September 30, 2007  •  Pastor Randy Smith

It has been used as the punch line of a joke.

It has been used as motivation for the victim of attacks.

Last week we began our study on possibly the most famous chapter in the Bible. As we conclude this Sunday, I want to emphasize once again how important it is to rightly interpret this passage. What does God desire to teach us about Himself, and how can we apply that instruction in our contemporary age?

It is my prayer as we have been working our way through 1 Samuel that you will first and foremost become better acquainted with God. Though bypassed by many, that must be our starting point. For only when we grow in our knowledge and love for the Lord will we rightly understand ourselves and the world in which we live. We must fight the tendency to say, “What about me?” and be like David and say, “What about God?” We must grow as a man or woman after God’s heart. Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God.” Is this your desire as we approach this passage?

We have structured our study about God on the framework of four conflicts found in 1 Samuel chapter 17.

The first conflict we observed last week was between Goliath and Israel. In verses 1-11 we were introduced to Goliath. He was the champion of the Philistines. He was massive in size (so big he would look down upon Patrick Ewing) and decorated in heavy armor from head to toe. In his hands he held a large spear and javelin. Out of his mouth he spewed insults directed toward Israel and her God. In verse 10 he said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.”

How did the nation respond? Verse 11, “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” Despite the fact that God had promised to deliver them from the Philistines, despite the fact that God had given them miraculous victories in the past, and despite the fact that Saul was chosen for moments like these, Israel cowered in a corner frightened and overwhelmed by the monster that opposed them.

As I mentioned in the introduction we must have a God-first, God-centered perspective in all that we do. Israel did not. And by not focusing first on the Lord but rather by concentrating first on themselves, they knew they were no match for Goliath. If their eyes were on the Lord where they should have been, they would have realized that this was God’s battle (17:47) and one in which Goliath had no hope.

Israel needed a man after God’s heart – a man in whom the Spirit dwelt mightily. Enter David. Notice that God’s answer to the challenge was not a bigger man than Goliath but a shepherd boy.

The second conflict we examined was between David and his oldest brother, Eliab. Unfortunately before David could fight Goliath, he needed to fight one from within his ranks, even one from within his own family.

Verse 23, “The champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.”

Unlike the worldly-minded Israelites, David took offense at Goliath’s remarks and said, verse 26, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” While the others were scared to die, David would have preferred death rather that see God’s name maligned.

God’s name as we said last week represents all that He is. Even our Lord Jesus, when teaching the disciples to pray informed them of the necessity to hallow God’s name (Mt. 6:9). You see, the moment we take the title of “Christian” upon ourselves we represent the name of God. We all have a testimony to a watching world of critics – is it a positive one or a negative one? When others observe our lifestyle, does it bring honor or disgrace to the reputation of God’s name? We are to be a physical representation of the living God. Our lives are the only Bible many people may ever read. What do people think about God as they think of us?

Does God’s name motivate us enough to live according to the Scriptures? It did David. With God at the forefront of his affections, he not only supported God’s name by his lifestyle but also fervently opposed those, like Goliath, who made a mockery of that holy name.

David knew that one cannot live for God’s name until one is prepared to die for God’s name. And the man after God’s heart is prepared to face death if it means defending the honor of his Lord.

But just as David is prepared to fight the blasphemous giant, he must stand against the verbal attacks from his brother. Verse 28, “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, ‘Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.’” Eliab attacks David’s actions and questions his motives.

Rather than follow their example, it is always much easier to attack those who convict us of the lifestyle we should be conducting. For example, the godly individual is called “fanatical” because I just do not want to admit that she loves Jesus more than I! Satan will muster all within his arsenal to discourage and defeat God’s servants. At times he will even use people who claim to be within God’s camp.

That prepares us for our third conflict.

3. SAUL QUESTIONS DAVID

After David overcame the jealousy of brother Eliab, he must now overcome the doubt of king Saul.

Word was brought to the king that David accepted Goliath’s challenge. While David was filled with the Spirit of God (16:13), King Saul, now without the Spirit (16:14), responded in a way we would have expected. He spoke with a voice of reason and sensibility that was all man-centered.

Verse 33, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.” In other words, “He’s bigger, he’s older, he’s more experienced – you may have good intentions but you are living a fantasy, my son. I don’t feel comfortable just throwing away your life!”

David counters Saul’s objections by showing his decision is not rash or foolish or even a testimony to his own toughness. Beginning in verse 34, “‘Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.’ And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’”

We earned last week that Israel was already defeated because God never entered into their thinking. But David was the first to interject God into this situation. Verse 26, “For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” David knew that God is faithful to His promises, and with God on his side the appearance of overwhelming odds is inconsequential. To David, the nasty Goliath was no more frightening than a lion or bear that God had helped him defeat in the past. David’s portfolio of God’s faithfulness both sustained and motivated him for this present situation. David knew it was not about him. He knew it was all about God and His faithfulness to deliver!

“And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the LORD be with you.’” (17:37b).

Please notice how David, faithful with the small things such as watching sheep (16:11; 17:15) and obeying his father’s directives (17:17), is now prepared for and considered faithful for a larger work. Also notice how David needed to overcome battles with smaller giants like his brother and his king, before he would battle the greater giant, Goliath himself. I hope we all aspire to see the Lord use us to accomplish great things, but great things will never happen until we are faithful with the smaller responsibilities and able to overcome the smaller Goliath’s that attack us on a daily basis.

4. DAVID DEFEATS GOLIATH

Now that David has proved victorious over a series of spiritual tests, he is prepared to fight Goliath, our fourth point in our sermon outline.

From being uninvited to his own inauguration as king, to being mistreated by his jealous brother, to being distrusted by his faithless king, Goliath will now join the ranks of David’s rejecters. What a great illustration teaching us that God’s servants must expect and persevere through opposition.

Beginning in verse 40, “He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine. Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. The Philistine said to David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine also said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.’”

Do you get the picture? The pride of Goliath must have burned with anger. He was filled with indignation. No doubt he viewed David as an opponent unworthy of his time and his might. It was an insult. For defeating David would be a cheap victory and contribute nothing to his glory. He mocked David and cursed him by his gods.

It was a spear verses a sling, big verses small, wrong verses right, defiance verses purity, know-how verses inexperience, and maturity verses youth.

What a contrast is established in our minds! It is all there to teach us that God uses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong (1 Cor. 1:20, 27). For His ways and the world’s ways are rarely in agreement (Isa. 55:8-9). Everybody in this account saw things from a self-centered perspective except one little shepherd boy from Bethlehem with a heart after God who dared to see things from a God-centered perspective.

Please keep in mind that this whole account is not so much about the much-hyped courage of David as it is confidence in God’s adequacy through David’s weakness (17:37, 45, 47). Someone once said, “It is not so much our littleness that hinders Christ as our bigness. It is not so much our weakness that hinders Christ as our strength. It is not our darkness, but our supposed light that holds back His power.” We must remember that God’s sufficiency is best demonstrated through our insufficiency (2 Cor. 12:9-10). And recognizing our inadequacies may be the greatest quality in serving Him faithfully.

This ultimately came down to a war not between Goliath and David but between Goliath’s gods and David’s God. Ancient Near Eastern philosophy equated military strength with a nation’s deity. As Goliath cursed David by his gods, we must remember that his gods were lifeless and unable to deliver. We were introduced to Dagon, one of his gods in chapter 5, only to remember that he was found bowing to the ark and severely dismembered.

On the contrary, David came in the name of the living God. David is appalled that the worshipper of dead idols had the audacity to reproach the armies of the living God. His reply to the Philistine begins in verse 45. “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.”

David was not motivated by his own ego or the rewards that Saul had to offer. His ultimate purpose was not even to save Israel by defeating Goliath. His heart was right, and therefore he was moved by His great love for the Lord. Goliath wanted his own glory and his gods were a tool to help him achieve it. That sounds like many Christians today! Yet David wanted to be used by the Lord to further God’s glory.

In verses 46-47 David’s motives cannot be any clearer. “That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S.” When Israel picked-up their newspapers the following morning and read the box score of this account, David wanted everyone to know Yahweh is the true God. Defiance toward His name is the height of folly. Yet those who rely upon Him will be delivered.

Verses 48 and following, “Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground. Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.”

All the hype and drama to reach the fight scene, and it ends almost before the ring attendant can sound the opening bell. I mean we are hardly in our seats before this battle comes to an end. We might even demand a refund if we paid good money for the price of admission!

Three points of application directed toward our present generation:

One, God uses us to accomplish His purposes.

Just as it is wrong like we observed in Goliath to rely upon our own resources, it is also wrong to adopt a passive role in regard to serving the Lord. The common expression today, “Let go and let God,” stands in opposition to the way we saw God work through David.

In this account we saw God use David’s gifts and past experiences. And although God providentially directed that stone to Goliath’s forehead, we must know that contemporaries in David’s time were able to sling 2-3 inch stones 100-150 miles per hour (cf. Ju. 20:16).

This is a reminder to us that we don’t sit on our hands, check out our brains, and become passive observers. We must pray fervently, learn the Scriptures, develop our gifts and labor earnestly, while fully trusting the Lord and giving Him all the glory. We see this example from all the heroes in the Bible. It is walking the fine line between energetic zeal and childlike faith.

Two, this account specifically applied to Old Covenant Israel.

If we use this story to encourage our nephew to defeat the monster on the playground, he will probably learn to distrust God as he wondered where God was after he got the tar kicked out of him! Like the confused boxer who observed his opponent kneeling before their fight. His trainer relieved his perplexity by informing the boxer that he was praying. “Will it help?” asked the boxer. “Not if he can’t fight,” replied the trainer.

Israel was God’s chosen nation. He promised to defend her against her enemies. David had faith in the promises of God. God has given new promises to His church. We too must understand those promises and have the faith that God will remain true to His word.

Three, contending with the living God is a losing proposition.

This story in 1 Samuel 17 is designed to teach us that the greatest forces that the world can muster up are turned to mere dust when they seek to oppose the living God. And while it seems that God is passive and oftentimes defeated, God is only demonstrating His patience because the day will come when every knee will bow before His throne. The one we should fear is not the Goliath of this world but the living God who one day will judge this world (Mt. 10:28).

We must see through the shepherd David, the foreshadowing of the ultimate Shepherd through David’s line, Christ Jesus. For as David defeated Goliath, Jesus will be champion over God’s enemies.

His victorious ending has already been determined. In the book of Revelation we read, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’” (Rev. 19:11-16).

For after His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus has ascended to the “right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2). He is “declared the Son of God with power” (Rom. 1:4) and given “the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). He will return, and He will be victorious over all. And all who through their words and actions mock His name; the fate of Goliath awaits those who persist in their insurrection and rebellion.

Yet just as the Bible describes His coming triumph, the Bible also describes a pardon given to all who forsake their rebelliousness and surrender to His lordship. For the coming King was also the sacrificial lamb that died so that humanity might receive forgiveness. Through Christ and His death on the cross, God promises to pardon all who lay down their arms and surrender now to His mighty name—to all who forsake their self-reliance and recognize their personal inadequacies.

Have you trusted Jesus Christ for salvation? Are you like Goliath trusting in yourself and your false gods or have you acknowledged Jesus as the true champion over sin, Satan and death? If so, His life will manifest itself in yours. Like David and like Jesus, you too will live for the glory of God’s name. Like David and like Jesus, you too will run to the battle line of spiritual warfare. And like David and like Jesus, you too will be victorious as you wait on God’s deliverance.