Why did the Lord create Goliath?

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Accepted answer

I think Romans 9 gives a pretty good explanation of God's prerogative in creation and his reason for creating "vessels of wrath prepared for destruction."

Romans 9:11-23 (ESV)
11  though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— 12  she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” 13  As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14  What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15  For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 17  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18  So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19  You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22  What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23  in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory—

Upvote:-3

If you take a literal view of the OT, then indeed - God created them all, but was rather partial to the Israelites as his "chosen people". So yes, he supports just one side, and indeed orders (and assists) destruction of other tribes - because, after all, they weren't his believers. Indeed, Saul gets in trouble elsewhere for not being thorough enough in destroying the Amalekites (by bringing a few sheep and cattle back, to sacrifice).

The "God loves everyone" is more a NT thing.

So what did Goliath do? He wasn't an Israelite.

Upvote:2

God created Goliath for the same reason he created Pharaoh, the Canaanites, and every other foe he sent to challenge his people - namely, to show his Glory.

In 2 Chronicles 16, he says as much:

7At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him: “Because you relied on the king of Aram and not on the Lord your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand. 8Were not the Cushitesb and Libyans a mighty army with great numbers of chariots and hors*m*nc? Yet when you relied on the Lord, he delivered them into your hand. 9For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. You have done a foolish thing, and from now on you will be at war.”

It may sound vainglorious, but God is often "jealous for his glory". In Exodus, Moses even uses that "against" God to keep him from smiting his own people. That God is justified in desiring that His people know his glory is simply his prerogative, because it is in the interests of his children to know that he he is great.

Upvote:4

The whole of the Bible is a story of men who are given the commandments of God and then disobey them to their own detriment. Remember Adam and Eve were the first humans and were taught by God the commandments. Ultimately men like their son Cain choose to follow the devil instead of God and were no longer under the covenant or favor of God. Eventually it got so bad that God started over with Noah.

From Noah's family on we see again men with the commandments and covenants of God eventually choosing to disobey them. Which leads eventually to Israel and his sons. They are a line of the family of Noah that has kept the covenants and commandments of God. They eventually become the twelve tribes of Israel and the Bible follows the dealings of this people, seemingly the only people to have stuck with the commandments of God, as they struggle to survive and keep the commandments of God.

The reason for the above explanation is simply to show that while God created everyone and loves everyone there are people who chose, and still choose today, to disobey the commandments of God and they, in the case of Goliath the Philistines, as a people had at some point in their past rejected the commandments of God. So unlike David were not favored by the Lord. Remember when Saul was not following the commandments, and even later in David's life when he transgresses, he is not favored by the Lord either.

So we can see that God is just to everyone equally, but the Bible looks as you described it because it is written from the perspective of the line of people that for much of their history(though they struggled - remember they spent 40 years in the wilderness because of wickedness-) followed the commandments of God and were thus favored more by Him then other lines, or groups, of people.

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