Is There Not a Cause?

April 12, 2021

When chastised by his older brother Eliab for asking about the reward for killing the giant Goliath, David answered, “Is there not a cause?” Modern translators aren’t happy with this old rendering of the Hebrew, changing it to, “Can’t I even talk?” This modern rendering may be a bit more accurate, but the old King James preserves an important nuance. “Is there not a cause?” Ie. Is there not a reason to stand against this blasphemy and arrogance?

Saul’s soldiers trembled before Goliath because Saul himself was afraid. As they gazed across the valley to the enemy lines, all they could see was this huge Philistine. They couldn’t see their destiny, their calling, because that’s not where they were looking. They had no cause; the only reason they were on the battlefield was that they had been conscripted into the army, but they had no stomach for the fight. Only David had a cause—the honor of the Name of the LORD.

If our culture is winning the war, it’s not because it has a better argument; it’s because we fail to see a cause worth for which we’re willing to risk our lives. The cause is there, but we spend more time looking at the Philistine, and fail to look to our God. We surrender before the fight even begins. A man or woman without a cause stays on the sidelines, trembling in fear because the giant on the other side of the valley looks so big. The culture taunts our faith, mocks our God, and challenges our values, and we stand by, trembling with fear. We may protest loudly on social media, but when it comes to actually marching to the field of battle and getting in the fight, like the Israelite soldiers, we are nowhere to be found. We imagine that if we’re nice enough, the other side will yield and we won’t have to worry about getting bloodied. Being accepted is more important to us than the honor of the Name of Jesus.

I wonder how much I have surrendered because I don’t have a cause, a reason to fight. In retirement, this has become a burning issue with me. What is my cause, now that I’m not leading a church? I like the freedom of retirement, but it’s not a cause worth dying for. So I keep searching the Scriptures, praying, and looking for opportunities to serve. Like David who prepared for this fight by tangling with lions and bears, I’ve been in a few scrapes myself, and am eager to discover how my past experience prepared me for what God has in store. There is a cause, if we’re willing to set aside our fears and pursue it.