1 Samuel 17 records the famous story of young boy David fighting against the giant Philistine soldier Goliath.
• This event likely happened after chapter 14 chronologically speaking, because at this point King Saul still does not know David.
• It is likely that the author recaps what happened when David was young, after mentioning in 1 Sam 16 that David went to the palace to play music for Saul.
Israel was at war with the Philistines and they were intimated by a giant Goliath, standing over 9 feet tall (3 metres, 17:4).
• For 40 days this Goliath would come out every morning and evening to take his stand and mock the army of Israel, challenging them to fight him, one on one.
• It’s a tradition in ancient warfare to have single combat - a way of settling dispute without incurring the bloodshed of an all-out war.
Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified (17:11) at seeing Goliath.
• Until David steps into the arena. Read 1 Samuel 17:17-37.
David was sent by his father to look for his brothers, to get an update on the war and bring along some food.
• He got to know that they were in a deadlock and Goliath was taunting them. While everyone was afraid, David was unhappy and offered to fight him.
• King Saul got to know about it and interviewed him. David was eventually sent to the battle front. He confronted Goliath and killed him with a sling and a stone.
We are familiar with this story. There are many contrasts in this encounter.
• How the people feels and how David feels, what they see and what David sees, what they rely on and what David depends on, what drives them and what motivates David.
• Looking at these contrasts we can derive lessons from David, and understand how we too can face giants in life with greater courage.
1. WATCH WHAT YOU ARE FOCUSING ON
What we focus on affects us. What exactly are you staring at?
• 17:24 “When the Israelites SAW the man, they all ran from him in great fear.”
• Looking at Goliath, the reaction of Saul and his men was: “Do you see how this man keeps coming out?” (17:25)
• David’s response was: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?” (17:26)
• One says, look at him. The other says, Who is he? I’m sure there is a difference of tone here. Can you sense a contrast?
To be frank, Goliath is really huge – 3 metres tall, his bronze armour weighs 5000 shekels (57kg) (17:5). That’s the weight of 3 persons’ luggage.
• And the tip of his spear (iron point) is 600 shekels (7 kg) (17:7)
• We are not trying to play down the issue and pretend that he is not gigantic. Goliath is really huge.
• And “he has been a fighting man from his youth” (17:33) according to Saul. A seasoned and experienced warrior. So the problem is real and it is big.
But that’s the human perspective! That’s only the perspective of man.
• David was less bothered by it because he saw things from the different perspective. He sees it from God’s perspective.
• He says, “Who is this UNCIRCUMCISED Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (17:26)
Did you catch the difference? He’s not just a Philistine, he is an uncircumcised Philistine fighting against God’s army! He qualifies the description of this man.
• Circumcision is a sign that God instituted with Abraham (Gen 17:10-14).
• It’s the sign of the covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants, that they will be a people belonging to God; set apart for God’s glory, sanctified and holy.
• This man does not belong to God. He is an immoral pagan fighting against a holy God, a mere mortal defying a mighty God, the sinner against a holy God.
You noticed that each time David refers to his army, he says we are “the armies of the living God”. (17:26, 36 to Saul, 45 to Goliath)
• David sees things from a spiritual perspective. Who is he in the sight of God?!
• Saul sees it as a fight of our size against his size, our muscle against his muscle, our weapons against his weapons, and our experience against his experience.
• David sees it as conflict between God and evil, it’s a fight between the holy and unrighteous, between the glory of God and the pride of man.
Are you facing a giant problem or an impossible situation? Stop for a minute and REFOCUS.
• Don’t stare at your problem with mortal lens. See the situation from God's vantage point. Adopt a SPIRITUAL perspective.
• Saul sees Goliath and say, “He is so big! We can never kill him!”
David sees Goliath and say, “He is so big! I cannot miss!”
Last month we’ve been visiting a friend’s mum in the hospital, diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. She is in the ICU for 6 weeks now, hooked up to all the equipment. She is not very responsive, occasionally opening her eyes in response to our voices.
Step into the room you will see tubes all over, supplying oxygen to her lungs, milk for nourishment, antibiotics and pain-killers for her body, and wires measuring her heart beat and all. Being in ICU so long, there will talks about taking the tubes out and stopping the machines. The impressive we get is that this machinery is sustaining her life. From the medical perspective, that may be technically true.
But we step in and take a spiritual perspective - God is the One sustaining her life. He is the UNSEEN hand that is holding her up. Our life is always in God’s hands. If it is time for her to go home to be with Jesus, she will go. If not, she lives on.
It’s not about the equipment, it’s about God. He holds our lives in His hands; He holds the TIMING (length) of our life in His hands. Watch what we are focusing on!
2. DO WHAT YOU POSSIBLY CAN
God grooms us. God prepares us for the challenges we are to face in life.
• So don’t think of what you CANNOT do, but what you CAN do with God’s help.
17:32 David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."
• That’s faith with shoes on. He was prepared to fight Goliath. True faith works.
• James says “faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:26). He says, “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith BY WHAT I DO.” (James 2:18)
• You can talk about faith all you want, but without works, it is useless.
1 Sam 17:38-40
38Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armour 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. 40Then 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.
A typical soldier wears the armour, helmet and sword; that’s conventional hand combat. But David is too small for these.
• Moreover he is untrained and inexperience as a soldier. He has been tending to sheep all his life, up to this point.
• David says, “I cannot go in these.” He took them off and exchange them with what he is most familiar with - his staff, his sling, and some stones in the shepherd’s bag.
To know what we CAN do, sometimes requires us to know what we CANNOT do.
• David cannot be wearing these heavy and ill-fitting armour.
• They fit King Saul but not him. Without training and experience, those stuff will pose a greater problem for David.
What is David best at? Using his sling and stones.
This sling is not the toy-like rubber-band thing that children play with. It’s a weapon of warfare in ancient times.
• In Judges 20:16 “Among all these soldiers there were seven hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a hair and not miss.”
• It’s a sling that has a small pouch in the middle with two long cords. The sling stone is placed in the pouch and you swing it in an arc.
• At the precise moment, you let go of one cord and the projectile will be released towards the target.
God has groomed his servant with this skill. David was prepared him for such a time like this. His many years of tending to sheep and swinging his sling paid off.
God grooms and prepares us.
• We saw later on in 1 Sam 16 that David was brought into the palace to play music for King Saul. The King liked him so much, he became his armour-bearer.
• God was grooming David for the Kingship - he was able to see close-up how things work in the palace and being Saul’s armour-bearer, he understands the battlefield.
God prepares us for challenging times in life. He equips and empowers us to do His will.
• When Paul was tormented by a thorn in his flesh, the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor 12:9)
So do what we possibly can, with all that God has given us.
• Don’t be too worried about what we DO NOT have. Just use what we HAVE.
• We don’t have to be someone else or wear someone else’s armour or helmet. We don’t have to pretend to be what we are not.
• JUST BE YOURSELF and use the gifts and talents God has given us, and the skills and experience God has groomed us with.
At first glance, giant problems and impossible situations in our lives will look formidable and terrifying. But that’s only the initial glance; that’s the human perspective.
(1) REFOCUS. Watch what you are focusing on.
• Take a good look again but with spiritual eyes. Learn to see things from God’s perspective.
(2) DO WHAT YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
• We are equipped and empowered, by God’s grace, to face the giants of life.
• Trust Him. With His help, we will surely find the courage and faith to overcome.
