Embarrassed to Admit I Even I Mixed Up Bible Text and Commentary, Torah Portion, Beshalach

A couple of days ago, I had a blog post in my head based on Parshat Shavua, the Weekly Torah Portion. When I began writing it I discovered that the specific event I was comparing to Israel's legendary and totally effective bombing of the enemy airfields, isn't written in the Torah. The story of Nachson's step in the Reed Sea is from a Midrash. I felt like a total idiot. I've always made a point of basing my understanding on what's written in the Tanach/Bible, not on commentary.

I wrote the following on facebook:

I'm devastated to discover that the story of Nachshon stepping into the sea, which caused it to split is just midrash. I was looking for the Bible verse and it doesn't exist.

Many friends admitted to the same mistake. Scrap that blog post.

Then I read the whole Torah Portion, Beshalach (Exodus 13:17-17:16), in shul. Among what's really written towards the end a couple of verses, which I've chosen as crucial lessons for us Sh'mot, Exodus 17:11-12.

Sefaria

וְהָיָ֗ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרִ֥ים מֹשֶׁ֛ה יָד֖וֹ וְגָבַ֣ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָנִ֛יחַ יָד֖וֹ וְגָבַ֥ר עֲמָלֵֽק׃

Then, whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.

12

וִידֵ֤י מֹשֶׁה֙ כְּבֵדִ֔ים וַיִּקְחוּ־אֶ֛בֶן וַיָּשִׂ֥ימוּ תַחְתָּ֖יו וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב עָלֶ֑יהָ וְאַהֲרֹ֨ן וְח֜וּר תָּֽמְכ֣וּ בְיָדָ֗יו מִזֶּ֤ה אֶחָד֙ וּמִזֶּ֣ה אֶחָ֔ד וַיְהִ֥י יָדָ֛יו אֱמוּנָ֖ה עַד־בֹּ֥א הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃

But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands remained steady until the sun set.

I have no doubt that nothing has changed for the Jewish People, from three thousand plus 3,000+ years ago, until today. When we, the Jewish People and State of Israel use our strength, united against our enemies we will prevail, but if we show weakness we will lose.

Our security and survival isn't dependant on others, only on how we behave.

The State of Israel does not need the approval and support of foreign leaders and countries. Our greatest victories occurred without any outside help. When we have depended on others for security advice, like the 1973 Yom Kippur War, we were almost defeated.

King David explains it very simply when he prepared for his fight with Goliath. At the time, David was an unknown shepherd who had been sent to bring supplies to his older brothers. When he heard the taunts of the giant Goliath, he rushed to the fore and discovered King Saul and soldiers paralyzed with fear. ISamuel 17:10-11

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔י אֲנִ֗י חֵרַ֛פְתִּי אֶת־מַעַרְכ֥וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה תְּנוּ־לִ֣י אִ֔ישׁ וְנִֽלָּחֲמָ֖ה יָֽחַד׃

And the Philistine ended, “I herewith defy the ranks of Israel. Get me a man and let’s fight it out!”

11

וַיִּשְׁמַ֤ע שָׁאוּל֙ וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י הָאֵ֑לֶּה וַיֵּחַ֥תּוּ וַיִּֽרְא֖וּ מְאֹֽד׃ (פ)

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and terror-stricken.

12

וְדָוִד֩ בֶּן־אִ֨ישׁ אֶפְרָתִ֜י הַזֶּ֗ה מִבֵּ֥ית לֶ֙חֶם֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה וּשְׁמ֣

David volunteered to fight the giant and then rejected the offer of Saul's weapons and protective gear. He became our king, and even the Messiah is descended from him, because he always recognized that it's Gd's power that controls our victories and defeats, not conventional armies and weapons.

גַּ֧ם אֶֽת־הָאֲרִ֛י גַּם־הַדּ֖וֹב הִכָּ֣ה עַבְדֶּ֑ךָ וְֽ֠הָיָה הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֨י הֶעָרֵ֤ל הַזֶּה֙ כְּאַחַ֣ד מֵהֶ֔ם כִּ֣י חֵרֵ֔ף מַעַרְכֹ֖ת אֱלֹהִ֥ים חַיִּֽים׃ (ס)

Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and that uncircumcised Philistine shall end up like one of them, for he has defied the ranks of the living God.

37

וַיֹּאמֶר֮ דָּוִד֒ יְהוָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר הִצִּלַ֜נִי מִיַּ֤ד הָֽאֲרִי֙ וּמִיַּ֣ד הַדֹּ֔ב ה֣וּא יַצִּילֵ֔נִי מִיַּ֥ד הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֖י הַזֶּ֑ה (ס) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר שָׁא֤וּל אֶל־דָּוִד֙ לֵ֔ךְ וַֽיהוָ֖ה יִהְיֶ֥ה עִמָּֽךְ׃

The LORD,” David went on, “who saved me from lion and bear will also save me from that Philistine.” “Then go,” Saul said to David, “and may the LORD be with you!”

The State of Israel will only be safe, secure and truly sovereign when our political leaders are willing to accept what King David instinctively knew. Gd is our "secret weapon," and as long as we stay loyal to Gd, we will be victorious and thrive.

Israel is The "David" Not The "Goliath"

Israel is a very small country without many natural resources. When it comes to things that can be easily counted and measured, we're far from the top, and that includes our number of allies.  I really wonder if we have any true allies.

Even the foreign leaders who come here to profess their love coat it with "advice" and veiled threats that can destroy us. Offhand I can't think of anyone of all those foreign leaders who have come to Israel, praised us and refused to talk to the enemy Arabs. Even the Canadians brought gifts to Mahmoud Abbas and his P.A. The United States is the worst, because they demand that we profess fervent and doubtless belief in their mystical, fictional "peace process." They throw total uncontrollable tantrums when any Israeli Government Minister pipes up with an opinion that goes against their policies.

Diplomacy: Ya’alon strikes twice by Herb Keinan
US leaders regularly call Israeli policies into question, saying friends can talk honestly with each other. But when the tables are turned, all that openness and honesty is much less appreciated.

That's called hypocrisy. And that isn't how true allies react. The USA uses bully tactics against Israel.

Dry Bones

In the long run it will boomerang back against the Americans and all the rest of them.

Every time that an Israeli Prime Minister, such as Binyamin Netanyahu, orders a critic like Defense Minister Moshe Bogie Ya'alon to apologize to the Americans, he's acting like the Biblical King Saul who cowered along with his troops when threatened by Goliath.

Even when King Saul was trying to help prepare the young David to fight Goliath, he professed doubt that David would succeed. He offered the daring challenger his own protective gear and weapons, even though the equipment didn't off much confidence to his troops or himself. If those weapons and armor had been the key to victory, then they would have been used against Goliath.

David, who ended up succeeding Saul as King of the Jewish People, understood perfectly well, that it's not modern weapons, a "professional army" etc. that would guarantee us a victory against our deadly enemies. We have one ally who never sleeps and doesn't cost us money. That ally is G-d Almighty Who has no equal, no peer.

When we Jewish People recognize that simple eternal fact, we will be victorious and have peace. That is the true meaning of our being the "Light unto all nations." It's following G-d and observing the Mitzvot, Torah Commandments.

G-d willing, speedily in our day...

If "Netanyahu: Israel trusts only itself to protect its borders," Then Why Does Bibi Pay Attention to Foreign Leaders?

There is a very crucial inconsistency in Bibi's statements and policies.  Readers of my blog can easily picture me blogging something similar to this recent Israel Hayom headline:

Netanyahu: Israel trusts only itself to protect its borders
Shiloh Musings: Israel should trust only itself to protect its borders

I just wish that these words quoted from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu could be taken serisouly as Israeli policy.  It's because of statement like this, which frequently float very convincingly from Netanyahu's tongue that many people think of him as Right wing and expect his government coalitions to follow Right policies.

Unfortunately, I don't see Netanyahu's actual policies as following this:

"We discussed matters pertaining to Syria, where the situation is getting more complex by the day," Netanyahu said. "We saw just last week the fighting that took place near our border on the Golan. Israel will not interfere in the civil war in Syria, as long as the fire is not aimed at us."

The prime minister said Israel trusted only itself to protect its borders.

"The disintegration of the U.N. force on the Golan highlights the fact that Israel cannot place its security in the hands of international forces. They can be a part of [future] arrangements, but they cannot be the basis of Israel's security," he said.

He keeps trying to get reassurance and praise from foreign leaders.  We need a leader like King David who rejected conventional military strategy and insisted that his secret weapon was G-d.  That's how King David killed Goliath.  King David did fight military battles, but he knew that the final outcome was actually up to G-d.  Netanyahu does not have that sort of religious faith.  It's is tragic flaw as a Jewish Leader.

I still think that Netanyahu has the potential to be a great Jewish leader, but he must stop thinking with his head and he must start thinking with his Jewish soul. I believe he does have one, but he is used to repressing it.

I have no doubt that Bibi loves the Land of Israel, the Bible and Jewish History.  He just doesn't know how to combine them into policy.  He is missing the connection to G-d and the glue of the Mitzvot, Torah commandments.  Let's pray for him to reach his potential and become a great Jewish Leader.  Until then, I can't vote for him...

Déjà Vu, The Bible: Did Our Waiting IDF Reservists Feel Like....

Just before I took a walk around the neighborhood, I caught some very upsetting interviews with our IDF reservists as they began making their way home, since the cease fire cancelled the ground operation which was to destroy the terrorist rocket launchers.  They were angry and disappointed.  The had wasted a week waiting to get the job done and clear out the terrorist missile launchers in Gaza.  The potential personal dangers of such an army action seemed unimportant to them.  They know that by not doing that difficult job, the murderous terrorists will just get stronger and kill Israelis again.  I guess some outsiders would think that the soldiers would be happy to be spared battle, but that isn't the case.



IDF soldiers spell with their bodies: "Bibi is a loser" following the cease-fire with Hamas

As I walked in the dark, misty night, listening to the thunder in the distance, I began picturing a Biblical scene.  Déjà vu, how did King Saul's soldiers feel sitting around, waiting for action while Goliath kept on taunting them with murderous threats and insults?

1 Samuel Chapter 17 שְׁמוּאֵל א
ב וְשָׁאוּל וְאִישׁ-יִשְׂרָאֵל נֶאֶסְפוּ, וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּעֵמֶק הָאֵלָה; וַיַּעַרְכוּ מִלְחָמָה, לִקְרַאת פְּלִשְׁתִּים. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

ד וַיֵּצֵא אִישׁ-הַבֵּנַיִם מִמַּחֲנוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים, גָּלְיָת שְׁמוֹ מִגַּת: גָּבְהוֹ, שֵׁשׁ אַמּוֹת וָזָרֶת. 4 And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
ח וַיַּעֲמֹד, וַיִּקְרָא אֶל-מַעַרְכֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם, לָמָּה תֵצְאוּ לַעֲרֹךְ מִלְחָמָה: הֲלוֹא אָנֹכִי הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, וְאַתֶּם עֲבָדִים לְשָׁאוּל--בְּרוּ-לָכֶם אִישׁ, וְיֵרֵד אֵלָי. 8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them: 'Why do ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ט אִם-יוּכַל לְהִלָּחֵם אִתִּי, וְהִכָּנִי--וְהָיִינוּ לָכֶם, לַעֲבָדִים; וְאִם-אֲנִי אוּכַל-לוֹ, וְהִכִּיתִיו--וִהְיִיתֶם לָנוּ לַעֲבָדִים, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתָנוּ. 9 If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.' י וַיֹּאמֶר, הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אֲנִי חֵרַפְתִּי אֶת-מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה; תְּנוּ-לִי אִישׁ, וְנִלָּחֲמָה יָחַד. 10 And the Philistine said: 'I do taunt the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.' יא וַיִּשְׁמַע שָׁאוּל וְכָל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הָאֵלֶּה; וַיֵּחַתּוּ וַיִּרְאוּ, מְאֹד. {פ} 11 And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. {P}

Nobody paid much attention when David the shepherd showed up with some supplies for his brothers.  Back at the ranch, far from the frontlines, everyone assumed there was heavy fighting going on.  So in order to feed the troops, an army marches on its stomach, nu,  David's father Jesse had sent him.

יט וְשָׁאוּל וְהֵמָּה וְכָל-אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּעֵמֶק הָאֵלָה; נִלְחָמִים, עִם-פְּלִשְׁתִּים. {ס} 19 now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, are in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.' {S}

G-d had commanded King Saul to destroy the Philistines.  No doubt, David was surprised to see the army and king just sitting around, quaking in fear.  King Saul had all of the most up-to-date armor of the time, but it wasn't being used.

After David heard the taunts he volunteered to take up the challenge and fight Goliath.

לב וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל-שָׁאוּל, אַל-יִפֹּל לֵב-אָדָם עָלָיו; עַבְדְּךָ יֵלֵךְ, וְנִלְחַם עִם-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הַזֶּה. 32 And David said to Saul: 'Let no man's heart fail within him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.'

It took David a bit of convincing, but King Saul finally accepted his offer.

לט וַיַּחְגֹּר דָּוִד אֶת-חַרְבּוֹ מֵעַל לְמַדָּיו וַיֹּאֶל לָלֶכֶת, כִּי לֹא-נִסָּה, וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל-שָׁאוּל לֹא אוּכַל לָלֶכֶת בָּאֵלֶּה, כִּי לֹא נִסִּיתִי; וַיְסִרֵם דָּוִד, מֵעָלָיו. 39 And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he essayed to go[, but could not]; for he had not tried it. And David said unto Saul: 'I cannot go with these; for I have not tried them.' And David put them off him.

What's reason David took off King Saul's armor?  The English translation is "for I have not tried them."  That could mean, "because I'm not used to wearing them," but I have a different idea.  The Hebrew is ".כִּי לֹא נִסִּיתִי"  The Hebrew spelling is נִסִּיתִי nisiti which does mean I tried, but the letters נ ס  when together spell נס nais, which means miracle.

When David was explaining to King Saul why he wasn't afraid of Goliath he told how G-d had miraculously helped him kill a lion and bear.  Could David have really meant that G-d won't make the miracle, be with him, help him kill Goliath if he puts his faith in that armor?

Our great victories, and that includes modern Israeli wars, is not due to the weapons we have, it's due only to G-d's miracles.

A Bible Story and The Iron Dome

Yes, of course there is a connection between the Bible and the Iron Dome.  Just think about it!

Today, yet, again ad nauseum the Iron Dome is in the news.  The Israeli Government has proudly announced that the Iron Dome will be upgraded to "catch/destroy" Iranian missiles.  Sorry, Chaim, Bibi, IDF aka Charley, but I don't find that very comforting.

Photo: Marc Israel Sellem

The Defense Ministry has successfully completed an upgraded version of the Iron Dome anti-rocket shield, it announced Sunday. Jerusalem Post

Nothing's new, and I don't think that our Israeli politicians in positions of leadership are really protecting us.  This reminds me of a very famous Bible story. 

Who was the greatest Jewish warrior in the Bible?  King David, of course!  And what is the first incident when we get a glimpse of David's power?  It's the Goliath story.

David, at that point, was not the ruling monarch.  You can read it in 1 Samuel Chapter 17 שְׁמוּאֵל א.  The background is that G-d had already informed Samuel the Prophet that Saul, the first king, was to be retired.  Saul was punished for not following G-d's instructions, which had been passed to him by Samuel.  The story of that final straw is told in  1 Samuel Chapter 15 שְׁמוּאֵל א.

ג עַתָּה לֵךְ וְהִכִּיתָה אֶת-עֲמָלֵק, וְהַחֲרַמְתֶּם אֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ, וְלֹא תַחְמֹל, עָלָיו; וְהֵמַתָּה מֵאִישׁ עַד-אִשָּׁה, מֵעֹלֵל וְעַד-יוֹנֵק, מִשּׁוֹר וְעַד-שֶׂה, מִגָּמָל וְעַד-חֲמוֹר. {ס}

3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.' {S}

ח וַיִּתְפֹּשׂ אֶת-אֲגַג מֶלֶךְ-עֲמָלֵק, חָי; וְאֶת-כָּל-הָעָם, הֶחֱרִים לְפִי-חָרֶב.	8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
ט וַיַּחְמֹל שָׁאוּל וְהָעָם עַל-אֲגָג, וְעַל-מֵיטַב הַצֹּאן וְהַבָּקָר וְהַמִּשְׁנִים וְעַל-הַכָּרִים וְעַל-כָּל-הַטּוֹב, וְלֹא אָבוּ, הַחֲרִימָם; וְכָל-הַמְּלָאכָה נְמִבְזָה וְנָמֵס, אֹתָהּ הֶחֱרִימוּ. {פ}	9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, even the young of the second birth, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but every thing that was of no account and feeble, that they destroyed utterly. {P}
י וַיְהִי, דְּבַר-יְהוָה, אֶל-שְׁמוּאֵל, לֵאמֹר.	10 Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying:
יא נִחַמְתִּי, כִּי-הִמְלַכְתִּי אֶת-שָׁאוּל לְמֶלֶךְ--כִּי-שָׁב מֵאַחֲרַי, וְאֶת-דְּבָרַי לֹא הֵקִים; וַיִּחַר, לִשְׁמוּאֵל, וַיִּזְעַק אֶל-יְהוָה, כָּל-הַלָּיְלָה.	11 'It repenteth Me that I have set up Saul to be king; for he is turned back from following Me, and hath not performed My commandments.' And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.

In Chapter 16, you can read how Samuel, following G-d's instructions, found David, who was then a shepherd and shunned by his elite family:

ז וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-שְׁמוּאֵל, אַל-תַּבֵּט אֶל-מַרְאֵהוּ וְאֶל-גְּבֹהַּ קוֹמָתוֹ--כִּי מְאַסְתִּיהוּ: כִּי לֹא, אֲשֶׁר יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם--כִּי הָאָדָם יִרְאֶה לַעֵינַיִם, וַיהוָה יִרְאֶה לַלֵּבָב.

7 But the LORD said unto Samuel: 'Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him; for it is not as man seeth: for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.'

י וַיַּעֲבֵר יִשַׁי שִׁבְעַת בָּנָיו, לִפְנֵי שְׁמוּאֵל; וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל-יִשַׁי, לֹא-בָחַר יְהוָה בָּאֵלֶּה.	10 And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse: 'The LORD hath not chosen these.'
יא וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל-יִשַׁי, הֲתַמּוּ הַנְּעָרִים, וַיֹּאמֶר עוֹד שָׁאַר הַקָּטָן, וְהִנֵּה רֹעֶה בַּצֹּאן; וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל-יִשַׁי שִׁלְחָה וְקָחֶנּוּ, כִּי לֹא-נָסֹב עַד-בֹּאוֹ פֹה.	11 And Samuel said unto Jesse: 'Are here all thy children?' And he said: 'There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.' And Samuel said unto Jesse: 'Send and fetch him; for we will not sit down till he come hither.'
יב וַיִּשְׁלַח וַיְבִיאֵהוּ וְהוּא אַדְמוֹנִי, עִם-יְפֵה עֵינַיִם וְטוֹב רֹאִי; {פ} וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה קוּם מְשָׁחֵהוּ, כִּי-זֶה הוּא.	12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of beautiful eyes, and goodly to look upon. {P} And the LORD said: 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he.'

Contrary to American voting history, G-d doesn't choose His leaders by physical height.  G-d has different criterion, and in  1 Samuel Chapter 17 שְׁמוּאֵל א we can read what G-d saw in King David. 

King Saul had the "Iron Dome" of his time.  He had the most advanced defensive armor available.  But that armor didn't give him the confidence to fight Goliath.

ח וַיַּעֲמֹד, וַיִּקְרָא אֶל-מַעַרְכֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם, לָמָּה תֵצְאוּ לַעֲרֹךְ מִלְחָמָה: הֲלוֹא אָנֹכִי הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, וְאַתֶּם עֲבָדִים לְשָׁאוּל--בְּרוּ-לָכֶם אִישׁ, וְיֵרֵד אֵלָי.	8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them: 'Why do ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
ט אִם-יוּכַל לְהִלָּחֵם אִתִּי, וְהִכָּנִי--וְהָיִינוּ לָכֶם, לַעֲבָדִים; וְאִם-אֲנִי אוּכַל-לוֹ, וְהִכִּיתִיו--וִהְיִיתֶם לָנוּ לַעֲבָדִים, וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתָנוּ.	9 If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.'
י וַיֹּאמֶר, הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אֲנִי חֵרַפְתִּי אֶת-מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה; תְּנוּ-לִי אִישׁ, וְנִלָּחֲמָה יָחַד.	10 And the Philistine said: 'I do taunt the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.'
יא וַיִּשְׁמַע שָׁאוּל וְכָל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי הָאֵלֶּה; וַיֵּחַתּוּ וַיִּרְאוּ, מְאֹד. {פ}	11 And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. {P}

Simply put, Saul, the king, was paralysed in terror and radiated that fear to his soldiers.  Nobody was willing to take up Goliath's challenge.  When the "leader" has no confidence, the people easily give up.

David, who by then had been anointed secretly to be King of the Jewish People,  at most witnessed by just his immediate family, arrived on the scene bringing food supplies to his elder brothers.  Hearing Goliath's threats and taunts, he volunteered to meet the challenge and fight the enemy.

Saul offered David his armor, the Iron Dome of the time, but David rejected it as unnecessary for a war of offense. 

מ וַיִּקַּח מַקְלוֹ בְּיָדוֹ, וַיִּבְחַר-לוֹ חֲמִשָּׁה חַלֻּקֵי-אֲבָנִים מִן-הַנַּחַל וַיָּשֶׂם אֹתָם בִּכְלִי הָרֹעִים אֲשֶׁר-לוֹ וּבַיַּלְקוּט--וְקַלְעוֹ בְיָדוֹ; וַיִּגַּשׁ, אֶל-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine. מה וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד, אֶל-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אַתָּה בָּא אֵלַי, בְּחֶרֶב וּבַחֲנִית וּבְכִידוֹן; וְאָנֹכִי בָא-אֵלֶיךָ, בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, אֱלֹהֵי מַעַרְכוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֲשֶׁר חֵרַפְתָּ. 45 Then said David to the Philistine: 'Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast taunted. מו הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה יְסַגֶּרְךָ יְהוָה בְּיָדִי וְהִכִּיתִךָ, וַהֲסִרֹתִי אֶת-רֹאשְׁךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ, וְנָתַתִּי פֶּגֶר מַחֲנֵה פְלִשְׁתִּים הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, לְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וּלְחַיַּת הָאָרֶץ; וְיֵדְעוּ, כָּל-הָאָרֶץ, כִּי יֵשׁ אֱלֹהִים, לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel; מז וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל-הַקָּהָל הַזֶּה, כִּי-לֹא בְּחֶרֶב וּבַחֲנִית יְהוֹשִׁיעַ יְהוָה: כִּי לַיהוָה הַמִּלְחָמָה, וְנָתַן אֶתְכֶם בְּיָדֵנוּ. {ס} 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD'S, and He will give you into our hand.' {S} מח וְהָיָה כִּי-קָם הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, וַיֵּלֶךְ וַיִּקְרַב לִקְרַאת דָּוִד; וַיְמַהֵר דָּוִד, וַיָּרָץ הַמַּעֲרָכָה לִקְרַאת הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי. 48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. מט וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד אֶת-יָדוֹ אֶל-הַכֶּלִי, וַיִּקַּח מִשָּׁם אֶבֶן וַיְקַלַּע, וַיַּךְ אֶת-הַפְּלִשְׁתִּי, אֶל-מִצְחוֹ; וַתִּטְבַּע הָאֶבֶן בְּמִצְחוֹ, וַיִּפֹּל עַל-פָּנָיו אָרְצָה. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slung it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.

• Very simply put, offensive and defensive weapons and tactics are not the same. 
• When a country is trhreadtened the only way to stop the threat is to destroy the enemy.

This was true in Biblical times and it's true today.  An upgraded Iron Dome won't save Israel.