Ramblings from Retirement – The Bigger they Are

Ramblings from Retirement – The Bigger they Are
By Pastor Lee Hemen
May 30, 2021

Have you heard the old saying “The bigger they are the harder they fall.”? Did you know that it is a reference to what occurred with a young shepherd boy and a military giant? His name was David and his advisory was Goliath. Recently there has been a real attempt at rewriting the history of our Nation. I was dismayed to recently read a story about how WWII would have been won within several months without D-Day or the USA getting involved. This simply is not true. We were a nation in the throes of Democratic socialism that introduced some of the largest budgets ever seen, until Presidents Obama, Trump, and now Biden. In fact, only WWII would bring us out of the malaise of a flat economy and joblessness we were suffering. It was the USA’s ability to retool, manufacture, and rebuilding so quickly that brought about the destruction of both Japan and Germany. Russia could not have stood up to the Nazi onslaught without the factories designed and built by US manufacturers. At the time few felt that the USA could respond like it did, but they were wrong.

We find the story of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel in the Bible: “The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor 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. His shield bearer went ahead of him. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, ‘Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.’ Then the Philistine said, ‘This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.’ On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. (1 Samuel 17:3-11 NIV)” Of course the rest of the story is that one young shepherd boy who had brought lunch to his brothers became angered by the arrogance of Goliath’s challenge and went out to face him with a shepherd’s sling and a few stones he picked up as he went. Goliath is felled by one well placed shot. The bigger they are the harder they fall.

What Goliaths are you facing today? Perhaps you are dismayed by life’s circumstances, health problems, the condition of our society’s morals, or what is going on globally. Just remember that shepherd boy and his willingness to take a stand against a giant. Pick up a few stones today and go face your giant. Stones like prayer, your Bible, a godly friend, or a quiet time with the Lord and walk out convinced you have everything you need to defeat the Goliath you are facing because you do. Dear child of the Lord, this Memorial weekend remember those who faced the giants who desired to destroy this Nation and went to war to insure your freedom. Take time to pick up those stones I suggested and face your giant as well. Remember, the bigger they are the harder they fall but it is easier with just a few small stones and the courage to do so. 

This article is copyrighted © 2021 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.

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