DAVID -- UNDERDOG OR DOG?

GOLIATH – UNDERDOG OR DOG?

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          There are some who claim that Goliath, and not David, was the underdog.

          The reason they give is that Goliath suffered from acromegaly (a condition in which there is excessive development of the bone and muscle structures, resulting into the giant that he was). And because of this condition his vision too was impaired.

           On the other hand they say that David’s slingshot was not just a toy, but a powerful weapon. And therefore his victory over the giant was attributed to superior technology.

                                                   

          And so let us analyze both characters scientifically as well as Biblically. [David, Goliath and the entire battle between the two are all described in the first book of Samuel, chapter seventeen]

                                                           

PERSON WITH ACROMEGALY

ACROMEGALY: A syndrome produced as a result of excessive growth hormone produced by a gland, the anterior pituitary. The result, the person becomes a giant and develops muscular weakness and fatigue, carpel tunnel syndrome (numbness of the hand with pain and weakness), vision impairment, and dies a premature death.

DID GOLIATH HAVE ACROMEGALY?

          Although he was a giant (over nine feet tall) and therefore thought to have acromegaly, his height was not the result of this disease.

          Goliath was a Nephilim! Nephilims were the product of sex between ‘the sons of God and beautiful daughters of men’. They were  huge in stature, and basically evil. (Genesis 4: 1-5).
                                               

A NEPHILIM SKULL

          

                                












         
       The Israelites feared them and therefore refused to enter the Promised Land. The descendants of Anak, the Anakites were Nephilims. They possessed the Promises Land. They were powerful, stronger than the Israelites and were of great size. (Numbers 13:28-32).

GOLIATH DID NOT HAVE ACROMEGALY!

          He was a champion! He had to be a champion to be sent single handedly against the champion of Israel, because the fate of two nations depended on this man-to-man combat. He had to be agile.

          His armor was massive! He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels (125 pounds or about 57kilograms). On his back he carried a bronze javelin. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod and its iron point weighed 600 shekels (about 15 pounds or 7 kilograms). No acromegalic could carry all this!

             And to become a champion he would have to be the best of the best, not only bettering any of the Philistine fighting men, but also his four brothers. No way could he have had carpal tunnel syndrome and be capable of wielding the sword and the javelin!

         And like him, his brothers did not have acromegaly and did not die prematurely, as people who suffer from acromegaly do, because they lived for many years during which time David grew from a boy to a man and became king. And Goliath’s brothers battled David and his men and were strong enough to almost succeed in taking David’s life. (2 Samuel 21: 15 – 22).

          His vision was unimpaired and he clearly saw David approach with only his staff in his hand.

          With this picture of Goliath in mind we can clearly see that in no way did he fit the description of a person suffering from Acromegaly as given above!

DAVID:

HIS STRENGTH: He had faith in his God! Though a mere boy, whenever a lion or a bear carried off a sheep from the flock he was tending, he went after it, struck and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When the lion or the bear turned on him, he seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.

          David was not new to killing wild animals and considered the uncircumcised Goliath, nothing more than an animal.

HIS WEAPONRY: “The Lord Who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine”.

          His slingshot was a deadly weapon and it was only with it in his hands that he went against the giant. But his aim had to be perfect because Goliath was completely covered in armor. Nonetheless, David succeeded.

HIS HANDICAP: He was a mere boy; the youngest of the sons, unable to wear a grown mans armor which was too heavy for him.

GOLIATH – DOG NOT UNDERDOG:

          Goliath had blasphemed the God of Israel. And therefore David, coming against him in the name of the Lord Almighty, slew him!

There are about forty references to ‘dog’ in the Bible.

          “Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil………” (Philippians 3:2).

          “Blessed are those……..who may go through the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs……..” (Revelations 22: 14, 15).

          And from Goliath’s own mouth: “Am I a dog………..?” (1Samuel 17: 43).

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Dear friend,

          I look forward to getting your feedback. Do write in to me at:

                                        drmervynabreo@gmail.com

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