Slingshots - then and now

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag, and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:40.

How many times have I read or heard this story? Hundreds? At least! And yet it is still so astonishing. Containing all the elements of a heroic epic, this simple story of a young brave boy challenging and overcoming the enemies of his people, remains thrilling.

I have heard secular historians making fun of this tale, as an "obvious myth written to encourage primitive people." Like a Hebrew Beowulf, they would say.

It is certainly not fantasy. It is in God's record. Also, it is not fantasy because, unknown by most secular historians, "slingshooters" were an important part of the armies of the ancient world.

The Greeks had large companies of them going into battle. And in Judges 20:16 we read
that the tribe of Benjamin had "seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss."

Slingshots were formidable military weapons, capable of being propelled (underhanded seemed to work best) with deadly accuracy.

(Hand-sized round stones are sometimes found by archaeologists. The leather slings have long ago vanished.)

Obviously young David would not do well with a sword (he would be too short and unable to get close enough) and what good would a suit of armor be if your enemy towered over you?

As Goliath closed in, David ran "quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead" (1 Samuel 17).

So David chose the right weapon to kill Goliath. And then he chose a sword to cut his head off.

David was a hero for many reasons: he was young and not a military man, he was brave, he was eager to serve God. But more importantly, he was armed with the name of God. ...I come against you, he told Goliath, not with a sword and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Remember reading Hamlet?

These words of Shakespeare, a Bible student, are often memorized by students:

To be or not to be: that is the question.

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing them end
them?

David chose to fight, to take arms against the sea of troubles surrounding God's people and to end them.

We are in a battle, too, "against the flaming arrows of evil" (Ephesians 6). And we have a lot of miltary equipment at our disposal. Paul encourages us to use it all.

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can stand against the devil's schemes. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore, put on the full armor of God....with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, and your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace....the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one...the helmet of salvation...the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

(Ephesians 6)

The sword is the only offensive weapon mentioned here. The other items are defensive-- critical armor to provide for our safety.

Paul lists a lot of enemies here and urges us (he repeats it twice to make certain we understand) to put on all the armor to defend ourselves from their assaults. Just one or two pieces of the armor won't do it -- we must have ALL of the armor.

How could we go into battle without our helmet? our shield? That would be really stupid!

Soldiers regularly check their weapons, their jeeps and tanks, their head gear, cleaning and oiling and refitting them, doing whatever it takes to keep them in good working order. After all, their life depends on how well their equipment functions!


We need to keep our equipment in good working order, too. And we must be clothed with protective armor to repel all the slings and arrows Satan hurls against us.

After all, we are soldiers in a battle that has eternal consequences.


Note: As slings were used in the ancient world they became larger and heavier, and then they were mechanized and became catapults. The armies also used archers with bows and arrows. They too became larger and heavier and had to be braced against a person's stomach. They later became crossbows.