Well, please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 17. We consider the life of David. After he has been identified and anointed in chapter 16, chapter 17 demonstrates or manifests his courage in the face of Goliath. It's similar to what we found with Saul or what we see with Saul. 1 Samuel chapter 9, Saul is identified, Saul is then anointed in chapter 10, and then Saul gains victory over the Ammonites in 1 Samuel chapter 11.
So it's a similar pattern. I want to read the first half of the chapter. We'll take that up this evening and then finish, God willing, next Sunday night. So we'll read verses 1 to 37a.
So beginning in 1 Samuel chapter 17 at verse 1. Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle and were gathered at Soka, which belongs to Judah. They encamped between Soka and Azekah in Ephes Damim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.
The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail. And the weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze.
And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed 600 shekels, and a shield-bearer went before him. Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel and said to them, Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul?
Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. And the Philistines said, I defy the armies of Israel this day.
Give me a man that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem, Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years in the days of Saul.
The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest, and the three oldest followed Saul. But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. Then Jesse said to his son David, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp, and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them. Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines. So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with the keeper, and took the things, and went as Jesse had commanded him.
And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines.
And he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them, and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel.
And it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel. And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done for the man who kills the Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him in this manner, saying, So shall it be done for the man who kills him.
Now Eliab, his oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was aroused against David. And he said, why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?
I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. And David said, what have I done now? Is there not a cause? Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing.
And these people answered him as the first ones did. Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul, and he sent for him. Then David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep his father's sheep. And when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went 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.
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. 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. Amen.
Well, let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the Word of God, we thank you for this life of David, this man after your own heart, this one that is typical, this one that is ultimately, in the human sense, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. How we give praise to you for the blessedness of the Word of God, how we give praise to you for the exploits of faith that we see recorded in Scripture, And we would pray as we sang that you would grant us the grace to persevere, that you would grant us grace not to shrink back in fear. Help us, Lord God, to manifest that courage, not because it's native to us, but because our God is good and we have faith in the living and the true God. Forgive us now for all of our sins and all of our unrighteousness.
Fill us all with your Holy Spirit. And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Introduction
Well, there are those who treat this particular passage of Scripture in a very psychological way. They sort of take it out of its context, and they sort of bring it to the hearer and say, now, this kind of teaches you how to deal with the Goliaths in your life. You have issues, you have challenges, and if you are like David, you can face those Goliaths as well. I want to tell you at the outset, that's not at all what this passage is about.
This passage is about the glory of God. Goliath mocks God, and David brings glory to God. In fact, the very essence of the sum and substance of the story is found in the second half. If you look specifically at verse 47.
Verse 46, 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. Now notice the twofold purpose for why we find David in the Valley of Elah battling against this giant named Goliath. that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. The Philistines need to learn that.
The other nations around them need to learn that. But it's not just Philistia. It's not just the Ammonites. It's not just the various persons in the land.
But look at verse 47. 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's a story concerning the glory of God Almighty. Well, as we take up the first half,
The Battle in the Valley of Elah
we'll notice in the first place the battle in the Valley of Elah in verses 1 to 7. Secondly, the arrival of David in Elah in verses 12 to 22. And then finally, the victory of David over Goliath. That's verses 23 to 58, but as I said, we'll stop there at verse 37.
But in the first place, notice in verses 1 and following,
Setting and Geography
we have the setting in verses 1 to 3. We have the geography. The various places are indicated for us where they are. station, and if you notice specifically, we see that the land in which the Philistines have seized is in Judah, so it belongs to Israel. They are already encroaching upon Israelite land.
The Philistines were the perennial enemies of the Israelites, and here they want to advance, and here they want to ultimately take possession of the land from them. Obviously, this is a strategic location. One commentator, David Samura, says, set against this geographical background, the goal of this strategically important battle was certainly to secure the Valley of Elah, the natural point of entry from the Philistine homeland into the hill country of the Saulide Kingdom. The battle was thus crucial.
It was absolutely imperative that Israel hold the line. that Israel defeat the giant, that Israel be able to maintain her tenure in the land without the threat of the Philistines. And then we see that in the valley in verse 3. Then we have
Goliath's Size and Challenge
the appearance of Goliath in verses 4 to 10. His name and city. He's named Goliath from Gath. Now notice his size.
His size, in our understanding, is 9 feet 9 inches, so this is a big fellow. He is certainly a giant, he is formidable, he is donned with lots of armament, and the weapons indicate that he has 126 pounds of armor, and he has a spear with a 15 to 16 pound iron head. So again, he is formidable. He's a big fellow, he's got big weapons, and he's got a big mouth that ultimately David is going to shut.
He's going to do it by ultimately lopping off his head, but at least initially he does it by taunting him back. And as well, with reference to this particular picture, I think it is reminiscent of the chapter before. Go to 1 Samuel 16, specifically in verse 7. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him.
For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." I would imagine that the people of Israel, well, I know for certain, verses 11 and 24 indicate that they didn't learn that lesson. They were operating by sight. They saw Goliath, and they were terrified. They saw Goliath, and they were fearful.
They did not look beyond Goliath to the living and the true God. They needed that reminder. They needed this corrective, and David underscores as much in verse 47 that we just read. So the picture develops of this formidable foe We have this reality that is a marked contrast between him and David, and when David comes on the scene, we see that there is no fear in David.
Again, faith engenders courage, and that is one of the other lessons in this particular passage. Note the words of the giant in verses 8 to 10. He cried out to the armies of Israel. He taunts them.
Specifically, in verse 9, he is challenging them to a duel. Pony up a fellow, in verse 10, and so that we may indeed battle And if we win, then we will have you as our servants. But if you win, then we will be your servants. Now that never happens, which indicates that Goliath was a liar, and it indicates that it wasn't an actual negotiation, but rather he was simply taunting.
He was talking, what do they call that, dirt talking or whatever, trying to pull down his enemy in this particular scenario. And
Israel's Fear and Saul's Apostasy
that brings us to the response of Israel. Notice in verse 11, and this is very sad. When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Not just the people of Israel, but Saul.
Go back for a moment to 1 Samuel 11. We see a marked contrast between Saul when he's first anointed as king, and we see Saul here. And I think we can derive from this the lesson that apostasy reduces courage. Apostasy, or a defection from the living and true God, typically ends a man riddled with fear.
Notice in 1 Samuel 11 at verse 1, Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes and bring reproach on all Israel. Not a very good condition for covenant, is it?
Not something that you would be willing to jump into, I hope. Not something you'd say, absolutely, gouge out our eyes and you go ahead and subjugate us. Notice in verse three, the elders of Jabesh said to him, hold off for seven days that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then if there is no one to save us, we will come out to you.
So we want to have some time to think about this. We want to find a champion, a victor of our own that will be able to stomp out this Nahash the Ammonite. So notice in verse 4, the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the hearing of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept.
Now there was Saul coming behind the herd from the field, and Saul said, What troubles the people that they weep? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers. saying, Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen.
And the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out with one consent. When he numbered them in Bezach, the children of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000. And they said to the messengers who came, Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help. Then the messengers came and reported to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.
Therefore the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you. So it was on the next day that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. Then the people said to Samuel, Who is he who said, Shall Saul reign over us?
Bring the men that we may put them to death. But Saul said, Not a man shall be put to death this day. For today the Lord has accomplished salvation in Israel." It's a far cry different than what we have here in verse 11. He is not afraid, he does not back down, with reference to Nahash the Ammonite.
When Nahash the Ammonite makes this attempted treaty or covenant with Israel, Saul meets him with force, vigorous force, to the point where he's killing Ammonites until the heat of the day. Remember that in the movement of the Holy Spirit, in terms of Saul to David, the Spirit has now departed, and what we have is this man who is reduced to this level of fear and trembling. I don't suggest that a leader never fears. I don't suggest that a leader or a king never has any concern, but he doesn't express it, he doesn't put it on display, he doesn't show it to his troops, and he certainly doesn't communicate it to the enemy of the living and true God.
That is his problem. This apostasy crippled him. This apostasy leveled him. This apostasy made him unfit to rule this particular kingdom.
Not to say that David did everything perfectly in his rule and reign. David was an imperfect man, but David was a faithful man. He never shrank back from serving the living and true God. He never defected.
He never apostatized. And therefore, when it came to the enemies of Israel, he didn't run, he didn't hide, he didn't cower in unbelief. That is Saul's problem. He is there as a coward because he is a faithless man.
Now notice,
The Arrival of David in Elah
secondly, the arrival of David and Elah in verses 12 to 22. The last we knew of David, he had been playing the harp for Saul. That distressing spirit from the Lord had come upon Saul, and at the end of chapter 16, David is playing that harp to soothe, to calm, and to help Saul as he goes through this particular situation. So that statement in 1614-23 shows David at Saul's court.
Here in 1712-15, he is in Bethlehem. Verse 15 helps us to understand why. So he would go to Gibeah. where Saul was to play the harp and to calm him down, but then he would go back to Bethlehem in order to tend to the sheep. So that's the movement that we find with reference to David.
The reintroduction of David here serves as the contrast. You have the formidable foe, the enemy of the Israelites, this Philistine giant named Goliath, and now you have David. We have the brothers of David indicated in verses 13 to 14. The three older ones went with Saul.
They were part of that body. They were part of those people that were fearful. They were terrified. They too were filled with cowardice in the light of this particular giant.
Which brethren, if they are the armies of the living and true God, why are they cowering like this? Again, if scripture teaches us anything, our God is the true and the living God. Our God is such that we walk by faith. Our God is such that we meet the enemies of Yahweh.
Again, not in our situation in terms of guns and ammo and all that sort of thing. But brethren, we are not to cower and shrink back in fear. We know that the devil roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but we're not supposed to run and hide from him. We know as well that we don't wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, the spiritual powers of darkness.
We don't run and hide. We understand what John the Apostle says. He says, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Brethren, that is most comforting and most encouraging.
We don't have to shrink back. We don't have to be fearful. We don't have to be afraid at Tim Hortons to bow in prayer to the living and true God. We serve Yahweh of Israel.
We have the Lord Jesus Christ as our champion, as our captain, as our Lord, as our Savior. So these three sons of Jesse, these three brothers of David, were paralyzed with the same sort of fear that had crippled Saul and the rest of the armies. When Eliab rebukes David, that is the pot calling the cattle black. David is there in faith, and Eliab is there in unbelief and with cowardice.
And then notice what Jesse has David do. Verse 16, just a reminder to tell us that the Philistine giant is continuing to blather on. The Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. Now note verse 17, Then Jesse said to his son David, Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp, and carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.
Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.
Providence in Ordinary Callings
We need to appreciate the providence of God here. David hadn't been in some military training camp. David hadn't been pumping iron and taking steroids and eating protein and fat. That's not what David had been doing.
This is the providence of God. He goes on a particular mission to deliver cheeses, to bring food to the men on the front line. He goes to inquire about what's happening with reference to the sons of Jesse. And it's in that context, it's in that setting that he faces Goliath.
God's providence is such is that He raises up men that we would never think of. He raises up men that we would never believe would be the victor or the champion. He's engaged in His normal, ordinary affairs in life, and God in His providence calls Him to this extraordinary service. You've probably heard the old saying, grow where you've been planted.
Do what God has called you to do. If it's delivering cheeses and finding out about the status of your brothers, then do it. There seems to be this desire in the hearts of some, they always want more. They want the bigger, they want the better, they want the this, they want the that.
Be content where God has you. I'm not suggesting that if you can get a promotion at work, don't do that. That's not my point. My point is simply this.
There are those who see that the greatest use of their gifts is the most prominent sort of place in the church or in the mission field or whatever. Again, be faithful where you're at. He who is faithful in little will be faithful in much. If you're not faithful to deliver Jesus, if you're not faithful to ascertain the status of your brothers, then you're not faithful to kill the giant Goliath.
It's a wonderful display. Again, David Samura makes this observation. One can see here, in a seemingly ordinary event in the life of David, God's providential guidance. as in Hannah's life, 1 Samuel 1. Although David, when he went, had no intention of getting into a fight with a Philistine champion, God was preparing him for a dramatic debut in the history of Israel for promoting the divine plan of salvation among the covenant people.
He didn't intend this. He didn't set out for this. He didn't say, oh yeah, I'm the guy. He says I'm the guy when he gets there and he sees the threat.
He says I'm the guy when he gets there and he sees that the cowering armies of Israel aren't going to shut the mouth of this blathering giant. He is the guy when he understands that it's the glory of God that at stake. Again, his faith engenders the courage that is manifested and described. If apostasy and defection has left Saul as a coward, then we see contrary to that, that the faith of David leads to his courage in the valley of Elah.
Now let's move to thirdly, the victory of David over Goliath. I'm sorry. Yeah, where are we at? Verse 23.
Notice what we have. So we have the words of Goliath again repeated in verse 23. I skipped that. 20 and 22, David did what he was supposed to do. David didn't say, you know what, Dad?
I'm the guy that should go fight. You know what, dad? I'm the guy that should be armed up and sent out to the valley of hell. He just does what he's supposed to do.
He doesn't resist. He doesn't question. He doesn't challenge. He doesn't say, oh, but father, I'm destined for such greater things.
No, he's obedient. He grows where he's planted. If his particular task right now is to tend to the flock, if his task right now is to leave the flock in the care of another, which is intriguing. That is a beautiful underscored statement.
David never leaves the flock on their own. David makes sure they're safely folded. He makes sure they're safely looked after before he takes up the errand that his father had given him. to go to the Valley of Elah, to deliver the gift of food, and to ascertain the status of his brothers. So that's what we find in verses 20 to 22.
Again,
The Victory of David Over Goliath
that brings us to the victory of David over Goliath. So we have the words of Goliath in verses 23 and 24. Notice what we find. Verse 23, then as he talked with them, he's ascertaining status, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines.
And he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. Again, that ought not to be.
Verse 47 is absolutely necessary in this narrative. Israel as a whole had a problem with cowardice. Israel as a whole looked at this nine-foot giant with all of his weaponry and thought that he or that we are no match for him. They forgot they were backed by Yahweh of Israel.
They forgot that they had the living and the true God. They forgot that they were the people, the covenant people of God, and that God had promised them this land and that He was making good on that promise. So, we see the blathering refrain of Goliath and the continuing fear of Israel. Now,
David's Response to Goliath's Defiance
note the response of David. Israel and David, verses 25 to 27, and then Eliab and David, verses 28 to 37. Notice what we have, the reward promised by the king in verse 25. Some people think that the writer didn't really know how to write, because at the end of the chapter, specifically 55 to 58, Saul is trying to determine the father of David.
You say, wait a minute, doesn't he already know that? I mean, we have that scene in chapter 16 where David came as the harpist, he was the son of Jesse. Remember that section in light of verse 25. Look at what it says.
Verse 25, so the men of Israel said, have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel. 55 to 58 isn't a confused narrator. 55 to 58 isn't a confused Saul. 55 to 58 is the making good on the promise of verse 25. Saul has promised tax-exempt status to Jesse as a result of what David had done.
And so that is a business transaction, verses 55 to 58. It isn't a lack of consciousness on the part of the author. No one knows anybody at this point. No, it's business transacted in David's favor, specifically benefiting Jesse, his father's house.
Verse 26, David spoke to the man who stood by him saying, what shall be done for the man who kills the Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Now, as he stood there, he must not have heard verse 25 because they repeat it in essence in verse 27. But notice his statement here. It says, 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? So here's David. Young man left the sheep, come on this Aaron, come on this Meshach, and what he finds is Israel running in fear. What he finds is this giant taunting, defying the armies of the living and the true God.
David is incredulous. David is beside himself. David is saying, Who is this? What is happening among us?
What has transpired here? We serve the true and living God. Why in the world would you cowards back down? He doesn't say it quite like that, but he does say it quite like that.
I think Davis hits the nail on the head. He says, David has never spoken before in our story. This is the first words of David. Those are great first words, aren't they?
If you had your first words recorded in scripture, it might be, hey honey, can you make me a sandwich? David's first words are, who is this uncircumcised wretch who has the wherewithal and the gall to taunt the God of heaven and earth? So Davis again, David brings a whole new worldview. To this point, the narrative has been godless, much like our own stewing over some insoluble dilemma.
But now David injects the godly question into the episode. Doesn't having a living God make a difference in all this? Really? Doesn't that make sense?
Shouldn't life be fundamentally different for those who have a living God? Shouldn't we conduct ourselves with a bit more earnestness, with a bit more fervency, with a bit more faithfulness if we have a living God? He says, this fellow has mocked the ranks of the living God. If God is so identified with Israel, do you think he is indifferent towards such slurs on his reputation?
Do you expect the living God to allow an uncircumcised Philistine to trample his name in military and theological mud? Israel thought the Philistine invulnerable. For David, he was only uncircumcised. A living God gives a whole new view of things.
Brethren, that is a great message to take home, to pray in, and to live in light of. The various things you face and I face, not our Goliaths, not our psychological challenges, not our problems, but life in a godless world where there are a whole host of those opposed to the true and living God and opposed to the Church of Christ. Again, that morning prayer meeting when we go around the world and we hear the various places where there is gross persecution against the people of God. They need this message just like we need this message.
We serve a living God. And with that living God, we ought to walk by faith and we ought to have a certain degree of confidence. Eliab rebukes him. Verse 27, they simply rehearse what will be done for the one who kills him.
Verse 28, now Eliab, his older brother, heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was aroused against David, and he said, why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.
What are you doing here, kid? You're out of place. You're out of your element. Notice how the deck is essentially stacked against David.
No one says, hey, this sounds like a good idea. Eliab initially says, get out, go back, do your job, go tend to the sheep. When he meets with Saul, Saul says, oh no, you can't do it either. There's all this opposition.
There is all this hesitance. There is all this fearfulness. There is all this faithlessness. God gives them a gift in the person of David and none of them want him.
None of them want to embrace the goodness of God vis-a-vis this man who's going to silence this blathering giant. Verse 29, what have I done now? Is there not a cause? Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing.
And these people answered him as the first ones did. The NIV renders it this way. Now, what have I done, said David? Can't I even speak?
You're going to silence me? You're not even going to let me sort of ask the question, what shall be done to the one who kills this man, who silences this particular person? Now notice that they bring him before Saul in verses 31 and following. Verse 31, he meets.
Verse 32, he expresses his willingness to go into battle. You'd think at this point with this cowardice manifested not only in Saul's heart, but with reference to Israel as well, he'd welcome anybody who had breath that was willing to go for it. I mean, the Philistine giant isn't going to stop taunting. He's done this for 40 days.
He's done this for 40 nights. He is demanding a duel. He's not demanding the Philistines and the Israelites meet in the Valley of Elah. He is demanding a duel, the giant against one of their own.
So as I said, Saul at the end of his rope, I would think he'd be happy if anybody, if a five-year-old girl came up and said, hey, I'll go out there. That would take the heat off the armies of Israel, at least in so far. as the giant would shut his mouth for a few moments while he mocked up the earth with the five-year-old girl. Unless, of course, God had sent the five-year-old girl, and she would have mocked up the earth with him. But notice the objection from Saul.
Verse 33, And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. Now, David is a lot more gracious than I. David simply highlights the experience that had been afforded to him tending the sheep. We'll see that in just a moment.
But as Saul says, you are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. What would you say? I'd say, neither are you. You're a coward.
You're a wimp. You're running. You're hiding. Your armies are running.
They're hiding. You're dreadfully fearful of this man, and you've absolutely forgotten that you serve the living and true God. He says, you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. David, you're not going to make it.
David, you're gonna lose. David, you'll be killed on the field of battle. Saul is speaking into his life wisdom that he thinks is right, but it's not. It's faithlessness.
And that's a thing that we ought to be discouraging around us in the life and context of the church. If there are people walking by faith and engaging in courageous acts, as long as they are biblical, as long as they are consistent with God's law, let's not try to stop them. Let's not try to hinder them. Let's pray for them and let's encourage them.
It's a beautiful thing that in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is the division of labor. Not one man or not a group of men can do everything. We need each other. We need people with various gifts and abilities.
And if people have the courage and the faith to meet the various sorts of resistance that face the church today, instead of saying no to them and saying, you know, just stop it, go back to what it was you were doing before. If they have the gifts, they have the graces, we need to get men ready, we need to get them equipped, and we need to get them out there. There is a need for the preaching of the gospel, specifically with reference to the enemies of our Lord Jesus Christ.
David's Confidence Grounded in God
Now notice David's response in verses 34 to 37. It's not with blathering giants, but it's with bears and lions. I mean, come on, I think that it's pretty transferable in terms of skill at that particular point. Notice in verses 34 and 35.
He says to Saul, your servant used to keep his father's sheep. And when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went 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. What a guy, huh?
Don't you just want to hang out with David? I mean, this guy goes after. He doesn't say, oh yeah, well there goes that one sheep, I got a bunch of others. No, you go after him and you take that sheep away from him.
And notice, when it's in his mouth, Brethren, I've had a little bit of experience with this in the last couple of years. That's when an animal is most vicious, when it's actually seized its prey. It is giving it the death rattle. It is ready to kill it, and bleed it, and eat it, and do whatever it is it's going to do.
So that's when it's most ferocious, and David at that point opens its jaws, frees the sheep, and then kills the lion or the bear. Again, he hasn't met a giant on the Valley of Elah, but that is a transferable skill. It connects him to Samson as well. Remember, Samson was a man who was able to kill a lion.
Faith engenders courage. It is a wonderful and a blessed thing. Notice secondly, the similarity in the threat posed. 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.
Davis again says, don't say I have no experience of war. Striking down enemies is part of my job. It's just that they are ferocious mammals rather than arrogant giants. But notice the confidence with which David speaks.
David doesn't even entertain the possibility that he'll lose. He doesn't entertain the possibility that he will lose. Again, his confidence isn't in him. His confidence is in God.
That's what he says. That's the underscored lesson. But as he speaks, this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, the lion or the bear that he had killed, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Now he highlights the source of his strength in verse 37.
Moreover, David said, the Lord, notice the next three words, who delivered me. That's the basis of his statement. It's not arrogance. It's not presumption.
It's not his being satisfied with his ability. He's not proud. He's not parading himself. He is simply asserting the truth.
If God who delivered me from the lion and the bear is able to do that, then I have no fear when I walk into the valley of Elah. because that same God who delivered me from the lion and the bear is able to deliver me from this Philistine giant. Notice, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. David expresses his faith in the God of Israel. He expresses his confidence in the God of Israel.
Not in his own ability, not in his own wherewithal, not in the fact that before he had killed lions and bears and therefore he's appropriate to the task. No, the God who gave him the ability to kill those lions and bears makes him appropriate for this particular task.
Application
Now, in conclusion, just a few thoughts and then we'll close. In the first place, the fear of Israel and the faith of David. I think that's a marked contrast, a marked theme in this passage. Notice in verse 11, When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Not just afraid, they were greatly afraid. This paralyzed them. And then again in verse 24, and all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were driven. Dreadfully afraid.
The narrator takes pains to underscore just how fearful they were. It's not just a little bit of fear. I mean, you might have a little bit of fear over a spider. You might have a great fear over a man with a gun pointed at your head.
You see, there's a comparative element there. Here they are dreadfully afraid. Note David. We already saw it, verse 26.
We see it, verse 32. We see it, verses 36 and 37. Let's just jump ahead to verse 45. 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, notice the text, notice the language, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. David's not parading his accomplishments. David is not celebrating his ability. David is not shining the light upon his prowess.
He is shining the light upon God. He is displaying the glory of God, and he is expressing his faith in that God. The marked contrast between the fear of Israel and the faith of David. A second thing, in light of 16.7, God's not like a man.
He doesn't look at the outward appearance. It's not as if God says, oh, that particular fellow he's had in shoulders above everybody else, he should be your king. No, no, that's not how God operates. But I guarantee you, that's how Israel was operating.
They saw this 9 foot 6 inch Goliath. They saw this giant. They saw his weaponry. And they thought only in terms of sight.
They were completely negligent of 2 Corinthians 5. We walk by faith and not by sight. We walk by faith in the promise alluded to in our brother's prayer. Christ will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The gates of hell are going to give it a good shot. They're going to mount their opposition, they're going to engage in that defense, but we will see the reality of Colossians 1.13. He has transferred us or conveyed us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love. There is the reality, brethren, that at times it looks as if it is bad news for the church.
No, no, no, no, no. God is Lord of the church. God is the living and the true God. The church is the apple of His eye, and He is bound to protect her, to defend her, and to secure her.
We walk by faith, not by sight. Thirdly, the providence of God. Grow where you're planted. It's not wrong to want to promotion.
It's not wrong to want to excel in your work and stand before gangs. But it's wrong, brethren, when persons aren't content with what God has given them, where there is this discontentedness where they feel they would be better able to do great things in a particular capacity. They may be, but they need to be recognized by the church, they need to be confirmed by the brethren, and they need to step out in a responsible manner. This discontented attitude, this idea where, oh yeah, God's just wasting my abilities at this shop.
I should be doing such greater things. Do what you're supposed to do. and do it very well, and it's in that context that God will evidence through providence if you are to go on to bigger, better things or other pastures in terms of service to the Lord. And again, it's not wrong for Christians to want to serve. That's a good and a blessed and a wonderful thing.
But do it in concert with your eldership. Do it in concert with people who know you and love you. Do it in conjunction with people who give you accurate assessment Again, people think that they have abilities that they don't always have, and that is detrimental not just to their audience, not just to the ones to whom they minister, but to themselves as well. James says, let not many of you become teachers, for we shall receive a stricter judgment.
It's not the case that everybody's going to do the same thing in the kingdom of God. David was faithful. His father told him to deliver these food items and ascertain the status of his brothers. He does that very thing.
As he's in the midst of doing that very thing, God providentially calls him to go into battle and to defeat this enemy of the living God. Fourthly, the source of David's strength. We see it there in verse 37. I want to read a comment by Dale Ralph Davis again.
He says, there is the interpretation of David's experience. He does not ascribe his escapes to luck or skill or audacity. Yahweh delivered me. Looking back in faith enables him to look forward in faith.
Get this lesson, brethren. I'm not just reading this because I need filler. I don't just read Davis because I love Davis. I read Davis because what he says here is very, very perceptive to the people of God.
We look back on what God has done for status in the present and for earnestness in the future. In other words, we do what Spurgeon said. We pray as those who have tried and proven their God. Yahweh delivered me.
Looking back in faith enables him to look forward in faith. He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. What God has done in the wilderness of Judah, He will do in the valley of Elah. This is instructive for the people of God.
Faith is sustained in the present and for the present as it remembers God's provision in the past. Please hear that. How do we get up tomorrow? Because we got up yesterday and today and our God's been faithful.
How do we know we're going to seek to be faithful in the future? Because God has sustained us in the past. This is all very clearly conjoined together. He says the rich history of God's past goodness nurtures faith in its current dilemma.
You must keep verse 37. He will deliver me before you. If you don't, you will misconstrue verses 34 to 36. David will be delivered, not because he has true grit, but because he knows the true God.
See, that's the emphasis in 34 to 37. It's not because I'm just this guy, I'm eight foot tall and bulletproof, and I train, and I bench, and I eat protein, and I'm just cut and ripped, and I'm able with the sword, I'm able with the sling, I'm just an able... No, that's not what he says. I know this God.
Circumstances may vary, Davis says, but God is the same whether among the sheep or in front of the Philistines. So it's the faith in the past, reflected upon in the present, that gives us the impetus to go forward into the future. That is a lesson that we glean from the first half of this chapter.
David as Type of Christ
And then the typical role of David. Think about David. He's from, basically, obscurity, right? The son of Jesse, the youngest son of Jesse, the one that wasn't the fitting, good-looking fellow that everybody thought should be the king.
Jesus was from obscurity as well. Bethlehem, Ephrathah, that's where the Messiah would come from. Galilee would be where he lived. David was nothing to look at physically.
Jesus neither was nothing to look at physically. Isaiah the prophet tells us this. He has no form or comeliness that when we see him we're drawn to him. No, we hit, as it were, our faces from him.
He's a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. David would achieve great victory in the Valley of Elah and throughout his royal career. So would Jesus. And David would do so through the power of the living and true God.
So would the greater son of David. It would be through the power of the living and the true God. The typical significance of David in this passage points us forward even to the kill shot with reference to our Lord Jesus Christ. Genesis 3.15 sets the tenor for much of the Old Testament insistence that the enemies of God are typically dispatched by fatal headshots.
The seed of the woman crushes the head of the serpent. It's no accident that David is type, takes that sword, and cuts the head off of Goliath. That is what Jesus does at the cross with reference to sin, with reference to the devil, with reference to everything that keeps you and I down. Christ is victor.
Christ is champion. Christ is triumphant. And he, as the son of David, is the embodiment of all that we find here in terms of David as a type.
Closing Prayer
Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for David's faith. Even more so, we thank You for David's God.
And You are our God, the same true and living God. And I pray that You'd fill our hearts with faith, that You would grant us the grace to understand the reality that we serve a living God. that this should affect the way that we live our lives in this lower world. It should affect the way that we worship. It should affect the way that we function as families.
It should affect the way that we function in society. And God, help us to be those who seek your glory and your honor. As well, help us to embrace your providence and to do what you call us to do and to be faithful in it. And if you should lead us in other paths to greater exploits for your great name, help us to step up and to be faithful.
And Lord, thank you for the very Christ that ultimately comes as a result of David, king of Israel. We thank you for his victory at the cross. We thank you for his redemptive power and glory manifested in our lives. And Lord, go with us now and help us and keep us by your grace and for your glory.
And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. And close with a brief time of meditation.