Series: David - A Man After God¡¦s Own Heart: Part 5: You Are A Giant Killer But Don¡¦t Know It (1&2)
1 Samuel 17: 1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span (9 ft 9 in). 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels (125 lbs); 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.¡¨ 10 Then the Philistine said, ¡§This day I defy the armies 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. 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?¡¨ 32 David said to Saul, ¡§Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.¡¨ 33 Saul replied, ¡§You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.¡¨ 34 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 rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.¡¨ Saul said to David, ¡§Go, and the Lord be with you.¡¨ 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. 41 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 little more than a boy, glowing with health 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 and the wild animals!¡¨ 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 deliver you into my hands, and I¡¦ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, 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.¡¨
INTRODUCTION 1: WHERE ARE WE IN DAVID¡¦S LIFE?
God always bring a message for our need. I left from here Sunday and a giant attacked me. Presents story of the one who is not expected to win, but does. David has been anointed by God to replace Saul, but he is a shepherd, unknown, distant from the throne. 1 Samuel 16:13 tells us the source of David¡¦s success: "the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward." The enabling power for everything that David accomplishes is the Spirit of God. If David remains faithful in following God, He will bring him success as king. While the Spirit of God comes on David, He moves out of Saul and an evil spirit from God (not Satan) afflicts Saul. We think evil spirits are always the sign of Satan at work but we discover that God is in control of everything that happens in his world ¡V He permits. But this evil spirit is the means by which David is introduced to Saul¡¦s court. How Do You Soothe Someone Who¡¦s Afflicted By An Evil Spirit? You don¡¦t give them pills. Spiritually, give them the Word and good music. Because David is a gifted musician, Spirit-filled and courageous, he is recommended to Saul for his insanity. Saul meets him and is pleased with him. He makes David his armor-bearer. Now, the king is demon-possessed and people knew there was a problem. News travels fast. The Philistines also heard and tried to use the vacuum in leadership to afflict Israel. God also allowed the Philistines as a punishment to Israel if they disobeyed God. Once again the Philistines organized an attack against Israel. Thousands of war chariots, cavalry, infantry came. Against this army Saul arrayed his force and the two armies confronted each other on opposite sides of the mile-wide Elah Valley (Ravine) ¡V about 9 miles from Bethlehem. The invasion was spearheaded by a champion, Goliath of Gath, 9 feet 9 inches of pure trained fighting machine whose armor alone weighed 126 pounds, spear about 20 pounds. Summary Of The Situation: Saul is fearful, Israel is demoralized, the Philistines are arrogant, Goliath is brutal, Eliab is disdainful, only David is bold and courageous.
SOME THINGS ABOUT GIANTS WE MUST KNOW.
1. What Is A Giant?
ƒæ A Giant is anything that Stands between us and God¡¦s plan for you.
ľ A Giant Seems bigger than us and our desire to serve God.
ľ A Giant Is Stronger than us and cannot be faced alone.
2. The truth is that all of us have giants.
ľ Giants are Ambassadors of Satan to impede us.
ľ But Giants are Ambassadors of God to expose or strengthen us.
3. The Trouble With Giants In Our Lives:
ƒæ Giants steal the peace of God¡¦s people (12 Spies, Saul¡¦s army).
ƒæ Giants stop the progress of God¡¦s people.
ƒæ Giants seize the possessions of God¡¦s people ¡V They take territories.
HAVE YOU EVER FACED GIANTS IN YOUR LIFE?
1. If You Are Born Of God, His Desire For You Is To Experience Overcoming Victory:
What Are The giants We All Face? Relationship Problems (Marriage, Parenting, Friends, Co-Workers), Health Issues (Sickness, Disease, Pain), Financial Issues (No Job, Not Enough Money), Emotions (Worries, Fears, Doubts, Anxieties, Grief, Depression, Discouragement, Stresses), Addictions (Drugs, Alcohol, Sexual Addictions), Unemployment, Debt, Diseases, Depression, Abandonment, Abuse, Tragedy, Bills, Weaknesses, Rejection, Broken Relationship, Inability, Addiction, Temptations, Discrimination, Fear, Past Failures, Discouragement, Anger.
2. Sometimes We Hear The Giants Shouting:
You Are Not Qualified For That Job! You Are Not Good Enough! You Can¡¦t Pay Your Bills! You Can¡¦t Save Your Marriage! You Are Losing Your Kids! You Cannot Stop Your Habits! You Can¡¦t Refuse Pornography! You Can¡¦t Stop Your Forbidden Relationship. You Can¡¦t Shake Your Past Failures. You Don¡¦t Have A Bright Future! Your Life Is A Mistake!
Examples Of Giant Situation In The Bible:
1. Naomi Lost All.
2. Elijah Is Depressed.
3. Moses Is A Murderer.
4. Abraham And Sarah Cannot Have Children.
5. Solomon Loved Foreign Women
6. Joseph Is Sold As Slave.
7. Jesus Faced Satan¡¦s Temptation.
8. Isaac Could Not Recover From The Loss Of His Mother Sarah.
9. Isaac And Rebekah Could Not Have Children.
10. Jacob Had A Laban As A Giant.
PRINCIPLES FOR OVERCOMING GIANTS FROM THE PASSAGE
1. Giants Do Not Make Or Break Us; They Simply Show Us Who We Already Are. David did not become a hero the day he killed Goliath. The hero was simply exposed. That¡¦s the thing about giants. We don¡¦t have an opportunity to become something that we weren¡¦t already when we face a giant. Giants simply show us who we already are. We call them storms, trials, etc.
2. Victories Are First Won In The Training Room Not On The Field. It¡¦s foolish to believe that you can prepare to fight a giant at the last moment without having prepared ahead of time. 1 Cor. 9:25: Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.¡¨
3. Practice Faith In The Little Battles Of Life. David¡¦s unwavering confidence in God came from seeing God vanquish lesser adversaries in his life. 1 Samuel 17:37: ¡§The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.¡¨ David¡¦s faith had sustained him and strengthened him in the lesser battles of life preparing him for the day he would meet Goliath.
4. Don¡¦t Go Looking For Goliaths, But Be Ready When They Show Up. David¡¦s motive for going to the Valley was simply to carry food to his brothers who were in the army. I Samuel 17:17-18 "Then Jesse said to David his son, ¡¦Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brother. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.¡¦" David wasn¡¦t searching for trouble; he was just trying to help others. Illustration: Boy praying Tokyo. Tokyo.
5. There Will Always Be Giants. Some giant attitudes and situations we all face in life: fear, worry, questions, testing, temptation, debt, tragedy, addiction, anger, rejection, failure. These giants like to do a lot of shouting. 1 Samuel 16:43 Goliath said, ¡§Am I a dog that you come at me a stick?¡¨ What are your giants saying? 1 Corinthians 10:13 ¡§No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he¡¦ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he¡¦ll always be there to help you come through it¡¨ (MSG).
6. Everyone Who¡¦s Never Killed A Giant Will Say It Can¡¦t Be Done ¡V You Will Face Opposition. When David began asking about this giant, the first opposition he met wasn¡¦t the enemy but his own family. Eliab was the first to walk before Samuel and the first to be rejected by God. He was standing there as the oil anointed his little brother¡¦s - something which was hard for the older brother to handle. What if He had been chosen? No courage.
7. Never Adopt The Enemy¡¦s Methods ¡V What Works For Saul Will Not Work For David. King Saul dressed him in his own armor to prepare him for battle. We¡¦ve already heard about Goliath¡¦s armor. Wouldn¡¦t it make sense for David to dress appropriately for battle? But by refusing to fight the battle with the enemy¡¦s methods, he had a great chance to be a witness of God¡¦s amazing power.
8. Victory Has Nothing To Do With Experience But With God. It did not matter how young David was or how experienced Goliath was - the key is that God¡¦s favor brings victory.
9. Focus On The Size Of Your God, Not The Size Of Your Problems. The Israelites were afraid because they were comparing Goliath¡¦s size to their own size. From that perspective, they were outclassed. But David was comparing Goliath¡¦s size with God¡¦s size. David made only two observations about Goliath: Uncircumcised & Disgrace. No inquiries about Goliath¡¦s skill, age, social standing, IQ, weight of sword, size of spear, etc. Focus on giants ¡V you stumble. Focus on God ¡V your giants tumble. David knew that his God was a lot bigger than 9 foot 9 inches.
10. Don¡¦t Put Off Later What You Need To Do Right Now. Even though David was young and seemingly inexperienced, he did what he knew God wanted him to do - he didn¡¦t put it off. 1 Sam 17:32-33: David said to Saul, ¡¦Let no man¡¦s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.¡¦ Then Saul said to David, ¡¦You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth."
11. Just Because You Won Yesterday Does Not Mean You Will Win Today. Every day brings its own battles. King Saul who had once led Israel in killing 40,000 Philistines in one day not sits trembling in weakness while this one soldier Goliath held the entire Israelite Army in Check. All because the Lord had withdrawn from King Saul and favored David.
12. Remember Past Victories And Give God Credit For Them. That is why testimonies are so important. Do you remember what God did in the past? Were you grateful?
13. Verbalize Your Confidence In God Before The Battle. Goliath¡¦s words: 1 Sam. 17:44 "Am I a dog, that you come at me with a stick?¡¦ And he cursed David by the names of his gods. Come over here, and I¡¦ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!" David¡¦s reply. 45-47 ¡§You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty - the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. And everyone will know that the Lord does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The Lord will give you to us!¡¨
14. Know Who Your Real Enemy Is And His Strengths (28-33): Not David¡¦s Brothers, Not Saul. Not your family, not circumstances. The real enemy is the Devil. David could have focused his attacks on his family who did not believe in him. Or the authority (King Saul) who stated that he was too young and inexperienced. No, he saw this as between God and the enemy, not him.
15. You May Forget Your Enemy, But Your Enemy Never Forgets You: 1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. Ephesdammin - boundary of blood-drops. Goliath never attacked Israel or David first because he remembered that he could not cross the bloodline. Maybe in the past then at Calvary.
16. As You Go To Fight Today¡¦s Battles, Remember That There Are Other Battles Ahead. Why did David take 5 stones? 2 Samuel 21:16-22 ¡V Goliath was not the only giant living in the land of the Philistines. He had 4 brothers. David knew that families stick together and that Goliath¡¦s brothers would either come to Goliath¡¦s aid to avenge him or he knew that he would have to face them in future battles, which he eventually did. Each stone had a name on it.
17. Confront Your Giant, Do Not Run Away From It. Don¡¦t Let Fear Rob You Of Any Victories. If you run from your giant, it will come back stronger than ever. Face it and fight it. Stand on God¡¦s Word and you will always win.
18. You Will Always Have To Make Decisions On Your Own: In spite of the taunts and mockery from family and authority, David decided on his own what needed to be done.
19. There Will Be Victory From God¡¦s Perspective Though Not Always From Ours. When you put all these ingredients together ¡V preparation, facing the reality of your giants, choosing Godly advice and deciding to take action with the gifts God has trained you to use, then victory, with God¡¦s help, is yours.
20. When Your Victory Comes, Everyone Will Partake In The Plunder Including Those Who Thought Less Of You. Negative, critical, envious, jealous, arrogant people will side with victory even if they don¡¦t like you. But don¡¦t always expect that collaboration to last.
5 NEGATIVE STONES DAVID HAD TO FACE BEFORE DEFEATING GOLIATH
Before David Went Against Goliath, He Choose 5 Smooth Stones.
1. The Giant Of Debt: 1 Samuel 17:20: And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. The reason David was not on the battlefield was because he had a responsibility that took him elsewhere. He had to take care of his "sheep" first. Furthermore, he was still young.
2. The Giant Of Apathy (Lack of Interest): 1 Samuel 17:16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. Not much happening in the way of a battle! Many churches are likened unto this "battlefield." The people gather around and sing their campfire songs. Then they all talk about how bad the Devil has been to them, but nobody does anything about it! David had to overcome the giant of apathy.
3. The Giant Of Unbelief: 1 Samuel 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. Unbelief not only stops the love of God from reaching the sinners heart, it also stops the power of God from operating in the life of the Christian. David was not concerned about the weight of Goliath¡¦s sword. As far as he was concerned this "uncircumcised Philistine" was no match for the power of God!
4. The Giant Of Ridicule: 1 Samuel 17:28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab¡¦s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. The older brother of David felt embarrassed by his brother¡¦s faith. If you let "talk" stop you, you will never accomplished the will of God for your life. Let God¡¦s Word be the talk that motivates you.
5. The Giant Of Complacency: 1 Samuel 17:38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
DAVID FOCUSED ON THE 5 APPROPRIATE STONES FOR VICTORY.
1. The Stone Of The Past: 1 Samuel 17:37 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.
2. The Stone Of Prayer: Psalm 57:1 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
3. The Stone Of Priority: 1 Samuel 17:46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I¡¦ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, 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.¡¨ A cancer is God¡¦s chance to show His healing power. Your sin is God¡¦s opportunity to showcase His grace.
4. The Stone Of Passion: 1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man¡¦s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine / 1 Samuel 17:48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Who bet on David? Not the Philistines. Not the Hebrews. Not David¡¦s siblings or David¡¦s king. But God did. David ran toward his giant. Do the same!
5. The Stone Of Persistence: Goliath had 4 relatives the same size. But David never gave up. One prayer might not be enough. One apology might not do it. You may get knocked down a time or two¡Kbut don¡¦t quit. Keep loading the rocks. Keep swinging the sling. Genesis 32:26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaks. And he said, I will not let you go, except you bless me.
SUMMARY: SO HOW DO YOU OVERCOME GIANTS OR STORMS IN YOUR LIFE
1 Samuel 17 Gives Us A Formula For Defeating The Giants In Our Lives.
1. Ignore Criticism: Ignore the criticism and the unbelief of others. 1 Samuel 17:32-33 "David said to Saul, 'Let no man's heart fail because of this Philistine; your servant will go out and fight with him.' And Saul said to David, 'You are not able to go to fight against this Philistine. You are only an adolescent, and he has been a warrior from his youth.'" David responded by telling King Saul all that God could do.
2. Remember Victories: Remember the past victories God has given you. When you get in a tight spot, look back at what God has already brought you through and delivered you from. Don't look at how far you have to go; look at how far you've come.
3. Speak The Word Of Faith And Not Words Of Defeat. David tells Goliath exactly how he's going to defeat him. 1 Samuel 17:46-47 "This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will smite you and cut off your head. And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."
4. Glorify Your God: Ultimately, David was totally dependent on God and gave Him all the glory. He wasn't really concerned with what he could do because he knew what God could do. We don't need to look at ourselves; we need to look at God and know that with Him, all things are possible.
CONCLUSION: WHAT KIND OF GIANT DO YOU FACE TODAY?
Your Goliath May Be Some Obstacle, Some Stumbling Block, Some Sin, Some Setback, some personal problem, some health issue, some financial issue, some bad habit, some difficulties, some troubles, some burdens, some hardship, some fear, some discouragement, some disappointments, some failure, some depression and sorrow, some peer pressure, some negative thinking, some low self-esteem, some sickness, some of crisis, some term paper, some dissertation, some mid-term paper, some man, some woman, boy, or girl. Whenever you find yourself facing a Goliath in your life, you ought to remember these scriptures in the Word of God.
1. Psalm 27:1-2 "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat my flesh, they stumbled and fell."
2. Isaiah 54:17 "No weapon formed against me shall prosper."
3. Romans 8:37 "We are more than conquerors through Christ, who loved us."
4. 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."
5. I John 4:4 "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world."
6. 1 John 5:4 ¡§For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world¡Vour faith.¡¨
FINAL PRAYERS AND CHALLENGE: PRAY FOR GIANTS IN PEOPLE¡¦S LIVES.
Illustration: Envelopes containing your giants.
