Defiant Giants

1 Samuel 17:1-11 KJV Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. [2] And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. [3] And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. [4] And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. [5] And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. [6] And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. [7] And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. [8] And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. [9] If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. [10] And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. [11] When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

I. INTRODUCTION—SPIRITUAL WARFARE

William Gurnall—The Christian’s armor is made to be worn; no laying down, or putting off our armor, till we have done our warfare, and finished our course. Our armor and our garment of flesh go off together. . . in heaven we will appear not in armor but in robes of glory. . . but here it has to be worn night and day. We must walk, work, and sleep in them, or else we are not true soldiers of Jesus Christ.

-We are involved in spiritual battle! Whether we are willing to admit it or not, there is an assault by hell on your soul! We have to keep our armor on!

-The Bible is a spiritual book as well as an orderly, concise and well-programmed book. However, God not only intends for us to see His Word in the manner of a doctrinal and devotional view but also as a manual for helping us to see what a spiritual battle looks like.

1 Corinthians 10:11 KJV Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

-The context of that passage is dealing with the failings and fumblings of the children of Israel in the wilderness. In their unbelief and confusion they did not enter in to the Promised Land. However, Paul notes that this example was to serve as an example for the New Testament church. Because of this, we must be given to the conclusion that many of the Old Testament stories were given to us as examples or pictures of what a spiritual battle looks like.

-The story of David and Goliath is no different in giving us an idea of what spiritual warfare looks like. There are others that can go along with that one also to show us the face of spiritual battles and the prevailing power that God has in mind for His church.

-Since I am focusing in on the life of David, there are multiple examples that we may take to heart in this issue of spiritual warfare. Consider:

• Fleeing from Saul (1 Sam. 19). We soon discover that in serving the Lord there will be times that we learn we have to trust dark in the storms just as we trusted Him in the sunshine. Saul became an enemy on the inside. Far more ominous than the Goliath on the outside was the Saul on the inside. There will be internal spiritual battles as well as internal spiritual battles.

• Becoming a leader will take you to Adullam before you get to the palace (1 Sam. 22). God while putting David in the position to flee from Saul, linked him up to some of the biggest misfits of life in that cave. You may think you are running from an enemy but God designs it in such a way that you are running to a greater purpose than what you may realize.