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.
David looks fear in the eyes and sees something different than the rest of the tribe. He sees a greater purpose more than his personal safety.
You see this is a serious thing because God’s purpose for Israel was that His NAME be proclaimed as great throughout the earth.
David comes in as an outsider and sees things a little more clearly than those who were standing there.
1 Samuel 17:26 - David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
David is giving them a little pep talk. He says:
- Have you guys forgotten what we are really fighting for? Have you forgotten that God said he would never leave our side? Goliath is not defying you as an army, he’s defying God himself!
David was willing to step where no one else was willing to step.
1 Samuel 17:32 - David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
SCENE THREE: David Meets Saul (Vs. 33-40)
1 Samuel 17:33 - Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."
There are some people who if you attempt to tell them they can’t do something, they’ll attempt it just to prove you wrong.
Read this story this week: In 1982, three 12 year olds from Mississippi took their love for the Movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and decided to recreate the movie shot for shot using a rented Video camera, 7 summers, and a budget of around $5000. They did it. They didn’t have $26 million that Lucas and Spielberg used to create the original film, nor did they have access to the A list actors, so they cast their middle school classmates in those roles. The movie was shown in a Coca-cola plant Theatre in 1989, but then put away until 2003 when it was re-discovered and the three boys, now in their 30s are the subjects of a new movie to be made about their adventure. They even received letters from Steven Speilberg himself congratulating them on their accomplishment.
Eric Zala, who directed the movie, said "Being a kid, you don’t know what you can’t do, which is helpful when you are trying make a $26 million film on your allowance,"
Saul was telling David that there was no way in the world that he would be able to defeat this giant of a man.
1 Samuel 17:34-37 - But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you."
David knew about God’s Power…and knew that his own didn’t matter.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 - 26Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29so that no one may boast before him.
Saul only knew one way to win the battle (swords and armor and helmets)
1 Samuel 17:38-40 - Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
David knew that the battle belonged to the Lord and victory was won before he ever set foot on the battlefield.
John 16:33 - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
SCENE FOUR: Goliath Meets David (Vs. 41-50)
1 Samuel 17:41-47 - Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 "Come here," he said, "and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" 45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands."
I love a good underdog story! (Remember the Titans, Hoosiers, The Bad News Bears, Rocky, I even liked "Mighty Ducks" with Emilio Estevez!)
I rented "Friday Night Lights" fully expecting another one of those rags to riches stories and (sorry if you’re planning to watch the movie this afternoon) but they make it to the championship game and lose in the final seconds! I was so upset! Because I WANT to see the little guy get the trophy!
I Samuel 17 is a true zero to hero story where the little guy gets the victory because he stepped up with the courage and faith that God provided.
1 Samuel 17:48-50 - As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
How do we face the Giants in our lives? Ephesians 6
1. Rely on God’s Power, Not Your Own.
a. Ephesians 6:10-11 - Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
b. The TRUTH is that I would not had mattered had Goliath been 20 feet tall! David was determined that God was fighting for him.
2. Be Sure You are fighting for the right reasons
a. Ephesians 6:12 - For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
b. David’s decision to face Goliath was based on his conviction of the person and character of God. Not his personal desire for fame or popularity.
c. So always check your motivation…God does.
3. Prepare Yourself For Battle
a. Ephesians 6:13-18 - Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
