I am always struck; seized and captured by the language of the bible, and by the people in the bible, but I’m even more amazed, astonished, and astounded by God’s performances in the bible.
Even when life seems to be so serene and the perfect ideal, quiet, calm, under control and you might even feel in charge.
But in life there always seems to be some intimidating and threatening force hanging large on the horizon to scare you out of your agenda and your schedule, to attack your ambitions, minimizes your desires, and insult your intentions. In other words, there are some enemies, and some issues that are determine to make you retreat, go back, relapse or to just quit the assignments that has been assigned to your hands.
Life seems to always give us a repeat of things that we have seem before.
So, when I stumbled upon this moment in 1st Samuel and about the life of David a Shepherd boy who encounters a giant from the bullying the nation of the philistines, I am blown away by the contents that came to the surface.
As we cruise our way into this chapter, as we look closely to what is bury in plain sight, here we meet a boy who is busy on a journey and a task for his dad.
In a dialog with his father, his daddy says to him your brothers are at war, and I want you to go check on them, take them a little bread, some roasted grain, and a little cheese for the commander. And I want you too bring me some assurances. In other words, I really just want to know how they are doing, and I hope and pray that you are going to bring me back some good news.
Amazingly, if you look closely, you will see this boy who is the youngest of all of the eight sons that Jesse has. He is the youngest of them all, and the older boys are now out on the battle front, fighting against this army that has continued to threaten and antagonize the people of God. For over a hundred of years they are warring against they’re neighbors the people from Gat, where Goliath lives.
Notice who they are fighting against, they are warring against the city of Gath, the city who has one of their prize fighter by the name of Goliath who stands 9 feet 9 inches tall, he has over a 125 pounds of just amour, the tip of his spear weights 15 pounds.
He’s one that is imitating, he’s one that makes strong men wimps down, he makes weight lifting champions look like chumps, he has a snarls more growling then a Rottweiler, he tougher then a 1.95 steak, that’s who Goliath is. A nine foot nine inch giant man standing with a clear message about his challenges, challenges that are clear and straight to the point, pointed at the army of God, and here come’s this little boy who has just checked out from shepherding duties of watching and tending to the sheep, and now he wants to become a warrior.
It’s amazing that this man, this giant Goliath issue the statement that we don’t have to share our blood; we don’t all have to fight just send me out a man. And if he can beat me we will be your subjects, but if I beat him you will be our subjects. And I think that a good way to fight a war just send the presidents out and let them fight against one another, and I promise you that the wars against the nations will stop.
Goliath said, send me a man and if that man should so happen to take me down then my army will go down too, but if I take your men down, then you and all your people we will do as we will with you.
Then here come’s David, David the boy that came to drop off some bread and some cheese and some roasted grain, who hears the threatening, threats against the people of God, who now looks for five rocks to deal with the giant Goliath. And what’s so funny here is that within this entire army where you will find men bragging about there ranks and how tough they are and yet you can’t find one of them volunteering to go out and fight this terrorist until David shows up on the scene.
All of the muscle flexing, weight pumping, bar bell pressing soldiers wouldn’t say that I’ll go, nall it was left up to a Shepard boy who has a little pouch on his side and a sling shot to say I can handle him.
And believe it or not, we have some giants that have against the the of God even now, that are threatening to take down the house of God. When you have those that are disruptive, disrespectful, and distractions to the work of God they are giants looking to intimidate God’s people. But I believe that God still have some David’s available to fight the giant.
Look at this. This is actually laughable David and Goliath, it like putting a tooth pick against a tornado, or a poodle and a Rottweiler, or like a tricycle racing against a 18 wheeler.
So, that leads me to ask you this, have you ever felt like that, that you are up against something so big and you felt so small that you can’t handle it. Have you ever felt like you were warring against some giants that were weighing you down?[Pause]
What I have learned is that life will make sure that we have our turn with a giant.
Look at this: David is facing this giant with only a sling shot and five little stones and the giants tip on his spear weights fifteen pounds and my question to you is. Have you ever felt like what you have in your hand is not equipped enough to handle the situations that you are facing. This boy had only 5 stones but you must realize what 5 represents. 5 is the number of grace or God’s goodness.
Here is a nugget. When the devil is on your track you need to grab on to your five: 5 minutes of prayer, five minutes of rest, five minutes of peace and then sometimes you must get you five stone to defeat your giant because giants do fall.
And I need to speak to some real people who have face some giants this year and you have allow some giants to put you in a corner and you are not yet really convince yet that giants do really fall. I have some good news for somebody who is interested. I stop bye to tell you that if you can adapt the right attitude, if you can realign your focus, if you can rearrange your sights in another direction your giants will fall.
AND THEY WON’T BE ABLE TO:
Hold you down
Keep you down
Pull you down
Push you down
Mess you around
And they can’t sit you down
And don’t let anybody fool you we all have giants.
Wait a minute Pastor, so what is a giant? Webster define a giant like this. A being with human form but superhuman size, strength, etc. a person or thing of unusually great size, power, importance.
A giant is an object that is the same as you but it just has more than you do. It has feet like you but bigger, it has hands like you but is just wider, it has money like you, but just more of it. Giants are just intimidators. And I know what you are saying Pastor I haven’t seen any giants in my life, yes you have but you just didn’t recognize what it was.
And our giants are not like this giant they may not have a sword and a shield they, butcome in a form of bills that we can’t pay, they come in the form of a past they we cannot shake, they come in the form of a future that we cannot face, they come in the form of the church members rolling their eyes at you, they come standing over your desk at work, they come as a child that you cannot train, they come in the form of a wife that your cannot communicate with, they come in the form of a husband that your can’t understand, our giants bring us people that you can’t never please, our giants brings us habit that we can’t satisfy, our giant don’t have a sword but he is there.
And let me throw this in, giants has an agenda, and their agenda is to stay in you ear and in your face. Because even the word says this “And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine,” and ye servants to Saul? Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me”
Giants becomes scary because they stay in your face and in your ears saying what he said in verse 16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. And that’s the way our giants are everyday they will be the first thing we hear and at night they are the last thing that they hear.
But I’m here to tell you that your enemies or your giants can be defeated. Any oppressor, whether a person or some trial, giants can be conquered. Victory is promised to the person who will trust God and call upon Him for power and help.
One of the most famous stories in all-the Bible is the story of David and Goliath, and this story teaches us this great lesson. The story is a captivating drama that attracts both the hearer and the storyteller.
Also, it is one of the most well-known stories in all literature about overcoming impossible odds, the young boy David defeated a mighty warrior who stood over nine feet tall.
And there are some who thought this was an impossible defeat, but through the power of God David did the impossible. And because of his victory, he stands as a dynamic example before the world. He was an example of what can be accomplished by the person who truly believes in God. David teaches us that we can defeat any oppressor and conquer any enemy through the power of God.
So, the record is that the Philistines invaded Israel at Shochoh, which was located about fifteen miles west of Bethlehem in the territory of Judea (2nd Chronicles 28:18).
The invasion was immediately countered by Saul and his army. They camped in the valley of Elah. Then the battle lines were drawn: the armies faced each other on opposite hills surrounding the valley (1 Samuel 17:2-3). Look at the scene: there were the Israelite forces, thousands and thousands of soldiers, battalion after battalion, standing on their battle lines. End with your close:
Opposite of them was an invading army of thousands who bitterly hated the Israelites and sought to enslave and subject them to serve the Philistine nation. A spirit of apprehended their hearts. But an even greater fear was about to surge through their veins, a paralyzing fear.
All of a sudden, a frightening, giant warrior named Goliath stepped forth from the Philistine ranks crying out a hostile challenge to the Israelites.
Standing there in the valley, Goliath presented an horrifying appearance. He was a mighty warrior who could overpower any enemy. Then he spoke, crying out in defiance, mocking and ridiculing the Israelites: Why did they line up to fight when not a single soldier fwould come out to face him? He shouted out a hostile challenge that represented combat: that is, that the mightiest warrior of Israel fight a personal dual with him, Goliath. This dual would be a representative war with the nation of the loser becoming subject to the winner, serving the winning nation.
The defiance and appearance of Goliath as a mighty warrior paralyzed the Israelite army. A chilling, unnerving fear gripped their hearts. The Israelites were shaken, terrorized by Goliath.
But then all of a sudden a boy by the name of David showed up. And said since no one will fight Philistine, I’ll fight him. David headed out to the battlefield, and in verse 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.
Then he said in verse 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.”
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, (I can see him, winding it up in the name of the Father, I can winding it up in the name of the Lord, I can see him winding it up through the power of the Lord) and
he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
Tell your neighbor that giants will fall if the Lord be with you.
