1 Samuel 17:31-37 NKJV
“Go, and the LORD be with You!”
October 22, 2023
Up to this point in history, God had ruled the nation of Israel, raising up judges as they were needed. But the people wanted a king like other nations had! When Saul was chosen to be their king, the people were elated. Saul was a fine physical specimen, standing head and shoulders taller than anyone else in Israel, 1 Samuel 9:2. While he may have been a giant among men, he was a spiritual dwarf, who lived for the praises of the people. He would often be guilty of gross disobedience to the Lord and as a result, God chose a new king to rule over Israel. He chooses a young shepherd boy named David. God sent the Prophet Samuel to Bethlehem, to Jesse’s home of the line of Judah, only for him to bring his seven oldest sons to be considered before the Prophet. After all were rejected, Samuel finds out that there is yet another son. He is so insignificant within the family that he is not even summoned with the rest of the boys, but he is left outside with the sheep. In fact, when he is mentioned by his father, he is not even called by his name; he is simply called “the youngest.” So, when “the youngest” walks in, the prophet sees a ruddy young man and God tells him to anoint young David, for this is the one! The one rejected and passed over by his family is the very one picked by the Lord! Sometimes, even your family can’t see your calling. None of his brothers said, “What about David?” His father, Jesse, did not think enough of him to even stand him before the prophet! When Jesse and his older sons come before the Prophet, they are “sanctified,” v. 5. In other words, they bathed, their clothes were washed, and they are made ready for worship. When David is brought, there is no time for him to be sanctified on the outside, but he is ready nonetheless because he was sanctified on the inside! His clothes may have been soiled by his sheep, but his heart was clean! Though David was anointed by the prophet as a boy, he did not ascend the throne for another 25 years. During that time God molded him as a man after His own heart. I want to talk about how the young shepherd boy David spoke; he spoke to Soldiers; he spoke to Sovereigns; he spoke to Sinners.
He spoke to the Soldier. The Philistines had declared war with Israel. The elder sons of Jesse were called to duty in the Israelite Army. Jesse worried about his older sons, sent David with rations to the front line to inquire about his boys. When David arrives at the camp the armies of Israelites and the armies of the Philistines are in battle array. And the champion of the Philistines had been shouting at the Israelites morning and evening for 40 days, “Choose a man among you, that can fight me and let the victor decide this war!” When the Israelites heard this over and over again, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. But when David heard these words he asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the Living God?” In the Bible, circumcision is a physical sign of the eternal covenant between God and His people. The soldiers answered, “Have you seen this man, surely he defies Israel.” Those who are afraid will always want to shift your attention to what you can see with your natural eyes. The Hebrew writer tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Even his brother said, “Why are you here? Don’t you have some sheep to tend to?” He was basically saying, “this is mans work and you are a child!” David asks his brother, “What have I done now?” You didn’t think anything of me before I was anointed; you don’t respect me after I was anointed; I just want to know why the armies of the living God are afraid?!? Saints, we are the children of the living God and He said through Prophet Isaiah, “I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” Isaiah 41:10. Young people, do not let the world tell you that you are too young to challenge the statis quo!
He spoke to the Sovereign. The words of David began to spread through the camp and King Saul sent for him. Without hesitation David says, “I’ll go and fight the Philistine.” David lets Saul know that he has faced many beasts in his lifetime. He tells him about the time when a lion and the time when a bear attacked his sheep. David tells King Saul that he sees no difference between those beasts that he defeated and the giant that now stands before them. When the king heard David, he joined the chorus of naysayers, telling David that he could not do it, vs. 33, because he was too young to go against a man of war. But David was steadfast in the matter, and in verse 37, David states his absolute confidence that just as God gave him victory over the lion and the bear, God would give him victory of the giant, "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." David knew that safety is not in the absence of danger; safety is in the presence of the Lord! Goliath appeared indestructible and unconquerable. He mocks them and calls them cowards, and when Israel heard the taunts of Goliath, they were (King included), “dismayed, and greatly afraid.” BUT David knew that one day, he was going to have to lead the nation of Israel. He knew that when God was allowing a defiler to rise up in the enemies camp He was training a Shepherd with Lion and Bear! God did not train David with sword and spear, He trained him with sling and stone. God removed David’s fear of the hand of the giant by delivering him from the paw of the lion and paw of the bear. Why Lord would you allow Lion & Bear to come after me when others only had to deal with Fox & Wolf? It is because the Lord is preparing you to fight giants that others your age have never fought before.
He spoke to the Sinner. Then David said to the Giant, "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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you… 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." David carried only Staff… Stones… Sling – Shepherd’s tools in the “Name of the Lord.” We’ve been talking about the phrase, “in the name of Jesus” during the Hour of Power. We determined that, “only that which is in His will is recognized in His name!” God will never act outside of His will. And in order to know the will of God we must draw near to His Word. The reality of the text is that the Philistine champion was a giant. His name is Goliath, which means “splendor,” and he stood “six cubits and a span.” A cubit is the distance from elbow to fingertip. This means that he was about 9’ 9” tall, v. 4. He wore body armor weighing about 200 pounds. His spear was several feet long and the head of his spear weighed about 25 pounds. What David knew that the enemy did not know was that his God was greater than any giant. So, when David went out to fight, he not only took his sling and some smooth stones, he also took the Sovereign Promises of God, vs. 40. We have tried many methods to defeat the giants in our lives. We listen to Ted Talk, tried meditation apps and have a positive mental attitude. But, when it is all said and done, giant killing is simple. It all comes down to this one simple, basic truth: The just shall live by faith, Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17. David said, “The LORD will deliver me,” declaring the victory before the battle was even fought! That is the essence of faith! It will allow you to give your victory speech before you even fight the battle! Faith ran toward the enemy; faith faced the giant; faith hurled the stone; faith saw the giant fall to the ground and faith received the victory! Never underestimate that power of faith in your battles! Because David reminded us, The Battle is the LORD’s! Look carefully at verse 51. Is the giant still there? Of course, he is! Only now, he is 9 feet long and not 9 feet tall! You can stand on a giant like that! You see, faith will take that which is over your head and will put it under your feet! Paul said, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55. Peter says in Acts 2 that David being a prophet foresaw a risen Christ on his throne! The same God who gave David the victory is the same God that is calling you near today.
