Sunday Morning Service

I Samuel 17:41-58

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“This Is How Fighting Is Done!” • 6.21.15 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- David had come to the Valley of Elah by the desire of his Father Jesse to supply his brothers with food and to gather a status report on their well being.

- He saw some minor scuffling and taunting, but then caught a glimpse of Goliath, whose giant size paralyzed the army and whose giant mouth incensed David to action.

- With no one else either willing or able to enter in with the giant, David speaks out and has his motives and capability questioned by his brother and his King respectively.

- When Saul hears David, he is resolved to allow him to go, but insists upon his employing his royal armor. David, unable to walk in the armor, takes it off and walks out with only his staff and sling.

- The two opposing armies, who have stood in stalemate, are about to witness the finale.

Text

• I Samuel 17:41-44 : "So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, 'Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?' And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, 'Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!' " : There is a good amount of distance between the two men initially, so Goliath is unable to assess David's size or battle prowess.

- David was significantly younger than Goliath, who expected to fight a man. As he approached  this person wasn't yet a man and he was apparently unarmed.

- Goliath must have wondered if David was their champion's armor bearer? This can't possibly be his opponent! When the reality dawned upon him, he was incensed!

- Goliath, hardly amused, immediately hated, despised David because he didn't fit the part.

- Warriors are experienced, older men, who are battle worn and hardened. David was just the opposite: Young and fresh faced!

- "What was Israel hoping to accomplish by sending out this runt? Are they hoping that I will treat him with sympathy? It's a trick!"

- Goliath wasn't going dispense any mercy or sympathy. He was going to give vent to his full wrath toward David beginning verbally! "Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?"

- Then, Goliath let out a string of Philistine curses directed at David on behalf of his gods! As a naturalized citizen, Goliath was a polytheist.

- The main god over all of Philistia was Dagon, who was believed to be the Father of Baal.

- Goliath is unable or unwilling to recall the way that David's God treated his "gods" a few years earlier! For those who require a refresher course, I recommend reviewing I Samuel 5-7.

- The captured Ark was moved throughout Philistia when something like the Bubonic plague spread throughout their cities. The issue wasn't abated until it was returned to Israel!

- God made a mockery of the images that Philistia worshipped, revealing their impotence. It's strange that Goliath doesn't remember this or that he thinks that this time will be different.

- With his confidence in his gods and his own battle saavy in tact, Goliath sneered out his murderous threat to leave David lifelessly on the field!

• I Samuel 17:45-47 : "Then David said to the Philistine, '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. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 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.'" : This is a first on many levels. One, he's actually out in the valley intent upon fighting and killing the giant. In forty days, not one other Israeli man would even consider it!

- David, the least experienced has gone the furthest distance!

- Second, the giant's words have no effect upon David. His words and threats alone had paralyzed the entire Israeli army! Finally, David offers a pretty strong comeback!

- "All you have is your weaponry!" Goliath probably thought, "Yeah, that's all I've ever needed!" His weapons had vanquished many a foe, but David saw it differently.

- Goliath had invoked the gods of the Philistines, cursing David by them. David knew that there were no other gods, but mere projections of their own psyche.

-  David lets Goliath know that he is coming to this battle of the gods empty handed!

- He is alone with his weapons, but David has come in the name of the Lord of Hosts, God Almighty, the true and living God that Goliath had insulted for 40 days.

- David knows that it is Goliath that will be the first to die for having defied the Lord! This battle didn't belong to David or Goliath's. It was the Lord's! God was going to affect this victory.

- He began with confidence in the Lord and he maintained that focus right onto the field of battle! The Lord was going to deliver Goliath into his hand.

- It is ours to begin in faith and continue in faith! There is never another road! The just shall live by faith in God's ability to vanquish whatever giant steps in our path!

- Beyond Goliath's headless body, the corpses of the Philistines would be left as food for the birds and the beasts! David didn't believe that Philistia would honor Goliath's word.

- Goliath was just the beginning of his day! Did you catch David's motive? He doesn't hate these people for their nationality or even their incursion into the land per se.

- It's that they would not acknowledge the God of Israel! David's victory would serve the purpose of providing the latest proof to the Philistines of God's superiority.

- Aside from their hatred of God's people, God still acted on Israel's behalf and didn't wipe out Phlistia altogether, giving them yet another chance to turn to Him! They would not!

- David's desire was that Philistia and indeed, all the earth, all those within his realm of His influence, would understand that this his God was the true God!

- This is God's motivation in all cases of His divine judgments. Take the Egyptians for example. The first question that Pharaoh uttered was "who is the Lord that I should obey his voice?"

- God declares in Exodus 7:5 that His works would be done so that all of Egypt would know who He was. He gives Pharaoh the chance to call off the frogs at a certain time for the same purpose!

- God makes this painfully clear in a message to Pharaoh in Exodus 9, letting him know that he could have wiped them out without even a chance to know what happened, but He had a purpose!

• Exodus 9:16 : "But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth." : This was the purpose of David's victory among the unbelieving.

- I pray that you will understand that as the motivation for your walk in the things of the Lord.

- There are people who refuse to acknowledge God's existence and reality. When you live a life that intently progresses in holiness, you are providing a testimony that the world cannot ignore!

- Notice also David's secondary motive. There was a purpose for those in the "assembly," as well. They would be strengthened, affirmed in their already present faith.

- Why would this matter to those who already believe? Simply review last week's passage!

- How many Christians are being buffetted by the enemy's taunts and jabs? How many are so afraid to step out in faith because of the giant that is before them?

- Israel had just spent 40 days on the sidelines, refusing to believe in the power of their God! David realizes that they need a fresh example for their time and space.

- They would know by experience, that God was not one to save with the weapons of men's hands. Rather, He would battle for Israel and would deliver the entire Philistine army to Israel!

- The Lord gives every generation it's own story of His faithfulness. The Lord never lets a man live off of another person's story! He gives each person their own story to glorify Him with!

- Israel would have another testimony of God's present power to store up in their memory banks! They would know personally that this was the truth that could not be denied!

- They would learn again that God doesn't deliver with sword or spear, with human inventions of equal proportion.

- Take note of David's words at the end of verse 47: "He will give you into our hands!" David recognized that while he fought alone, the victory would belong to all of God's people!

• I Samuel 17:48-50a : "So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that 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 a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him." : As Goliath was lumbering forward, David did something that nobody else ever did: He ran aggressively toward the giant!

- David ran with a full head of steam toward the Philistine side, effectively closing the distance and cutting himself off from a safe retreat.

- Nothing reveals belief, a true faith, like a man running toward what God has set in his path!

- As David was running, he put his hand in his bag and loaded his sling. He didn't load it before. He instinctively chose a more difficult path.

- The running likely distracted Goliath or even made him momentarily more confident.

- He doesn't even see David's hands maneuver the stone into place and it's certain that if he did, he could not have felt threatened as the accuracy would have been questionable at best.

- I've watched several very accurate slingers over the last week, but all have wound up from a stationary position. What David did here was strategically unsound, but spiritually right on!

- In reality, David could have tripped, fell down 7 or 8 times or even blindfolded himself. That stone was never going to land anywhere other than Goliath's head!

- We're not given an indication regarding Goliath's tactical mindset. In fact, the Word indicates that he never really got out of the gate!

- The last image he sees in this life, is a screaming fast projectile coming directly at him!

- Modern day slingers, who employ the same paracordal sling, report projectile velocities as high as 250 miles per hour over 1500 feet! That's phenomenol!

- This stone sank into his forehead! I love this detail! It's not enough to tell us that it hit him. This stone was traveling fast enough to produce a deep indenture into the forehead.

- David threw this stone, but God likely put a little extra wind behind it! I love this lesson that we see over and over again in scripture: We do what only we can and God does what only He can!

- They happen in tandem! God moves upon us with vision. We ask Him for the boldness to fulfill it. We move out trusting He is moving us. He moves through us as we are in motion!

- Our part is to arm and release the stone. His part is to direct it to the perfect spot!

- Goliath fell on his face and he died there from wounds inflicted by a shepherd's sling in the Valley of Elah! Who would ever have though Goliath would fall on his face before a shepherd!?

- Where did Dagon's priests find Dagon the morning after the Ark of the Covenant was placed in his temple? I Samuel 5:3 tells us that the image fell on it's face!

- The very next verse tells us that on the second night, the same thing occurred! Goliath had invoked his gods, but in the end, he fell face down before the Lord at the hands of David!

- Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess. Every face will hit the ground, some with joy everlasting and some with shame everlasting!

- What an ignominous way to lose: Humiliated before both armies at the hands of the most unlikely opponent borrowed from the shepherd's field!

• I Samuel 17:50b-54 : "But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent." : David had to use Goliath's own sword to sever his head from his body! Some believe that this verse provides the details of how David killed Goliath, whereas the last verse is summary.

- Did he die from a mortal head wound or did David stab him with his own sword? Yes!

- Visually, David is the clear victor when he removes and then lifts Goliath's head into the air!

- Immediately, the Philistines fled and the people of Israel, infused with sudden courage, pounded them back into their cities

- The wounded were littered all through the territory of the Philistines and on their return, the people of Israel collected their spoil from their enemy's tents.

- David contented himself with taking Goliath's head into Jerusalem and his armor into his tent. Goliath's armor would have been a significant prize for it's weight in metal alone.

- But the head was more of a message. He brought this into Jerusalem, a city at this time, which belonged to the Jebusites.

- Was David bringing this by faith into the city that would one day be called the City Of David or was this a warning to the Jebusites against possible aggression?

- Either way, you can just see David walking into to town with the tremendous head in his hand to go along with the bear and lion heads already on the wall.

• I Samuel 17:55-58 : "When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, 'Abner, whose son is this youth?' And Abner said, 'As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.' So the king said, 'Inquire whose son this young man is.' Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, 'Whose son are you, young man?' So David answered, 'I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.'" : This is a very curious section as there seems to be some confusion about David's family.

- Abner is Saul's cousin and his right hand man in charge of Israel's army. He's charged with getting the appropriate details from David.

- How does Saul not know who David is exactly? He knows David. He has seen him in the court and as part of the armor bearer brigade.

- It's not unusual for a person of such authority to be unaware of specifics related to his charges and beside, I'm pretty sure that David bore a different look as a warrior!

- The King has offered money, a daughter, as well as tax ememption for the family of the victor. The reward is going to this man's family! Saul knows that he must honor his word.

- In a rather grisly scene, David returns to Saul with Goliath's head in his hand and answers that he was Jesse's son. It's in this moment that David's life changes.

- He's no longer the musician, but the warrior! You'd think that this would entitle him to a life of Kingly favor and relative ease. It will actually bring about the exact opposite!

- David's victory will make him a target and a prey for the next several years of his life, but on this day, there is nothing but honor, praise and reward due to him.

Conclusion

- All along the clues have pointed us in the true direction of this text. In fulfilling his role historically, David becomes a type of Christ figuratively!

- The greater David came to Earth to obey His Father's command, taking on the human flesh that had alienated mankind and paralyzed them in their sin.

- The greater David went out alone to face the enemy head on, proposing Himself to be the new federal head for his people to follow.

- The greater David refused to bow Himself to the current standards that made men powerful, going only in what He brought to the fight.

- The greater David vanguished the enemy in the most foolish way imaginable, subjecting Himself to ridicule and torture by dying on a Roman cross for the sins of His people.

- The greater David, Jesus Christ, put His very life on the line and like Jesse's family, by our relation to Him, we are made spiritually, eternally, unbreakably rich!

- David is the hero of his time, having saved a nation from extinction. Jesus is the hero for all of time, having saved His people from damnation for eternity!

- Israel thanked the Lord for David. We thank the Lord for Jesus Christ!