1 Samuel 17:2
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched by the valley of Elah, setting the battle in array against the Philistines, with both armies drawn up for battle opposite each other. Israel went forth with shouting and commotion as if an engagement was about to begin, yet remained in peril. The Philistines had renewed the war but proposed that the conflict be decided by a single champion rather than by a full battle, issuing through Goliath an insulting daily defiance and challenge to single combat.
Three of Jesse's sons had joined Saul's army while David remained at home. David came to the camp by his father's direction carrying a message and a gift to his elder brothers to learn if they were safe and well, having also been directed by an angel to save his people. All Israel was fearful before Goliath and was held back, reluctant to fight.
Their fear and reluctance came from lack of trust in God caused by their transgression. Saul too was afraid, gave changing orders, and did not expect God to deliver them. The setting provides a contrast between Goliath's boastful reliance on his own strength and David's humble reliance on God, whose zeal was to preserve the honor of the living God and the credit of his people. God saved Israel through David rather than through Saul.