1 Samuel 17: 1 – 58
The smack heard round the world
17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2 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. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. 8 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. 12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. 17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18 And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.” 19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. 22 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? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.” 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?” 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” 28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Isthere not a cause?” 30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did. 31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” 38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. 41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines 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. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” 48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. 55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.” 57 Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
In looking at today’s message title, what thought immediately came to your mind? I would say if you live in the United States of America it was the statement, ‘The Shot Heard Round the World’. This occurred during a brief battle between British troops and local minutemen at the North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War.
Technically, the first shots of the American Revolution were fired at Lexington but the Shot Heard Round the World was fired in Concord.
The shot heard round the world took place on April 19, 1775 after British troops searching for ammunition stockpiles in Concord encountered the local minutemen. The battle came to be known as the Battle of Concord. Several of the British soldiers were killed during the battle and the battle itself was considered the first victory in the fight for America’s independence. As a result, the battle inadvertently kick started not only the Siege of Boston but the Revolutionary War as well.
Over the years, the meaning of the phrase, as well as the exact location of the Shot Heard Round the World, has gotten muddled. Many writers and historians have attributed the phrase to the first shot fired at the Battle of Lexington, which occurred earlier in the day and was one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. Yet the actual phrase “Shot Heard Round the World” comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poem about the Battle of Concord, titled, Concord Hymn: Sung at the Completion of the Battle Monument, July 4, 1837:
“By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April’s breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood,
And fired the shot heard ’round the world”
The phrase indicates that the shots fired at British troops during the Battle of Concord marked America’s first victory against the powerful British army, which in turn sparked the Revolutionary War and lead to America’s independence.
Today we are going to focus on the real sound that was heard around the world not just to those in America and Great Britain. Its sound was not the noise of a shot but more like the sound of ‘smack’.
The incident described in today’s scripture brings out that the Spirit of Yahweh Is now on David begins with an indication of Israel’s precarious situation. The Philistines were once again seeking to exert their authority over Israel and had advanced up the Valley of Elah to the lowlands of Judah where the opposing forces were facing each other. But while the Philistines had their ‘champion’ we are to see that Israel had no champion who could act on their behalf. Saul was powerless to do anything. And there was no one else to act in his place. Even the mighty Jonathan and the great Abner paled before the challenge of Goliath, and no doubt Saul would not allow them to go out against him. He did not want to lose his eldest son or his commander-in-chief.
17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.
Once again the Philistines had gathered their fighting forces to seek to bring Israel into subjugation. This time they had approached the lowland territory of northern Judah near Azekah but had immediately found themselves faced with a large Israelite army under Saul. The place where this took place was at Ephes-dammim, (the boundary of blood), a place where no doubt much blood had been spilled in past border battles.
2 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.
Saul and the men of Israel had ‘gathered together’ because of the call to arms going out to the tribes and they were encamped on a slope in the Vale of Elah in which there was a ravine separating the two armies. Their forces were all set in their battle lines with weapons at the ready.
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.
The scene is set. On the mountain on one side of the valley were the Philistines with their chariots, and horsemen, and weapons of iron, and on the mountain on the other side were the Israelites, mainly fighting on foot and only having bronze weapons, while between them was the valley itself through which went a ravine which helped to keep the two armies apart.
4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.
In war having the high ground was the best military strategy so neither group came down to the valley first. In order to get the Israelites to fight the enemy had on their side a giant who requested an Israelite to come and settle the issue between the two armies. He had come down into the valley and laid down his challenge for someone to meet him in single combat. This was a regular custom in those days, and such a combat would have a significant impact on what followed, because it would be seen as demonstrating whose side the gods were on. No army liked to fight if its champion had been defeated, for it was a mirror image of what would follow. Thus, it was a challenge that could not be ignored.
And the further problem was that this champion was huge. He was nine foot six tall, covered in huge and impressive armor reinforced with copper or bronze, and bristling with offensive weapons, such as spear, sword and javelin. There is no good reason for doubting the statistics. Skeletons of men of that size coming from that era have been dug up in Palestine, and they crop up throughout the ages. The coat of mail would have been made of overlapping plates of metal and have reached down to the knees. The greaves protected the shins.
He was named ‘Goliath’ and came from Gath. He may have been descended from the Rephaim (Deuteronomy 2.20-21) or the Anakim (Joshua 11.21-22). It is quite probable that ‘Goliath’ was the name given to whoever was the recognized Philistine champion at the time, so that when this Goliath died another Goliath would replace him. This would explain how he could later seem to be slain again (2 Samuel 21.19).
8 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.”
Each day this giant of a man would stride out into the valley with his shield bearer in front of him and hurl his challenge at the Israelite army. And every day the Israelites looked at him, cowered back, and grew more and more afraid, for they knew that if no one dared to face Goliath it proved that Yahweh was not with them. And they were aware only too well of what that would mean.
Then Goliath would laugh at their battle array and ask them why they went to all the trouble to arm themselves when all that they had to do was send out a champion to meet him. Once they were ready to do that they could come to an agreement that whichever champion won, their army would be the victors and the other army would submit.
10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”
As the days went by his challenge grew more and more fierce. He defied the armies of Israel and called for a man to fight him. He was getting impatient. In this verse we note two of the themes of the whole passage, the Philistine’s defiance of Israel, and therefore of Yahweh, and the fact of a man who will arise to deal with him once and for all. His ‘prayer’ will be answered.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
But all that these words did was sow terror among the ranks of Israel, which was of course their purpose. It is very probable that the Philistines did not expect an Israelite response. Who would want to fight Goliath alone? But they knew that the longer it went on, the more dismayed the Israelites would become for they would know that it presaged disaster not to meet him, and they would be little short of terrified.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul.
Although they did not yet realize it the Israelites had an answer in the man on whom was the Spirit of Yahweh. For this is Israel’s champion, David, the youngest son of Jesse the Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah, the Jesse who had eight sons as described in the last chapter. And this Jesse was himself very old, which was why he was not with the army, while this David was one of his sons, his youngest. Of course, we know of him already from the previous chapter, but the details are mentioned again in detail in order to bring out his importance in this situation. It is clear that he was not yet twenty as he had not been of an age to join up with the army.
13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
His youth is emphasized by the fact that his three oldest brothers were with the army and were named Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah. The other four brothers, like David, were also not in the army. That would be because they also were under twenty, or because they had recently married (Deuteronomy 24.5).
14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.
And David was the youngest and could not enlist in the army. Of course, like many young men of his age, David would not have seen it that way. He probably felt that he was quite old enough to fight.
15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
As we know from earlier on David spent some time as a musician to Saul when Saul was going through his bad periods, but we learn here that he combined that with his duties as a shepherd, especially when Saul was on the front line and thus fully occupied, which would be quite often. Part of the reason for David’s visits would be to keep his brothers supplied with food. Many Israelite family members would be doing the same for their relatives.
16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
Meanwhile ‘the Philistine’ who was the cause of their problems still came out each morning and evening and presented his challenge. This had by now continued for ‘forty days’. He scoffed at The God of Israel Yahweh.
17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves and run to your brothers at the camp. 18 And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”
And while the Philistine was presenting himself for forty days Yahweh was preparing His champion. Jesse called David and told him to take food to his soldier brothers and to the captain of their unit, and to obtain news of how they fared and to bring back some evidence that they were still alive. We often do not stop to ask ourselves how armies were provisioned, especially when on their own territory where looting could not, of course, be allowed. Here we are given a solution. The families of the soldiers would send them provisions, and even extra provisions for others.
19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
You might think to yourselves that the two armies were in fact not fighting. They were looking at each other for 40 days. Perhaps though there may have been some skirmishes between the two armies during all this time.
Central to the last passage was that Goliath defied ‘the armies of Israel’. Central to this passage is that David sees him as defying ‘the armies of the living God’. It should be noted that the people see Goliath merely as ‘defying Israel’ (verse 25). They do not have the deep faith that brings God fully into the equation.
To David Yahweh Is The Living God, in whom he has absolute confidence, that he is stirred into action. His concern is not for his own glory, but for the honor of Yahweh, Jehovah Elyon – Thel Lord Most High - who by Israel’s failure to take up the challenge is being presented as unable to deal with Goliath. And it is because he is so aware that He Is the living God that David cannot understand why this is so. He is genuinely puzzled why no one responds, for surely all must know that the living God will be their strength and enabling as He has proved over and over again over the centuries for Israel. And with the living God with them how could they fail? He was not yet old enough to realize that all Israelites did not have the same strong faith that he had.
20 So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.
Obedient to his father’s wishes David arose early next morning and, leaving the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions and went on his way ‘as Jesse had commanded him’
He arrived at ‘the place of the wagons’ just as the host were yelling their war cries in readiness for battle. This nerving of themselves was necessary in case the Philistines decided to attack. The purpose of the war cries was in order to strengthen their resolve, and (hopefully) to frighten the enemy. It was with the hope of keeping their spirits up. But in their hearts, all knew what would follow, and after the first few days it must have been difficult shouting the war cries with any degree of assurance. The wagons, which contained provisions for the soldiers, would be behind the army out of harm’s way, and we can imagine how the young man’s blood was stirred as he stood among the wagons and heard the war cries of his people.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.
As David watched the two sets of forces set themselves in battle array, as they had done every day for forty days, ready to face each other.
22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.
Excited David immediately ran to find his brothers, leaving what he had brought in the hands of the quartermaster. He knew that he had to get there to check on his brothers before battle commenced. And he found them and greeted them and spoke with them.
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.
As he talked with his brothers the champion, Goliath ‘the Philistine of Gath’, came out from the ranks of the Philistines and issued his usual challenge. When David heard his words the question that must have immediately arisen in his mind was as to which of his heroes would go forward to meet this insolent challenge. We can imagine his expectation growing. Which of them would stride forward? The host of Yahweh would soon take care of this insolent Philistine.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.
To David’s amazement the men of Israel did not all volunteer as one man. Instead they cowered back and retreated. Not one of them dared to face up to Goliath. And this applied equally to Saul and all his chief captains.
25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely, he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
Then as David listened, the men of Israel began to mutter among themselves about what could be done about the situation. They had been doing it every day as the size of the rewards for the man who would dare to face Goliath, and would defeat him, grew greater and greater. And now it had reached the point where anyone who accomplished the feat would be given great riches and married to the king’s daughter while his close family would be freed of the burden of all taxes.
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?”
David just could not believe his ears. To him as a young man and a fervent believer in the power of Yahweh, Who would surely be with whoever went to meet the Philistine, he could not believe that any reward was necessary. Surely what was being offered (to fight for the living God) was a privilege? It did not require reward. Here was this man who was bringing reproach on Israel, and therefore on Israel’s God, a man who was simply ‘an uncircumcised Philistine’ and who therefore had no part in God, and he was defying the armies of the living God. Surely all of them would want to fight him. What were they saying would be done for such a man? It sounded incredible.
27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
The people around him assured him of exactly what would be done for the man who killed Goliath, reiterating what had already been said. How they all must wished it could be them. But not if it meant facing Goliath.
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
Eliab, David’s brother had overheard what he had said when he spoke to the man and he was very angry. He did not like his little brother getting caught up in the battle talk. Perhaps also he was a little afraid of what David might do (never dreaming of course what he would do). He more than any other had cause to know the hair-raising activities that David sometimes got involved with. He knew that his little brother was a young man without fear. And he did not want David involved in any battle. So, he seeks to put him in his place like a typical elder brother. Why has he really come to the battlefield? Let him remember that all that he knows anything about is looking after ‘a few sheep’. That does not qualify him to be a soldier on the battlefield. And he assures him that he, his elder brother, can read his mischievous thoughts and knows exactly what is in his mind. He simply wants to get involved in battle.
29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”
David was indignant and asked what harm he had done. All he had done was ask a few questions. He simply stated, ‘was there not good reason for me to ask the question in view of the circumstances?’
30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.
So, he turned back to the men around him and continued to ask similar questions. And he received the same reply from all. David was incredulous. It all seemed so cut and dried to him. Here was this barbarous Philistine, and he was opposing the army of the living God. It was no contest. He just could not accept the idea that not one of his people was willing to go forward and do what was necessary when they must have known that Yahweh was on their side.
Please remember that central to this passage also is the fact that the Philistine was defying the armies of the living God (verse 36). As we have seen it is the theme of the whole chapter. And it was something that David in his great faith in Yahweh felt that he could not allow. He was alarmed with concern for the honor of Yahweh. And so, because of such defiance the Philistine must be defeated. He must not be allowed to trample on the people of God. That was why David had no doubt of what the consequence would be in his accepting the challenge. It was because of his confidence that Yahweh would be with him so as to defend His Name. There was nothing egotistical about it. It was rather that experience had demonstrated to him that in such challenges Yahweh never failed.
31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him.
David’s words began to spread among the men. Possibly they provided some amusement amid their fears. Possibly some were even offended. And his words the result was that they eventually reached Saul. When he heard that, ‘There is a young man who seems ready to take on the Philistine’, his ears pricked up. And in consequence Saul, who did not, of course, know the circumstances, immediately sent for this bold man. He must be a mighty warrior indeed. Perhaps here was the answer to his prayers.
He must thus have been very disappointed when the man who appeared before him was merely a teenager and one of his part time servants, and only a musician at that. And his dismay probably showed on his face.
32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Then David said to Saul, ‘Don’t worry. I will go and fight the Philistine.’ We must recognize what was behind this. It was not that David was arrogant. It was because he had such total confidence in Yahweh that to him the situation was no-contest. For how could a barbarous Philistine ever expect to oppose Father God Yahweh? And we, of course, know the secret of why he thought like this. It was because the Spirit of Yahweh was upon him.
33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
Saul was simply incredulous. How could this teenager, hope to cope with the Philistine champion? It was impossible. Why he was only a youth with a shepherd’s staff, while Goliath had been a warrior from his youth. The whole situation was ludicrous.
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
David’s reply was trusting but simple. When he had been keeping his father’s sheep there had often come a lion or a bear which had taken one of the lambs from the flock. And without any thought for his own safety (as a teenager he had no doubt thought himself invulnerable) he had gone after them, killed them, and rescued the lamb from their mouths. And if they had turned to rend him he had taken them by the beard and had smitten them and slain them. It had seemed the natural thing to do, for he believed with all his heart that Yahweh was with him. So, he had not given the matter a second thought.
There is for us here, in the thought of the lion and the bear, one of the most important lessons of our spiritual lives, and it is that if God is one day expecting us to face up to a Goliath in the future, He will make sure that we are prepared beforehand. That is why when we face trials we should recognize that they may well simply be preparations for the future. For He will never call on us to face tests to which we do not have an answer and for which He has not prepared us (1 Corinthians 10.13).
37 Moreover David said, “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
Then David made his declaration of faith and revealed his ultimate justification. Yahweh Who had delivered him from ‘the hand’ of the lion and ‘the hand’ of the bear would deliver him from the hand of ‘this Philistine’ (his contempt for his opponent is made clear). Here was the reason for his courage. He had absolute faith in Yahweh.
Saul was clearly impressed, certainly impressed enough, during his desperation, to consider it a possibility. And as he looked at this young man with his vibrant faith it almost seemed possible to him that this young man could achieve the impossible. For all knew that Yahweh often did the impossible. Perhaps He would do it here. So, he gave his permission. ‘Go,’ he said, ‘and Yahweh will be with you.’ It was a pious hope and a policy of desperation, but What else was there? His hope, and the hope of all Israel, could only be that Yahweh would somehow be with David and give him victory. That was what he was pinning his hopes on. The difference between Saul and David was that David did not just see it as a ‘hope’. He was confident that He would.
38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
If David was to venture his life in this way the very least that Saul felt that he could do was to ensure that he had the best possible equipment. So, he provided David with the ultimate in privilege. He dressed him in the king’s clothing and amour. To give one’s own clothes to someone was to pay them the highest honor. It demonstrated they were under the giver’s protection and seen almost as his other self. For indeed that was what David would now be, the king’s champion. ‘
David complied, for he had never worn amour before, but once he had put the amour on he knew immediately that it just would not do. For when he tried to walk around in it he found it impossible. He realized that it would simply be a hindrance to him. It was far too much of an encumbrance for him for it to be suitable. He was just not used to it. So he said to Saul, ‘I can’t go in these, I’m not use to them.’
The significance behind this incident must be carefully noted. The fact that Saul was trying to make David act as his representative, fighting in his way, but that what was important for David was that he fought in Yahweh’s way, allowing the Spirit of Yahweh to act through him. If he went forward merely as Saul’s representative, he would fail.
We should note that this does not teach us that we do not need to make the best preparation that we can when we serve God. But what it does teach us is that we must not seek to rise above what God has prepared us for. David did not disdain Saul’s amour because he was careless about his own safety, or because he was foolish, but simply because it was not what he was used to dealing with. He did not want to handicap himself by pretending to be what he was not. He wanted to be dressed in the way that he had been when Yahweh had delivered him in the past.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
David already knew in his mind how he was going to fight this battle, so he provided himself with the weapons that he was used to. He took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook that ran through the valley and putting them in the shepherd’s wallet which he had, he went forward with his sling in his hand. To him it was almost as though he was going forward to meet the next bear, even if it was a large one. He felt fully armed. And it was dressed in that way that David went forward to meet the Philistine who was clothed in full amour and bristling with weapons and waiting impatiently in the valley for an opponent to come forward.
41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
Seeing someone advancing from the ranks of Israel the Philistine also advanced and approached David, and before him went his shield bearer. We are intended to catch the contrast. The teenage shepherd boy with his staff and shepherd’s attire, and the mighty warrior in full amour accompanied by his shield bearer.
42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.
As Goliath drew closer he discovered that his opponent was but a youth but not the warrior type at all, and that he had come out to meet him with a staff! He really must have thought that it was some kind of deliberate insult being practiced by the Israelites. He probably recognized that it was hardly going to be a serious fight, and that even when he had ‘won’, as he could hardly fail to do, the Israelites would have been able to claim that it was all a joke. He presumably felt that he was being deliberately humiliated, a situation that he was not used to.
In his view the whole situation was clearly intended to make him look ridiculous. It was obvious to all that it was simply intended to be an insult to the Philistines.
43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
His words reveal his anger in sizing up the situation with David. The describing of people whom you despised as ‘was a well-known insult. It indicated the total contempt that you had for someone. Thus, he saw himself as being treated with the utmost contempt. And to have come against him with only a staff simply added to the insult. He was so angry that he cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
Goliath snarled, ‘You dog, I will cut you up and feed you bit by bit to scavengers.’
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
David was not affected by Goliath’s words for he knew that he had Yahweh on his side, and he called on Goliath to recognize the odds that he was up against. The Philistine may have a sword, and a spear, and a javelin. But what were they against the Name of Yahweh of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom Goliath had defied?
46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines 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. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
Then he responded to the Philistine in the way that the Philistine had spoken to him. He informed the Philistine that that very day Yahweh would deliver him into his hand, and that as a result he would smite him and take off his head. It was the custom at that time for the victor to cut off the head of a defeated foe. And after he had done that, he informed him, not just Goliath’s body, but the bodies of the whole Philistine army would be fed to the vultures and the scavengers among the wild beasts so that all the earth might know that there was a God in Israel worthy of the name, and that all the Israelites who were gathered there would know that Yahweh did not save with sword and spear. He did not need them. And as the battle was His and His alone He would give the enemy into their hand without them.
48 So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
Filled with great anger the Philistine advanced on David, and as he got closer David hurried to meet him, thereby advancing to meet the army of the Philistines who would be watching eagerly to see the defeat by Goliath of this arrogant foe. He was taking on the whole Philistine army and was unafraid.
49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
Then David put his hand in his bag and did what he had done a thousand times before. He took out a large stone and fitted it into his sling, and then slung it and hit the Philistine right in the forehead. And the Philistine fell on his face to the earth.
The sling was in fact a formidable weapon, for it could dispatch a three-inch diameter stone at a speed of 100-150 miles per hour. The only problem lay in ensuring that it hit its target where it could be effective, which was not easy when a man was covered in amour. I believe that the stone was steered by heavenly assistance to find the target.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.
And that was how David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and slaying him. But there was no sword in the hand of David, and so to fulfil his promise to cut off Goliath’s head he had to use a borrowed one.
51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
Having brought the Philistine down David ran over to him and cut off his head with his own sword, and on seeing their champion humbled by a mere youth the Philistines had no further stomach for a fight. Terror appears to have taken hold of them, for they could no doubt see the Israelite army suddenly emboldened and ready to attack. And when they did so, what greater evidence of what the God of Israel could do to them did they need than this? They turned and fled leaving their baggage behind (wagons would only have delayed them). All defiance was over.
52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.
The exuberant Israelites meanwhile gave out a loud war-cry and chased after them, following them all the way to their own cities, slaughtering those who were too slow.
53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.
Once the chase was over the children of Israel then returned from chasing the Philistines, and plundered their camp and all their wagons, filled with praise to Yahweh.
54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
And David meanwhile took the head of the Philistine to Jerusalem. This is a whole separate study by itself. I encourage you to look up Genesis chapter 3 in which this act that David did by taking Goliath’s head to Jerusalem fulfilled in part the prophecy of our Holy Supreme God, “14 So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
Meanwhile Saul, as he watched David go out to fight the Philistine, was mindful of the fact that he had promised his daughter to whoever defeated the Philistine, and he was thus now concerned about David’s heritage, so he turned to Abner his general and asked, ‘Whose son is this?’ It had not been important who Jesse was when all Saul had been doing was employ him as a musician. And he had probably forgotten the details of David’s background, if he had ever known them. He could hardly have been expected to remember the details of the families of all his servants. It was, however, a totally different matter if he was to receive him into the family. Abner’s reply was that he simply did not know.
56 So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.” 57 Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
When David returned from his defeat of Goliath, Abner took him and brought him before Saul. David was carrying the head of Goliath.
58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So, David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Because of Abner’s action Saul was able to question him himself, and he asked him whose son he was. David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite,” What he did not tell him was that he was also the anointed of Yahweh who one day was going to take his place as king of Israel. That change would occur when the God of Israel Yahweh determined.
