Coming into battle with Israel, Goliath and the Philistines had a tremendous technological advantage—the use of iron.
Goliath was equipped with the latest weapons. He carried a sword, a javelin, an iron-tipped spear, and wore a suit of armor. His people were iron-working masters, an ability that allowed their culture to dominate the area in warfare, material prosperity, commerce, and other areas of technology as well.
It is likely that the Philistines introduced iron-making to the Middle East. But instead of sharing their iron-making secrets, they used their technology as an advantage in battle.
The Israelites, on the other hand, didn?t know how to work with iron. In fact, the Bible says, ?Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel?(1 Sam. 13:19). The Israelites couldn?t even sharpen their own tools; they had to bring them to Philistine blacksmiths and pay high prices.
On the day of David and Goliath?s battle, only two Israelite soldiers—King Saul and Jonathan—possessed a sword or a spear (1 Sam. 13:22). It is no wonder that the Israelite soldiers would not come forward to answer Goliath?s jeers.
