Stories We Thought We Knew: David & Goliath | Aaron Hanson

In this sermon Pastor Aaron Hanson reframes the familiar story of David and Goliath, moving beyond the popular cultural interpretation of an underdog defeating a champion through skill and training. Instead, it reveals that God is the true hero of this narrative, not David. The story demonstrates how God uses the most unlikely people in extraordinary ways—not the most talented, but the most willing and available. The forty-day period of Goliath's taunting represents a season of testing and preparation that Israel endured, similar to other biblical forty-day periods like Noah's flood, Moses on Mount Sinai, and Jesus in the wilderness. This testing season becomes preparation for the next assignment God has in store.

The message emphasizes four key principles for accomplishing God's purposes in our lives. First, we must guard and cultivate our hearts, as everything we do flows from them. Second, we should view every season—even difficult ones—as preparation for our next assignment. Third, we need to live with integrity, maintaining continuity between our private and public lives, just as David's character remained consistent whether tending sheep alone or facing Goliath publicly. Finally, we must use the unique gifts God has given us rather than trying to wear someone else's "armor." David's private victories over lions and bears while shepherding prepared him for his public victory over Goliath, illustrating that God prepares us in private so He can use us in public, and that our private battles lead to public victories when we trust in God's power.