Scripture
1 Samuel
62 sermons
The Prelude to the Giant Slaying
What is the actual point of the David and Goliath narrative, and does it transcend the familiar moral lessons about courage and faith against odds? This exposition of 1 Samuel 17:1–32 argues that the passage exists to demonstrate to all the earth that there is a God in Israel, with David's zeal for the name and honour of Yahweh driving the entire account. The sermon works through four movements: the introduction of the battle scene and its scale, the detailed description of Goliath as a proficient, well-armoured, and blaspheming giant, the contrasting portrait of David as a humble and obedient son, and the prelude to the slaying in which David's God-centred zeal stands out against Israel's dreadful fear. Throughout, David is presented as a type of Christ — the unassuming champion who accomplishes what no one else in Israel could, conquering the enemy and enabling his people to march forward — with the call to unbelievers to flee from Goliath's end and take refuge in Christ by faith.
The Ark of God Captured
Israel's defeat at the hands of the Philistines in 1 Samuel 4–5 exposes a perennial temptation: treating God as a mechanism to be manipulated rather than a sovereign to be obeyed. The elders of Israel asked the right question — 'Why has the Lord defeated us?' — but gave the wrong answer, fetching the Ark of the Covenant as a lucky charm rather than humbling themselves in repentance. God refused to be controlled, fulfilled His word of judgment against the corrupt priests Hophni and Phinehas, and then demonstrated His supremacy over the Philistine god Dagon without any help from Israel. The sermon closes with a call to approach God not by religious technique or formulaic bargaining, but through Christ alone, in humble obedience, trusting Him with outcomes.