David: A Man after God’s Heart (2)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 2/28/2016
Last Sunday we started a new series exploring the life of David. The Bible dedicates more pen and parchment to the life of David than to anyone other than Jesus himself. His adventures are chronicled in great detail. The Bible calls him shepherd boy, king, mighty warrior, musician, poet, sinner, saint. But what I find most compelling about David is God’s description of him: “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart.” (Acts 13:22 NLT)
That’s intriguing, isn’t it? As Christians, I would think that all of us want to men and women after God’s heart. But what does that even mean? How do we become a man or woman after God's heart?
Well, last Sunday we learned that God doesn’t judge by outward appearances; rather, God looks at the heart. Others may measure your waist size or wallet. Not God. He examines hearts. So what did God see when he looked at David’s heart? He saw what no one else saw: a hardworking, humble, hallelujah-filled heart—but that’s just the beginning. As we journey through the life of David, we come to another story that sheds even more light on David’s heart—the story of David and Goliath.
This was always one of my favorite Bible stories as a kid. There’s something about this story that resonates with us. It almost makes us want to stand up and cheer. Both life and literature are overflowing with these “David and Goliath” stories—timeless tales about triumphant underdogs. Whether it’s Abraham Lincoln going from a log cabin to the White House or Rocky going the distance against Apollo Creed, these stories will always be in style. It’s just more fun to root for the little guy, isn’t it? We like to see losers become winners.
But the story of David and Goliath started it all. The story of told in 1 Samuel 17, so if you have a Bible, you can open it there. When last we left David, King Saul hired him as his personal musician to play the harp whenever Saul got a bit agitated. But when he wasn’t making music, David traveled home and continued caring for his father’s flock—so he was going back and forth from the palace to the pasture.
Before long, Saul mustered his army and prepared for battle against their recurring rivals, the Philistines. The two opposing forces met in the Valley of Elah, a vast gulch about a mile wide, with a narrow stream flowing through the center like a line drawn in the sand. The Israelite army encamped along the northern hills while the Philistines occupied the southern mounds.
Before the battle cry could be sounded, however, the Bible says, “Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel” (1 Samuel 17:4 NLT). Surrounded by his Philistine comrades, Goliath towers above them all—arrayed in bronze armor, brandishing a swords, spear and javelin, and snarling like the main contender at Monday Night Raw.
Now before we go any further, I need to have a little aside with you. Every English translation of this passage perpetuates a copyist error that dates back to the ninth century. Prior to 1943, all English translations of the Old Testament relied primarily on the Masoretic text. For a long time, it was our oldest Hebrew manuscript, but it only dates back about 1,000 years. The Masoretic text identifies Goliath as six cubits and a span (roughly 9’9”) tall. That’s odd, however, because the Septuagint identifies him at four cubits and a span (6’9”). The first century historian, Josephus also identified Goliath as four cubits and a span. But English translators opted for the taller version of Goliath, perhaps because it sounded more impressive. In 1943, however, archeologists discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of ancient documents dating back hundreds of years before Christ, included among them were ancient Hebrew copies of the Old Testament. The DSS copy of 1 Samuel (100 BC) also clearly identifies Goliath as four cubits and a span, proving that somewhere between the 1st and 10th centuries a copyist exaggerated Goliath’s height, which led to an error in the Masoretic text. While every biblical scholar is aware of this, no English translation has been willing to break with tradition (although the NLT, ESV and others do include a footnote).
So Goliath’s true height is 6 feet 9 inches (not 9 feet 9 inches), but don’t let that diminish your view of Goliath’s imposing presence. Keep in mind that archeologist’s tell us a tall man in David’s day stood 5’6” tall. Most believe David himself to have been around 5’2”. So Goliath still towered over his friends and foes, much like NBA legends Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, or Shaquille O'Neal would tower over us today.
And it wasn’t just Goliath’s height that intimidated his enemies. Bronze weaponry was the pinnacle of technology in David’s day and Goliath wore a bronze coat of mail that weighed 125 pounds. He also wore a bronze helmet, bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield the size of full-grown man.
Pause a moment and allow your mind to picture such an imposing sight. Imagine how frightening it would be to take on a man of this size protected by this amount of armor. Clearly, the odds are stacked against anyone foolish enough to face him in battle.
With massive muscles and bulging biceps, his boasts bellow through the canyon: “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. 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. This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” (1 Samuel 17:8-10 NIV).
When Saul and the Israelites heard Goliath’s challenge they were terrified. Many of them literally ran away. Twice a day, every day, for forty days, Goliath paraded in front of the Israelite army, laughing and sneering—begging for someone to fight. Yet there were no challengers. No Hebrew volunteers. That is, until today. Until David.
The Bible says that David’s three oldest brothers—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea—joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines. David himself was still going back and forth between the palace and the pasture. One day, David arrives at the battlegrounds with a care-package for his brothers. But just as David reached the Valley, Goliath came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. Picture the moment. David is standing there searching for his three brothers, when all of a sudden he hears this loud cry from across the ravine. And suddenly everyone around him is rushing to the rear and climbing in their tents— “when all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid” (1 Samuel 17:24).
Remember, David has never seen this giant from Gath, nor heard his challenge. Suddenly David’s standing there alone as everyone around him runs for cover! He looks across the battlefield, and sees this giant of a guy, encased in armor, shouting out threats and defiance and cursing the God of Israel. And that made David’s blood boil! He wasn’t impressed. He wasn’t intimidated.
David asked one of the soldiers scampering away, “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26 NLT). David then discovers that Goliath has been mouthing off every day for over a month and that the King has offered a great reward for any man who defeats him.
But just then, David’s oldest brother, Eliab, spots David out the corner of his eye. Eliab clearly harbors some jealousy after being passed over by Samuel and then watching his runt of a brother get anointed as king. “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle!” (1 Samuel 17:28 NIV).
I love David’s response: “What have I done now? I was only asking a question!” (1 Samuel 17:29 NLT). Poor David. He just can’t catch a break, can he? His brother’s bitterness stings like venom. He doesn’t let that deter him though. He marches straight over to the King’s tent and announces to Saul, “I’ll fight him!”
It took some persuading, but David finally stepped out onto the battlefield. Nobody expected David to walk away from this fight—least of all Goliath. When Goliath catches his first glimpse of David, he scoffs, “Do you think I am a dog, that you come at me with a stick? Come here. I’ll feed your body to the birds of the air and the wild animals!” (1 Samuel 17:43-44 NCV). Tiny, teenage David versus bulky, brutish Goliath. The toothpick versus the tornado. But by the time the dust settled, it was David who stood victorious over a headless giant. So what does this story reveal about David’s heart? First, I think it demonstrated that David had a committed heart.
• A COMMITTED HEART
How would you feel if you heard someone talking trash about your wife or your kid? Well, that’s how David felt when he heard Goliath talking about his God! David loved the Lord and he wouldn’t tolerate someone talking trash about his God. Remember David’s first word’s on the scene: “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17: 26 NLT).
David heard Goliath’s insults and thought No one talks that way about the God of Israel. So David did what no one else was willing to do—he stood up for God! When was the last time you stood up for God? We may not have armor-clad giants hurling insults at us or threating to feed our flesh to the birds, but our society seems to breed loud-mouthed critics of Christianity and Christ.
The typical insult from the non-religious crowd is to refer to believers as “ignorant,” “stupid,” “brainwashed.” And when a Christian takes a politically incorrect position the terms change to “bigot,” “extremist,” or “zealot.”
Now, I don’t recommend carrying a slingshot around and slinging stones at everyone who says something negative about God, the Bible or Christianity. But we are called to stand our ground and stand firm. Paul reminds us that our battle is not with flesh-and-blood enemies, but against godless ideologies, philosophies and thoughts. He writes, “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NLT).
Christians should always be equipped to enthusiastically answer questions about our faith, with gentleness and respect. If our hearts are as committed to God as was David’s, then we will stand up and defend the God we love with the same passion and zeal that David did. When God saw David, he saw a committed heart. He also saw a confident heart.
• A CONFIDENT HEART
When David first approached King Saul about fighting Goliath, Saul looked at David and said, “Don’t be ridiculous! You don’t have the size for it. You’re just a kid. Look over there at that giant!” As I picture it, David was blinking and thinking, What giant? The only giant in my life is God. That’s a dwarf over there, Saul. God is the biggest one there is! And if God is for us, who can stand against us? David then describes to Saul how in the past God proved Himself faithful. He reminds Saul of his experience as a shepherd, saying:
“When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:34-37 NLT)
God doesn’t waste victories. When he pulls something off that only He can do, he says, “Now don’t your forget that.” David remembered God’s victories in the past and that gave him confidence for the future.
We all have our own giants to face. Your Goliath doesn’t carry a sword or a spear; he brandishes blades of unemployment, abandonment, abuse, or depression, drunkenness, or divorce. He doesn’t parade up and down the hills of Elah, but he prances through your office, your bedroom, your classroom.
A good memory is essential in giant slaying. Unfortunately most us tend to remember the wrong things. We come up against a new giant and we’re reminded of all our past failures. Our confidence is shaken and we’ve lost before the battle has even begun. David demonstrates a better way. The Bible says, “Remember His marvelous works which He has done” (1 Chronicles 16:12 NIV).
Rather than focusing on your failures, remember God’s faithfulness. Keep a record of God’s accomplishments in your life. Catalog your answered prayer. And whenever you face another giant, go back to that list and let it fill your heart with confidence. That’s what David did and so he had a confident heart. Finally, David also had a courageous heart.
• A COURAGEOUS HEART
This is my favorite part of the story. When the time came for both contenders to enter the ring, David didn’t hesitate or back down. He shouted across the creek,
“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you… and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!” (1 Samuel 14:45-46 NLT)
Then the Bible says,
As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground. (1 Samuel 17:48-49 NLT)
Did you notice David how ran, not away from, but toward his giant!? That’s courage! When was the last time you did the same? How long since you ran toward your challenge? We tend to retreat, duck behind whatever distractions we can find, avoid conflict at all costs, ignore the problem and hope it goes away. That may work for a moment, a day, or even a year, but the giant is still there!
Try a different approach. Load your sling and take a swing. Time and again God exhorts his people to have courageous hearts! He told Joshua, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT). Let’s follow in David’s footsteps, finding strength and courage in God’s company.
Conclusion:
I don’t know what your intimidating giant is today. It may relate to your job, your family, or your school. Maybe it is a person, a lawsuit, unemployment, a disaster. Perhaps it is some fear that is lurking around the corner, sucking your energy and draining your faith. Perhaps you don’t know what lies across the valley. Maybe you can’t get a handle on what that giant is; but it’s there, taunting you. That uncertainty alone is a giant.
Take a page from David’s playbook. Commit your heart to God, have confidence in God’s ability to handle any situation, and then rush your giant with a courageous heart. When you do, you’ll not only overcome your obstacles, but you’ll become a man or woman after God’s own heart.
Next week, we’ll examine another key moment in David’s life to see what else we can learn about being a man and woman after God’s heart.
Invitation:
In the meantime, whatever giants you’re facing, we’re here to help. Please talk with me. You can pull me aside after church, call me at home, or come forward now while we stand and sing.
