from the desk of . . .
Rande Wayne Smith
D.Min., Th.M., M.Div.
David Series - 2
DAVID & GOLIATH
… based on 1 Samuel 17:4-11
Chuck Knoll, the legendary football coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers was giving his scouts some advice on what to look for when they were recruiting college players. He said, “There’s a player that when you knock him down … he stays down.” One of the scouts interrupted, “We don’t want that player, do we Coach?”
Coach Knoll said, “No, we don’t want that player.”
“Then there’s the player that when you knock him down, he gets back up.
You knock him & he gets back up. And you knock him down again & he gets back up.” And the scout jumps in, “that’s the player we want, isn’t it Coach?”
Coach Knoll replies, “No, we don’t want that player either.
We want the guy who’s knocking everybody down!”
So, do you feel like you’re getting knocked down by the opposition these days … or do you feel that you’re knocking down the opposition? This morning we’re going to look at one of the most familiar stories in Scripture; about a guy who was famous for being able to knock down the opposition … even though the opposition was a 9-foot-tall giant named Goliath.
So, listen now to Good News, as recorded in 1 Samuel, to us who have gathered here for worship. Within our hearing now comes the Word of the Lord …
A man named Goliath, from the city of Gath, came out from the Philistine camp to challenge the Israelites. He was over nine feet tall and wore bronze armor that weighed about 125 pounds and a bronze helmet.
His legs were also protected by bronze armor, and he carried a bronze javelin slung over his shoulder. His spear was as thick as the bar on a weaver’s loom, and its iron head weighed about fifteen pounds. A soldier walked in front of him carrying his shield. Goliath stood and shouted at the Israelites, “What are you doing there, lined up for battle? I am a Philistine, you slaves of Saul! Choose one of your men to fight me. If he wins and kills me, we will be your slaves; but if I win and kill him, you will be our slaves.
Here and now I challenge the Israelite army. I dare you to pick someone to fight me!” When Saul and his men heard this, they were terrified.
(1 Samuel 17:4-11)
“The grass withers & flowers fade,
but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen
We’re in the 2nd week of an 8-week series on David, of whom Scripture provides more information about than anyone else, including Jesus. Last week we looked at David & his mentor, Samuel. Samuel anointed David to become the future king of Israel. (1 Samuel 16:13) David was just a teenager (13,14,15) when that happened in his hometown of Bethlehem. Israel’s 1st king, Saul, was still in power, & knew nothing about that private ceremony.
Now, Saul had lots of issues & was becoming dangerously disturbed, increasingly wicked, emotionally unhinged. (1 Samuel 16:14) So, his servants thought music might soothe Saul’s troubled nerves. And they began to look all over the countryside for a musician. And then, interestingly, someone suggested David, “who was a good musician.” (1 Samuel 16:18) And David was hired. This went on for several years. David played for Saul & then went home & took care of his father’s sheep. He went back & forth, back & forth. (1 Samuel 17:15)
Time moves on & David, who’s now probably 20, (Numbers 1:3) is asked by his father, Jesse, to check on his 3 older brothers who are serving in Saul’s army. They’re fighting a battle with the Philistines about 15 miles away.
Jesse wants David to take some bread to them & bring back a report on what’s happening in the war. (1 Samuel 17:17-18)
A little sidebar on the Philistines … they were the Hebrews worst nightmare.
The Philistines were known for their ability to make things with iron. And so, their army was equipped with iron swords, spears with iron tips, iron armor, & they rode in iron chariots. And the Hebrews had none of that stuff. In fact, just a couple chapters before this we read that there were only 2 swords in the entire army of Israel. “On the day of battle none of the Israelite soldiers except Saul & his son Jonathan had swords or spears.” (1 Samuel 13:22)
About this time the Philistines offer a challenge to the Hebrews.
“Instead of army fighting army & a lot of people getting killed, we have an idea. How about we practice some representative warfare, (which was often done in the ancient world)? We will send a champion from our army out to fight a champion from your army. If our guy wins, we rule you, you serve us.
If your guy wins, you rule us, we serve you.”
Now this sounded like an acceptable idea for Israel … until they saw the representative warrior from the Philistines. He was a 9-foot-tall giant named Goliath. Scripture reports that he wore a suit of armor that weighed 125 lbs. He carried a spear with a shaft several inches thick, with an iron point that weighed 15 lbs. And … he had an attitude. (Jon, come up here.)
Everyday Goliath would stroll out between the 2 armies & taunt the Hebrews … “Where’s your champion?” And this went on morning & night for 40 days, & the Israelites were terrified. (1 Samuel 17:24) No one wanted to face Goliath. And this is where we pick up the story. David has just arrived, bringing food for his brothers. And he observes Goliath taunting the Israelite army
… & the army cowering in fear.
Now as we look at this story, we’re going to see 5 directives for defeating our “Goliaths.” I don’t know what giant you’re currently facing, there’s lots of intimidating things out there, right now. But I do know that David beat his Goliath, & therefore he has something to teach us about beating ours.
#1 … recognize our enemy.
When David observes this scene of Goliath taunting the Hebrews, & them cowering in fear … he’s incensed. He’s angry. “Who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26) David calls him a “heathen Philistine.” That means that he didn’t belong to God’s chosen people. He didn’t belong to the 1 true living God. And Goliath wasn’t just a neutral outsider … he was a blatant enemy. Not just a muscle flexing, spear toting, trash talking giant … he was a God defying giant. Not just a physical enemy … he was a spiritual enemy. It’s important that we understand this. Scripture warns that when we follow Christ, we can expect opposition from a spiritual enemy. And just who is this enemy? … (Satan)
Actually, Ephesians 6 is a terrific commentary on this story. “We are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, & cosmic powers of this dark age. So put on God’s armor now!” (Ephesians 6:12-13) Our struggle, Paul explains, isn’t against human beings. What he means is that our real enemy is not a person.
Our real enemy is not an ex-spouse, or the bill collector, (if our Goliath is a stack of unpaid bills), or a former friend who’s now gossiping about us.
Our real enemy is the Devil, & his wicked forces. Now this was something that Jesus was concerned about too, & He prayed to God for us. “I ask you to keep them safe from the Evil One.” (John 17:15) Peter warns us, “Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) So, just as there’s an unseen God, who loves us & cares for us …there’s an invisible, spiritual enemy who hates us, & wants to destroy us. Whatever our “Goliath” is today … there’s a Goliath behind our “Goliath.”
The real problem is not that we’re sick, or getting old, or don’t have enough money, or any friends; the real problem is that that’s paralyzing us with discouragement. Our spiritual enemy wants to tempt us to sin. Our spiritual enemy wants to destroy our relationships.
He wants to undermine our character.
He wants us to so fret over our problems that we forget about God. Let’s learn a lesson from David, we’re not just facing a giant, we’re facing a God defying giant. Don’t miss the fact that there’s a spiritual dimension to our battle. Ask God to help you recognize the real enemy.
#2 … ignore our detractors.
David decided to put an end to Goliath’s God defying taunts. “If nobody else is going to take this guy down … I’ll do it.” But as soon as David made up his mind to take on the giant a couple of detractors began to mock him for even considering such a thing.
Detractor #1 … his oldest brother, Eliab. “What are you doing here? Who is taking care of those sheep of yours out there in the wilderness? You smart aleck, you! You just came to watch the fighting!” (1 Samuel 17:28) Talk about an encouraging older brother; makes me glad I’m an only child. Eliab accuses David of abandoning his responsibilities back home.
“That’s the only thing you have to do, & you’re even doing that!” What’s Eliab’s problem? … Scripture doesn’t come right out & say it, but I think it’s jealously. Eliab had been in the room when Samuel passed over him, & each of his brothers, (1 Samuel 16:10) until little David got anointed as the next king of Israel. Eliab was just plain jealous.
The 2nd detractor is King Saul. “How could you fight Goliath? You’re just a boy, & he has been a soldier all his life!” (1 Samuel 17:33) At 1st that seems somewhat commendable. It sounds like Saul doesn’t want David to get killed. But I think there’s a deeper motivation … personal embarrassment.
Who should have been fighting Goliath? … (Saul!) Saul was Israel’s leader. He was a seasoned warrior.
Saul, Scripture reports, was “in the prime of life … & a foot taller than anyone else in Israel.” (1 Samuel 9:2) So, Goliath may have been like an N.B.A. center … but Saul was at least a power forward. He should have been out there, but he wasn’t. In fact, he was offering incentives to anyone who would go out & fight Goliath. “King Saul … promised to give a big reward to the man who kills Goliath; the king will also give him his daughter to marry, (which may or may not have been a good thing), & will not require his father’s family to pay taxes.” (1 Samuel 17:25) … All that, & yet nobody signed up. And then, when David volunteers to fight Goliath, Saul’s embarrassed.
When we’re facing a giant …we can be sure that detractors will come out of the woodwork. They will mock our efforts, they will tell us why we can’t possibly succeed, they’ll remind us of our past failures, they’ll point out the enormous size of our problems, & they’ll advise us that the best thing we can do is throw in the towel. “You’re not going to be able to solve that issue. You’re not going to be able to overcome that problem. You’re not going to … you’re not going to … you’re not going to.” Now sometimes these detractors are people we know. At other times they’re impersonal, like the news. Is there anything more discouraging than watching the news? Why do we do this to ourselves? We know that the economy has dropped … the job rate has dropped … our investments have dropped … the housing market has dropped … retail sales have dropped.
And we hear this stuff all day long, day after day. If our Goliath has anything to do with finances … we’re just shooting ourselves in the foot by watching all this stuff. Don’t allow anyone, or the media, or anything else limit what God is capable of doing. (Luke 1:37)
#3 … rehearse our victories.
“‘Your Majesty,’ David said, ‘I take care of my father’s sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb, I go after it, attack it, & rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat & beat it to death. I have killed lions & bears, & I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God. The LORD has saved me from lions & bears; he will save me from this Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:34-37) Why was David so sure that he could take down Goliath?
Because David, with God’s help, had already taken down lions & bears. David had a wonderful habit which I commend to all of us. Whenever he faced a new problem, a new adversity, a new enemy, David rehearsed past occasions when he had taken on problems, enemies, & adversities … & defeated them with God’s help. The Psalms are full of these kinds of references. “My enemies have hunted me down & completely defeated me. They have put me in a dark prison, & I am like those who died long ago. So I am ready to give up; I am in deep despair.” (The Psalms 143:3-4) (He’s facing some fierce opposition. But listen to the next statement.) “I remember the days gone by; I think about all that you have done,
I bring to mind all your deeds.” (The Psalms 143:5) He’s rehearsing past victories. When facing new “Goliaths” we need to do a quick review of old “Goliaths” we’ve already beaten.I remember a friend of mine, Dave Frick, telling me that when he traveled he always took pictures along: of his wife, of his 3 kids, of his farm, etc. It was like a little brag book. But Dave never showed it to anyone else.
It was simply to keep him in a right perspective.
Now, obviously,
I can’t speak for women, but when guys travel there’s the temptation to do stupid things that they wouldn’t do if their wives were with them. Dave would open his photo album & remind himself how God was blessing him. What I’m suggesting is that we all would do well to create a little “photo album,” of those times when God has intervened in our lives, when God has shown up, when God has delivered us. And then, when we’re facing our next “Goliath,” all we need to do is open that “photo album,” & remind ourselves of how faithful God has been.
Some of us can look back to a time when we had no job, & God provided one.
Some of us can look back to a time when we were really discouraged & God brought us through. Some of us can look back to when we had some serious health issues & God brought healing. We have picture after picture of God showing up in our lives. He helped us take out the “lion,” He helped us take out the “bear” … & He’ll help us take out Goliath.
Now as you’re thinking about your own picture album, but you don’t know where to begin, let me suggest a picture or 2. The very 1 st picture I want to put in that album is of Jesus dying on the cross in my place. (Hebrews 2:17) You see, it’s because of our sins that we deserve God’s punishment. Our sins bring eternal separation from God. But Jesus took that penalty in our place. If we want a picture of God showing up in our life & intervening … that’s one to put in our photo album.
Here’s another one … put a picture of Jesus, with, His arm wrapped around you/me. He says, “I know you’ve screwed things up pretty badly, but I want to lead you through this. Let me lead.” Rehearse your victories.
#4 … know our weapons.
“Saul gave his own armor to David for him to wear; a bronze helmet, which he put on David’s head, & a coat of armor. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor & tried to walk, but he couldn’t because he wasn’t used to wearing them. ‘I can’t fight with all this,’ he said to Saul. ‘I’m not used to it.’ So he took it all off. He took his shepherd’s stick & then picked up 5 smooth stones from the stream & put them in his bag. With his sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath.” (1 Samuel 17:37-40)
Don’t miss what’s being taught here.
A lot of people see David’s giving up the protective armor of Saul & going out to meet Goliath, totally defenseless, with a little bitty slingshot … which proves that God alone brings the victory. Well, that’s not it at all.
Slingshots, in the ancient world, were not little boy’s toys. Slingshots were soldier’s weapons. Armies used them as far back as 2,000 B.C. In the book of Judges we read that included in the Israelite army were, “700 specially chosen men who were left-handed. Every one of them could sling a stone at a strand of hair & never miss.” (Judges 20:16) Slingshots were deadly weapons of war. And if you’re imagining David picking up some marble size stones, again, you have a wrong image in your head. The stones he would have chosen would have been the size of a baseball. And when it struck Goliath from David’s sling it was going well over 200 miles an hour. The point is, David didn’t turn down Saul’s armor for a little boy’s slingshot. No, he chose the slingshot because that’s the weapon he was familiar with.
In our spiritual battle God has given us a weapon to use. In Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus, he writes … “Put on God’s armor now! … so … you will be able to resist the enemy’s attacks.” (Ephesus 6:13) Now there are 6 pieces of armor … 5 are defensive; the 6 th is an offensive weapon, & that’s the one we want to look at. There’s the belt of truth … the breastplate of righteousness … the gospel shoes … the shield of faith … & the helmet of salvation. And then, finally, the only offensive weapon, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17)
This is the weapon that God has given us to face our Goliath? Paul writes: “You have … the Holy Scriptures, which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:15) I remember when my kids went to Summer Church Camp, they had Bible drills. The leader would say, “Draw your swords.” And everyone would lift their Bible high. Then she would announce some random Scripture verse, & the kids would scramble to see who could find it 1st . When they did, they would stand up & read it.
When we’re facing a Goliath in our lives it’s critical that we know where to turn in God’s Word to deal with it. We need to be as skilled in handling this Book as David was in the use of his slingshot. Because this is our weapon.
And if you’re not really proficient with Scripture … hey, you’ve come to the right place. We study Scripture here.
I preach the Bible. Debbie leads a Bible Study.
One of the dear saints from my last congregation was Ann Dean. She’s with her Lord now; what a special lady. I remember her coming to my office one day & wanting to know what to do with her Bible … it had fallen apart. I told her to take her notes out of it & put it in the recycling bin & then get a new Bible. She said that it seemed almost sacrilegious.
You know what’s sacrilegious? …
To live an entire life & never wear out a Bible; to let it just sit there & gather dust. Listen … God couldn’t have been more pleased with Ann, or anyone else whose Bible falls apart because of use.
Okay, we have to:
- Recognize our enemy
- Ignore our detractors
- Rehearse our victories
- Know our weapon, &
#5 … expect our God.
We’ve got to expect God to show up. Now I’m going to skip all of Goliath’s trash talk about what he’s going to do to David. But understand, David’s able to hold his own here.
“‘You are coming against me with sword, spear, & javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty … which you have defied. This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you …. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God, & everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people.
He is victorious in battle, & he will put all of you in our power.’ “Goliath started walking toward David again, & David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him. He reached into his bag & took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead & broke his skull, & Goliath fell face downward on the ground. And so, without a sword, David defeated & killed Goliath with a sling & a stone!” (1 Samuel 17:45-50) So, what makes David so confident that he’s going to be able to do to Goliath what he says he’s going to do? It’s because he’s certain that God is going to show up. We may be facing a 9-foot-tall Goliath, & we seem so small standing there. But the truth of the matter is that our God is a big God, & Goliath dwarfs in His presence. And when God shows up, which we can expect Him to do, Goliath tumbles down.
Okay, let’s make this practical.
Some Goliaths we’re facing today seem insurmountable. But they’re not.
Let me remind you what we’ve learned from David.
1. Recognize your enemy. (See the real enemy behind the superficial Goliath, the spiritual enemy.)
2. Ignore your detractors. (Whoever they might be telling you to throw in the towel.)
3. Rehearse your victories. (In fact, maybe some good homework this week would be to sit down & compile a list on paper of times that God has intervened in your life & pray it back to Him. “Lord, we took out that lion, didn’t we? We took out that bear, didn’t we God? And now Lord, we can defeat this ‘Goliath,’ you & me.”)
4. Know your weapon. (I know I’ve said this to you 5,280 times over the past several years. Spend time in this book. Read it daily.)
And then, expect God to show up. (And watch our “Goliath” tumble.)
MARANA THA
