Jacob Chanikuzhy

World history is lined with exciting stories of the underdogs – a weaker group dominating and defeating a much stronger enemy group. Among these stories, one can find one from India, the Battle of Longewala. During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, a detachment of 2000 Pakistani soldiers with 40 tanks attacked an Indian troop consisting of 120 soldiers. However, the Indian troops fooled the Pakistanis by installing barbwire and putting up minefield markers, in areas where there were, in fact, no mines. The Pakistani units were forced to detour through bottlenecked passages, where they were ambushed by the Indian soldiers. The Pakistani force was thus compelled to retreat. They lost 200 troops in total, compared to the Indian loss of just two men, and 5 camels.
Another such story appears in the fight of the native Indians against the Americans. In the battle of Brownstown in 1812, just 24 Native Americans attacked 200 American soldiers. The Americans took cover in a forest but were fired at by the Indians hidden in it. The commander of the US troops, ordered a withdrawal, at which the whole US unit broke and fled in disorder. The Indians achieved a military victory against the odds. The Americans lost 17 people, while the Native Americans lost just one.
The Bible also celebrates the underdogs of God. Moses is prominent among them. He did not have a mighty army at his disposal, but rather a band of undisciplined slaves at his command. However, he could bring the mighty Pharaoh to his knees through the wonders he did at the behest of Yahweh. Other biblical stories include the military victory of Gideon with 320 men against thousands of Midianites; the victory of Jonathan, who directly attacked the Philistine camp; the exciting story of Judith, etc. The story of David and Goliath is also a remarkable story of an underdog taking on a superpower.
The shepherd boy, David was in no way a match for Goliath, a giant. David was a teenager skilled in music and perhaps also at slinging. Goliath was far bigger in size and a skilled warrior. David had only a sling and five pebbles for weapons, whereas Goliath was fully armed with a spear, sword, and javelin. He was protected from tip to toe with a brass cover and another carried a shield in front of him. David did not have any protective gear except his plain clothes. The outcome of a combat between these two is anybody’s guess.
Goliath harassed the army of Israel for 40 days. David was deeply hurt at the humiliation of the people of God. However, David’s interest in the fight against Goliath was ridiculed and rebuked by his brothers. Still, he was not discouraged. King Saul also tried to dissuade the lad from making such a suicidal attempt. David’s lack of military skills persuaded him to think differently and look for other resources to defeat the enemy. When everybody thought Goliath was too big to be defeated, David thought Goliath was big enough that his sling would not miss him. David wanted to show the Philistines “That there is a God in Israel…and that the Lord does not save by sword and spear…” (1 Sam 17, 46-47). He was ready to take on Goliath, because he believed that God did need someone to act in his name with courage. He knew that it was not enough to pray inside one’s room, thinking that God would somehow defeat Goliath and save Israel.
The metaphor of David and Goliath has come to signify the victory of a weakling over someone far superior in strength. Such underdogs like David, with providential care and guidance, have transformed human history in social, religious, political, and cultural spheres. For the most part, the church has been a faithful underdog of God in the fight against autocratic regimes, unethical laws, sinful structures, immoral systems that trample the basic human dignity and rights. One hears from across the world heartening stories of individuals and small organizations fighting mammoth structures of evil to make this world more human, just, and caring. As individuals, we are to fight God’s war first by fighting the Goliaths of sin inside us and then in the world outside. God looks for his little Davids who fight trusting in God to defeat the Goliaths who take pride in themselves and enjoy harassing and humiliating God’s people.