A Posture of Trust

The stories about Saul and David build to the encounter with Goliath -- and the author constantly tells us how tall people are.  Why in the world is the biblical author so interested in height?  What is so fascinating about all these big guys who are so strong and tall?  And why all the details about Goliath's armor?  God does something remarkable through David: he demonstrates that there is God in Israel and he embraces the weak, the small, the marginalized, the insignificant and impotent.  And so the question becomes: what gods do we fly to for security?  What idols make us feel safe and secure, not just from violence, but from illness, poverty, and even death.