We begin a new sermon series today titled; “When you are in a tight spot!” We are going to look at several Old Testament Heroes and discover some principles and lessons to help us when we are in a tight spot.
Today’s hero is David and the account in his life is his conflict with Goliath. Immediately all of us are saying we know a little bit about that story. Even if you were not brought up in church, most people know something about David and Goliath. Millions of people carry the name David on their birth certificates as a first or middle name. Thousands of flag poles in Israel carry a flag with the Star of David on them. There are 56 chapters in the Bible that record the events of his life. Michelangelo carved a 14 foot statue out of marble and dedicated it to David. We know about David.
Today I want us to go beyond knowing about David and begin emulating him as we see how he handles being in a tight spot.
The truth is we have all been in tight spots before; a Tight Spot may be…
An ethical choice you must make in an unethical world
Or an uncompromising decision in a world where compromise is the name of the game
Teenagers you may be in a tight spot when you choose to live by godly standards when all of those around you seem to have no standards at all.
Money, relationships, temptations all have ways in putting us in tight spots.
One of the best ways to get out of tight spot is to have a friend who comes along side of you and helps you, either being a shoulder to cry on or able to give you support when times are tough.
Proverbs 17:17, Reminds us a friend loves at all times and Solomon continues to note the importance of friends when he writes, A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother Proverbs 18:24
What happens when we don’t have a friends stand with us in our tight spot. What happens when ware abandoned by everyone and no one believes in us?
That is the story of David and Goliath – David is in a tight spot and no one believes in him.
1 Samuel 17 reads like a play as the drama unfolds we see how David handles his tight spot.
ACT 1 - Understanding Israel’s Tight Spot
The Israelites were at war with the Philistines. In the course of the battle they come to a standoff. On one side of the mountain were the Philistines and on the other was Israel. It was normal for the armies to size one another us and then charge down into the valley to participate in hand to hand combat. This time the combat would be different. Instead of everyone fighting – the Philistines offered Goliath as their champion, in a winner take all grudge match. Even King Saul, who stood head and shoulders above the men of Israel, was no match for Goliath. Israel was facing a crisis they believed they could not win.
Their Crisis or tight spot was, in many ways, like the tight spots we face in our life. Notice the characteristics of the crisis.
The Tight Spot was larger than life.
Goliath was a champion; his armor weighted 125 pounds, his spear 15 pounds.
As far as the Israelites were concerned he was indestructible. Goliath was too big to be defeated.
Is that how it is with your giant? Whether it is cancer, or a broken marriage, a strained relationship or financial pressure. Your giant always seems bigger than you expected.
The Tight Spot is greater than your resources.
1 Sam 17:8-11, Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? 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." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
The army of Israel was not used to this type of challenge they were the ones who were usually victorious. After all their forefathers had conquered Jericho with a march and a shout. But this time shouting was not going to help; it was going to be one on one combat. There simply was no one who could fight this giant. They did not have the resources.
Every crisis I know of has the capability of draining us of our resources. We try to make life as smooth as possible. We want to have everything under control. It is usually at that point the crisis comes and we are reminded of how helpless we are. It may be a problem at home or a problem in the church, it may be a problem at work, it may be the inability to conquer a bad habit, but sooner or later the crisis shows us how powerless we really are.
The third characteristic of a crisis; A Crisis will not go away.
Vs. 16 tells us that Goliath made the appeal every morning and evening for 40 days.
The problem with every crisis is it will not simply disappear. If you don’t deal with it, it will deal with you. It does not do any good to pretend it does not exists, a crisis continue to haunt you until you deal with it. The problem with a crisis is it is easy to ignore in the beginning, when it is a simple problem it may be inconvenient or bothersome, but it is not at “crisis level”. But keep at it and soon what was once a problem soon becomes a crisis.
Just like the giant in Israel’s path will not go away until he was dealt with, we too have to deal with the crisis in order to stand victorious.
Once we understand David’s tight spot we see discover
ACT 2, David Stands Alone
Realizing no one would face the giant – David chooses to take on the giant, and he soon learns no one believes in him.
1 Samuel 17:28-30, But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. "What are you doing around here anyway?" he demanded. "What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and dishonesty. You just want to see the battle!" "What have I done now?" David replied. "I was only asking a question!" He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer.
If you aspire to do anything worthwhile in life you need to learn this quickly;
you will have critics.
If David would have adopted the attitude of the soldiers, and kept quiet, no one would have criticized him. But as soon as he spoke of defeating the giant, the critics began to show up
Criticism should not surprise us, but it still hurts when we feel the stings of the critic. I want you to know it is easier to endure criticism when you understand the characteristics of the critic.
Critics are obsessed with the trivial
Note vs. 28 again, When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert?
David’s brother Eliab is like most critics – David is about to destroy a major threat to Israel, and his brother is worried about sheep. Critics can have an amazing ability to focus on the trivial and forget the critical. It is the same today. In 25 years of ministry I have never had a critic come and say – Preacher we are not reaching the lost, no it is usually, your not doing… I don’t like … We used too…
Folks we need to make sure we keep the main thing the main thing. Reaching lost people and bringing them to maturity.
Critics believe the worst about people
Second part of verse 28, I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."
Remember this is David’s own brother talking to him. George Bernard Shaw – Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated. It was easier for Eliab to criticize then to go to battle.
A woman once criticized Francis Asbury, an 18th century Methodist minister, for being unsophisticated in his approach to evangelism. Asbury politely asked the woman how many she had led to Christ in her life. The lady answered, she had not led one person to Christ in her lifetime. Asbury’s responded – Ma’am I like my way of doing it better than way of not doing it.”
c. Eliab was not the only critic David faced that day
King Saul also did not believe in David. Note verses 31-33, Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. "Don’t worry about a thing," David told Saul. "I’ll go fight this Philistine!" "Don’t be ridiculous!" Saul replied. "There is no way you can go against this Philistine. You are only a boy, and he has been in the army since he was a boy!"
Saul had offered a great reward for anyone who would defeat the giant, yet when David was willing to be the giant killer he did not receive appreciation, rather he was ridiculed.
David found himself in a tough spot, his brother criticized him and his King ridiculed him. Who could have blamed David if he would have just cut and run at this point?
David responded to critics by not listening to them. After his brother had questioned his motives and his character vs. 30 says, He then turned away to someone else and brought up the matter. After being ridiculed by the King, note his testimony But David persisted.
Verses 34 -37, "I have been taking care of my father’s sheep," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and take the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!"
David refused to be swayed by Criticism. He chose to disregard criticism of his brother and the king and stay on his mission of defeating the giant. David understood not to focus on the words of the critic but to focus on the works of God!
When it comes to unjust criticism don’t you wish you were more like David in this area? Critics can crush the dream if we let them.
ACT 3 of our drama – The Contest
1 Samuel 17:40-51 He (David) picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them in his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across to fight Goliath. 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 shouted in reply, "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. 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 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!" As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it from his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face downward to the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword.
David’s strategy for the battle.
David faced his tight spot on his terms
Goliath was forced to fight David on his terms, not with a sword and spear but with stones and a sling. Previously the King had encouraged him to wear his armor, but David knew if he was going to win he would have to do it with what he knew best. When you face the giants in your life it is best to fight them with what you know best.
David refused to be intimidated
When David first faced the giant – Goliath made a threat “I will feed you to the birds and beast”
In verse 45-46 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.
MY TRANSLATION – “Giant, you are going down!”
Understand David, had faith that God would give him the victory
Think about the challenges in your life. How do you speak to giants?
2 Timothy 1:7, For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power
Our tendency is to be timid in the face of battle. But David gives us the example of boldness – For the battle is the Lords.
David’s response can be summed up in one phrase –
THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S.
Imagine how different our life would be if we took that phrase to heart.
When the crisis comes - THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS
When the critics speak - THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS
When the odds are against us - THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS
When we are in a Tight Spot – THE BATTLE IS THE LORDS
What I am suggesting is not some cry of wishful thinking – no the battle is the Lords when we walk by faith.
c. David completed his task
David walked out to the battlefield and with one small stone brought the Giant down. But as Paul Harvey says now the REST OF THE STORY. Verses 50 – 51, So David triumphed over the Philistine giant with only a stone and sling. And since he had no sword, 51he ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill the giant and cut off his head.
It was not enough to defeat the giant, David was going to kill the giant, and thus Israel would have a complete victory. David would be the undisputed champion.
When you read this story, several questions comes to mind.
What did David have that the soldiers of Israel did not have?
Why was he able to destroy an enemy that the older, and more experienced soldier could not?
I believe David discovered three principles that helped him when no one would believe him and when no one believes in us we too can apply these principles.
#1. Do not seek the approval others when you face a crisis.
Too often when we are in a tight spot we fall into the trap of what other people think we should do. Go to your local book store and you will find hundreds of titles of self help books, eager to give you advice. Or we seek the advice of worldly wisdom rather than that of God. The conventional wisdom would be David to listen to his older brother after all he had the experience of a soldier on his side, and if did not listen to his brother he should have at least listened to the king – he had authority on his side. But David did not seek the approval of man he sought the approval of God, Psalm 56:3-4, When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
When we are faced with a tight spot remember the words of Romans 8, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
We are able to handle our tight spots when we focus on God’s approval and not the approval of man.
#2. Keep your focus on God and not the Crisis.
When David arrived at the camp we are told Goliath had been taunting Israel for 40 days. He was all they thought about. Think about they were the children of God, rather than turning to God they focused on the giant. David on the other hand arrives at the camp and his focus is not on what the giant is saying but what God is able to do. Verse 37,The LORD who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!"
David had the right perspective – too often we look at our tight spot and all we see is the obstacle rather than seeing The one who is greater than any obstacle we will face. Romans 8:38-39 reminds, For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am not trying to belittle your crisis or tight spot, if you are facing a giant today; you are going through some difficult times. But let me encourage you to cry out to God. Psalm 57, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; God sends his love and his faithfulness.
God is faithful – David understood this when others saw the giant, David saw God. David had the right focus. When you are in a tight spot make sure you have the right focus as well.
#3. Never adopt the enemy’s methods
Goliath had a simply strategy – I will fight you with my physical strength. His was a strategy of intimidation which led to fear which brought about defeat. The strategy was working. Saul and all of Israel was caught up in this strategy. Verse 8 tells us of Goliath’s challenge and Israel’s response; Send me a man who will fight with me!" When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.
Saul and the army of Israel were willing to surrender, because they could find no one able to confront the giant. David on the other hand would not trust in strength, but in the Lord. David understood what the prophet Zechariah would say years later, ’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. Listen up. We are in a spiritual endeavor, and when we take on the methods of the world to accomplish our purposes we are doomed to failure.
That is why every decision we make us believers individually and as a church corporately must be bathed in prayer.
That is why we must look to issues and events and say what does God say about an issue and not focus on the talking heads of culture
The only way that happens is for us to have the mind of Christ. To think as Christ thinks and to act as Christ would act. When we have the mind of Christ, it is at that point we can be delivered from our tight spots and honor God in actions.
For 40 days a giant challenged the people of God to come out and fight – for 40 days the army trembled. For 40 days Israel was in a tight spot. But on day 41 a young shepherd boy came to the camp. He did not listen to his critics, he did not focus on the giant – he simply trusted in God and he delivered Israel from their tight spot. When no one believed in David – he believed in God.
David could face Goliath because he believed in God’s goodness. Since God is good, the crisis could not last, the critics could not be right and the contest could not be lost.
You may be facing a Goliath today.
If so remember David’s response; God is bigger then my problems
Remember David’s response to the Critics; He ignored them
Remember David’s response to the contest; The battle is the Lords
’Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty
