St. Barthlomew

David, the youngest son of Jesse and a humble shepherd boy, was chosen by God to become the king of Israel. His early life is marked by one of the most celebrated acts of courage in the Bible—the defeat of Goliath, the Philistine giant (1 Samuel 17). With no armour and armed only with a sling and unwavering faith, David declared, “The battle is the Lord’s!” and struck Goliath down with a single stone.

This moment reveals David’s deep trust in God, not in weapons or worldly strength. It also points forward to Christ, who overcomes the giant of sin and death not by force, but through humility and obedience.

David later became the greatest king of Israel, uniting the kingdom and establishing Jerusalem as its spiritual centre. He was a poet and prophet, the author of many Psalms that express the full range of human emotion—joy, repentance, sorrow, and praise. Though he fell into sin, his heart was quick to repent, and Scripture calls him “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22).

David’s life is a testament to how God exalts the humble, uses the least to accomplish the greatest, and values a contrite heart more than outward perfection.