King David wrote 75 of the Psalms. But instead of celebrating his victory over the giant Goliath, he wrote about his fears, his failures, his tears, and his desperate need of God. That’s because it took only a few minutes to dispatch Goliath with his sling…but dying to his flesh was an everyday battle within. In Psalm 18, David wrote of the snares of death and floods of ungodly men that overwhelmed him as he ran from King Saul…until God delivered him. In Psalm 42, David writes of emotional despair, deep spiritual discouragement, and his feeling that God had abandoned him. “My tears have been my food day and night.” But again, reminding himself that there was still hope because of God’s steadfast love. Finally, in Psalm 51 we see King David’s broken and contrite heart as the prophet Nathan confronts him about his adultery with Bathsheba and the death of her husband, Uriah. We see his profound remorse and repentance as David honestly admits to his sins…praying for forgiveness and restoration. King David may have supernaturally killed Goliath with God’s help…but he was also honest enough to know just how evil and wicked his flesh was without God’s help.
