his class, a girl I barely knew, named Chiquita, stepped in front of me. She was taller than him, stronger than him, and she stood between us like a shield. She told him, You got a problem with her, you got a problem with me. And just like that, the boys backed off. They backed down. That was it. From that moment forward, they stopped bothering me. They didn't talk to me, they didn't bully me anymore. It was over. And I never forgot that moment because Jakita wasn't even my close friend. She just showed up. She stood in the gap, basically, for me when I needed it most. Now that I'm an adult looking back, I see it so clearly. God placed her in my life at that exact moment to protect me, to be a shield. Because honestly, it could have gotten so much worse. It could have been like some trauma for me. It just could have been worse. And in that moment, I didn't have the strength to fight it on my own. But God gave me someone to stand with me. And, you know, that's why I wanted to share this story because it ties so perfectly into what we're studying today in the story of David and Goliath. Just like I felt like I was facing a giant I couldn't defeat, Israel was facing a giant literally. Goliath, as we all know, was a massive, intimidating warrior, and no one thought he could be taken down. But God had already prepared someone and he gave Israel exactly what they needed in that moment. But before David ever faced Goliath, we we meet him in 1 Samuel 16. I just want to go back a little bit. At this point in chapter 16, um, God had already rejected Saul as king because Saul wasn't obeying God and sinned and everything. And Samuel then anointed David, the youngest of Jesse's sons, a shepherd boy, as the next king, which is crazy to think. But David was God's choice. He would be the real leader of Israel, the one after God's own heart. Now, what stands out to me is how the Old Testament shows the Spirit of the Lord first. Whenever someone was chosen for a task, the Spirit would come upon them. They make them, they make the right decisions, have wisdom, or given strength, but when the task was done, the spirit often left. A good example is Samson. If you look back in Judges, the Bible says multiple times the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he became strong. Another example is Saul. In 1 Samuel 11, the spirit came up came on him, and he suddenly knew exactly how to lead Israel into a battle. But here's the shift. And God allowed a tormenting spirit spirit to trouble Saul because he wasn't walking in obedience. And when Saul was in this state, his servants suggested bringing in someone who could play music to soothe him. And that's how David entered his court. David played the harp so beautifully that when Saul was tormented, the music calmed him and the spirit left. And as I was studying this, I thought, wow, this is just like life today. It's like when we neglect when we've neglected God, stopped praying, stopped being in his word, we begin to feel tormented. Maybe not by an evil spirit exactly, but by stress, worry, sadness, rejection, depress, depression, you name it. That's exactly where Satan wants us to live, tormented and distracted. But notice what David represents here. His harp is like the presence of God. Think about it. When you finally sit in prayer, when you worship, or even when you just have the right people around you, it lifts you up and you lift and it lifts you up to the Lord. It's like that torment lifts. David's harp is like that reminder of God's presence and God's love, God's peace. I've seen it in my own life too. When I'm consistent with God, spending time with him, I feel at peace. But when I fall off and stop being consistent, life feels heavier, I'm stressed. That's when that torment creeps in. David also represents good company. I mean, someone will drain, some people can just drain you with negativity, but others, maybe your spouse, your kids, your closest friends, can lift you up and bring life. It's like the harp is playing and you feel at peace again. So here's the first set of questions or thought process of this lesson today. Do you want to live tormented or do you want to live with God's spirit? Do you want to rely on a little bit of God here and there, or do you want to fully surrender and let him cover you completely? Now let's take it on into the it story of today. David and Goliath, 1 Samuel 17. Excited. Now in chapter 17, we get into as, as I said, one of the most famous stories in all scripture, and it's David and Goliath. And isn't it amazing? We just met David in chapter 16, and now we're already seeing one of the most defining moments of his life. Israel was at war with the Philistines again, and their champion, Goliath, from Gath was terrifying. First Samuel 17, 4 through 7 tells us that he was nine feet tall, he wore armor weighing about 125 pounds, that's heavy, and carried a spear that weighed about 15 pounds. It's a clear picture of the impossible. No one wanted to face him except David. At first, when Saul tried to stop David from trying to face him, um David insisted and reminded Saul of his past victories. In 1 Samuel 17, 34 through 36, it says David had killed lions and bears with his bare hands and a club to protect his sheep. David wasn't new to battle, he just fought different kinds. So Saul agreed and even gave David his own armor. And here's where I noticed some key details I had never paid attention to before, and that's really what I want to focus on today. Observations from the David and Goliath story. So let's start with number one foreshadowing with the armor. In 1 Samuel 17, 38 through 39, it says, Saul dressed David in his own tunic in armor. David tried it on, but then took it off because he said, This isn't for me, it's not gonna fit me. To me, this foreshadowed how David would rule Israel one day and rule Israel differently, not in Saul's way, but under God's strength and guidance. Wow, give me chills. Number two, the overlooked armor barrier or shield barrier. In first Samuel 17, 7, it says that Goliath had a shield barrier who walked ahead of him. And if you don't know, a shield barrier was a person that carried all the equipment, and they also were a part of battle. They could fight all those things. But it says it I noticed that Goliath really didn't rely on him. He thought he could defeat David on his own when I'm reading this from what I'm reading. So the arm barrier was just no factor. The reason I mentioned this is the reason I mentioned this so much is because of how useful the arm barrier was in Jonathan's story and 1 Samuel 14. Remember back then that armbearer with Jonathan defeated 20 Philistines alone. So talk about thinking you have it all together and don't even look to your armbearer to assist at some point. That's just an observation of mine. Like, look how cocky Goliath was going into this battle with David. And meanwhile, David also had an armbearer, but his was in was invisible, and it was God himself. The five smooth stones he picked up in 1 Samuel 1740 weren't just weapons, they were blessed and empowered by God's Spirit. Number three, David's warrior credentials. That really stood out to me. In 1 Samuel 17, 34 through 36, David told Saul how he had fought off lions and bears to protect his flock. He grabbed them by the jaw, struck them, and killed them. This wasn't just bravery, it was training ground for greater battles. God had already prepared David. Wow. Think about that. I think sometimes people just think that David was this scrawny little, you know, shepherd boy, but David already knew how to fight and defend himself very well. So that was amazing to like read and like really grasp this time. Number four, David finished the battle. So in 1 Samuel 17, 48 through 51, after the stone struck Goliath in the head, David ran over, took Goliath's own heavy sword, and killed him and cut off his head. This shows David was all about finishing the job. And honestly, I'm gonna be real here. David was strong, and he was stronger than probably what he appeared. Remember, the sword of Goliath was most likely heavy, like that spear, which was about 15 pounds. And so that sword was probably made of a metal and weighed even more because there was more metal on a sword than a spear. So David picked that up and killed him with it. David probably had a hidden six pack in there, ladies. Um, the dude was in shape to fight, and he was a warrior in the making for the Lord. It's just I I wanted to really set that and give you a big a better illustration of what David was, because David is going to be one of the most victorious warriors in, you know, for God and in battle. And it wasn't like he had to learn and train to get there as he was becoming king, uh, as he was king. He already was there. So that was just something it still stood out to me this time when I read this story. So and number five, the faith perspective. And 1 Samuel 17, 45 through 47, David declared to Goliath, I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. The battle is the Lord's. Goliath represents our biggest, most intimidating obstacles, the impossible things in life, right? David represents us when we face those battles with faith, knowing God is with us. The real difference is this Goliath trusted himself, but David trusted in his God. So, yes, Goliath represents our big obstacles, and David represents how we should face them with faith. But I also want you to see it this way Goliath is who we are without God. Going into battles without his armor, without his covering, without his spirit. That's dangerous. That's you trying to deal with issues on your own. That's you having way too much confidence thinking that you could take care of it by yourself. But with but David, David knew who his arm bearer was, armor bearer was, and it was God. And so he knew the only way he could go into that battle is having the Lord on his side. He had the confidence because he knew he had God by himself. He did not have that confidence because of his own, you know, um, personal skill set. So I want you to think about it that way. And you know what else? The fact that David knew God was with him in that battle. He God is also with you too. Don't go into battles, don't go into struggles, whether it's a relationship, work, finances, or life, without first going to God. Let him fight for you. Let him carry your armor, because he will never forsake you. And that brings me back to my fourth great story. Back then, my my giant felt overwhelming. Every day I was facing insults, bullying, and rejection. I didn't know how to fight on my own. But God sent someone, Jakita, who stood in the gap for me to be a shield for me. Just like David's faith in God's presence stood as a shield for Israel. And that moment in my childhood reminds me of this truth. God will always provide what we need when we're standing in front of our giants. It may be courage, it may be strength, or it may even be a person he places in your path. But he will never leave us to fight alone. Love you all. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for this reminder that when we walk away from you, life feels heavy and tormenting. But when we stay close to you, we experience peace, love, happiness. Help us to face our battles like David with confidence that you are our armbearer. And thank you, Lord, for sending people into our lives sometimes unexpectedly to stand in the gap for us and remind us that you are with us. Father, we love you and we praise you in Jesus' name. Amen. Love you all till next time. Well, that wraps up this week's episode. My prayer is that these devotions bring you a little closer to God each day. If you felt encouraged, don't keep it to yourself. Share this episode with a friend or loved one who could use the same reminder. Be sure to hit subscribe so you never miss a weekly message. And if you like, leaving a kind review means so much. For more, check the show notes or connect with me on Instagram or TikTok at Jesse MorganFaith. Until next time, this is Jesse Morgan praying off. Jesse Morgan Devotions Behind the Scenes, starting right now. I'm so excited to be now introducing you to David in my own interpretation of 1 Samuel, but I want to make it very under very clear that 1 Samuel really focuses in on the monarchy of Israel, the start of the monarchy. As we we finish with the last judge, which was Samuel, we go into Saul and then we go into David. David is anointed king by God, but Saul is gonna be king for like the remainder of 1 Samuel. And there's gonna be massive ups and downs. I mean, think about it. You got the anointed king and you got the king in charge. There's gonna be some conflict here. And it just shows the character of David, it shows him and how he grows through these struggles. And 2 Samuel will really focus in on the reign of David. And David is a very flawed person, he is, but there's so much beauty in it because he never, ever, ever blames God. He never just flats out, you know, forsakes God. He he makes mistakes and he did drift a bit, but he always went came back to the Lord. And that's what makes David such an amazing man in the Bible. So I'm just excited to, you know, start this journey with David and love you all. Till next time.