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MEANWHILE... OUTSIDE THE BIBLE S1E2


Episode 3 is now streaming, only on Spotify. Don't worry. You don't need to join. Catch DAVID, GOLIATH, STORM GODS, AND OTHER CAREER MISTAKES. 

Listen on Spotify 

And, as a companion to that episode, read the following article. 

Where Have the Giants Gone? A Reflection on Mystery and Providence

By Reverend David Paul Harris

For centuries, men and women have marveled at the stories of giants, men of towering stature who walked the earth in ancient times. The Bible speaks of Goliath of Gath, a warrior whose size struck terror into the hearts of Israel. Yet, when we search the soil, when archaeologists dig through the ruins of old cities, we find no skeletons of men so tall. Some may wonder: does this absence of evidence deny the truth of the accounts? Or does it speak to the mystery of God’s creation and providence?

Consider first the body God has given us. Every bone, every sinew, every joint is designed with care and purpose. A man of extraordinary height, far beyond the average, would face limits imposed by the very laws of His creation. His bones would bear enormous weight; his joints and sinews would strain under the gift of size. Could it be, then, that those rare giants lived brief lives, their mighty frames fragile before the Lord? It is possible, for man is not exempt from the order God set upon the earth.

We must also reflect upon the soil and the passage of time. The earth reclaims all things. Even the bones of the strongest may return to dust faster than we imagine, especially when they are large and delicate. The rains, the winds, the creatures that crawl and burrow, all work together under God’s design to reduce that which is not eternal to the dust from which it came.

And yet, human hands play their part. Ancient peoples may have honored the mighty dead with care, or feared them and sought to hide them. Bones could be used, repurposed, or set aside for ritual, until all trace was gone. The Lord moves in ways beyond our understanding, and man, too, is fallible in his stewardship of the world.

Finally, consider how rare giants would have been. Among thousands, perhaps only one would reach the heights described in stories and Scripture. How many such souls might live and die unseen? How many might leave no mark for the archaeologist’s eye? And even when fragments remain, the world may mistake them for something ordinary, overlooking the hand of God that crafted them.

In truth, the absence of evidence is not the absence of truth. God’s works are many, His designs profound. The stories of giants remind us not simply of physical stature, but of the ways in which the Lord tests faith, courage, and reliance upon Him. Goliath fell, not merely because he was a man of great size, but because David trusted in God’s strength above all else.

So let us not despair in the silence of the earth, nor in the lack of bones. Let us trust in the eternal record written in Scripture, and remember that God moves in mystery, and in His wisdom, many wonders are hidden from our eyes. The giants of the past may have walked among men, but their true legacy endures in the lessons God has given to every heart.


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