3.5.22 1 Samuel 17:4–49 (EHV)
The Philistine would say, “I defy the ranks of Israel today! Give me a man, and we will fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.
32 David said to Saul, “Do not let anyone lose heart because of this Philistine! Your servant will go and fight him.” . . .David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. . . . when the Philistine started advancing to attack David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand into his bag, took a stone from it, shot it from his sling, and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground.
All It Takes Is One
Years ago the Army was criticized for a promotional slogan that said, “An Army of one.” It was stressing the individual over the unit, and wars aren’t usually won that way. You can have the strongest and most powerful army in the world, but if your citizenry and your politicians aren’t behind you, then you are going to lose. I’ll be surprised if Russia actually comes out AHEAD in the end of this battle with Ukraine, since their own people are protesting against this seemingly obvious act of aggression. On the other hand, the Ukrainians seem united to fight against them for their freedom. When the President of Ukraine was offered a flight out, he famously said, “I don’t need a ride. I need ammo.” Would that we had such resolve in our battles against sin, death, and the devil.
Today, as we begin Lent, we start with a battle of one. David vs. Goliath. Jesus vs. Satan. As we’ve been singing throughout Epiphany, “We stand and we watch” the army of One, our One Lord and Savior. Yet this is a good thing. Even if we had an army to try and storm into heaven, we wouldn’t make it, were it not for Jesus.
In the Old Testament text, Goliath was cursing David by the name of his gods and trash talking away. He was a trained fighter from his youth, and a giant at that. He had all of the weapons of war, custom fitted just for him. So it was a scary situation. David’s brothers were studs. When Nathan looked at them, he thought for sure that one of them would be king. Yet even THEY were afraid of Goliath. It’s not like these were wimpy men. But Goliath was a GIANT:nine feet six inches tall! How many of us would have stepped up? We have no clue how intimidating this guy may have been.
Yet all it takes is ONE, one person to stand up and say something or do something, to change the whole tide. That’s what David did. He started asking questions. He started asking, “Why isn’t anyone standing up to this uncircumcised heathen?” In other words, he was mentioning that the man didn’t have the LORD on his side. This was a SPIRITUAL thing too, not just a physical thing. And when Goliath trash talked, David had words for him as well.
“You come against me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. . . . Then all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and all those gathered here will know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear, for the battle belongs to the LORD, and he will deliver you into our hand.”
Notice how he invokes the name of the LORD throughout. He spoke with confidence and faith that this victory would be told throughout the EARTH. Not only would GOLIATH be defeated, but so would the WHOLE ARMY.
These weren’t just words spoken or written over a computer from hundreds of miles away. It took strength for David to say this. Here’s another thing; everyone was watching! Mano y mano. One on one. David for the Israelites. Goliath for the Philistines. David knew that the entire army was demoralized because of Goliath’s taunts. Yet he also knew that if he stood up and won, then that would change the entire attitude of the army, and it would be told throughout the entire earth! It would breathe confidence in them.
David seemed like an unlikely hero. It wasn’t that David was a puny little kid. That’s fake news. He was strong and ruddy in appearance. It’s just that he wasn’t very old. He was maybe 20 or so, or perhaps his upper teens. I might envision a big linebacker on a football team. He tried on Saul’s armor. He wouldn’t have even done that if it was way too big for him. The problem wasn’t the size. It was that he wasn’t USED to it. That’s why he rejected it. He also didn’t have any hand to hand battle experience.
How do you think the Israelite soldiers reacted? I imagine some of the soldiers were impressed with David, but also maybe a little bit angry with him like his brothers were. “Who does he think he is going out to fight Goliath? Dumb kid doesn’t know what he’s getting himself into. He’s just going to embarrass himself and us!” It’s like how some Christians don’t want others to speak up against moral issues in today’s day and age, fearful to bring attention to themselves and be the brunt of an attack. But David knew from his own experience what GOD HAD gotten him through, as he had to fight off a lion and and a bear from killing his father’s sheep. What was a nine foot giant compared to them?!?
Goliath was more than confident that he would defeat David. It makes you wonder if Satan thought he would have a sure victory against Jesus as well? Jesus was fighting in the wilderness without any angels around Him. AND He wasn’t using any of His divine power. He ALSO had the natural desires of the flesh that the Devil could try to use AGAINST Him. David was fighting on behalf of the ISRAELITE army. Jesus was fighting on behalf of HUMANITY. We stand and we watch. How will this play out?
David didn’t panic. He used what he was USED to. A sling and a stone, along with his staff. That’s it. He didn’t trust in the typical weapons of war that he hadn’t used before. It makes me think about the weapons WE are used to fighting with, how WE are brought up. It’s hard to let go of battle tactics that you’re used to using. If you’ve been brought up listening to your parents argue and yell, you might do the same in your relationships. If you’re used to listening to trash talkers or sarcastic comedians, then you may resort the same way when facing brash people. If you get used to turning to a bottle or a smoke for your stress, it’s hard to let go of it. That defense mechanism takes the place of God. It leads to alcoholism or more broken relationships. It leads to fights and bitterness. There is no peace in the end. There’s a proverb that goes, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
God trains us in the Bible to work with prayer and the Word of God, so that these can be our weapons of war in a sinful world. He wants us to study it and refer to it again and again for help in our time of troubles. He wants us to use our pastors and Christian friends for advice and help in time of need. But more often than not we use those as last resorts, and when we know what God wants us to do we still ignore it. How many of you have a regular prayer life? How many of you read your Bible regularly or come to Bible study? If you don’t use these weapons in times of peace, then you won’t use them in time of war. Or if you do, you’ll have a hard time trusting that God will work through them. Why? Because we haven’t been TRAINING ourselves to use them throughout our lives. Prayer is MOCKED by today’s society when people say, “I’ll pray for you.” It isn’t practical enough. They don’t believe that God will actually do anything.
The name of the LORD flowed from David’s tongue as his NATIVE language. He wrote many of the Psalms. It was an every day part of his life. So it was with Jesus. He used the Word of God in defense of Satan. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He spoke the Psalms on His way to the cross. Why? That is what He was USED to. That was His sword and His shield.
And guess what? God worked through the weapons they used to WIN a seemingly impossible battle. David, on behalf of the Israelite army, defeated Goliath with a stone and a sling, by the power of God. Jesus, on behalf of HUMANITY, defeated Satan with the Word of God. He never fell into temptation. He did this on OUR behalf, as OUR warrior. All it took was ONE! God won the victory with ONE MAN.
So what does the writer to the Hebrews say to us? Hebrews 4:15–16 “We have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Think about what that means. Jesus’ victory means that WE can have confidence. Why?
Imagine going into a circus and being told to do the trapeze without a net. You’d be scared to death of slipping and dying. But if the net was underneath you, you’d at least know that if you slipped up you wouldn’t die. Isn’t that a part of the courage that we can have in fighting temptation? Jesus already defeated the devil ON OUR BEHALF. He already paid for our sins. He did this for sinners like us, who fail against temptation on a regular basis. If He already WON the battle, then we don’t have to fear our failures so much. Our failures and sins are forgiven. Our salvation doesn’t depend on whether we slip or not. It depends on the fact that JESUS DIDN’T SLIP. We can go into battle knowing that our salvation is already won.
Secondly, it gives us confidence that we can win some battles. If Jesus ONLY used the Word of God and prayer, then we can use the SAME weapons with similar results! Paul writes that we have ONE Lord, ONE faith, ONE baptism. These are the same weapons Christians have been using for years to fight against Satan and his temptations. There have been many saints who have gone before us who have had to face much worse things than we have, and they stood up in the face of adversity. Why? By the grace of God! As we sing in A Mighty Fortress, “One little word can fell him.” Think of what James says in 4:7, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Go with the weapons that God has given the church throughout the years, that all the saints before you have used.
As a pastor, it’s easy for me to get frustrated when people don’t LISTEN to what God’s Word says or try to apply it to their lives. No matter how many times you can preach about the sinfulness of anger, greed, perversion, or apathy, it doesn’t seem to make a dent. Nothing seems to change. How many get stuck in the ruts of life, looking for meaning in their jobs, their entertainment, and their romance? All it takes is one to change the course of things.
When David stood up and faced Goliath, God granted him a great victory. He chopped off Goliath’s head, just as he said he would. No more boasting from Goliath. It wasn’t like David just left the head there either. He was carrying it around with him, even when he went to see the king! That act of defiance changed the whole war, just like David said it would. Soon thereafter all of the soldiers got out of their foxholes and attacked, and the entire Philistine army was routed. All it took was one.
When Jesus came forth from the grave, He announced to the entire world that Satan was conquered, along with sin and death. That ONE God and man changed the entire outlook of life. In the midst of death, we have hope and life.
What about you? You could be that one in your classroom, at your place of employment, with your family, or with your neighbors. You don’t have to follow the pattern of sinfulness and fear. You could be the one who says, “I’m going to fight Satan’s lies. I’m going to fight my sinful nature. I am going to stand out against the culture.” You don’t have to follow the apathy. You can say, “I’m going to go to church regularly from here on out. Are you with me? I’m going to start going to Bible study. You want to come?” Satan has been rolling as of late, and part of the reason is because we haven’t had that ONE to stand up and say, “I’m going to change things.”
When Russia rolled into Ukraine, I imagine that they thought they were going to roll right in without much of a challenge. But when the President stood his ground, he gave a message to the entire country. “We won’t back down.” Had he taken that ride that was offered him, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole country might have folded. All it took was one. The rest of his countrymen were encouraged by his courage.
All it took was one young man to stand up against Goliath. God blessed his bravery with a great victory. All it took was one Lord, one God in the flesh, to stand up to Satan and resist his temptations. All it takes is one Spirit to work in you, through the Word and sacrament, to make a difference in your life, and the lives of those around you. All it takes is one. Amen.
