1 Chronicles 20:4 - Meaning and Application

The Philistines were almost fully subdued (1 Chronicles 18:1). But, just as Joshua’s conquest of Canaan ended with the sons of Anak, the giant clans, being overcome last (Joshua 11:21), so the final part of the victory over the Philistines came when the giants of Gath were brought down. In the struggle between God’s grace and human sin, some sins act like these giants. They hold their ground for a long time and are not conquered without much effort and a long fight. Yet judgment will finally lead to victory.

Notice a few things here. We never read of giants among the Israelites, as we do among the Philistines, the giants of Gath, not giants of Jerusalem. God’s people are meant to grow in usefulness, not in size. Those who want to add cubits to their height do not think about how that would only make them harder to manage. In God’s sight, David counts for far more than Goliath.

David’s servants, though ordinary men in size, were more than a match for the giants of Gath in every fight, because God was on their side. He delights to bring down proud looks and to humble the giants in the earth, just as he once did in the flood, even though those men were famous. So the friends of the church should never be discouraged by the power or pride of the church’s enemies. We do not need to fear great men when the great God is for us. What can an extra finger or toe do against all-powerful God?

These giants had mocked Israel (1 Chronicles 20:7), and that arrogance brought judgment on them. Those who insult God and his people are the ones most clearly marked for ruin. God will do great things before he lets the enemy act proudly (Deuteronomy 32:27). The victories of David’s Son, the Messiah, like David’s own victories, come step by step. We do not yet see everything put under him, but we soon will. Even death, the last enemy, like these giants, will be defeated in the end.