How did a young man come to so much faith? How did he conquer a giant problem that had all of Israel cowering? Do we have that kind of faith? Let’s look in 1 Samuel 17.
Was the Philistine threat a seemingly insurmountable problem?
The Philistines got ready for war and brought their troops together to attack the town of Socoh in Judah. They set up camp at Ephes-Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. King Saul and the Israelite army set up camp on a hill overlooking Elah Valley, and they got ready to fight the Philistine army that was on a hill on the other side of the valley. The Philistine army had a hero named Goliath who was from the town of Gath and was about three meters [10 ft] tall. He wore a bronze helmet and had bronze armor to protect his chest and legs. The chest armor alone weighed about 57 kilograms [125 lb]. He carried a bronze sword strapped on his back, and his spear was so big that the iron spearhead alone weighed about seven kilograms [15 lb]. A soldier always walked in front of Goliath to carry his shield. (1 Samuel 17:1-7 CEV)
Was Israel greatly concerned about the military threat before them?
He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 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.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. (1 Samuel 17:8-11 ESV)
Was the answer to Israel’s dilemma a most unlikely solution in human eyes?
Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem. Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. (1 Samuel 17:12-16 HCSB)
How did David get involved in the situation with Goliath and the Philistine threat?
Jesse told his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain to your brothers, along with these ten loaves of bread, and quickly take them to your brothers in the camp. Take these ten pieces of cheese to the commander of the unit, check on the well-being of your brothers, and bring something back from them. Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the supplies, and went as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the encampment as the army was going out to the battle line, shouting the battle cry. (1 Samuel 17:17-20 ISV)
Were the men of Israel afraid of this giant of a man, Goliath?
For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. (1 Samuel 17:21-24 KJV)
What was David’s reaction when he saw and heard the giant Goliath?
And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to reproach Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who strikes him down with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who strikes down this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should reproach the battle lines of the living God?” And the people spoke to him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who strikes him down.” (1 Samuel 17:25-27 LSB)
Did David’s brother insult him for his questions? Does even family sometimes falsely accuse people of faith?
Now Eliab his oldest brother heard him when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, “Why is it that you have come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I myself know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.” But David said, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people replied with the same words as before. (1 Samuel 17:28-30 NASB)
When Saul heard about David’s attitude, did he think differently than David’s brother Eliab?
What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (1 Samuel 17:31-37 NIV)
Did David initially try on Saul’s heavy armor, but give up the idea?
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. 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. (1 Samuel 17:38-39 NKJV)
Can God give victory against great odds? Whose battle did David declare this was?
He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “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 I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” (1 Samuel 17:40-47 NLT)
Did David run headlong into battle because he was a young man of faith? How do we face our battles?
When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand. Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. (1 Samuel 17:48-51 WEB)
Did David’s actions lead to victory for Israel? Had Saul perhaps not paid much attention to who David was until that moment?
The soldiers from Israel and Judah jumped up with a shout and chased the Philistines all the way to Gath and the gates of Ekron. The dead Philistines were littered along the Shaarim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites came back from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. Now when Saul saw David go out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner the army general, “Abner, whose son is that boy?” “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know,” Abner answered. “Then find out whose son that young man is,” the king replied. So when David came back from killing the Philistine, Abner sent for him and presented him to Saul. The Philistine’s head was still in David’s hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, my boy?” “I’m the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem,” David answered. (1 Samuel 17:52-58 CEB)
At the end of the age, in that great eternal city, who will still mention David’s name?
I am Jesus! And I am the one who sent my angel to tell all of you these things for the churches. I am David's Great Descendant, and I am also the bright morning star. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this should say, “Come!” If you are thirsty, come! If you want life-giving water, come and take it. It's free! (Revelation 22:16-17 CEV)
How did a young man come to so much faith? How did he conquer a giant problem that had all of Israel cowering? Do we have that kind of faith? You decide!
