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1 Samuel chapter 17. We're going 
to pick up the latter half of the chapter. Just want to give 
a brief review of what we saw last week. I'll begin the reading 
tonight in verse 31. We'll read to the end of the 
chapter and that'll be our section for this evening. But last week 
we considered the fact that this in many respects follows the 
same sort of trajectory that Saul's rise to power did. Saul was identified and Saul 
was anointed as king. And on the heels of that, he 
then entered into combat and had a victory over the Ammonites. Remember in that narrative it 
says that Saul was killing Ammonites until the heat of the day. Well 
David has been anointed in 1 Samuel chapter 16 and on the heels of 
that he faces his first giant. Sorry, just had to say that. 
But he had to face his first battle, his first military excursion, 
and obviously he does extremely well. Also, what we find in the 
remainder of 1 Samuel is the story of David and Saul. We see 
the decline of Saul, ultimately, and the rise to power of King 
David of Israel. Now, last week, specifically 
in verses 1 to 11, we noticed the battle in the Valley of Ela. The setting is described for 
us. in chapter 17 verses 1 to 3. It's a very strategic setting. We see that the Philistines were 
encroaching upon Judah. It says that specifically in 
verse 1, which belongs to Judah. So the people of Israel had a 
vested interest in staying the Philistines or keeping the Philistines 
from continuing that incursion into Israelite territory. So 
it was a strategic battle. We notice the appearance of Goliath. 
He is described in verses 4 to 10, and I think what the author 
is doing there for us is demonstrating his size, or highlighting his 
size, his weaponry, the sorts of language or words that he 
employs to show that he is a formidable foe. He is a threat and he is 
a danger, and it will indeed magnify God's power and God's 
majesty when he uses a shepherd to bring him down on the field 
of battle. We noted as well the fear of 
Israel. Look at verse 11 in chapter 17. 
When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, 
they were dismayed and greatly afraid. It's an unfortunate reality 
that King of Israel is afraid of battle. The people of Israel 
follow him, and this is a definitive contrast in this chapter. Here, 
the statement concerning their fear, again it's repeated in 
verse 24, they were dreadfully afraid. But every time we meet 
David, he's asserting confidence in God. He's asserting the reality 
that this uncircumcised Philistine is going to fall because he has 
defied the armies of the living God. So the author wants us to 
appreciate that contrast between faithlessness and faithfulness. The second part of the chapter 
is the arrival of David and Elah in verses 12 to 22. It describes David, the son of 
Jesse, gives the challenge of Goliath again in verse 16, and 
then note the mission of David in verses 17 to 19. We see God's 
hand of providence in this particular instance. David's father, Jesse, 
tells him to take food and supplies to his brothers on the battlefield 
to inquire how they are doing and to bring back word to Jesse. 
That's David's mission. Well, that's the means by which 
God brings him to the Valley of Elah, and it's this that positions 
him so that he can then take on this Philistine giant. And then, of course, he arrives 
in the valley in verses 20 The third major section in this chapter 
is the victory of David over Goliath in verses 23 to 58. Last 
week we saw the words of Goliath, verses 23 to 24. That's the same 
old song and dance throughout the chapter. All he does is blather 
on, all he does is taunt, all he does is blaspheme, all he 
does is defy the armies of the living God. We saw the response 
of David in verses 25 to 30. We noted that the first instance 
recorded in scripture where David speaks is in verse 26. David 
spoke to the man who stood by him saying, what shall be done 
for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from 
Israel? For who is this uncircumcised 
Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? 
David does not tolerate for a moment this particular scene. He is 
just absolutely flabbergasted. He is incredulous that this uncircumcised 
Philistine is continuing to blaspheme the God of heaven and earth. 
He says, who is he? We need to deal with this threat. 
We need to bring him down. And then that brings us to his 
appearance before Saul in verses 31 to 39. By way of reminder, 
when Saul says, you're not able, verse 33, to go against this 
Philistine to fight with him for you are a youth and he a 
man of war from his youth. Everybody is rejecting David. Eliab says essentially what Goliath 
will say on the field of battle. Saul says, you're inexperienced, 
you don't have the wherewithal, this is not something that you 
are suited for. And David says in verse 34, your 
servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear 
came out and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after 
it and struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth. And 
when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck and 
killed it. Now that's absolutely incredible. 
I don't know how many of us would chase a lion or a bear to grab 
a lamb out of its mouth. And the fact is, the lamb was 
in the lion or bear's mouth. That's when it's most ferocious. 
When the blood of the lamb is dripping down the throat of the 
bear or the lion, he is not willing and ready to let go of that prey. He wants to hold on to it. But 
it's in that context, it's in that particular situation, that 
David says, I struck and killed it. Verse 36, Your servant has 
killed both lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine 
will be like one of them. seeing he has defied the armies 
of the living God." Again, the contrast between the faithlessness 
and the fearfulness of Israel versus the faithfulness of David. He knows that this Philistine 
will be like one of them. Whether they are predatory animals 
or blathering giants on the battlefield, David trusts his God. And that's 
the source of David's strength. Notice in verse 37, Moreover, 
David said, the Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and 
from the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand 
of this Philistine. As David says, David will be 
delivered, not because he has true grit, but because he knows 
the true God. Circumstances vary, but Yahweh 
is the same, whether among the sheep or in front of the Philistines. So he understands it is God who 
delivered him from the lion and the bear. It is God who will 
deliver him from this uncircumcised Philistine. So we pick up the 
narrative at verse 37b. We'll read to the end of the 
chapter and then pick up with the battle with Goliath. And 
Saul said to David, go and the Lord be with you. So Saul clothed 
David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head. 
He also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword 
to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And 
David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, for I have not 
tested them. So David took them off. Then 
he took his staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five 
smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's 
bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. 
And he drew near to the Philistine. 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. 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. 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. 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 Shar Reim, 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. 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. Amen. So obviously, as we saw last 
week, this is a rousing passage of Holy Scripture. It's a very 
famous one in all of the Bible, certainly famous not only to 
those readers of the Bible, probably just about everybody's heard 
about David and Goliath. As I've said, it indicates something 
about faith in the living God and a faithlessness that reveals 
itself through a fearfulness. And one of the things that we 
need to appreciate when we come to this particular chapter is 
that it's not about us, it's not about our Goliaths, it's 
not about our struggles, it's not about our turmoils or our 
difficulties, it's about the honor of the God of heaven and 
earth. I think the summary or the theme or the very point of 
it is in David's declaration that we find in verses 45. to 
47. We'll notice that when we get 
there. But in the first place, we'll notice the battle with 
Goliath in terms of the major headings tonight, the battle 
with Goliath, and then finally the identity of the warrior's 
father. That's the latter part of the 
chapter. But when we come to the battle with Goliath, we have 
five points. Answering to the five smooth 
stones that David... Just kidding. Five points. First, 
the preparation for battle. Secondly, the meeting between 
the warriors. Thirdly, the declaration of David. 
Fourth, the victory of David over Goliath. And fifth, the 
victory of Israel over the Philistines. I think that that's how the narrative 
breaks down. So let's look first at the preparation 
for battle. After David meets with Saul, 
David indicates the reality that he is tried and proven. He's 
not the inexperienced piker that Saul suspects him to be. David 
says, I have experience. It's not with Philistine giants. 
but it's with lions and bears. And the same God, the same Yahweh, 
who delivered me from those lions and bears, certainly has the 
wherewithal, the strength, and the ability to deliver me from 
the hand of this Philistine. David makes a compelling case, 
obviously, because Saul gives him his blessing. The end of 
verse 37, Saul said to David, and the Lord be with you." So 
he receives Saul's blessing, and then Saul turns to arm David. He doesn't want to send this 
inexperienced youth out into the battlefield against a nine-foot, 
nine-inch giant that's wearing 126 pounds of armor, and he has 
a sword that its point alone weighs about 15 to 16 pounds 
in iron. This is a formidable enemy, and David is going to 
the battlefield. So he orders his armor-bearer 
to clothe him. He says he clothed David with 
his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head. He also clothed 
him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his 
armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David 
said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested 
them. So David took them off. The rejection here of Saul's 
armor speaks volumes concerning David's theology. He is not trusting 
in armor. He is not trusting in a coat 
of mail. He's not trusting in a good helmet. He is not trusting 
in those particular features of the military accouterments. He is trusting rather in the 
living and true God. He doesn't need these particulars. He doesn't need this outfit. 
What he needs is the God of heaven and earth. Now having said that, 
nevertheless, David doesn't go empty-handed into battle. You 
know, I think it was Cromwell who said, we need to pray and 
keep our powder dry. The Christian prepares the horse 
for the day of battle, but he remembers that victory is from 
the Lord. We need to use means. So David 
doesn't use this particular armament because it's not appropriate 
to his particular position. But that doesn't mean he wanders 
aimlessly upon the field of battle. you know, this idea that, you 
know, God's going to take care of everything. He trusts that 
God is going to take care of everything, but we see, and even 
in passages like these, God does use means. God is wise. In the exercise of His sovereignty, 
Nevertheless, God calls his people, or not nevertheless, but in the 
exercise of his sovereignty, God calls his people to use the 
means that he has given to them for the particular purposes that 
he has entrusted to them. So it says that David took his 
staff in his hand, and he chose for himself five smooth stones 
from the brook and put them in a shepherd's bag in a pouch which 
he had, and his sling was in his hand. So we see. five smooth 
stones. He doesn't leave anything to 
chance, not that he believed in chance, but he's not going 
to test God by only bringing one stone. He's going to use 
the means. He's going to have sufficient 
arm. He's going to take in enough to down this particular Philistine. Davis explains that such stones 
would range from two to three inches in diameter, and when 
flung by an accomplished warrior, could reach speeds of 100 to 
150 miles per hour, all of which could make for a stunning victory. 
So it was a powerful weapon. I mean, I don't know that I would 
want to get hit in the head by a flying rock. I remember when 
the kids were little and we lived out on Armstrong. We heard the 
noise of a window break. We saw the window broken over 
the kitchen there, and Josh standing outside holding a slingshot. 
It didn't take long to figure out what had happened to the 
window. I mean, just a small slingshot in the hand of a little 
boy was able to break a window. David is a talented man with 
this particular instrument, and it is a weapon in his particular 
hand. So he selects the five smooth 
stones. Now notice, secondly, the meeting 
between the warriors in verses 41 to 44. So the Philistine came 
and began drawing near to David and the man who bore the shield 
went before him. All the language that is used 
to describe Goliath tends to give the impression that he's 
got a bit of clunkiness about him. I mean, he's nine foot nine. 
Probably speed is not something that is his. I mean, big guys 
typically don't move really quickly. He's wearing 126 pounds of armor. That's certainly not speeding 
him up on the field of battle. The verbs, however, that are 
used with reference to David is that there is a quick movement. 
David not only has Yahweh on his side, he not only has a pouch 
with five smooth stones, But he's also quicker than this giant. That probably proved helpful 
on the field of battle. So the warriors meet in verse 
41, and then the uncircumcised man taunts David in verses 42 
to 44. Notice, when the Philistine looked 
about and saw David, he disdained him. He belittled him. He looked 
down upon him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking." 
This idea of ruddy probably has the idea of red, reddish. Some suspect that David may have 
had red hair or some sort of a red complexion. Here's how 
John Gill explains what Goliath is doing here. Gil says he, Goliath, 
looked about for his antagonist to take a view of him, what sort 
of a man he was, expecting to see one much like himself. But 
observing a puny young man, he despised him in his heart and 
perhaps looked upon it as an affront to him to send such a 
man to fight with him. Now remember, this is a nine-foot, 
nine-inch, battle-proven warrior that was the champion of the 
Philistines. Now, when you send out competition 
to him, typically you send your best, your roughest, your strongest. That indicates that you respect 
the stature or the position of the opposing enemy. So when David 
comes out, only a youth, ruddy, Goliath sees this as an insult. That's why he says, am I a dog? 
Am I a dog? Am I something that you treat 
like this? Which ironically, yes, he is 
a dog as far as David is concerned. But listen to Robert Alter's 
description of how Goliath saw David. a mere boy and an egregiously 
red-headed pretty boy at this. This is precisely the order of 
the original syntax arranged to mimic Goliath's perceptions, 
has been sent to do battle with the mightiest Philistine warrior. See, Goliath wants to show that 
he is that powerful. Goliath wants to demonstrate 
his ability. It's no match if he takes on 
a pretty boy. It's no match if he takes on 
someone that's puny. When he wins this battle, everyone's 
just going to say, well, come on, that was easy, that was low-hanging 
fruit. Certainly any 9 foot 9 inch man 
wearing 126 pounds of armor with a 15 to 16 pound iron tip on 
his spear would be able to down a young shepherd boy. There was 
no great victory there. See Goliath understands that. 
When he gets victory for the Philistine armies, he wants it 
to be magnificent. He wants it to be majestic. He 
wants to be the celebrated warrior of the Philistines. As far as 
he is concerned, the Israelites are really dissing him at this 
particular juncture. Notice, he then curses him by 
his gods. And I think the author here gives 
us something in terms of the view of the contrast between 
Yahweh and Dagon. What has the author in 1 Samuel 
consistently shown us concerning Dagon? He is impotent. What does the author of the book 
of Judges show us in the Samson narratives? He shows us that 
Dagon is impotent. And when Goliath curses David 
by his gods, and then Goliath loses his head on the field of 
battle, that does not speak well concerning Dagon. He's got this 
blathering, blasphemous mouth toward the God of heaven and 
earth. He invokes Dagon as a means by which he curses David. And 
when he falls to David, hopefully the keen reader sees Dagon is 
not to be trusted in. Dagon is not worth your allegiance. Dagon cannot save or deliver 
his people from their particular hardships and woes. Dagon can't 
protect or deliver his people when the battle is a shoo-in 
for Goliath. I mean, how could the whole thing 
be better orchestrated for Dagon to get the victory? Remember 
Elijah on Mount Carmel. What does Elijah do when it comes 
time to bid Yahweh to consume his sacrifice? He douses it with 
water. In other words, Elijah stacks 
the deck, as it were, in favor of Yahweh not being able to do 
what he's able to do. So that it demonstrates the majesty 
and the power and the excellence. So that Dagon can't even make 
sure that a 9 foot 9 inch giant beats a shepherd boy on the field 
of battle. That really is an indictment 
against Philistine religion. It really is an indictment against 
the paganism or the heathenism of this particular culture. Dagon 
is impotent. Yahweh is omnipotent. That is 
one of the theological lessons that we as the reader ought to 
indeed take away from this. So yes, he's insulted. Verse 
42, 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? We know David's heart. He does think that Phil, that 
this Philistine is a dog, doesn't he? I mean, he hasn't used that 
language, but in a sense he has. This uncircumcised Philistine. Remember what Paul says in Philippians. He talks about the Judaizers 
as beware of dogs. Why does Paul do that? Because 
the Judaizers or the Jews often times referred to Gentiles as 
dogs. So this uncircumcised Philistine 
in the mind and in the heart of David is really a dog. He really is what he has rightly 
inferred when he says, am I a dog that you, am I a dog that you 
come to me with sticks? We can hear David say, well, 
actually, yes, you are a dog. You are not worthy of anything 
other than what you are going to get today. And that is the 
loss of a head on the field of battle. So the Philistine cursed 
David by his gods. Now notice in verse 44, 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." You see that the 
whole thing is structured. The whole narrative is set up. 
Everything, humanly speaking, is against David. Israel is fearful. Saul is fearful. Eliab tries 
to discredit or tries to deny David a place in this particular 
battle. Saul tries to deny him a place in this particular battle. 
I mean, we know the outcome of the story to be sure. We know 
it coming into it to study it. But imagine if you were reading 
this the first time. If you were a betting man, and 
I'm not suggesting that you ought to be, who would your money be 
on? It would probably be on the 9 foot 9 inch giant that has 
126 pounds of armor, and he has this motif in his mind that victory 
is surely going to be his. Everything is constrained at 
this particular point in the narrative to highlight the reality 
that David is the weaker one going into this exchange. Now 
notice, thirdly, the Declaration of David. The Declaration of 
David. The first thing we ought to appreciate 
is the statement concerning his strength. You see, what David 
voices to Saul in verse 37 wasn't just a platitude. It wasn't just 
a ploy. It wasn't just filler. And it 
wasn't just an attempt to try and get Saul to let him go into 
the battle. This is in David's blood. This 
is in David's heart. This is in David's soul. Theology 
is woven deep into the warp and the woof of his being. This is 
what makes David tick. He understands the source of 
his strength. He says 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 Yahweh of hosts, the God of 
the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. David always understood 
that. And as we've seen, as we compare 
and contrast David and Saul, God is not going to get a sinless 
man. He simply is not going to get 
a sinless man on this side of heaven. We can get that out of 
our heads. If anyone sins, we have an advocate 
with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. You know, preceding 
that, John says, my little children, I write these things so that 
you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have 
an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous. 
What are we supposed to pursue? Holiness, righteousness, godliness. Do we do that exactly, perpetually, 
entirely, and perfectly? No, we don't. We always stand 
in need of the advocacy of our Lord Jesus. But nevertheless, 
we seek by the grace of God to do those things which are pleasing 
in His sight. So God is not going to get a 
sinless man. But he gets a submissive man 
in David. That's what characterizes David. 
That's why when David is intimated as being the king, back in 1 
Samuel 13, when God makes it evident that there will be no 
dynasty in Saul's household, there will be no Saulide dynasty 
that will last through the ages, he says, I have sought a man 
after my own heart. It is not sinlessness that God 
will ever get from us, but He ought to get submissiveness. 
He ought to get those who seek by the grace of God to live their 
lives in view of the fact that they serve the God of heaven 
and earth. When we fall, we confess it, we forsake it by the grace 
of God, we find mercy, and we move on. This is what is indicative 
of the life and career of King David of Israel. I mean, when 
we study David, when we get to 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, 
that's heart-wrenching, isn't it? And when David falls into 
sin, when kings go out to battle, and David doesn't, he sends Joab 
out to battle, and David goes, and he relaxes on his roof, and 
he sees Bathsheba, and that whole series of wicked sinful practices 
begins. It is heart-wrenching stuff that 
we the reader witness. But what happens? He comes out 
on the other side of it, having been forgiven by God. Certainly, 
there are temporal consequences. The household of David is affected 
because of the sin that David had engaged in. But nevertheless, 
he is the Lord's. Nevertheless, he is God's. Remember 
what he says in that psalm of repentance in Psalm 51. Take 
not thine Holy Spirit from me. He had seen it happen with Saul, 
and there it wasn't taking away. the spirit of salvation, but 
rather the spirit in terms of political leadership and the 
public kingship that Saul had. But nevertheless, for David, 
what was most important? I don't want to lose you. Isn't 
that the heartbeat of the people of God? I know I sinned, Lord, 
please forgive me, but never leave me. Never forsake me. I 
don't want to be on the losing end of that transaction. God, 
please. That's what is indicative of 
David. He comes to the field of battle, 
just like he came before Saul, And just like he said to the 
men of Israel in verse 26, as much as Goliath has been a blathering 
blasphemer, defying the armies of the living God, so David, 
ounce for ounce, pound for pound, has been just as faithful, just 
as consistent to testify the very same things. Now notice 
there is a sense where David, I don't know that this necessarily 
applies, but you see it with sports teams. They talk trash 
to one another. And that's what happens on the 
field of battle. Goliath comes out and he's dissing 
David. He's talking down to David. He's 
talking trash. What does David do? He returns 
it, not in an ungodly way. He simply says, 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. Notice as well, his conviction 
concerning victory. He says, this day the Lord will 
deliver you into my hand. You see the definitive difference 
between Goliath. Goliath says, come to me. I will 
give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of 
the field. He knows ultimately Dagon can't deliver this. I think 
at heart every idolater knows their gods are futile. Well, 
I don't know that, but I suspect that. And here David, nevertheless, 
comes and says, the Lord will deliver you into my hand. I will 
strike you and take your head from you. I'm going to be the 
human instrument. I'm going to be the means. The 
horse is prepared for the battle, but victory is from the Lord. 
David, in this instance, is the horse. He's prepared for battle. 
He's got his five stones. He's got his sling. He's got 
his staff. He is going to face this giant, but deliverance and 
victory come from God Most High. So he is confident of the reality 
that he will be the victor on this day in battle. 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. Now notice the lessons 
that were to be learned at the end of the contest. Here is what 
I think is the theme of this entire chapter. This is why it's 
so wrong to say, you know, you've got a poor self-image and, you 
know, that's a real giant in your life and you need to be 
like David and take those five smooth stones out of confidence 
and of and of self-esteem, and fling that sling, and destroy 
that self. That's to belittle the Bible. That is to misuse the scripture. 
Or you've got a difficult husband, or you've got a difficult wife, 
or you've got a difficult work associate. Or you got a bully 
on the playground. Well, you know, there's your 
Goliath. And instead of taking a physical stone, you know, you 
pray and you wield that sling and the Lord will bring him down. No, no, no. That's not the point 
of the passage. The point of the passage is revealed 
for us all too clearly by David right here in verses 46 and 47. 
There are two lessons that this section demonstrates. In the 
first place, the earth will learn that there is a God in Israel. 
the earth will learn that there is a God in Israel, that all 
the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Even though 
Israel is faithless, even though Israel is fearful, even though 
Israel and her king are hiding from Goliath and the Philistines, 
when I kill you and when I take your head off of your shoulders, 
then the Philistines and the rest of the earth will know of 
a truth that there is a God in Israel. This was a demonstrative 
fact, or a demonstrative act rather, that there was a God 
in Israel. And it's really intriguing, the 
language here, that all the earth may know that there is a God 
in Israel. It's similar to what the sweet 
psalmist of Israel pens in Psalm 46. that affords much comfort 
to the people of God. Psalm 46, God is our refuge and 
strength. Verse 41, a very present help 
in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even 
though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried 
into the midst of the sea. Though its waters roar and be 
troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling, say 
lot. There is a river whose stream shall make glad the city of God. 
the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the 
midst of her. She shall not be moved. God shall 
help her just at the break of dawn. The nations raged. The 
kingdoms were moved. He uttered his voice. The earth 
melted. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is 
our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works 
of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease 
to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the 
spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire. 
Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us, 
the God of Jacob. Now, there are several reasons 
why this psalm ought to afford comfort to the people of God. 
Because the Covenant Lord is with us. That is a repeated refrain 
here. The Lord of Hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. 
God is sovereign over nature, over the nations. Even though 
the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into 
the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, 
though the mountains shake with its swelling, he then indicates 
this peaceful scene concerning Zion. But notice, what should 
afford comfort to the people of God? The destruction of God's 
enemies. You see that? Be still and know 
that I am God because I've taken out my magical wand and I've 
waved it over the universe and fairy dust has fallen all over 
everything and made everybody happy. No, be still and know 
that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth 
because of verses eight and nine. Come, behold the works of the 
Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease 
to the end of the earth." Again, not through wand, but through 
the victory of his warriors, through the victory of his people. 
This is the lesson that all the earth was to learn when they 
saw that headless giant laying on the earth. That's what David 
underscores for the heathen, for the pagan. But there was 
a message secondly for the covenant people. Because the covenant 
people are fearful. Saul and Israel are afraid. They 
are dreadfully afraid. They are running and hiding instead 
of facing Goliath and the armies of the Philistines. Notice in 
verse 47. Then all this assembly This is 
covenant. This is the people of God. This 
is the Israelites. There's a lesson here for the 
earth, but there's a lesson here for the covenant community. And 
what is that lesson? 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. The nation was always prone, 
or at least in time, at the time of the monarchy, they were prone 
to trust in a powerful king. They were prone to trust in military 
strategy. They were prone to trust in their 
generals, in their military commanders. They were not trusting in the 
living God. They were not trusting in Yahweh. 
Because if they had been, there would not be a description like 
what we find in verses 11 and 24. We would not read that Israel 
was fearful and dreadfully afraid. We would not read that Saul had 
not engaged the enemy. If they had been trusting the 
God of heaven and earth, they would have stepped out in faith. 
But they're trusting in appearances. Remember, we've already learned 
in 16.7 that the Lord does not look on the external. The Lord 
is not impressed with 9 foot 9 inch giants. He's not impressed 
with 126 pounds of armor. He's not impressed with 15 to 
16 pound iron tips on the ends of spears. God is not about that. 
We need to trust in the living God who orchestrates victories 
for his people, oftentimes through weakness. And as far as anybody 
could tell, the weakest link in this entire nation was this 
shepherd boy from Bethlehem. reminds you of another birth 
ultimately in Bethlehem with one that appeared weak, was born 
lowly in a mean condition, but ultimately is the champion of 
Israel and the victor. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief. He was a man that was, for all 
intents and purposes, weak. When you looked at the outward 
form, There was nothing in him, Isaiah says, that we should desire. There was nothing about his appearance. 
He didn't walk through the streets of Galilee with a halo on his 
head and people saying, wow, isn't he radiant? And don't his 
clothes gleam white and bright? That was not the way the Messiah 
was. It was a very mean, a very weak, 
a very lowly condition in which he came. David is paradigmatic 
or a pattern of that reality. So the nation was always prone 
to trust in a strong earthly king and military prowess. They 
needed to understand what God had always demonstrated to them. 
The Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is 
Yahweh's and He will give you into our hands. The Lord's power, 
more often than not, is demonstrated through weakness. Look at the 
judges in Israel. I mean, I love those men, each 
and every one of them. They were men just like us. They 
had their foibles, they had their sins, they had their excesses, 
they had their wrongs. We look at David, the same sort 
of thing. You know, God only sent one hero. God only sent one perfect man. 
God only sent one that is altogether lovely and chief among 10,000. 
The Lord's power is demonstrated through weakness in this very 
incident. Davis says, it's a bit of a lengthy 
quote but it's powerful, this theme of weakness has been building 
through the chapter. All the important people regard 
David as weak. If we might colloquialize, Eliab 
tells him, you're a pain. colloquialize means put it in 
the vernacular, say it in a way that, you know, really gets to 
us or really makes its point. You're a pain. Isn't that what 
Eliab says? What are you doing here? I know 
your heart, you're insolent, you're proud, you've got issues. 
Why are you even here in the Valley of Elah? Eliab sounds 
like Goliath. You're a pain. Saul warns, you're 
green. You've got no experience. Verse 
33. And Goliath sneers, you're a 
puny. Verse 42. But he is the one Yahweh 
uses to deliver. Nor does David have the right 
equipment. He refuses to be a little Goliath 
and lays aside Saul's armor and sword. He insults Goliath with 
his staff. But he demonstrates that Yahweh 
brings deliverance without the symbols of man's strength. We 
hear this throughout the Bible. He indicates various places in 
the Psalter, and then, of course, 2 Corinthians chapter 12. Isn't 
that Paul's crowning, you know, sort of statement concerning 
this whole idea, my strength is sufficient, or my strength, 
rather, is made perfect through your weakness? When will we, 
as the people of God, understand that? What matters is not whether 
you have the best weapons, but whether you have the real God. 
In fact, your inadequacy may be precisely your qualification 
for serving God, for His strength shines most brightly behind the 
foreground of your weakness. It may be the fact that you are 
inadequate, the very reason why God is using you. What does Paul 
say elsewhere in 2 Corinthians? God takes gospel treasure and 
he puts it into earthenware vessels. You know what an earthenware 
vessel is, right? It's not gold, it's not platinum, it's not titanium. It can't take a tank blast. It 
can't take a drone strike. This earthenware vessel is something 
that is easily smashed. It is easily broken. It is very 
vulnerable. It is, in essence, a clay pot. 
Paul says that God puts gospel treasure in clay pots so that 
the excellence of the power may be of God and not of man." I 
think what Paul is saying, when God blesses preaching or blesses 
your witness or evangelism to a co-worker and someone gets 
converted, they can't say, wow, you're fantastic, wow, you're 
amazing, wow, you're awesome. They can only say that about 
God. They ultimately will say things, 
I can't believe God used you to bring me that message. I can't 
believe that he put that gospel treasure in such a clay pot like 
you. It is the design of God so that 
the excellence of the power may be of God and not of men. What 
does Paul say in 1 Corinthians 1? But of Him you are in, Christ 
Jesus, who became unto us. sanctification, and righteousness, 
and redemption. That, as it is written, let him 
who glories, glory in the Lord. You see, the entire design of 
God's Holy Word is not our self-esteem, and our self-accomplishment, 
and our self-aggrandizement. All that the Bible conspires 
to do is to bring glory to Yahweh. And we are the servants to bring 
that to Him. in all of our sin, in all of 
our weakness, in all of our inadequacy, in all of the things that make 
us us, God nevertheless demonstrates his mighty right arm through 
people that he chooses to use. Interesting to me as well in 
this particular connection is Paul's statement to the Corinthians. 
I mean, talk about a man who's not trying to get a job in 21st 
century North America in the pastoral ministry. Pastoral ministry, 
they want to see a resume that's got, at a minimum, an MDiv from 
a good seminary. PhD, that's, yeah, we'll even 
look more at you then. How many times or how many pastorates 
have you been in? What were the sizes of the churches? 
What sort of outreach programs have you developed? What curricula 
have you been involved in? How many books have you authored 
or co-authored? How many books have you co-edited? 
I mean that, you know, similar to what you would write as a 
resume if you're trying to get a job anywhere else, you know, 
you put your best foot forward. You know, I was a hospital administrator 
for these many years and I truly, you know, revamped this and, 
you know, I'm a great guy and you should hire me at this hospital. 
Well, that same sort of thing happens in the ministry. Imagine 
getting Paul's resume, and it's saying this. And I, brethren, 
when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or 
of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined 
not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's the defining characteristic 
of a gospel minister. But unfortunately, at times, 
yeah, but what curricula have you developed? What journal articles 
have you published? What great things have you done? I determined to know nothing 
among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's it. 
End of story. But let's look on in this man's 
resume. I was with you in weakness, in 
fear, and in much trembling. My speech and my preaching were 
not with persuasive words of human wisdom. I mean, if you 
read that, you'd say, next. Next, next. But see, here's what's 
key and fundamental at the end of verse 4, but in demonstration 
of the spirit and of power. You see, the spirit of God doesn't 
need to come on the heels of a PhD. Now, I'm not decrying 
PhDs. We need men that are theologically 
astute, men that are well-studied, men that are credentialed. I'm 
not saying that's sin or wicked or anything like that. But I 
am suggesting that what Paul is indicating here is that the 
primary emphasis isn't on that credentialing, whatever the word 
is. It is upon the equipment that 
the Spirit of God brings, but in demonstration of the spirit 
and the power that your faith should not be in the wisdom of 
men, but in the power of God. Certainly, the church of the 
Lord Jesus could stand to learn this lesson of verse 47 in 1 
Samuel 17. Then all this assembly, the church 
of the Lord Jesus, shall know that the Lord does not save by 
programs, by puppets, by ponies, by user-friendly environments, 
by the best social outreach to a community. God is not constrained 
to work through those means. God has told His church what 
they are supposed to do. And if God has told His church 
what they are supposed to do, then we're to trust that He is 
going to operate through that particular chosen means. If He 
says that we are to preach the Word, to be ready in season and 
out of season, to convince, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering 
and teaching, then that's what we should be about. If He commands 
that the church ought to pray, that's what we should do. If 
He commands that when we worship, it is to be acceptable worship, 
and that means God-defined acceptability, and that our worship is to be 
with reverence and godly fear, then that's what we're supposed 
to do. We're not supposed to bring in things that work out 
there and sort of baptize them and use them in the church. The 
Lord does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is 
the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands. So you see, 
those are the two lessons that the reader is to take away. There's 
a lot of other good stuff in 1 Samuel 17. I hope you'll think 
through it, meditate, pull out lessons and all that sort of 
thing. But be still and know that God is God. He will be exalted 
among the nations. He will be exalted in the earth. 
And then realize He's not constrained to save by those means that impress 
us. He saves as He sees fit. The battle is His. He'll take 
a shepherd from Bethlehem. send him out there to deliver 
Jesus to his brothers, and in the midst of it, see this taunting 
Goliath, and then say, who is this uncircumcised Philistine 
who dares to defy the armies of the living God? I mean, from 
the very get-go, David is chomping at the bit, ready to rock and 
ready to deal with this man, and bring him down on the field 
of combat. So don't miss verses 46 and 47 
in your Bible reading. And don't psychologize the passage. And I read 1 Samuel 17. I've 
got a new vigor today to go out and slay my Goliaths. Don't do 
that to God's Word. It's not nice. Fourthly, the 
victory of David over Goliath. I mean, that was just the time. 
That was just his, you know, Letting him know what was going 
to happen. No break in step, no quiver in the voice. This 
is just matter of fact. As I mentioned, the clunkiness 
of Goliath and the speed of David. God works through weakness, but 
God still is using wisdom. Speed, stones, slings, staffs 
have their place on the battlefield. Again, never forget the verse 
in the Proverbs. The horse is prepared for the 
battle, Victory is from the Lord. Prepare the horse for battle. 
One sows, another waters, but God gives increase. What is Paul 
telling us? We use the means. We sow the 
seed. We water the seed. But it's God 
who gives the increase. We put the battle armor on the 
horse. We get him ready to roll. We 
put the gun in the holster on the side of the horse and we 
march into combat. But we know that God guides the 
bullets and God guides the battle so that victory is ultimately 
of the Lord. Notice the blessing of God upon 
David's stone. He only had to use one. He took 
five, but it was one. God's in this. Brethren, remember, 
the providence of God is obvious in this passage. Verse 49, David 
put his hand in his bag and took out a stone. And he swung 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. Could you imagine the scene? 
Don't you ever do that? You just try to imagine the scene. Nine feet, nine pounds, wearing 
126 pounds is going to make a thud. In fact, Davis's chapter of commentary 
on chapter 17 is, glory to God in the highest dash thud. That's 
what he calls the chapter, his exposition on this. Glory to 
God in the highest, thud. What do you think the Philistines 
thought? They saw their champion go down 
with one strike or one hit by a stone from a shepherd boy. 
Notice verse 50. So David prevailed over the Philistine 
with a sling and a stone and struck the Philistine and killed 
him. 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." Now some see a problem here. Verse 50 says he killed 
him when the stone hit him in the head. Verse 51 says he killed 
him when the head came off due to the force of the sword. There's 
a contradiction. Now, do you think that if we 
so easily spot a contradiction, the man who wrote the two verses 
didn't see that? He just blanked out. For half 
a second, he just got absent-minded. Oh, I forgot. I just said he 
killed him. There's a couple ways we could understand what 
happened here. Gil says he thought he was dead, and he wasn't, so 
he lopped off his head. Well, that's certainly a true 
situation. But what about somebody that 
gets in a car wreck? And they die later in the hospital. 
We say they died in a car accident, don't we? We don't say they died 
late. I mean, if we're getting detailed 
about it, we could say that. Or a murderer kills someone, 
or he murders someone, and they die several days later. Does 
he get off because they died? I didn't do that. No, but you 
put the bullet in his head at the crime scene that brought 
that to fruition, right? There's no contradiction in the 
narrative. The bottom line is that David 
killed Goliath. David chopped that big head off. And David then picked it up and 
marched it to Jerusalem. Like, what a man. I mean, David 
is just a man walking with a head to Jerusalem. This, you know, 
is my kill. You see those guys coming back 
from hunting. They've got a deer strapped to 
the top of their car. Yeah, he's done this or, you 
know, that's a victory. That's a trophy. And then they 
take it home and they put the antlers on their wall. Because 
look, look what I did, honey. I killed that deer. It's great. 
David kills Goliath and ultimately walks his head to Jerusalem. Now notice, finally, fifthly, 
the victory of Israel over the Philistines. Fearful Israel is 
no longer fearful. When they heard glory to God 
in the highest thud, they got emboldened. When they saw that 
there was no more Goliath, now they start chasing Philistines. 
The Philistines, in turn, when they saw glory to God in the 
highest, thud, they ran. They reckoned that if the shepherd 
boy took one stone and knocked down Goliath, if he's got four 
others, he may get us. And off they went. And so the 
Israelites give chaise to the Philistines and start slaying 
them left and right. And then according to verse 53, 
they plunder their tents, they make some loot, or they gather 
some things. Verse 54 summarizes, David took 
the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but 
he put his armor in his tent. Now finally, the identity of 
the warrior's father. Remember last week I mentioned 
that the Septuagint, the great translation of the Hebrew Old 
Testament, has a lot less verses in 1 Samuel chapter 17, then 
does what's called the Masoretic Text that our English versions 
follow here. There's a lot less verses, and 
the reason why, some suspect, is to sort of smooth out the 
narrative, because some see contradictions between 16 and 17. Some see David, 
rightly, in Saul's court in chapter 16. Then we get to chapter 17, 
and where's David? David's in Bethlehem. Wait a 
minute, I thought he was in Saul's court. Well, chapter 17, verse 
15 explains that for us. It says, David occasionally went 
and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. 
So there is that explanation. Some have seen that David was 
introduced in chapter 16 and he's reintroduced in chapter 
17. Why would the narrator do that? Didn't we just get David 
in 16? No, there is a specific purpose, more than likely because 
Goliath has been described as one of the members or one of 
the contestants in this coming duel. Now David is described 
as the other contestant in this coming duel. And then, of course, 
the third reason why persons think there's a difference between 
chapters 16 and 17 is because in 16, Saul obviously knows David. Right? Saul knows it's David 
who's playing the harp so that he can stop his frenzy and stop 
with this troubling spirit. Now in chapter 17, some suspect 
that he doesn't know who David is. But as I mentioned last week, 
what Saul is inquiring of is not who is David. He's asking 
who is his father. That is asked three times by 
Saul of Abner. He wants to determine who David's 
father is. And the reason for this, probably, 
is because, yeah, he did forget, or because of bureaucracy, he 
doesn't remember every father of servants who worked for him. 
I mean, you've got to remember, this is a bureaucracy. I'm sure 
many bureaucracies, many things get forgotten. Have you ever 
had to try to deal with a bureaucracy and they can't find your file? 
What do you mean it's me? Well, you know what? Not everybody 
keeps track of you. So he's asking about the identity 
of David's father three times. That's what the emphasis is. 
Whose son are you? Now remember the promise given 
to Israel was that whoever destroyed Goliath They would get to marry 
Saul's daughter and their father's house would receive probably 
tax exemption in Israel. So Saul is making good on his 
promise. David has killed Goliath. The 
natural and inevitable question is, whose son is he? We got to 
make sure that they get tax exempt status. Whose son is he so we 
can make sure that he gets my daughter and everything is done 
in the proper order? There's not a contradiction between 
chapters 16 and 17. It is thematic in nature. There's an emphasis given woven 
into the narrative to make specific emphases that the author wants 
to give us. In conclusion, chapter 17, as 
we have seen, teaches us something concerning the contrast between 
the fear of Israel and the faith of David. The fear of Israel 
and her current king and the faith of David. her future king. And this does give us a good 
snapshot of this man after God's own heart. Remember, we noted 
the two chapters in chapters 16 and 17. David's the harpist 
in chapter 16. He's the warrior in chapter 17. 
When we get to the psalter, what do we have? We have this poet 
warrior that is composing the Psalms of Israel. He's composing 
Israel's songbook. 16 and 17 indicates or describes 
for us the very man who does that in the Psalms. He knows 
poetry. He knows music. He knows how 
to, you know, play and soothe a man that's got a frenzy. But 
he also knows how to take the heads off of giants. David is the man after God's 
own heart. So I've already mentioned, we 
need to guard against the tendency to disregard 16.7. God makes 
it very obvious that he is not like man. He doesn't regard the 
outward. When Eliab was first marched 
before Samuel, Samuel said, this must be the king. And God says, 
no, halt yourself. I do not look at men the way 
you do. God looks at the heart. He looks at the inner character. 
So that when this nine-foot, nine-inch man comes on the battlefield, 
God's not up in heaven fretting. God's not terrified. God's not 
fearful. God's not saying, oh no, what 
am I going to do? No, God takes the meanest and 
the lowliest and sends him to the field of battle to win the 
war. And then finally, we need to 
remember the point of the passage. It's not slaying your giants. 
It's not about the advanced military tactics of the shepherd warrior. 
It's summarized in David's declaration in 46b and 47. We need to be 
still and know that God is God. And we need to understand that 
he's not constrained to save by the weapons that we think 
he is. He is constrained to save according 
to his own sovereign will, because the battle ultimately is his. Well, let us pray. Our Father 
in heaven, we thank you for this chapter. We thank you for this 
book. We thank you for the Old Testament and the New Testament. 
You've given us such a rich treasure in Holy Scripture. God, make 
us to be like the psalmists who saw more value in the Word of 
God than much fine gold. May we treasure your word and 
may we study it daily and may your law be our delight day and 
night and grant us grace to learn the lessons that you would have 
us to learn and help us like David to be submissive men and 
women to the divine will and help us to realize that you operate 
very often through the inadequacy and through the weakness of your 
people. Give us grace father and cause us to reflect upon 
these things and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.