Read 1 Sam 17:26-29
The army of Israel was at war against the Philistines, but they were intimated by a giant Goliath, standing over 9 feet tall (17:4, 3 metres)
• For 40 days this Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand (4:16), mocking not just Israel but Israel’s God.
• David came to the battle front and got to know what was happening.
He came to see his 3 oldest brothers and to bring them food, instructed by his father Jesse to do so.
• He heard everything. And he was angry. 17:26 “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
• There was this great unease in his heart. How can we let him, come out day after day, and mocks God’s army?
He told King Saul when he was brought before him: “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” (17:32)
• 17:36 “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear (when they came to harass my father’s sheep); this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.”
• Finally when he faced the giant, this was what he said (17:45): “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.”
The word “defy” was used many times. It means bringing disgrace. This man was shaming the name of God and His army.
• Something was driving David. Something in him was motivating him that we did not see in the soldiers, who were “dismayed and terrified” (17:11).
• David was (1) PASSIONATE FOR GOD’S GLORY. That motivates him and gives him courage.
No wonder the Lord described him as “a man after my own heart; he will do everything I wanted him to do.” (cf. Acts 13:22)
• David was driven by a desire to see that God’s Name be exalted and God be glorified.
• And God will surely glorify Himself through the person who is passionate for His glory.
Not everyone shares the same passion. In fact, his oldest brother Eliab came to him, burning with anger and asked: “Why have you come down here? … I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” (17:28)
• God saw a heart after his own heart. Man sees something else, coloured by his own prejudice, jealousy, and pride.
• Eliab was more concerned about David’s words, than Goliath’s mockery of Jehovah’s God. David words exposed their cowardice and weakness; their fears.
• Are you more concerned about your own name? Or the Name of the Lord? Are you more concerned about defending your reputation, or the glory of God?
What make David really great will not be his possessions (the wealth and riches), his position (anointed as King), his privilege, his power (as ruler of a great empire) but his PASSION - his passion for God.
• He lives for God’s glory. He was quick to repent when he sinned; he was willing to confess when he failed.
• The psalms reveal the heart of a man who is passionate for God’s glory.
When he has to convince Saul to let him fight Goliath, this is what he said (17:34-37):
34But 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, 35I 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. 36Your 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. 37The 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 was (2) FAMILIAR WITH GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
• If God delivered him in the past, He will deliver him now.
• David was tending his father’s sheep as a young boy. Nothing glamorous or great, but he experienced God’s presence, protection and power.
God groomed him, through simple task like tending sheep, to become the King of a great nation.
• David has to learn lessons about God’s power and His faithfulness, in little things before God can entrust him with greater things.
• David learns lessons about God’s power and faithfulness, in the private arena (at his home backyard) before God thrusts him into the public arena (and appoints him leader over Israel).
Servants of God are able to stand strong in crisis because they have tasted and known God’s faithfulness in their past encounters with Him.
• We see this in Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Paul and many others.
• Are you familiar with God’s faithfulness? Have you experienced His ever-present help in times of trouble?
• David has that courage and fortitude because he was familiar with God’s faithfulness. He depended on God’s faithfulness to fight Goliath.
David (3) DEPENDED UPON GOD’S ENABLING (GOD’S POWER)
It was obvious David has no warring experience. He was just a shepherd boy and Goliath a warrior from youth (17:33).
• The armour and helmet did not fit him. He has never worn them, not to say, fight in them. He was untrained and inexperienced.
• He has only God on his side, but that proved to be enough!
• How often do we really confront life’s challenges that way? If God is for us, who can be against us? (cf. Rom 8:31)
David went by the stream, chose 5 smooth stones and off to fight Goliath with his sling!
• Scholars say he has chosen smooth stones because they are aero-dynamically accurate. David was wise. He has been throwing stones while watching over the sheep.
• He took 5 stones, but one was enough. With God behind it, one is enough.
God can use the most insignificant thing to accomplish His will.
• 1 Cor 1:27-29 “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.”
• God is not looking for ability, but availability. He is not looking for what you do not have, but what you do have.
• God can use your simple skills and grant you success, and transform that success into significance.
Finally (4) David SOUGHT TO PROCLAIM GOD’S NAME (GOD’S SALVATION)
1 Sam 17:45-47 “45David 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. 46This 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. 47All 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."
From the beginning, nothing was going right for David.
• His oldest brother reprimanded him. The King felt he was too young and inexperienced. Goliath mocked and cursed him.
• Clearly, no one sided with him. No one believed in him.
• Are you going to trust what they say? Or believe what God can do, for His Name’s sake?
At the beginning, the army of Israel was “shouting the war cry” (17:20). They were making a lot of noise but in the end, no action, paralysed by fear.
• David made no noise, but showed lots of action. Faith works. Faith without works is dead, it’s useless.
It is not easy to trust God in the midst of all these pessimism. But we are called to “live by faith, not by sight.” (2 Cor 5:7) David demonstrated that.
• In all of these, David wanted ultimately to proclaim the greatness of his God.
• There is one true and Almighty God, and He is the God of Israel!
The world needs this message today.
• James H. Taylor II says: “We live in a day when truth is becoming relative, moral standards personalised, faith is privatised, religion is commercialised, salvation is meritocratic, life is secularised, and the church marginalised.”
• Nothing is absolute. Even truth is relative. You can choose to believe what you LIKE to believe.
David did a great job and proclaimed the Name of his God.
• One man, just one man but with God on his side, can do great things for Him.
• One man, one young boy, but with faith in God, can accomplish great things for God.
• God uses insignificant people and things (a stone) to further His Kingdom and glorify His Name.
• Let us be that one man or woman for God. Do you have such a faith?
