David And Goliath--Part 3 Series

Of course, the odds makers in Philistia—and even in Israel—had all their money on the big guy too. After all, Goliath was nine feet nine inches tall and he was a seasoned warrior. Opposing him was David, probably still a teenager, whose resume included shepherding and playing the harp. Everyone who looked at the upcoming battle between Goliath and David would have said that it was a terrible mismatch.

Lesson

But in today’s lesson, in 1 Samuel 17:41-58, we learn that God raises up a savior against those who defy him.

Let’s use the following outline:

1. The Boasting of Goliath (17:41-44)

2. The Response of David (17:45-47)

3. The Victory of David (17:48-54)

4. The Inquiry of Saul (17:55-58)

I. The Boasting of Goliath (17:41-44)

First, let’s look at the boasting of Goliath.

First Samuel 17:40 says that David “took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine” in the valley between the two armies. Verse 41 says, “And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.” I wonder if Goliath thought that David was the shield-bearer to the champion who would follow him. I mean, David was so small in comparison to the giant Goliath.

But, when no other champion stepped onto the battlefield, and when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance (17:42). Interestingly, what Goliath saw was what Samuel saw when he anointed David as the future king over Israel, “Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome” (16:12).

But, of course, what Goliath saw incensed him. He just saw David’s staff in his hand. In fact, David looked like a shepherd and not like a battle-hardened soldier. So, the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” (17:43a). I was struck by the fact that in this entire text that we are examining today the author never refers to Goliath by name; he is simply “the Philistine,” perhaps to highlight his opposition to Jehovah, the living God of Israel. In fact, the Philistine cursed David by his gods (17:43b), probably Dagon (5:2) and Ashtaroth (31:10). This really was the true confrontation: the gods of the Philistines versus the God of Israel, the false gods versus the true and living God, Jehovah.

Then, the Philistine boasted and said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field” (17:44). Goliath boasted that he would make mincemeat of David and feed him to the animals. Any one of us facing an almost ten-foot giant would be quivering and quaking in our boots. But, not David.

II. The Response of David (17:45-47)

Second, let’s note the response of David.

David was not afraid of Goliath. His trust was not in his own ability but his trust was in the Lord. We remember that David had earlier said to Saul, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:37).