OPEN: A bricklayer had an accident at work and filed following insurance report:
On the day of my accident I was working alone on the roof of a 6-story building. When I completed my work I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of brick left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the top of the 6th floor.
I loaded the brick into the barrel. Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, which I held tightly to insure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of brick. Unfortunately, I only weigh 135 pounds… and the weight of the barrel jerked me off the ground.
This happened so suddenly, that I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded up the side of the building at a rapid rate of speed.
In the vicinity of the third floor I met the barrel coming down. This explains my broken arm and shattered collar bone.
Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent up the side of the building, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand rammed into the pulley. This explains my two broken fingers.
At approximately the same time, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel and spilled the bricks all over the ground.
The barrel now weighed approximately fifty pounds.
Still holding onto the rope I began a rapid decent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the 3rd floor I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the 2 fractured ankles and the dislocation of my left kneecap.
Slowed only slightly, I landed directly on the pile of bricks beneath me, and this explains the 3 cracked vertebrae in my back.
Finally, as I lay there on the bricks in pain, unable to stand, and watching that empty barrel six stories above me, relieved that it was over… I let go of the rope.
APPLY: Now, why did that guy have such a problem?
Answer: He didn’t plan ahead far enough
He wasn’t prepared sufficiently for the challenge he faced.
It’s a basic rule of life – If you are going to succeed - you MUST BE prepared
If you’re going to accomplish anything of lasting value if you MUST plan ahead
That’s part of the reason that the motto of the Boy Scouts is: “Be Prepared”
One of the original founders of the idea of scouting was an Englishman who had such influence in laying the groundwork for scouting he’s been given the title: Chief Scout of the World … Lord Baden Powell.
He often said an ideal Scout is “self-reliant, skilled as a woodsman, and is willing to teach those skills to others because he loves Scouting and the outdoor life.”
In other words, the primary objective of scouting has always been to prepare young men
· to PREPARE young men for adulthood.
· to PREPARE them to become self-reliant
· to PREPARE them to be honorable, moral, upstanding leaders
So, the watchword of Scouting has always been: Be Prepared
That was because - the founders of Scouting understood: if you are going to accomplish anything of lasting value - if you MUST BE prepared.
I. That brings us to our story about David and Goliath.
The armies of Israel had come face to face with their arch-enemies - the Philistines.
They had lined up on either side of a wide valley. The Philistines arrayed on the hills on one side, and the Israelites on the hills on the other side. Neither side wanted to commit themselves to battle for fear of giving the other army the advantage of having the higher ground. And so they stayed where they were… they faced a stalemate/ Mexican standoff.
Then the Philistines came up with a clever way of dealing with the impasse. They sent out their mightiest warrior with a challenge for Israel:
“Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." (I Samuel 17:8-9)
Now, we find out later that the Philistines had no intention of honoring that agreement… they didn’t think they’d have to. But, of course, that didn’t matter, because no Israelite was willing to meet Goliath on the field of battle. In fact, vs. 11 tell us that whenever Goliath issued his challenge, Saul and the army of Israel were filled with dismay and terror.
But why?
Why were the Israelites so afraid? (wait for a reply)
That’s right… Goliath was a giant
Our NIV Bible tells us he was over 9 feet tall… in fact he was 9’ 9” tall.
Now, I am 5’ 11” tall. That would probably have been a little taller than the average Israelite warrior. So, how tall was Goliath compared to me? Well, let’s find out (I brought a measuring tape and had one of the Cub Scouts help me measure a spot on the wall that was 9’9” tall).
By contrast – who is the tallest NBA basketball player right now? Yao Ming (Center for the Houston Rockets) – he stands 7’ 6” tall. Now, if I stood on the stage and he stood on the floor – I’d be looking at Yao Ming’s chin. But if Yao Ming stood in front of Goliath – he’d be staring at Goliath’s chest.
Goliath was a big man. And he was not a clumsy man – he was a skilled fighter with a reputation for never losing.
For 40 days, he came out to defy Israel – in the morning and in the evening. But no one dared accept his challenge. For 40 long days, no one dared face him. No one. No one.
No one… until David arrived.
Now, I don’t think David had any intention of fighting Goliath to begin with. But, I believe he was so offended that anyone would challenge the armies of the God of Israel… that he simply couldn’t believe it.
In my mind’s eye, I see David going from one group of men to another and asking the same question:
“What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26
When they told him, I suspect he asked: “Well why don’t you take him on?” And every time someone would respond – “Are you crazy? Have you seen the size of that guy?”
I believe David was attempting to challenge, to cajole – to shame someone into accepting Goliath’s challenge, because his words shamed his older brother Eliab.
Eliab told David: “I know how conceited you are.
I know how wicked your heart is.
You’ve just come here to shoot your mouth off about things you don’t understand”
But David responded: “Hey! Can’t I even talk?” And then he moved on to the next group of men to ask them “What will be done for the man…”
He did this long enough that Saul heard about it and summoned David to his tent.
David went into the King’s presence and immediately said something rash:
“O King, don’t lose heart. If no one else will face this giant… then I’ll take him on.”
And how did Saul respond? I can see him saying:
“Oh, David… you can’t handle him, you’re just a boy. Goliath’s been a fighting man since his youth. David – you’re NOT PREPARED to handle this kind of a challenge.”
Remember the Scout Motto: Be prepared. Saul was telling David that he wasn’t prepared.
Was Saul Right? Well, no…
Because you see, David was one of the original Boy Scout’s. He’d spent much of his young life out in the field. He’d built his own fires, cooked his own meals. He’d slept out under the stars. And most importantly… while he was out there alone with his father’s sheep – he prepared.
How did he prepare? He spent this time ALONE with God. Talking with God. Singing to God. Studying God’s Word and meditating upon it. David prepared for his life by always having God beside him.
And, so - when dangers arose
When the bear and lion attacked
David and God went out to face the lion
David and God went out to face the bear
And David and God overcame those challenges… together
Because David had stood with God in those situations… he had been prepared to meet THIS challenge. And he told Saul as much.
Still, Saul was not convinced. He had David put on the king’s armor and helmet, and strap on his sword. But David realized that God hadn’t prepared him to fight like that. The weapons David was used to weren’t the weapons of men like Saul or Goliath.
So David picked up his sling and staff and he went down to the river bed. And what do you think he picked up? (5 smooth stones)
But why did David need 5 stones? It only took him one to kill Goliath.
Why? Because David had learned to be prepared. He’d spent so much time walking with God and learning from God that he’d learned to think like God. And he realized that once he took out Goliath there might be others he might have to face. After all Goliath had brothers. Four brothers to be exact.
David walked out to face the giant. And do you know how Goliath reacted? Scripture tells us Goliath despised him. “Have you come out to me as if I were a dog you could beat with sticks?” he cries. And he CURSED David.
He said: “Boy,” he said” when I’m done with you, I’m going to feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”
But David responded: "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. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 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."
David had no intention of facing Goliath alone. From the moment David decided to take God into battle with him… Goliath never stood a chance.
Goliath moved toward David
But David had no intention of just waiting around. He ran toward the giant. He reached down into his pouch and pulled out a stone. He put it into his sling and whipped it around a few times… and then let her fly. Scripture tell us that the stone “sank into Goliath’s forehead” and the giant fell face down on the ground.
Now… what does this story teach us?
1st - It teaches us that God’s people need to be prepared. The reason the Israelites trembled in fear before Goliath was because they weren’t prepared for a challenge of that size.
Paul writes: that we need to make “…the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:16
2ndly - It teaches us that God’s people become prepared by spending time with God. We need to spend time with God so we can learn how God thinks and how He fights.
ILLUS: I remember reading the story of a British General in the French and Indian War. This general was such a devote man that he would punish his men if they used profanity. Nowadays, our armies wouldn’t even think twice about a man who would swear, but this General was a very devout man who studied God’s word regularly.
One day, he and his army faced a larger Indian force, and even though he had superior firepower, he realized that – even if they won this conflict – his forces would be decimated. And so, he offered a challenge to the Indian chief: he offered to meet him on the field of battle, man to man, one on one. The chief accepted and the General won the fight. The Indian forces panicked and fled.
Now, where do suppose that General got the idea for that kind of challenge. That’s right. From Scripture. He had spent so much time in God’s Word that he had begun to learn how to think like God and fight God’s kind of fight.
It’s intriguing - David learned to fight God’s way. And when that happened, the armor that Saul used didn’t work for him. And, as Christians we eventually learn that the way the world fights – doesn’t work for us, either. God tells us “… though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4)
· Lastly, we learn that we need to take God with us into every difficulty, into every conflict.
David was young, quick, skilled, and it never occurred to him that he might lose. But David didn’t base his confidence upon his youth, or his abilities. David based his confidence upon a promise from God. When David was out in the fields with his father’s sheep, he would have read this passage from the Law: “If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, you will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.” (Leviticus 26:3, 7 and 8).
CLOSE: Lord Baden Powell was the originator of the Scout Motto: Be Prepared. Someone once asked him “Be prepared for what?” To which Lord Baden Powell replied: “Be prepared for EVERYTHING.”
We also should be prepared for “everything.” Not just for the situations and challenges and obstacles of this life… but also for the 2nd Coming of our Lord. One day, Jesus will return and we need to be prepared for that Day. That is why we offer a time of invitation after every worship service, that you might begin your preparation by giving yourself to Him. By faith, repentance, confession of Jesus as Lord, and by being buried with Him in the waters of Christian baptism.
SERMONS IN THIS SERIES (A Man After God’s Own Heart)
Measuring Up - 1 Samuel 16:1-16:13
Be Prepared/ Scout Sunday - 1 Samuel 17:1-17:53
A Friend After Your Own Heart - 1 Samuel 18:1-18:5
A Heart To Honor Authority - 1 Samuel 24:1-24:22
An Obedient Heart - 2 Samuel 6:1-6:15
A Heart To Worship - 2 Samuel 6:12-6:23
The Heart Of A Shepherd - Psalms 23:1-23:6
The Over-exposed Heart - 2 Samuel 11:1-11:5
The Undeserving Heart - Psalms 51:1-51:1
The Weakened Heart - 2 Samuel 3:17-3:39
The Heart Of A Father - 2 Samuel 13:1-13:39
A Heart to Build - 2 Samuel 7:1-7:17
The Dead Dog Syndrome - 2 Samuel 16:5-16:14
