Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. He had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together.” David said to Saul, “Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them.

Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field.” But David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's and he will give you into our hand.”

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David's hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
 

When we fancy ourselves to be heroic in virtue, nay, even when we simply start believing our perseverance in the good is in some part due to our own efforts rather than the mercy and grace of God, we become like the Philistine.  We break rank from the humble host of holy men and women who have proceeded before us and from the angelic host and great cloud of witnesses who surround us.

It is as if we stride forth in our mind, believing somehow that we are now capable of facing the foe alone, like Christ in the desert.  How subtle the wiles of the enemy to draw us forth when we believe ourselves so heavily armored.  Such a small and harmless creature he makes himself appear to be.  And so we open up our eyes, ears and mind to the things we ought not, believing ourselves now capable of doing battle with the one whom Christ alone was able to do combat with and overthrow in the desert.

Indeed, the power of the enemy has been broken.  But like the smooth stone which embedded itself in the brow of the Philistine, the enemy offers the smallest thought to us as a suggestion.  The attack which could not come from any other direction, then, enters in to our mind, whence we take it, dwell upon it and act upon it.  Temptation becomes sin, sin becomes death.

Thanks be to Christ who saves us.  He restores our life of grace with Him.  He carries us back to the fold.  He guards our minds by granting us the unspeakable gift of contemplation of the Word.  And he goes forth to despoil the strong man in the desert with “the throng wild with joy.” (Psalm 42)

“It is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves.” (1 Samuel 17.47)