David: Facing Your Giants Series

There is not a more inspiring hero story than David. Let’s jump right into his story this morning.

SCENE ONE: The Israelites Meet Goliath (Vs. 1-11)

Keep in mind that this is an ARMY…and what is the purpose of an ARMY? They fight battles…but this is an army that is letting the enemy get an upper hand.

Basically They are lined up against the Philistines and instead of charging into battle as was normal, the Philistines sent out a “champion named Goliath”.

1 Samuel 17:4-7 - A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet [a] tall. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels [b] ; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. [c] His shield bearer went ahead of him.

There was a means of settling a dispute by sending one man from each army to settle the dispute for the entire group. And that’s what the Philistines are attempting. The thing is, they’ve got this Giant on their team. This guy would clean up in the WWF! He’d be a star in the NFL even today. HE was 9’9”. That’s taller than the ceilings in most of our houses. This guy was big…and Scary!

- His coat weighed 156 pounds!

- His spear, just the head of it weighed 18 pounds!

- He was a mutant!

1Samuel 17:8-9 - 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us."

Basically, The Israelites were given one choice. Don’t line up for battle, let’s settle this Mano a Mano…Hand to Hand…Man to Man. Let’s spare all the bloodshed and let’s make this to where only one man dies.

1 Samuel 17:10-11 - Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

Goliath would come out every morning, and did this for 40 days straight, giving the same challenge, and every time he would come out, the soldiers would listen in terror…because they didn’t have one man that could possibly compare to Goliath.

What does Fear do to us? It paralyzes us…Keeps us from moving.

We learned in our Wed. night course that the command "Fear Not" is stated 366 times in scripture! God is serious about that because he knows what it does to us.

ILL - My friends and I were on a High Ropes course and one friend got stuck. He couldn’t go up or down, backwards or forwards. He was stuck.

That’s what Fear does to us. The Israelites were set for battle, but they were standing at the line afraid to move ahead. They were "dismayed and terrified" because of Goliath.

Hudson Taylor, was the first missionary to China…he said “All God’s Giants have been Weak men, Who did great things for God because they believed that God was with them.”

The Israelites have forgotten that the same God who was with them when they crossed the Red sea, who was with them when they defeated Jericho, who was with them time and time and time again, is the same God who is with them now.

What are your Giants? What are the things that cause you to reel in fear and forget that God is with you?

SCENE TWO: David Meets Goliath (Vs. 12-32)

For Forty Days, Goliath had been taunting the Israelites and it was on that 40th day that David Showed up.

David’s job was that of a shepherd, but it was also his job to go back and forth to the battlefields to carry rations to his brothers (ancient armies provided their own rations).

1 Samuel 17:20-24 - 20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.