But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; I Corinthians 1:27 (KJV)
A favorite metaphor in many cultures is that of David and Goliath. This Biblical story seems to be known throughout the world as an example of the underdog who overcomes great odds to win. We love it when the unexpected happens, and especially when the little guy is facing long odds to win- better yet when the opponent is so vastly superior, or so it would seem.
The David and Goliath story used in the Bible explains that God seems to favor the weak over the strong. The dependent over the arrogant. The faithful over the haughty. David won the contest with Goliath through his skillful use of a sling as opposed to the brute force of Goliath.
But more than that, David was willing to face this giant because of his faith that God would protect him, and that he would somehow prevail, despite the obvious power of Goliath.
Malcolm Gladwell in his book David and Goliath gives numerous examples of the paradoxes that we find in life, and the reasons that we are confounded by them.
I find that the essence of the Bible is about the unexpected. The apostle Paul said that “when I am weak, then I am strong”. Jesus said “The meek shall inherit the earth”; James states “God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith”; and on it goes. Our usual thinking turned upside down.
There was nothing more unexpected than a savior coming from a little backwater village in Palestine to save a broken world from its own sin and failure.
Then again, maybe it makes all the sense in the world.
Prayer: Lord, you have challenged us to believe things that are upside down to our thinking. What an amazing plan, Amen.
Reflections of a Counselor 