DAVID AND THE DWARF
1 SAMUEL 17: 1-56
INTRODUCTION:
The story of David and Goliath is one of the most popular in all the Bible. It is undoubtedly one of the greatest incidents in the life of this Godly man that we have chosen to study. It was a contrast of incredible proportions. Anybody with any sense would of said that the winner of this battle would be the champ not the challenger.
That seems to be the way the majority always thinks. No way a rag tag bunch of revolutionaries can bring England to her knees! A self-educated, Bible-quoting, Kentucky "hillbilly" becoming President of the United States? Get real. Last years Diamond Backs over the mighty Braves... makes me want to cry! But that had to be the thinking that day in the valley of Elah. Frightened Israel vs the brutal Philistines. As Chuck Swindoll writes, "The odds makers would’ve laughed. Hands down, Goliath gets the nod. Place your bets on a sure thing folks. That little Bethlehemite scampering up the slope must have looked like a wart on a grizzly’s belly. A bee buzzing a behemoth. Who would of ever guessed the outcome? But who hasn’t applauded it down inside?"
It’s true! We love it when the underdog wins. Deep within us is a private chamber where loud celebration breaks out when the “favorite” bite the dust. That’s why we pay big money to see such movies as The Karate Kid or cheer when Rocky Balboa knocks out Apollo Creed in Rocky I & II, or takes down “Mr. T” in Rocky III, or the Russian, Ivan Drago in Rocky IV, etc., etc., or more recently why we applaud “The Rookie,” a 30+ year old who beats the odds and makes the major leagues. And so on that day I think we would of been cheering for David, but also, since this was no movie, putting our money on Goliath. But this incident is more than just one of the great “underdog wins” stories, When you study this event closely you gain some valuable insight: that the real giant that day was not the one big in stature but the one who was completely sold out to God. There are some timeless truths, some useable principles, that apply to us as we face the giants in our own world. Remember David’s life is a strength for our struggles. So, let’s focus on three lessons that we can learn from this incident.
I. ENTER THE BATTLEGROUND: - "Israel vs the Philistines"
Let’s first picture the battle scene. According to 1 Sam. 17:1 this crucial conflict takes place in a location with a lot of big names that is unfamiliar to us. But when you boil it all down you find out that the fight happened in a vast valley, called “Elah”enclosed by hill country on both sides. Here is modern day view of it. The thinking is that the Philistines are up on this hill and the Israelites along the smaller hills and on the valley floor. So you have both armies, huge in number, like blankets of humanity thrown across the shoulder of the hills.
Now Israel’s opposition, the Philistine army had a mighty warrior by the name of Goliath who paraded across his hilltop belching out blasphemies and taunting the Israelite soldiers to send out their champion to meet him. Goliath was awesome! The Bible describes Goliath’s imposing stature. Vs:4 tells us that he stood over 9 feet tall! He would stand almost two feet taller than the 7’1" Shaq! Not only was he gigantic, but he appeared to have no vulnerabilities. Vss:5-7 describe all 9+ ft of him as being armored and weaponed to the hilt. His armor included a bronze coat of mail that weighed 125 lbs. He had a solid iron spear, a big bronze helmet, a club, bronze leggings, some boots and apparently an ugly snarling face. Man, would he have made a defensive end the Bronco’s would die for.
But Goliath, the pride of the Philistines, was not only frightening in looks, his words were mercilessly threatening. In fact, Goliath may have, right here, invented intimidating trash talk! This is what he says in vss:8-10. “Do you need a whole army to settle this? Choose someone to fight for you, and I will represent the Philistines. We will settle this dispute in single combat! If your man is able to kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel! Send me a man who will fight with me!” And he not only issued this challenge once but vs:16 says that he called out to the Israelites in this manner twice a day, for 40 days! And where was this mighty nation of God? Paralyzed in their tents. Vs:11- “When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.” The moral of the Israelite army was at an all time low. They were down and discouraged. But I ask you, how many of us would of jumped right up to fight this Giant? That brings us to important principle #1: Facing giants can be a discouraging experience!
Giants are tough. You know it is easy to say how you would fight a giant when they are centuries and miles away wandering through someone else’s landscape. But it is another thing all together when you find yourself "nose to knee" with a giant in your own backyard. But you see, we all face giants of one type or another from time to time. There are those moments when it seems that the giants of life just flat knock us over, when everyone of Murphy’s laws come true, all at once. Many of us feel like the guy who got knocked down while crossing the street by a motorist who was driving too fast. As the vehicle got past the poor man the driver leaned out the window and shouted, "Why don’t you watch where your going?" To which the fallen man responded, "Why, are you coming back?" We all get knocked down from time to time.
Some of us know people who like giants, just intimidate us. Not because they are so big physically or that they are awesome or that they are threatening. It’s just that their personality is so strong, their tongue is so biting, their position so powerful or their ability so great that we feel like dwarfs in their presence. Do you know anyone like that? Somebody in whose company your tongue gets tied, your mind turns to mush and you feel totally incompetent? Several years ago I met one of my favorite preacher’s Wayne Smith at a preacher’s retreat. Here was a guy who addressed people all over the country, he was, at the time, ministering to the Southland Christian Church in Lexington which today runs over 7,000. He was a contemporary and well thought of by my father and I finally got to meet him and talk to him. When I introduced myself he said, "I know your Dad & Mom real well and they sure aren’t very tall. Where did you get your height?" I got flustered, and said, "Ahh, the milkman".. that was classy! I didn’t want to say something dumb like that. Luckily, Wayne, called to my Dad saying, "Max, come here, I’ve finally met an honest preacher." But I guess we all know what it is like to be around people who make us nervous or even intimidate us. You tend to lose your confidence, even your poise and it can be very disheartening.
And then there are some giant-like problems that can stand before us and just melt us into deep discouragement. Maybe you have family problems that are dragging you down.. Children that defy you, parents that are overly demanding or a mate that is unresponsive and you just don’t feel like you can cope. Or maybe you have an illness that’s wearing you down and there seems to be no answers. Or maybe you have financial problems that loom large and you just don’t see how you can overcome that giant stack of mortgage payments and car payments and doctor bills...
Or maybe you have a certain temptation that looms before you like a Goliath. Wayne Smith often tells of a temptation he had. They put a new lighted Church sign up where he could place with letters little sayings under the glass of the sign. And the saying that Wayne chose was, "If you are tired of sin - come on in." Then someone wrote on the glass in marker, "If you’re not call 277-.” Of course Wayne said the thing that upset him was that the line was busy for so long. But it can be a serious downer when faced with a temptation that just overwhelms. We say like Paul in Rom. 7- “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate."
But let’s remember something very important: Facing the giants in this life are tough, but they are also inevitable. In fact, although we should not live in constant fear, wondering what’s going to befall us next, we do need to be realistic. We live in a fallen world and so no one is immune to crisis, no one is exempt from heartache and struggle, it comes to all of us. Even the Son of God knew what it was like to get knocked down, to have life cave in. Let’s read together what Jesus said in Jn 16:33 "In this world you will have trouble."(NIV) One of the best ways to prepare for trouble is to make sure your expectations are realistic. 1 Ptr 4:12- "My friends, do not be surprised at the troubles which comes to you. Do not think that something strange is happening to you." (NCV) And one of the things we learn from David here is to expect from time to time that we are going to have to endure problems. He faced the large difficulties of wild animals and rustlers when he was with his sheep so he wasn’t that off balance when he got to the valley of Elah to see another kind of giant. And he teaches us that the timing of when the giants come is not nearly as important as how we handle them when they do loom over us.
II. ENTER DAVID - "The real Giant"
Let’s look at how David handled his giant and see if there is some hint on how to grapple with ours. For 40 days Goliath issued his monotonous challenge to the frightened Israelites. But the dawn of the 41st day marked the end for the bully from Gath. Because into the battlefield came a teenage shepherd boy by the name of David, who responded with faith rather than fear. How could this lad look at this situation so differently than the seasoned warriors of Israel? The difference was David’s perspective on the problem. You see when he looked at the situation and didn’t see a giant, as much as he someone defying God Almighty. God was as real to David as Goliath was to the soldiers. So when he heard and saw this huge Philistine he could not believe it. For a young man whose character had been nursed in solitude and spawned in secret acts of bravery, the challenge of Goliath was ridiculous. Why were not the soldiers of Israel furious with this giant? From platoon to platoon David searched for his brothers and for one brave soul that would do battle with the foe. But they all basically said, “Are you kidding? I don’t have a death wish!”
Now, you might ask yourself, "Where was the King? Why wasn’t Saul standing up as champion of Israel?” I think it is interesting that Saul could of done the same thing David ultimately did. Phillip Keller writes: "Saul was the natural challenger for Goliath. He was by far the biggest man in the kingdom. And Saul had the unique advantage of being a Benjamite. This tiny tribe, a mere remnant in Israel, was the most skilled of all in the use of the sling to slay their foes. So without ever engaging in hand to hand combat with Goliath, Saul could have tried to kill the giant with a stone. But he refused! Why? His lack of faith was his real giant and when he trusted in himself he found out the truth.. He was a coward!"
But David wasn’t. Refusing to listen to his brothers rationalization or to be intimidated by Goliath’s threats, David volunteered to fight him. You see David didn’t see the giant as a problem as much as he saw him as a possibility -to show
forth the Glory of God. And that brings us to important principle #2- Confronting giants takes a courageous response! You see, the normal reaction to a giant is to run away. Vs:24 says that when the Israelites saw Goliath they ran in great fear, and that’s what we tend to do too. Rather than face an intimidating person we ignore them, rather than confront a difficult problem we use all kinds of ways to escape, by using drugs, alcohol, pleasure, sleep or even suicide. Rather than get help for our temptations we give in or just somehow hope it’ll go away. But David refused to run and he asks in vs:26- "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” Now that’s courage. And it takes courage to confront a giant. It takes courage to confront the fear. And I believe that it is impossible to live a victorious life without David’s kind of courage. But the important question is: “How, do we get that kind of courage? How do you overcome fear of giants?”
Let’s look and apply 3 steps in the development of David’s courage that are found in this passage. 1) Reject human or worldly solutions. In vs:28, his brother Eliab tried to put a guilt trip on him. You remember Eliab? This is the guy Samuel thought should be the next King because of his physical appearance. But here he shows his true character colors. He says to David, “What are you doing around here anyway?.. What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride.. You just want to see the battle!” He’s a small, jealous brother that David simply ignores. Then, in vss:38-39, Saul took David aside and tries to equip him with his armor. He put on this teenager, his breastplate, his helmet and his sword. But Saul was a 46 long, David was a 34 regular, and he couldn’t even move in Saul’s armor. So, David just cast it aside and went forth to do battle in his shepherd garb.
Now, when you face a giant there will always be those who give you human solutions. They’ll advise you, "go ahead and fight them," "sue him," "let’s just go tie one on," "dump them, get a divorce." There will always be those who suggest to you to use the world’s armor, do things the world’s way. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 10:3 - “We do live in the world, but we do not fight in the same way the world fights. “We fight with weapons that are different from those the world uses.. We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”(NCV) So, seek Christian counsel, search the Bible and do as David did: reject the human solutions and search for God’s.
2) Remember past victories and give God credit for them. David told Saul starting in vs:34 that he’d killed a bear and a lion and so in vs:37 he says, “The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!” We tend to forget our past victories. We can document every prayer that God didn’t answer the way we thought He should, but we tend to forget about all the blessings that God has given us. C.H. Spurgeon said, "It has been well said that we write our benefits in dust and our injuries in marble, and it is equally true that we generally inscribe our afflictions upon brass, while the records of the deliverances of God are written in water." David had written his victories in the marble parts of his mind and heart, he remembered and drew courage from what God had done for him in the past.
Now, sometimes we remember the victories but then we forget the true source of them and take credit for them ourselves. Kind of like the old story of the little boy playing on the barn roof. He slipped and began to skid down this steep slope and on the way down, terrified he prayed, "God, please help me." Just then his pants caught on a nail, and he came to a sudden and ripping halt. And he breathed a sigh of relief and wiped his brow and said, "Never mind, Lord, I got caught on a nail." David never forgot who delivered him, in fact he wrote them down in the Psalms. And it will go along way toward increasing your confidence if you will document those times when God has blessed you in some kind of journal where you can look back at them in writing.
3) Verbalize your confidence in God before the battle. In vs:44 the giant says, "Am I a dog, 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!" And look at David’s reply. He doesn’t insecurely say, "Well, I sure hope not" or "Maybe so, maybe not." No he shouts in Vss:45-47- “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD Almighty—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. . And everyone will know that the LORD does not need weapons to rescue his people. It is his battle, not ours. The LORD will give you to us!”
Listen, when you do battle, you may not be able to entirely control the thoughts that are negative or the doubts that flash into your mind but you can control your speech which can give you a positive spirit. Don’t say, "This is too much." or "I just can’t handle this." or "I might as well just give up." Instead, affirm out loud your confidence in ultimate victory! "I can do all things through Christ, because he gives me strength." (Phil. 4:13 NCV) "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for you are with me." (Psa. 23:4 NASB) Listen, God will not lead you where His grace will not sustain you. Your attitude determines your altitude! Let’s take our cue from David and articulate our confidence in victory before it happens.
III. EXIT GOLIATH - "The Dwarf"
And God gave the victory to David in a dramatic way. David, the Lord’s giant, goes out to fight Goliath, the spiritual dwarf. And with a well worn sling and an unbending confidence in God David introduced Goliath and all the Philistines to the Lord of Hosts, whose name had just been blasphemed long enough.
I love the way Phillip Keller in his book, entitled, David, describes the brief battle: "David seemed utterly oblivious to the ranked armies of both Israel and the enemy which ranged over the surrounding hills. He did not seem to see the formidable center stage of the giant amphitheater upon which he now moved as a leading character. All he saw were his own hands quietly fitting a small stone into the well-worn cup of the leather sling. ...David advanced steadily. In clear, loud, ringing syllables he shouted to Goliath: `You come against me with a spear, a sword and a shield.. but I come in the name and of the Lord God of Israel whom you have defied.’ It was a moment of tension. For a few brief seconds silence swept across the scene. Only the soft singing of the stream could be heard. But all of Israel’s army and all of the Philistines had heard David’s ringing challenge... With a rush, like a leopard leaping to the attack, David launched himself up the hill toward Goliath. The sling whistled ominously as he whirled it over his head. Then the thong was released. The stone struck! The next instant the giant crashed down the slope, face forward. The blood spurted from the skull shattered by the rock. It was as if he had been struck by a bullet. David rushed up to the prostrate form... Picking up the giant’s massive sword he severed his head. In triumph David stood upon the huge hulk. The battle was over! The daring deed was done! Wild elation commenced for Israel."
3) Our final principle: trusting God completely is a rewarding experience.
Because of David’s trust in the Almighty he conquered Goliath. And because of the victory David received some personal rewards from King Saul. He was given money, his family was freed from taxation and Saul gave David his daughter Michal. (You’ll have to read a little further on to see if getting Saul’s daughter was reward or not.) And David also became an instant national hero, a champion in the minds of the people. But the greatest reward was the personal satisfaction that right had prevailed and that God’s name had been honored. And in vs:54 we see that David kept Goliath’s head and weapons for awhile as a trophy of his victory.
I want you to know this morning that there is tremendous satisfaction in conquering the giants in your life. There will be few greater boosts to your self confidence than to confront them and conquer them. You see, courage is not the absence of fear, courage is being afraid and doing it anyway. Remember, hardships reveal character. James asked in James 1- "Is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete." (LB) The greatest reward in life is to watch God work and provide the victory as we see ourselves growing in His grace.
Do you face a giant right now? Got an intimidating person in your life? Don’t shy away from them. Confront them in love and prayer. Is there a problem that you just can’t cope with? Don’t try to escape it. Meet it head on, disregard human solutions, remember God’s past victories, confidently turn it over to Him and then do what you can. Do you face an overwhelming temptation? Don’t just throw your hands up and quit the fight. Take whatever steps you need to clean up the whole mess.
If you’ll do those things you’ll discover that there are wonderful rewards for killing a giant. One is a renewed faith in God and the other is a refreshing confidence in yourself. For, ““..the LORD can save without sword or spear, because the LORD determines every battle’s outcome.”
