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.
Introduction
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
Preparation for Battle
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
Meeting Between the Warriors
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 Source of David's Strength
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.
Conviction Concerning Victory
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.
Lessons Learned from the Contest
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.
Victory of David over Goliath
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.
Providence in the Stone
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.
Victory of Israel over the Philistines
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.
Identity of the Warrior's Father
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.
Conclusion
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.
Closing Prayer
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.