8 David said to Ahimelech, “Now is there not a spear or a sword on hand? For I brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s matter was urgent.” 9 Then the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod; if you would take it for yourself, take it. For there is no other except it here.” And David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.” 1 Samuel 21:8-9 NASB
I have an assortment of souvenirs and artifacts which help me remember people and events in my personal life.
It struck me in reading this obscure passage that David had not kept Goliath’s sword as a souvenir. Rather it had been kept by a priest – and David didn’t even know it was there!
Since David was ‘a man after God’s own heart’ it is tempting to conclude that his indifference to this souvenir of his victory over the giant was due to his recognition that God had granted him that victory. That may have been the case, we are not told.
It is nevertheless true symbolically. The victory over Goliath was not David’s victory – it was the LORD’s victory. How appropriate then that the souvenir of that victory should be in the care of one of the LORD’s priests.
– SSXG