Actually, he might not have had a bed. A man as tough as him probably slept on the ground with a rock under his head.

So the first thing he did wrong was to take his head off the rock. He should have kept his head on the rock that morning. Then he wouldn't have had a rock in his head that afternoon.

The second thing he did wrong was to grow too tall. He was so tall he made basketball players look small. He was as tall as Michael Jordan sitting on Magic Johnson's shoulders!

And being tall was his second big mistake.

Because he was tall, he became a bully. And the bigger he got, the bigger bully he was. Eventually, he became a bully to all of God's army.

Now, if he hadn't been so tall, he wouldn't have become a bully. But you can't blame God for making him tall. Goliath could still have been a good dude, even though he was tall.

It's like most of us. There's something different about us. And that different thing can be a big disadvantage to us. But if we trust God, that disadvantage can become a big advantage.

If Goliath had trusted God, being big wouldn't have been a bad thing. God could have made it a good thing. And if you trust God, he can make bad things good for you too.

The third thing Goliath did wrong was being too cool -- being too sure of himself.

For forty days Goliath had been shouting out not nice stuff to God's army (1 Samuel 17:16). The first day Goliath was probably not too brave about it -- but he didn't let it show, of course.

That first day he probably didn't feel like saying those things against God. But he did it anyway. And nothing happened. So he did it again the next day. And nothing happened.

God didn't strike him down with a bolt of lightning. So he figured he was safe. He could keep saying worse and worse things about God. And God wouldn't do anything. Well, so he thought.

Goliah may have had a big body, but he must have had a small brain. Did he think that God couldn't hear what he was saying? Did he think that God didn't care? Or didn't Goliath think at all? Whichever way you look at it, he was dumb.

Each day, I imagine, Goliath called out even worse things about God than the day before. I suppose God was still giving Goliath a chance. Goliath could have backed down and told his Philistine friends he wouldn't do it any more. But he didn't.

God was allowing time to show how strong Goliath was. That would make it clear that God was even stronger.

Let's face it, the puny kid who later that day would meet him in battle should NOT have won. He had no chance. He had no armour. He had no battle experience. He had no chance... except that God had a point to prove.

David, the puny kid, knew that one person plus God is a majority. So if God was on his side against Goliath, Goliath was mince meat.

And that was Goliath's big mistake. He chose to be on the wrong side.

In fact, anyone who doesn't choose God is choosing the wrong side. In Goliath's case, it took forty days to prove it was the wrong side. It can be a lot quicker... but usually it's a lot longer. 'Cos you usually can't wear out God's patience in forty days.

But eventually, all the Goliaths will be clearly seen to be wrong. And all the Davids will live forever. Don't wait until then to prove which side you're on. Do it now... it's a decision that can last forever.

At first, Goliath looked like he was on the winning side. But he turned out to be one of history's great losers. He chose to be on the wrong side.

Don't repeat Goliath's mistake. Too many people do. Don't be one of them.

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Read the story in 1 Samuel 17

Author: Phil Ward