Inquiry: Was David a man of war before he fought Goliath? 1 Samuel 16:18 says that he was, but 1 Samuel 17:33 says he wasn’t. Is there a contradiction?
Response: People assume the record of 1 Samuel 16-17 is chronological. While it is true that Israel’s history in Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles are primarily chronological, there are segments which are topical. This is one of them. Later, as the writers detail the lives of the kings of Israel and Judah, they often forego chronology to keep information about each king together.
We’re told that the Spirit of God had left Saul, and a distressing spirit was upon him. His servants thought music might relieve his distress, so they called David to play the harp for him. At this point, the writer identifies David as “a mighty valiant man, and a man of war.”
But, if David was already playing harp for Saul, they would know each other. However, at the end of 1 Samuel 17, after David killed Goliath, Saul was asking who this young man was. He hadn’t met David before.
David being received into Saul’s house took place after the episode with Goliath, at which time it would be appropriate to call him a man of war.
There is no contradiction.
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