Those of you who know me are well aware of my passion for sports. If you follow college basketball, then you know that during late March/early April the NCAA holds its annual tournament, aptly named March Madness, to determine its champion. 16 teams are seeded in each of 4 regions by the selection committee. A team from each of the various conferences receives an automatic bid because it won its conference tournament. Due to upsets in those tournaments and also because not all conferences are created equal, there are teams that get into the tournament that most people have never even heard of. These teams often get seeded at #16 and have to face #1 right out of the gate. This is a one and done tournament—winners advance, losers go home. On paper, these #16-seeded teams have no chance of winning their first game. In fact, up until 11 days ago, a #16 has NEVER beaten a #1 in the NCAA tournament. History was rewritten on March 16, 2018 when #16 UMBC stunned #1 Virginia in the first round of the tournament. Never is a long time, isn’t it?
This brings to mind the story of David and Goliath found in 1 Samuel 17. David was the baby and runt of his family. He was home tending sheep while his three oldest brothers were out fighting the Philistines with the rest of the Israelite army. His father sent him out to deliver food and check on his brothers one day.
As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright.
1 Samuel 17:23-24
Goliath taunted the Israelite army on a daily basis. As a result, King Saul was offering a huge reward to anyone who killed this giant.
David asked the men standing near him, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?’
1 Samuel 17:26
When David’s question made its way to Saul, David was called before the king.
“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.”
1 Samuel 17:32-33
David persisted and laid out his qualifications, or rather God’s, before King Saul:
The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!”
1 Samuel 17:37
Saul provided David with armor for the battle, but it only made David uncomfortable because it didn’t fit well. So, he picked up 5 stones and put them in his bag. Armed with only his staff and sling, David headed across the valley to take on Goliath. He was greeted by more taunting from the giant.
David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord ’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
1 Samuel 17:45-47
And that’s exactly what happened…
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran.
1 Samuel 17:48-51
The odds were stacked against both UMBC and David. On paper, neither had a chance of winning the battle before them. That didn’t deter them though. Instead, they faced the overwhelming challenge head on. UMBC may not have been the most talented team on the court that night, but whatever deficit they faced in skill, they made up for with belief and determination. They didn’t take the court that night hoping not to be blown out by Virginia. They took the court believing they could BEAT Virginia! Likewise, David was not the better equipped of the two. He didn’t even have a sword. He went to battle knowing it wasn’t his battle to win, but rather God’s. He believed with all his heart that God would rescue him from the Philistine.
These stories inspire me. And they convict me. Is there some part of your life where the odds are stacked against you? What is your response? Admittedly, I often keep my expectations low so as not to be disappointed. It’s like a defense mechanism of sorts. I don’t have any trouble cheering on others in their battles though. My walk doesn’t always align with my talk. I believe His promises are true for everyone else, but struggle to believe they are true for me too. Maybe you have similar struggles. I pray these stories renew your faith in the One who makes the impossible possible.
In Mark 9:23, after being questioned by the father of a demon-possessed boy as to whether he could do anything for the boy, Jesus says, “Everything is possible for the one who believes.”
May we all have the same mindset as the team from University of Maryland – Baltimore County and the faith of David.
In this final weekend of March Madness, we have #11 Loyola-Chicago taking on Michigan in one of the semifinal games for the right to advance to the championship game on Monday night. An eleven seed has NEVER made it to the final game. But, we already learned that NEVER is a long time, didn’t we?
