"Is There Not a Cause?"
1 Samuel 17:1-58
1 Samuel 17:29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
Introduction:
I. The Powerful Adversary
a. A traditional enemy
The Philistines seem to have had an off again on again relationship with Israel. They we located generally to the Southwest of Palestine and several of the patriarchs had dealings with them. There are several battles mentioned in the Bible between Israel and the Philistines including the one that we will study today. They are:
The following is a list of battles purported in the Bible between the Israelites and the Philistines:[27]
The Battle of Shephelah (2 Chronicles 28:18).
Israelites defeated at the Battle of Aphek, Philistines capture the Ark (1 Samuel 4:1--10).
Philistines defeated at the Battle of Eben-Ezer (1 Samuel 7:3--14).
Skirmish at Michmash, Philistines routed by Jonathan and his men (1 Samuel 14).
Near the Valley of Elah, David defeats Goliath in single combat (1 Samuel 17).
The Philistines defeat Israelites on Mount Gilboa, killing King Saul and his three sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malkishua (1 Samuel 31).
Hezekiah defeats the Philistines as far as Gaza and its territory (2 Kings 18:5--8).
They were idol worshippers and were responsible for capturing, blinding and tormenting Sampson. In his last act Sampson destroyed the temple of Dagon and killed over 1,000 Philistines when he pulled the temple supports down upon himself and his tormentors.
Judges 16:30 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his death were more than they which he slew in his life.
b. A terrifying enemy
Goliath was from Gath, one of the five city-states that are mentioned in the Bible. To say that he was an imposing physical specimen is an understatement. What do we know about him?
He was imposing.
There are varying opinions as to how tall Goliath was ranging from 6-6 to 9-3. When you consider that the average height in that day was 5-5 for a man then he would have been anywhere from a head to 3 heads taller than David. His armor weighed in at 125-200 lbs. and his spear head alone weighed 15 lbs.
He was intimidating.
Did you know that one of the Devil's main devices is intimidation? In our day and time He is trying to intimidate believers, to keep us quiet, to keep us in our place!
1 Samuel 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
He was insulting.
We are told that twice a day for 40 days Goliath would come out and hurl insults at the army of Israel, King Saul and at the God of Israel.
1 Samuel 17:43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
He was invincible.
No one was willing to step up or out to take Goliath on. Not Saul or Abner or even brave Jonathan or and of the kings mighty men.
1 Samuel 17:23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
II. The Powerless Army
The one word that could be used to describe the response of the Israelites is paralysis. What could have created this climate of immobility and insecurity?
a. Their fearfulness
To put it bluntly, they were afraid. That is what the Bible says verses 11 and 24 and we all know from our own experience that fear is a very powerful thing. Not only were they afraid, but verse 11 says that they were "...greatly afraid..." and verse 24 says that they were "...sore afraid..." At one time King Saul had stood "...head and shoulders above all Israel..." but now he was but a shell of what he had been. He had been praised by the women of Israel for slaying "thousands" of Israel's enemies but now he can scarcely be coaxed out of his tent. We know that because of his disobedience the Spirit of the Lord was no longer upon him and instead of leading the people of God to victory he sees no problem in sending David to his death.
ILL - This past April, the Washington Post interviewed a 9-year-old who said the Earth is "just starting to fade away." In 20 years there will be "no oxygen" he said, and he'll be dead. The Post went on to say, "for many children and young adults, global warming is defining their generation."
My friends, our children are being taught that the earth is being destroyed; the animals are all dying, and it's all our fault. Many of our children and young people are living in fear.
When I was in school, the great fear was the population explosion. I was taught that by today, there would not be enough food grown in the world to continue to support the world's growing population. My 9th grade science teacher even encouraged us all to become vegetarians because she said it took less land to grow vegetables than it did to support livestock. Today, they're using food to make fuel; our government pays farmers not to grow crops, (Including some in this state who are paid not to grow peanuts, cotton, and soybeans) and I know of farmland in Mississippi and Arkansas that is being taken out of food production and is having trees planted on it.
Before that, it was the cold war. Listen difficulties will come. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be storms, floods, and famine, but the Bible makes it very clear that we are not to fear. Again and again, through the pages of the Bible, God says, "Do not fear. Do not be afraid."
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
b. Their faithlessness
The real problem for them was their faithlessness. Their faithlessness was the source of their fearfulness. They did not fear God as they ought so this put them at the mercy of their enemy. They were walking by sight and not by faith. Listen to their question in verse 25: "...Have ye seen this man that is come up? Surely to defy Israel he is come up..."
ILL - When your own faithlessness and distrust of God has gotten you in a mess, don't start blaming the preacher, or other saints. Lay the blame where it belongs, on your on shoulders.
It is said that when the British and French were fighting in Canada in the 1750s, Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet, was told to anchor outside Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive, and then support them when they attacked the city. Phipps's navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral, so he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ship's cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the saints.
Daily Bread.
Does that sound familiar?
This story is a study in how believers should respond when trouble and trials come into our lives. Obviously Israel responded in fear and faithlessness. Unfortunately when trouble comes we can even begin to doubt God's goodness.
IS GOD GOOD?
ILL - Randy Alcorn talks about what happened to his friend, Ethel Herr in his new book, What Good is God. She had had a double mastectomy. Then two months later, doctors discovered that the cancer had spread. One of Herr's friends in shock asked her, "And how do you feel about God now?"
Herr says, "As I sought to explain what has happened in my spirit, it all became clearer to me. God has been preparing me for this moment. He has undergirded me in ways I've never known before. He has made himself increasingly real and precious to me. He has given to me joy such as I've never known before -- and I've no need to work at it, it just comes, even amidst the tears. He has taught me that...he will lead me on whatever journey he chooses and will never leave me for a moment of that journey... God is good no matter what the diagnosis or the prognosis or the fearfulness of the uncertainty of having neither."
(Randy Alcorn, If God Is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil, Multnomah, 2009, p. 399. From a sermon by C. Philip Green, In the Fire! 7/30/2011)
III. The Passionate Advocate
I'm going to skip some of the background stuff and move right to verse 40 where David has rejected Saul's armor and is arming himself with his staff, his sling and his stones, five in number. Someone asked why five stone when he only used one and a preacher replied that is was because Goliath had four brothers! In verse 29 David has asked a very important question. "Is there not a cause?" Can I translate what I think he was saying from Trail's commentary of the Bible? I believe that David was saying that there are some things that are worth dying for. There are causes that are worth any cost at any price that we have to pay. Let's see how David handled this "cause." First:
a. There are the threats
Notice that utter disdain and disregard that Goliath has for David. He takes it as a personal insult that Israel would send out a "champion" like this young shepherd boy but there is more there than meets the eye. Goliath "...curses David by his gods..." and boasts that he would feed David's flesh to the birds and the beasts! Satan works in much the same way. He seeks to intimidate us and humiliate us. He is a liar, a deceiver and a murderer. He cannot be trusted but there is Someone who can be trusted!
b. There is the trust
In verse 45 David displays his faith in God and his power. He contrasts the weaponry and armor of Goliath against the name of the Lord of Hosts. He makes it plain that Goliath's great sin is not his threats against Israel but his defiance of Israel's god! David's courage is not the boasting of a demagogue but the declarations of a man who has placed his faith in the "...living God..." who had already delivered a lion and a bear into his hand. David does three things that are noteworthy and important for us to remember today. First, he expresses righteous indignation against this uncircumcised Philistine. Second, he expresses concern for the glory of God and third, he expresses concern for the honour of the people of Israel, his people, the people of God! I suggest to you that these are three things that we should be concerned about today.
We are living in a culture that is anti-god and anti-Christian, with no fear of God and no reverence for God or the things of God. For these people nothing is sacred. They are seeking to eliminate every mention of God from public and private discussion. Those who object are subjected to threats and intimidation. We are accused of being un-loving, intolerant, racist, sexist, and homophobic. Anyone who stands for the rights of the unborn or traditional marriage is branded a right-wing, Bible thumping, ignorant religionist. If David had given in to Goliath's threats the world might be a very different place than it is today. If we give in to the threats and the scare tactics of the hatemongers we are headed for a time of anarchy such as we have never seen. It's going to make the French and Bolshevik revolutions look like a walk in the park. Finally,
c. There is the triumph
David's goal was clear. Let's read from verses 46-47:
"...that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
1 Samuel 17:47 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.
The rest of this narrative is almost anti-climactic. David rushes forward with his sling in hand and throws a divinely guided stone which strikes Goliath in the forehead and renders him senseless. David then takes the giants own sword and administers the co-de-grace by cutting off Goliath's head and holding it up for display. The result was predictable. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead they lit out with the men of Israel in hot pursuit! There were some measurable's in the aftermath of the death of this giant. Many Philistines were slain in the pursuit and there was much spoil taken by the Israeli's afterward, but what about the things that you cannot measure? The tangibles are easy to see but what about the intangibles? How do we measure courage? How do we measure love for God and His name. How do we measure righteous indignation when His people, His Word, and His work is slandered and libeled? How do we measure our willingness to pay any cost or price for what we believe to be right? Would we be willing to give our last drop of devotion for His cause and kingdom? Friend, what would you die for? Family, faith, friends? Is there a "cause" in your life that you feel so strongly about that you would give your all?
