DAVID AND GOLIATH

I Samuel 17:1-58

Key verse 45: David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

God wanted certain qualities in the kings of Israel

As we go through first Samuel event by event, we see that it’s really about God establishing the first kings over Israel. The Bible also makes clear that God wanted certain qualities from the king. For example, one of the requirements for the king was that he revere God (Deut 17:19).

Now Saul, the very first king, had not been living up to this. He did not revere the Lord. He disobeyed God’s explicit instructions through Samuel to totally wipe out the Amalekites. 15:12 shows that he built a monument to himself. Even when he admitted that he sinned, he was concerned more with his own honor, so he begged the prophet Samuel “…please honor me before the elders of my people and before Israel….” (15:30). Rather than truly repenting of his sins, he worried about losing face in front of everyone. Saul’s heart was now so far from God that all he thought about was keeping his own empty authority.

We know that God had already rejected Saul as king. But we also saw that God anointed David to be the king who would succeed Saul. God prophesied about this new king, “…the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people” (13:14). Today’s narrative is the first in a line of many events in David’s life that reveal how he was that man after God’s own heart. This famous story of David defeating Goliath shows that through the faith of even one person who trusts in God, God will bring about a great deliverance.

A Philistine Champion Defies Israel (1-11)

Now the Philistines, bitter enemies of Israel, pitched camp in the region of Judah. They gathered their forces for war, for a new campaign to push even further into Israel’s territory. Saul and the armies of Israel assembled to try to stop further invasion. But a stalemate ensued. The Philistines occupied one hill, and across the valley, Israel’s armies rested on the other hill.

King Saul of Israel had been failing God, so God allowed their enemy to encroach into the promised land. Whenever the Israelites did not honor God and keep his covenant, their enemies would get the upper hand.

Now there was a standoff at the valley. [it looks like the old western movies when two cowboys face each other with their hands ready to grab their guns]. Who would be the first to make a move? But no one moved.

So the Philistines came up with a wise strategy. They had a secret weapon. They had the atom bomb of their time. It was time to bring out Goliath.

As the soldiers of Israel stood on their hill looking across one day, they saw a man from the Philistines coming into the valley. As this guy got closer, he looked bigger and bigger. The Israelites couldn’t believe what they saw. Goliath was literally a giant. This guy was HUGE, about 9 feet and 9 inches tall. He wore a coat of scale armor of bronze that itself weighed 125 pounds. His thick spear had an iron point that weighed 15 pounds. This shows us that he was not just tall, he was very strong also, to be able to handle the incredibly heavy armor and weapons. What’s more, he had been a fighting man from his youth; this guy was born to be a soldier.

Goliath stood in the valley and shouted up at the Israelites. His big booming voice echoed all the way up to the Israelites. “Why do you come out and line up for battle?” [echo BATTLE-battle-battle]. “Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul?” The Hebrew text actually says, “Am I not THE Philistine?” So Goliath was the biggest and baddest of the them all. He was the chosen representative for all the Philistines. He challenged Israel to send out a single soldier to fight him. If Israel’s guy could beat him, he said the Philistines would surrender and become subject to them. But if he won, the Israelites would be subject to them. This was a smart thing to do. With a one on one fight, the Philistines could avoid a bloody war where they might lose many of their soldiers.

Goliath concluded his challenge saying, “This day I defy the ranks of Israel!” Now Goliath’s whole speech is psychological warfare. The Philistines sent him out to intimidate Israel. In other words, it was trash talk.

But it worked! Let’s read verse 11, “On hearing the Philistines words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” Wow. What was wrong with them? They had defeated the Philistines on previous occasions when God was with them, right? They could have ignored Goliath’s proposal and sent a whole bunch of their men down to gang up on Goliath and beat him. Instead, they all stood still in fear.

Israel served the Lord and belonged to the Lord. But here, we get some sad insight into the mind of Saul and Israel. They were dismayed and terrified, it means they lost all hope and cowered in fear. Why? Because Goliath was huge and strong, and was covered head to feet in impregnable bronze armor. A shield bearer went in front of him with a huge shield. Of course Israel had no such comparable person. Not even the biggest and best among them dared to step forward, because they couldn’t match Goliath.

This shows that Israel had lost sight of God and had been looking only at the outward realities. They lost sight of God who had delivered them so many times before. They forgot God’s promises to be with them even when they went against superior enemies. In Deut 20:1-4, God told Israel, When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Where now was the faith of Saul and Israel?

What had happened was that Saul trusted only in soldiers, weapons or himself- all physical and external things- to win the battle. 1 Sam. 14:52 says “All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.” Yes, it was prudent and logical for any king to draft such great soldiers. The king of Israel should do this too, but he should never lose sight of the Lord who was really the one fighting for them. Saul’s mistake was putting his security in trying to gather superior forces and such. Israel’s mistake was that they stopped trusting God and trusted in their spiritless king to defend them. All of their lack of faith really dishonored the Lord, but if even one of them would step forward in faith, God would work through that person.

A Faithful Shepherd Concerned With God’s Flock (12-27)

Now the Bible introduces some details about the life of the young David. Let’s read verses 17-19: Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.” David was the youngest of eight boys. His three oldest brothers were soldiers in the service of king Saul. David’s father now sent him on an errand to bring food to his brothers and find out how they were doing.

In this section, we get some glimpses of David’s faith and his nature. He had been anointed as the next king of Israel by the prophet Samuel. God had chosen him to replace Saul, but David kept quietly serving his father and his family. He never trumpeted the fact that God had chosen him. He never tried to overthrow Saul. He trusted that God would officially place him as the king on God’s time, and in God’s way.

David continued to humbly obey his father and to show concern for his brothers. Do you see what he did? Early the next morning he set out just as his father instructed him. He left the family flock of sheep in the care of a shepherd. He made sure not only to check on his brother’s welfare but even made sure someone watched the sheep while he was gone.

All this shows that David had a sense of concern and responsibility, even for the lowest of animals. This is not simply because he was a nice guy. He was a man of faith. He had the qualities God was looking for. He had the same mind of God; the Lord who looks over his people and is concerned for them. It seems like simple and natural care for one’s own family and responsibilities. But with David, there was more to the picture than just that. Let’s see how.

When David came to the battle line, he dropped off the food. What did he see? He came at the time when Israel and the Philistines were once again lining up. Every day for the last 40 days, they did this but never really fought. David was there when once again, Goliath came out and shouted his twice daily defiance and challenge.

When the Israelites saw and heard this, they all ran from Goliath in great fear. That’s what verse 24 says. But when David saw and heard Goliath, how did he react? Let’s read verse 26: David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Wow, David spoke quite boldly. In fact, he was outraged at Goliath who defied the people of the Lord. David saw the situation from God’s perspective, while the other Israelites did not. For example, they called Goliath ‘this man’ while David called him ‘this uncircumcised Philistine’. It means Goliath was not one of God’s people, Goliath and the Philistines were spiritual enemies of God himself, not just national enemies of Israel. The other soldiers focused on the rewards that Saul had promised to the one who could defeat Goliath. But David focused on the fact that the disgrace of Goliath needed to be removed from Israel. In short, David was concerned for God’s honor and for the welfare of God’s covenant people.

Because of his shepherd heart for Israel, David now contemplated fighting Goliath himself, if no one else would. Sadly, no one else would. It was clear that Saul was the number one most logical choice to go out and fight Goliath. The Bible said that Saul was a head taller than anyone else in Israel. He was an experienced fighter. And as the king, he should lead by example. But he did not. He remained paralyzed by fear and would not go out. If the Spirit of the Lord was now burning only inside David, then David himself had to go. He believed that God would defend him and God’s covenant people against this pagan uncircumcised Philistine.

David Overcomes Discouragers (28-40)

Now as soon as David decided that he would go against Goliath, what happened? No one supported him! Obviously, they thought David could not do it. First off, his oldest brother got angry when he heard David talking to the other soldiers about all this. Let’s read verse 28 to see his oldest brother’s sarcastic ridicule: When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” His brother thought David was foolish and irresponsible to try to stir things up among the soldiers. He thought David was conceited when he saw that young little guy considering going against Goliath. He wrongly accused David of having bad motives.

But David did not argue with his brother or try to defend himself. He simply asked, “Now what have I done? Can’t I even speak?” Then he turned away from his discouraging brother and talked to some of the other men.

What David was saying was reported to Saul. At last, Saul found out that one of the men wanted to go out and fight Goliath. Saul was overjoyed and sent for this guy. But his smile quickly dropped when David walked in. Here was his young harp player! This little pretty boy who played music for him, who was not even a soldier! Saul flat out said, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.” Our most powerful discouragements don’t come from our enemies; it comes from those closest to us! The people that are on our side try to tell us what we cannot do. But David saw things differently. He now gave his testimony to convince Saul to let him fight.

David told of how he had been watching his father’s sheep from his young age. When a lion or a bear came and grabbed one of the sheep in its mouth, David went after it! He struck the fearsome lion or bear and killed it. David said it was God who delivered him from the paw of the lion and the bear.

David had a sense of how to apply the past victories God had given him to the current situation. He said that Goliath would be just like one of those wild beasts that he had defeated. So Saul now agreed. Probably, Saul sensed the Spirit of the Lord inside David, and felt that God could use David to win. But Saul still kept relying on external, physical things. What did he do? He put his own tunic on David and fastened a sword to the tunic. Then he put a coat of armor and a bronze helmet on David. David walked around with this equipment on, but it slowed him down. He felt clumsy with it. So he took it off and told Saul, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” Instead, he took what he was used to. He got his sling and chose five big, smooth stones. This sling and stones are what David had experience with, it seems that he had been using these to kill those lions and bears. Such slings are not children’s toys. They are deadly weapons. Judges 20:16 shows that many Israelite soldiers were very skillful using this weapon and could kill people accurately and powerfully with it. Thus David rejected the sword and armor he had no experience with, and instead used what God had given him experience with during his life.

In this way, David overcame these discouragers who ridiculed him and objected to him. They told him he could not do it, but he did not take what they said to heart. He relied on God whom he knew was with him. He had a shepherd heart for God’s people Israel, and even though he was no match for Goliath, he believed that God would deliver Israel that day. He had faith in God and a relationship with God since his very young age. Psalm 71, which is strongly thought to be written by David says “For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.” This reliance upon God gave David the actual huge advantage, not Goliath. God would fight for David, and David knew it.

God Delivers David and all Israel (41-58)

So Saul let David go out with God’s blessing, carrying a shepherd’s staff and a sling and stones. Goliath, with his shield bearer in front of him, moved closer to David. When he saw David, he felt insulted. He despised this ruddy looking young boy. Why couldn’t Israel send him a worthy opponent instead of this kid that he would quickly crush? What is this, a joke? Goliath was mad! So he cursed David in the name of the Philistine idols. He said “Come here and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” He overconfidently assumed that he would crush this little guy.

But here, David’s faith is amazing. It is model faith for all of us. This whole story shows that David relied only on God and nothing else. Let’s read verses 45 through 47: David said to the Philisitine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here today will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” What are the specific ways that David pleases God here?

First off, David made sure that he came in the name of the Lord; “I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty….” In a very empty way, Goliath had invoked the names of the Canaanite gods that the Philistines also worshipped. He just used their names as curses. Such gods were dead idols anyhow. But when David came in the name of the Lord, it means he had faith in the person of God. Not just the name, but the person of God behind the name. He did not come to glorify himself, thinking he was somebody great. He didn’t come to glorify his nation Israel; after all look at how weak they were! In the name of the Lord Almighty means he came trusting in the power and authority of the Lord.

Next, David mentioned that the Lord was the God of the armies of Israel. Israel were God’s chosen covenant people. God loved them and dwelt with them. Remember in verse 26 that David called his people ‘the armies of the living God’? It means that God was right there with them, alive and working among them.

David also saw that this battle would make God known in the whole world. He said, “…the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.” Again, David is not concerned for his own glory, but he wants the whole world to know and honor God.

Last, David said that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. This means that David relied on God’s power and God’s ways of working. He did not put his trust in superior forces like Saul tried to do. He did not trust his own ability like Goliath did. In all this, David’s faith comes shining through, and because he honored and relied on God, God brought about an impossible, stunning upset.

Let’s read verses 48 and 49: As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forhead, and he fell facedown on the ground.” Goliath came lumbering toward David, but suddenly David closed the gap by running toward him. In one fast, smooth motion, he slung the rock right at the forehead of Goliath and knocked him out. To make sure the job was finished, he went up, took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head.

What was the result of this success? The Philistines panicked. They turned and fled. The armies of Israel ran after them and struck them down. They beat them all the way back to Gath and Ekron. Israel re-gained the area that they had lost to the Philistines.

David went around carrying the head of Goliath. He brought it Saul, and even into Jerusalem. He was not the type to show off, we’ve seen that already. He didn’t do this to boast about himself. Instead, he took it around to show a visible sign that God was with Israel. He used it as an encouraging object lesson of how God will deliver his people when they put trust in Him. When David relied on God, God lifted him up and his fame is known around the world even today. Saul inquired who David’s father was, so Saul could give the promised rewards to David and his family. Through this occasion, God began to establish David as the one who could lead Israel to serve God the way God wanted.

To defeat Goliath, rely on the Lord

Through this entire story we’ve seen some significant spiritual lessons. David’s shining example of faith inspires people still. We may think it’s a metaphor for rooting for the underdog, but that’s not quite it. We need to think about some specifics of what it means to us as the church and even as individual believers.

1. Who or what is ‘Goliath’? At the winter conference, Brian Annear challenged each of us to think about what is ‘Goliath’. Goliath is seen in those people, organizations, and philosophies of the world that defy God. Quite often, they very vocally defy God and God’s people. Satan works through these Goliaths. Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” We don’t fight personally against people as if they were some enemy to be destroyed. But we must identify where the spiritual forces of evil are, and when they defy God, oppose them.

2. ‘Israel’ represents the church and the believers. Israel were the people God loved and made a covenant with, the Jews. But now Jesus has made a new covenant in his blood, a covenant with the church. As God promised to be with Israel when they obeyed him, so Jesus tells the church, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This means that since the living God dwells with us, we will prevail in the end if we stick with Him. Jesus who made a covenant with us has already fatally wounded Satan. When we are mindful of all this, we cannot be paralyzed with fear like Saul and Israel were. Rather, we anticipate the final victory Jesus will give us when he returns to earth to reign. In the end, because of what God has done and God will do, the church- the believers- cannot lose. This is a great motivation and encouragement.

3. The believers are to honor the Lord. We saw the clear difference between the mind-set of Saul versus that of David. David was all about honoring the Lord. He came against Goliath in the Name of the Lord Almighty. What does it mean for us to be people after God’s own heart? It means that we dedicate ourselves to honoring Him, honoring His NAME above our own name. It means glorifying Jesus above everyone and everything else. This is what pleases God. We live in a highly self-centered culture. We’re taught to do whatever we want and feel like. We’re taught to promote ourselves, believe in ourselves, depend on ourselves. Christianity is now degenerating into another life philosophy to make you feel good about yourself. The Bible is being taught as if it were a manual for living a healthy and wealthy personal lifestyle. All this displeases the Lord, and it completely misses the point. We Christians should stop spending our life building up ourselves, our name and our security only. [that’s the stuff that Saul did]. We must honor God first, then he will lift us up.

4. Do not let discouragers stop you when you know you are pleasing God. When other believers, or those close to you disdain your faith or tell you it can’t be done, don’t listen. You can turn your back and keep going like David did to his brother. Or you can speak by faith like David did to Saul. Like that, you can work on convincing them why you believe something is God’s will and can be done. But do not make the situation worse by fighting or arguing with your brother or sister. Let it go and keep on the path. We believers should not discourage each other, nor should we be discouraged when we’re convinced we are going in the right direction before God.

5. Use your sling and your stones. David could not use the cumbersome armor and sword that Saul put on him. He had not trained with that stuff. He wasn’t used to it and not experienced with it. So he went back to his reliable sling. We shouldn’t superficially copy others who have experienced spiritual success. God gives us different gifts according to his will and wisdom. He gives each of us different life experiences, different capabilities and even different preferences. The sling and stones are spiritual elements that God has given us. So, are you good and experienced at teaching the Bible? Then do that. Are you sensitive and merciful? Then find opportunities to visit and pray with sick people. So, find out and use what God has developed in you during your life. What is your sling and stones? This is a very individual question that each of us must answer himself. Use those to oppose Goliath, and God will work through you. Make those the mainstay of your ministry.

6. Above all, rely on the Lord. As experienced and skillful as David was with his sling, he still made it clear that he trusted in the Lord. Saul mistakenly thought he could trust in superior forces and brave soldiers, but when they faced a greater enemy, they were all paralyzed in fear. David relied solely on God for victory over Goliath. This means that the church shouldn’t try to be like the world in order to succeed. So many churches hire consultants to try to learn methods of bringing in larger numbers of people. They try to imitate corporations, and the pastors try to think like business executives. But in the end, there is no spiritual fruit! Spiritual victory does not depend on simply adopting worldly ways and means. Let me read II Corinthains 10:4,5: The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. A church actually fails spiritually when they trust in worldly weapons. It doesn’t matter if they’ve gained a lot of membership but are spiritually bankrupt. There is nothing wrong with a church using contemporary music to attract people. There is nothing wrong with a large church building a gymnasium. It could be used as outreach. But no church should depend on such attractions and methods to win people. We rely solely on God, on his word, his power, and his authority. Then will the whole world come to know that there is a God in Israel.