Title: How Big Is Your Giant?
Text: I Samuel 17:8-11
How do you kill a giant? How do you handle a problem that is so big, you cannot see beyond it? A problem that is so stubborn that it just will not go away? Day after day, as you look at that problem, it is like the devil himself is standing there taunting you, telling you how impossible your situation is. There are some of us that see a giant in our life and we are intimidated by it. Others of us see a giant and look at it as a challenge that we can overcome. While others of us run at that giant with full force, then get a little wary of that big thing in our lives and decide in the middle of it to run back into our little hiding spot.
For most of us, the devil, or that giant in our life, has not taken us down, but the problem is that we are not taking it down either. This can go on for weeks, months and sometimes even years. We face giants in our life and we just can’t seem to overcome it.
In I Samuel 17, the army of Israel faced that very situation. They had come to fight the army of the Philistines in the valley of Elah. Listen to the story:
I Samuel 17:2-4; “And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.”
The children of Israel were facing a giant! The Bible says he was six cubits and a span. That is equivalent to 9 feet 6 inches tall. That is a foot and a half higher than the ceiling in most buildings. The weight of his coat was 5,000 shekels of brass. This is equivalent to 500 pounds of clothing. This man was very big and very well equipped.
I Samuel 17:8-11; “Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 "If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall 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 these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”
The Bible says that the Israelites were dismayed. The word dismayed means that they had lost courage. In their own eyes they were defeated. Why? It goes back to what we talked about last week. They were focusing on the wrong person. Drop down to 22:
I Samuel 17:22-25; “And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up?”
Where were the soldiers of Israel looking? They were looking at the giant. After all, a guy that is taller than your ceiling, wearing 500 pounds of clothing might have been just a little bit intimidating. These Israelites were focusing on Goliath, the giant, but a little shepherd boy comes on the scene with a different perspective. David had been sent by his father, Jesse, to take some food to his brothers who were soldiers and to get a report from their commanding officer.
The soldiers of Israel hear Goliath and the Bible says that they were DREADFULLY AFRAID! They were not just afraid, they were dreadfully afraid. The Bible also says in verse 23 that David hears the words that Goliath is speaking. David’s response to these words are MUCH different than the soldiers response. Listen:
The soldiers response: I Samuel 17:24; “And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. 25 So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up?”
David’s response: I Samuel 17:26; “Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS?
We can see very clearly the difference between David and the army of Israel. In order to answer the question of this message: “How Big Is Your Giant?” You first have to answer the question of “Where is Your Focus?” It is your focus that will determine how big the giant is in your life.
What was David looking at? He obviously saw the giant, Goliath, but it is obvious that his focus was on something else. When David looked at that giant, he did not see him up on that mountain yelling out his threats. When he looked at that giant, he saw him as a defeated foe. He saw him lying on his back, dead! Not only that, David saw himself standing on top of that giant with his head in one hand and the reward for killing him in the other.
It is very important to notice something that David said to the army of Israel.
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
There is a tremendous significance in what David says here. Circumcision was the mark of the covenant between the Israelites and Jehovah God. As the seed of Abraham, David knew that he had some covenant promises from God that covered this very situation. David knew the power of covenant. The men of Israel obviously did not grasp the power of the Covenant the way that David grasped it. David was in covenant with God and at this point in his life he understood that he was not fighting alone, but Jehovah God stood behind him. One of the covenants that David remembered was when God said:
Deuteronomy 28:7: “They (your enemies) shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.”
David believed that promise. David proved that it didn’t matter if that enemy was a lion or a bear or some man who had defied God. David knew that enemy was as good as dead. He was aware of the covenant he had with God and it altered his focus and perspective.
Any Israelite on the battlefield that day could have defeated Goliath. Every one of them had the same covenant with God that David had. God is no respecter of persons. He didn’t back David because he loved him more than all the others. God backed David because David believed Him. David trusted his covenant.
Do you realize that you have a blood covenant with God? It is a covenant that has been ratified by the blood of Jesus and the Bible says that it is a better covenant than the covenant that David had:
Hebrews 8:6; ΒΆ “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.”
We have a better covenant than David had. But we need to check our focus. Where have you been looking lately? Are you looking at the size of the problem or are you looking at your covenant with God and the power of God that you have access to? When you focus your attention on your covenant with God everything changes.
While the soldiers of Israel were looking at the giant saying, “Have you seen this man that is come up against them?” David was looking at that same giant saying, “What reward do I get if I kill him?” Do you see the tremendous difference in the focus? Where is your focus? Your giant may be big, but what are you focusing on? Your mountain may be the biggest mountain that you have ever seen in your life, but what are you focusing on?
Each of us are going to see our giant in our lives in one of two ways.
DANGEROUS OR VALUABLE?
The army of Israel saw the giant as extremely dangerous, where David saw the giant as extremely valuable.
I Samuel 17:25; “And it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.”
Once David finds out the value of this giant, he pipes up and says, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” You ever seen Scooby and Scrappy Doo. Scrappy is this little dog that thinks he can take on anyone that dares to come up against him. This is the picture that the army of Israel has of David. He can’t take on this giant. Oh he thinks he’s something but he doesn’t stand a chance. But David knew better because of his covenant. His focus was on the value and not the danger.
When we are faced with an insurmountable object we then have to stop and choose our perspective. This problem you are facing is either valuable or it is dangerous. When your body is attacked with disease, it is either valuable or dangerous. When your finances are attacked on every side, it can either be valuable or dangerous. This trial you are going through will either kill you or it will give you another opportunity to learn more about the Word then you have ever learned before. This giant can give you an opportunity for God Almighty to receive more glory in your life than ever before. Not only that, this is an opportunity for you to come out boasting about the power of the Word in your life.
Dangerous or valuable? You choose! It is not an easy choice. If it was, then everyone in the world would be doing it. Many people who believe in healing die young because it is not easy to choose to believe God when your body is in pain.
It is not easy to sling off the covers, get out of bed and say, “Jesus bore my sicknesses and carried my diseases and I am NOT staying down under this illness in the Name of Jesus.”
It is not easy to go through all those healing Scriptures and quote them all day long to yourself, to the devil and to your body and to anyone else that will hear you.
It is not easy talking covenant talk when everyone else is yielding to fear and acting like you are an idiot.
It is not easy when no one else agrees with your perspective.
Think about David for a minute! David didn’t get to much agreement from his family or his leadership. His oldest brother Eliab came down on him like a hammer.
He got angry with David and said, I Samuel 17:28; “Why did you come down here anyway! Who did you leave the sheep with in the wilderness? I know your pride and the naughtiness of your heart; for you just wanted to come down here to catch a glimpse of the battle.”
Not everyone agreed with David. But David didn’t care because he did not focus on the giant, he focused on the outcome. He saw this giant as a great value to him and his family. How are you seeing this giant that has been taunting you for weeks and maybe even months? Have you lost focus? Are you allowing the pressure to push you towards God or away from God? Stop looking at the giant and start looking at Jehovah God!
