God;s Super Bowl Game

God’s Super Bowl Game

(1 Samuel 17:1-51)

In, (1 Samuel 17:1-51) we find the story of two opponents. Opponents similar to a Super Bowl except the winning team LIVED and the LOSING TEAM was DESTROYED. They DIED.

When we compare the two teams, we find the Philistines Vs the Israelites.

The Philistines were TRAINED in battle. Their soldiers actually died during “Basic training” trying to learn how to fight. They also had a soldier who stood 9’6” TALL and had 3 BIG BROTHERS!

The Israelites were out numbered and out classed. Their soldiers were afraid of a 9’6” soldier. (How was the average man 5’6” to 6’2 going to fight a 9 foot skyscraper of a soldier with a bad attitude?) (Israel from its point of view, was about to be STOMPED!)

Now David was a brother to one of the soldiers in the ISRAELITE army. David didn’t come to fight; he was carrying food for his brothers. David was a small, young, boy and NOT a warrior by any means. BUT! David was a shepherd. And the Shepherd had to protect the sheep against ANY AND ALL attacking animals or people.

The Shepherd had 2 pieces of weaponry, his ROD / STAFF and his sling. His simple sling by OUR standards might be considered slight and slim. BUT, in ancient times, a TRAINED slingsman had the range and accuracy of an archer. The “stone” wasn’t always a rock; sometimes lead marbles were used. (These were easily carried and quite deadly, but hardly a weapon against metal armor.)

(Velocity measurements were taken using a radar unit and tennis balls, which were clocked at 130-150 km/h.

If we assume an 80 gram stone) and an initial velocity of 150 137 fps, the projectile would be generating 50 ft. lbs.

This is well in excess of estimates for the amount of energy required to inflict a casualty.)

So Goliath comes out taunting the Israelites to fight. With GOOD reason, the Israelites would rather NOT “Arm-Wrestle” with a 9’6” tall gigantic soldier and his 3 brothers!

When all of the Israelite soldiers fail to answer the tauntings of Goliath, David looks over and says in (1 Samuel 17:32) “Thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

David then tells King Saul how the Lord delivered him from an attacking LION and later from an attacking BEAR. David says, “This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. (Vs-36)

King Saul thinks BRING OUT ARMOR AND A SWORD for this kid; he’ll need all the help he can get. BUT, David had no training with armor or ability with a sword. David simply took his UNWAVERING FAITH IN GOD, his shepherd’s staff, his TRUSTY sling and 5 simple stones. (At this point Goliath was TOAST; he just didn’t know it yet.)

Goliath laughed at David and cursed David by the gods of the Philistines. “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.” (Vs-44)

David answered Goliath, (1 Samuel 17: 45) “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hands.”)

Goliath gets mad at this kid and comes toward David. David put his hand in his shepherd’s bag, and plays a little “eeny, meeny, miney, moe” and comes out with ONE stone.

David slang the stone and HIT Goliath, smack in the forehead, and down Goliath fell face first on the ground. David ran over and STOOD on dead Goliath, pulls out Goliath’s sword, (Which Goliath had never had a chance to draw.) David lopped of Goliath’s head and the Philistine army FLED. God’s Super bowl game ended in a score of Israelites 1 philistines 0.

Goliath was a HUGE man with armor and shield and sword covering from head to foot, but the soldier’s face was OPEN. It was a million to one shot for David to hit the ONLY WEAK spot on Goliath.

How did David do it? It was faith in God an ONE SIMPLE STONE.