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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to 1 Samuel 17. 1 Samuel 17, taking a few weeks 
off from our study in Matthew's Gospel, looking at the life of 
David specifically. Larger context of 1 Samuel 17 
starts in 16.1 and carries on to the end of the book. It's 
the story of Saul and David. Of course, we all are familiar 
with the situation in 1 Samuel 17, David's battle in the Valley 
of Elah against the Philistine champion from Gath, a man named 
Goliath. Last week we spent considerable 
time on the preparation. Remember I mentioned that we 
could have just gone to verses 48 to 51 and saw that David slayed 
Goliath and sent him into the arms of his idol, Dagon. That's 
not how the author does it. The author spends a lot of time 
in the background, the lead up, the things going into this particular 
battle. We saw the threat posed by the 
Philistines in verses 1 to 11. We saw the nature of the threat. 
It was very strategic. It was very tactical. What had 
happened is that the Philistines had moved into a place of land 
that belonged to Judah. Well, Judah must get into practice 
or Judah must go on the offense, Israel as a whole, to neutralize 
that threat and to deal with the Philistines. And then we 
saw by way of almost a sideline note, verses 12 to 22, God's 
plan, the orchestration of God's plan and how it focuses upon 
David, the shepherd, this man who comes from unimpressive backgrounds 
and an unimpressive life situation but nevertheless has the hand 
of God upon him and he is the one that is thrust forth into 
this battle against Goliath. We saw the contrast between the 
fear of Israel and the faith of David. And so often we imitate 
Israel in this passage. We quaver and we quake and we 
fear and we are paralyzed through and through rather than manning 
up with David and say, who is this uncircumcised Philistine 
that he would taunt the armies of the living God? And then we 
saw how Eliab tried to discourage David. And then we saw how Saul 
initially tried to discourage David. And when we come out to 
the field of battle, we will see how Goliath responds to David. So David confronts not just Goliath 
in this chapter, but he confronts Eliab and he confronts Saul. 
Essentially, David is the man of faith and determination in 
the chapter. Everybody else isn't. I want 
to begin our reading this morning in chapter 17 at verse 31, just 
to refresh us of David's appearance before Saul. Beginning in verse 
31, 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 his Philistine. And Saul said to David, you are 
not able to go against this Philistine to fight with them, for you are 
a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 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. 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 the shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, 
and a 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. And 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 Yahweh does not save with sword and spear, for the 
battle is Yahweh'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 Shaarim, 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. 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. Well, let us pray. Our blessed 
God and our Father, we pray now for the ministry of your Holy 
Spirit. We confess our sin, our ignorance. We confess, Lord God, 
that we are sluggish when it comes to the means of grace. 
So we pray for forgiveness. We pray you would wash us in 
the blood of the Lamb. And we pray that you would help 
us to receive, with thanksgiving, this wonderful declaration concerning 
the Godhood of God Most High. May you give us grace and wisdom 
as we approach these Old Testament narratives to see that they are 
about you, that they are about your glory and about your honor 
and about your praise in the earth. We ask our father that 
your spirit would guide us and lead us and instruct us and that 
you would form us or conform us rather unto the image of David's 
greater son, even our Lord Jesus Christ who dealt the death blow 
to the devil himself by crushing his head. How we praise you and 
how we bless you for the gospel of free and sovereign grace. 
How we praise you and bless you that it's not because we're good 
that we are here this morning, but because you are good. Because 
you predestinated us unto adoption as sons by Christ. Because you 
called us out of darkness into marvelous light. Because you 
put it in us to praise and to worship your great and glorious 
name. So certainly salvation belongs 
to our God and to the Lamb who sits upon the throne. And may 
you bless and encourage our hearts now as we study scripture. And 
we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, just to 
remind everybody of the dimensions of Goliath. Notice in verse 54 
it says that David took the head of the Philistine and brought 
it to Jerusalem. but he put his armor in his tent. 
That was a big head. That was a jumbo melon that David 
had to cart around after hacking it off using the giant's own 
sword. Remember, he was 9 foot 9 inches. He probably wore a suit of armor 
that was about 126 pounds. Some suggest that the giant's 
weight would have been in the 6 to 700 pound category. And remember that the javelin 
that he had, that he was armed with, just the point, just the 
tip itself, weighed about 15 to 16 pounds. So this is one 
large man and he is full of taunts against the armies of the living 
God. Remember, in chapter 17, for each step of the way, they 
tell us something, or the author tells us something about David, 
but he never lets us forget Goliath, because Goliath continues to 
blather on. Goliath continues to blaspheme 
the God of heaven and earth. And remember, it's David who 
thinks theologically concerning this whole situation. The first 
time in all of Scripture that it is recorded of David speaking, 
it is in verse 26. He says, who is this uncircumcised 
Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? 
Why are we cowering? Why are we running? Why are we 
hiding? This man does not serve the living 
God. Certainly, if we have a living 
God, it ought to empower us, it ought to enable us, we ought 
to go out to the field of battle, and we ought to cut off this 
man's head, and we ought to feed his carcasses, or his carcass, 
rather, to the birds of the air, and let them feast upon this 
traitor, upon this enemy of the God of heaven and earth. And 
then just by way of reminder, notice where David ascribes, 
or to whom David ascribes his strength. I love that scene where 
he's before Saul, and Saul essentially says, you don't have any experience, 
David. You cannot fight Goliath, David. He's nine foot nine. Nine foot, 
nine inches, he's full of power, he's full of strength. David, 
you don't have any experience. What does David say? When I was 
tending sheep, a lion or a bear would take one of the lambs in 
its mouth, and David would go after it. He would strike the 
lion or the bear, and he would take the lamb out of the lion 
or bear's mouth. Remember, that's a pretty massive 
feat in and of itself. Are you going to run after a 
predator that feels the blood dripping down his throat? You 
don't want to reach in there and grab that. You don't want 
to lose your own hand. David not only grabs the lamb 
out of the lion's mouth, but he then tears the lion apart. 
He's got experience, but it's with ferocious mammals rather 
than champions from Gath. But notice what David then says 
in verse 37. 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. God's past faithfulness 
is the foundation for David's present usefulness. What the 
Lord has done in the past ought to empower the people of God 
for the present. When we reflect upon His goodness, 
when we reflect upon His faithfulness, His stability, His multi-faceted 
deliverances of us in every area of life, certainly in the present 
that ought to empower our faith so that we'll operate accordingly. 
And that brings us then to the fourth observation, at least 
in this section where David's faith is manifested, to the battle 
with Goliath, 37B to 58. And there are five things that 
we're going to look at here as we unfold this particular battle. In the first place, the preparation 
for battle. Secondly, the meeting between 
the warriors. Thirdly, the declaration of David. Fourthly, the victory of David 
over Goliath. And fifthly, the victory of Israel 
over the Philistines. Now, I submit that verses 45 
to 47 is what this chapter is about. 45 to 47 is what the author 
wants you to learn. Yes, he wants you to see how 
David had great faith. Yes, he wants you to see that 
David was a man of determination. Yes, he wants you to see the 
cowering Israelites who should have manned up and went to battle. 
Certainly all these lessons are appropriate. But when we ask 
the question of our author in 1 Samuel 17, what's the point? What's the main idea? What is 
the focus? That comes from David's declaration 
in 45-47. But let's look first at the battle 
with, I'm sorry, the preparation for battle in 37b-40. Saul, after hearing about God's 
victories over lions and bears via David, Saul then says, go 
and the Lord be with you. And so essentially what happens 
now is that Saul doesn't want to send David into the battle 
without armor. I mean, this is a logical understanding, 
isn't it? We wouldn't want to send anybody 
into the military fray unless they're wearing armament. They've 
got a helmet. They've got a sword. They've 
got a shield. They've got, in our modern parlance, guns and 
knives. and rockets and tanks and helicopters. There's just 
a whole bunch of ways to do battle today, isn't there? Imagine if 
they would have had such things in the Valley of Elah. David 
could have shown up with a rocket launcher and took Goliath out 
that way, though that's not the point of the story. Of course, 
you see Saul's concern. I don't want you to go into battle 
without this armament. So David tries these things on. 
As I mentioned last week, I have it in my mind that he's almost 
like when you're a father and you let your child, your son 
rather, wear your suit. It just doesn't fit. It's hanging 
off of him. It's not something that is natural 
to him. And David says as much. David 
says, I have not tried these weapons. I have not proved these 
weapons. I cannot wade into the battle 
with this Goliath, this enemy of Israel, with these particular 
weapons. This is exactly what he says. 
And then notice, he then selects these five smooth stones in verse 
40. I once heard a sermon on the 
five points of Calvinism. from 1 Samuel 17, 40. I'm not 
going to go there. I certainly don't think that's 
what those five smooth stones represented. So we have to appreciate 
something. If David would have lived on 
this side of Oliver Cromwell, he could have appreciated what 
that man had said. Pray and keep your powder dry. 
David can't wade into the battle with Saul's armament because 
it doesn't fit and because he hasn't tried and proven it. That 
doesn't mean that David mindlessly wanders into combat without some 
armament. David has his sling, David has 
his shepherd's staff, David has his pouch, and he selects five 
smooth stones. He understands what will later 
be written in Proverbs 21, that the horse is prepared for battle, 
but deliverance is of Yahweh. You see, there's a fine interplay 
between providence and responsibility. When we know that our sovereign 
God governs all His creatures and all His actions, that does 
not mean inactivity on our part. It does not mean lack of preparation 
on our part. It does not mean laziness on 
our part. But rather knowing that we have 
a sovereign God, knowing the doctrine of providence, We are 
emboldened, we are empowered, we do make preparations, we do 
those things that are necessary. In something very similar to 
what 21.31 in Proverbs says, Paul takes up the same idea in 
2nd Corinthians. He says, one plants into another 
waters, but it is God who gives the increase. You see, God gives 
increase. He is sovereign in His providence. But that does not militate against 
the sowing, and the watering, and the praying, and the preaching, 
and the use of means that we must engage in. If your doctrine 
of providence ever reduces you to inactivity, or your doctrine 
of providence ever pushes you into hyper-Calvinism, then your 
doctrine of providence is inaccurate. It is false, and you need to 
pray to God to give you a proper understanding. David can't wear 
Saul's armor, but that doesn't mean David's going to wade in 
against a nine-foot, nine-inch monster without some arms at 
his side. And that is precisely what he 
does. In terms of these stones, Davis tells us, 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, 
and which it most certainly made in this particular instance. 
This is beautiful, five smooth stones, but God blesses the one. 
Five smooth stones in preparation, but it's God who guides the one 
into that forehead of that menace from Gath who is taunting the 
armies of the living God. Now notice, secondly, the meeting 
between the warriors, verses 41 to 44. Much of the chapter 
has been essentially, in this corner, we have the champion 
of Gath. He's this tall, he's this armed, 
he's this, this, that, and the other. And in the other corner 
we have the shepherd boy from Bethlehem, son of Jesse. He has 
no experience as men would perceive it. He has no ability as men 
would perceive it. And now the warriors meet each 
other in verses 41 to 44. The uncircumcised man taunts 
David. Does this surprise us? He's been 
taunting the armies of Israel the entire chapter. He's been 
blathering and yammering on the entire chapter. Now that Israel 
has sent their champion, what Goliath does is target him specifically. Notice what he says. The Philistine 
came and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the 
shield went before him. Verse 42 now. And when the Philistine 
looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only 
a youth, ruddy and good-looking. Now, it occurred to me last week, 
when I mentioned what I'm about to quote, that it almost sounded 
like I had a beef against redheads or something. But this word, 
ruddy, means probably redhead. My granddaughter has red head 
and I love the life out of her. I was just making an observation. 
If you happen to have red hair, do not be offended here. In fact, 
if you happen to have red hair, be thrilled that you can identify 
with the best king Israel ever had, other than the one who came 
from his line. Notice what he says. He disdained 
him for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. John 
Gill says he looked about for his antagonist to take a view 
of him, what sort of 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. You 
see the scene, don't you? You've got the power lifter at 
the gym. He's got amazing numbers. He can do an 800 or 900 pound 
squat. On this bench, he's getting 500 
pounds. I mean, he's just a strong man. 
And now there's going to be a competition and somebody like me walks up. 
He's going to say, there's no way you can do those kinds of 
numbers. Or better yet, somebody that's a whole lot thinner than 
me walks up. They're going to say, there's 
no way they can make those kinds of numbers. Is this an insult? 
Am I a dog? Are you treating me in this manner? 
He disdains him because he does not count him a worthy opponent. When Goliath wins the battle, 
he wants all of Israel to fear and to shudder and to quake. 
He wants there to be a foe that is worthy of his appearance. Robert Alter describes Goliath's 
words in these ways. He says, a mere boy and an egregiously 
red-headed pretty boy at that. 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. And then notice, what does Goliath 
say? The very end, or in verse 43, 
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. Am I a dog that you come to me 
with sticks? This is really ironic because 
David does think he is a dog, doesn't he? Of course you're 
a dog. You're a nine-foot, nine-inch 
man who has taken up as his cause the blasphemy of the God of Israel. Yes, I think you're a dog. Yes, 
I'm going to make you fall. Yes, you are going to be defeated. 
John Gill says, truly David did not think him much better because 
of his impudence, impurity, and barking blasphemy against God. and the armies of Israel. And 
then notice something else very curious about this particular 
curse pronounced by Goliath upon Israel. He cursed him by his 
gods. So what happens when that one 
smooth stone finds its way, because of the sovereignty of God, into 
the forehead of Goliath? What does this mean when Goliath 
falls to the ground and David takes Goliath's sword and cuts 
that big head off? It means that Dagon can't deliver. It means that Dagon is useless. It means that Dagon is futile. It means that when Goliath leaves 
this earth, he will go to see Dagon, ultimately the devil. Because the devil is behind all 
of these idols. He curses him by his gods, but 
his gods have no power. They have no strength. They have 
eyes, but they cannot see. They have ears, but they cannot 
hear. They have noses, but they cannot smell. And you see, to 
invoke the name of Dagon, to curse David, is absolutely futile, 
and it is useless. And he boasts, of course, of 
his coming victory in verse 44. This is Goliath. This is the 
way he rolls. Come to me and I will give your 
flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field. 
Now that brings us thirdly to the Declaration of David, verses 
45 to 47. Note in the first place the statement 
concerning his strength. 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." Remember last 
week I said I doubt any Christian reads 1 Samuel 17 and says, wow, 
I want to be like Israel that is hiding from the Philistines. Man, I want to be an Eliab, because 
Eliab kind of reigned on David's parade and tried to dissuade 
him from joining in the fray. I want to be a Saul that opposes... No, we read 1 Samuel 17. We see 
David is the kind of man that we want to be, even if we're 
women. Paul in 1 Corinthians tells the 
church, act like men. There is a militant, vibrant, 
dynamic faith that is exhibited by David in this particular chapter. And every Christian reader, as 
he moves through 1 Samuel 17, he hopes secretly or she hopes 
secretly, I wish or I hope that one day I can be this kind of 
a believer. Well, certainly verse 45 is one 
of those declarations in the Bible that is thrilling, isn't 
it? It is amazing. David understands the score. 
David understands the situation. 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. And now notice that David, Trash 
talks Goliath. It's not just a one-way street. 
Goliath's out there blustering and blathering and yammering 
on about how he's going to mop up the floor with David. Notice 
what David says. 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. You see, it's a bit different. 
Again, David is giving praise, and glory, and honor, and deference 
to the God of heaven and earth. And David doesn't even question 
whether victory is his. Do we have that kind of faith? 
Jesus tells us in Matthew 16, I will build my church, and the 
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And you know how 
many Christians are quavering, and quakering, and quivering, 
and eye-eating, sucking their thumbs, and letting their knees 
knock. Oh, did you see the rise of Islam? Did you see the wretched 
things that are being done by the civil government and the 
civil magistrate? Do you see the sorts of things 
that are going on? You know what? Jesus has promised to build his 
church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 
Brethren, we are called to believe the truth. We are called to live 
in light of the truth. We are called to march behind 
the one who has bid us follow him. David doesn't even consider 
the thought that he might lose on the field of battle. As far 
as David is concerned, it's a done deal. You see this in David's 
greater son as well. On his side or on the other side 
of the cross, he always spoke of the accomplishment of redemption 
as having been accomplished. He understood that what God had 
commanded was good. He understood that submission 
to His Father was everything. He understood that when He set 
His face like a flint to go to Jerusalem, what that meant, what 
that entailed, and what that involved. And He didn't shrink 
back. If you have one prayer for our 
church, pray that God would increase our faith. Our faith. What is it that brings people 
together to pray? It is because we're blood-bought 
and because we believe that God hears, right? Him that cometh 
unto God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder 
of them that diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11. You see, if 
your prayer life is suffering, it's not necessarily the case 
that you need to read books on prayer. Perhaps you need to cry 
out to God, increase my faith. Because you see, when we believe 
God, we will ask God. When we believe God, we will 
live in light of that reality, and that is precisely what we 
find in David. David is a glowing specimen of 
a human being in this particular chapter, isn't he? He just does 
what God says. Pray for Davids in the church 
today. And God willing, next week and 
the following week, hopefully you'll pray that there'll be 
Jonathans in the church, because Jonathan, to use the words of 
my beloved brother, is a champion as well. Now notice, here are 
the lessons that we are to take away from this particular chapter. Davis says, if we don't listen 
to this text, the whole of 1 Samuel 17, then we'll end up bringing 
in all the junk about being courageous in the face of your Goliaths, 
whether the bully down the street for primary Sunday school kids, 
or everyone's preoccupation, one's poor self-image. We must 
protect ourselves from such deafness to the text. One such protection 
is to note where a narrative talks about Yahweh. That is liable 
to be where the accent falls, and that is what 46 and 47 are 
all about. A key word in this chapter means 
to reproach, to defy, to mock, to deride. It appears six times. Goliath mocks God and David honors 
God. This is the point of the narrative 
and especially verses 45 to 47. Now note the two lessons that 
are supposed to be learned when we come to 1 Samuel 17. Now, 
again, we don't want to psychoanalyze the chapter. I've got bad self-esteem. I need to slay my Goliath with 
those stones that God has given me. Now, if you want to do that, 
do that, but don't miss 46 and 47. You ever heard sermons where 
a man preaches a glowing message, but he didn't explain the text? 
He didn't give you the point? See, brethren, that is crucial 
in Bible study, in preaching, in whatever it is. We have to 
ask the author, what's the point of the passage? And everything 
has converged here to tell us the point of the passage. All 
of this lead up, the threat of the Philistines, the plan orchestrated 
by God, the presence of David before Eliab and before Saul. This is it. The trash talk is 
done. Goliath has said his spiel. David 
has returned in kind. And now David says what Israel 
and what the world needs to know from this particular venture. In the first place, the earth 
will learn that there is a God in Israel. Notice 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." That, here it is, that, here's what David wants you to 
get. Here's what he wants you to know. Goliath and all Israel 
that are cowering in their boots, here's what God has for you today. That all the earth may know that 
there is a God in Israel. You see, this was crucial in 
David's time. Who does Goliath worship and 
serve? He worships and serves Dagon. When the nation is in Canaan, 
who do the Canaanites worship? There's Baal, there's Asherah, 
there's Molech. It's interesting today, planned 
parenthood out Molech's Molech. in their grisly and ghoulish 
behavior. You remember who Molech was. 
He was an idol. He was a statue. And he had his 
arms outstretched and they would light a fire around him. And 
the worshippers would come with their little children and throw 
them into the arms of Molech. Now the psalmist says that the 
idols have eyes and they cannot see. They have ears and they 
cannot hear. Guess what? They have hands and 
they cannot catch. And when the worshipper threw 
their baby to the idol, it would bounce off and go into the fire. 
You see, the pagans and the Canaanites and the heathen, they worshipped 
idols. We, in our Christian sensitivity, 
come to the Old Testament, we say, horror of horrors. This 
is barbarism at its finest. No, it isn't. It's Yahweh of 
Israel being jealous for his glory in the earth he created. God makes this world and all 
things in it. What does this creature do? He 
raises his fist. He constructs a mullet. He throws 
his baby into the fire. He constructs his bale and he 
somehow thinks that praying to bale or rather copulating in 
front of bale is going to get bale to fertilize field. You 
see, this is folly, and it's idolatry, and it's bad, and somehow 
in the church today, we don't really have that much of a problem 
with it. I mean, I know that John ends 
1 John not on love, not on righteousness, not on good feelings, and not 
on experience, and not on mysticism. You know how John ends his first 
epistle? My little children, keep yourselves 
from idols. You see, if you imbibe the doctrine 
of Antichrist, you become an idolater. I want to just qualify 
something. Our brother mentioned two particular 
men not being the Antichrist. But if we understand Antichrist 
as a denial of the person and work of the Lord Jesus, they 
could certainly be numbered among that unholy lot. John ends his 
epistle not on experience, not on mysticism, not on finding 
yourself, but on watching your heart from the idols of the nations. 
You see, this is what would be published when Goliath fell to 
the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God 
in Israel. You see, what has Goliath been 
doing? He's been taunting the armies 
of the living God. He has been blaspheming the name 
of the living God. He has taken upon his lips that 
holy name, and he's used it as a curse word. So David says, 
when you fall to the earth, this message is going to be published, 
that there is a God over Israel. You think this is what David 
has in mind in Psalm 46, 10? Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth. Now, we often take that verse 
as a very comforting verse, and it is. You can put it on your 
fridge. You can put it on your bumper. 
Better yet, put it in your head and heart. Do you know why God 
says, be still and know that I am God, I will be exalted among 
the nations, I will be exalted in the earth? Because He's going 
to decimate, destroy, and bring to naught the enemies of God 
Most High. It's interesting, in Psalm 23, 
that blessed testimony concerning the shepherdness or the shepherd 
office of our Lord God. What does David say? When I walk through the valley 
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. Why? For thou art 
with me, and thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Now, 
it's not uncommon to consider the reality that God, as shepherd, 
uses that rod and staff to correct His erring sheep. You know, we 
start to stray away, and what does He do? He takes the crook, 
and He puts it around our necks, and He pulls us back. Do you 
know what the shepherd is doing with that rod and staff? He's 
killing wolves. He's destroying enemies. He's 
crushing heads. He's cutting off. He is protecting 
his particular people. He is with them in the midst 
of the valley of the shadow of death. And while they are traversing 
that dark road, God the Lord is keeping at bay all of the 
enemies that would bring them to ruin. You see, this idea of 
God reigning victorious over all of his enemies, as offensive 
as it may be to the God-hater and to many who profess the name 
of Christ but have watered down the entire approach to biblical 
revelation, this is the blessed hope of the believer. This is 
what encourages us. God will decimate Planned Parenthood. God will destroy Islam. God will cause Dagon to fall. God will shatter Molech. God will exclude all sinners 
from the New Jerusalem. Again, you're probably saying, 
can he actually say this? Just wait. Wait until we get 
to application. I'm going to ask you an interesting 
question. Have you noticed that many of the enemies of Israel 
suffered fatal head Keep that in your mind for later. 
Actually, get it out of your mind. Follow with me now. We'll 
return to that particular question. Notice the first lesson. The 
earth will learn that there is a God in Israel. But notice, 
secondly, Israel was supposed to learn as well. Those Israelites 
that are cowering. Those Israelites that are shriveled 
up. Those Israelites that are fearful. Those Israelites that 
are hiding behind their mother's skirts. Those Israelites that 
are too afraid to enter into the fray. David says they need 
to learn something. Verse 47. Then all this assembly 
shall know that Yahweh does not save with sword and spear, for 
the battle is Yahweh's and he will give you into our hands. 
Now, the nation was prone to trust the king who had military 
prowess. The nation was prone to trust 
the king who was a strong leader. The nation was prone to trust 
the king who had good abilities in the battlefield. Remember 
when Saul is anointed, And one of the first things that happens 
in 1 Samuel chapter 11 is that he goes and he battles against 
the Ammonites. And Saul is killing Ammonites 
until the heat of the day. And certainly all Israel liked 
this. They liked and appreciated this because, after all, the 
Ammonites were their enemies. But you see in 1 Samuel 17, when 
it comes to Philistines, Saul is right there with them, quavering 
or quaking in his boots. They were prone to follow Earthly 
leaders. And forget the God of heaven 
and earth. And this is what David says. In Psalm, brethren, it's 
something that Paul affirms in 2 Corinthians chapter 12. God's grace is perfected through 
our weakness. Who would have thought that David 
would be victorious on that day? If the Philistine News Network 
were standing out there and they saw David walk up to Goliath, 
they would say, we don't know what Israel's doing. They've 
sent this ruddy young man. He's kind of a pretty boy. We 
don't think he's going to be able to stand up to Goliath. 
Israel thought the same thing, at least embodied by Saul and 
Eliab and probably the rest of them. Who is this shepherd from 
Bethlehem that will ever be able to deal a death blow to Goliath? You see, David says that you 
need to appreciate this reality, that it's not about swords, it's 
not about spears, it's not about your prowess or ability, but 
it's about God. It is about the Lord. Isn't this 
what God has shown in the institution of the church? Did He give us 
guns? Are we strapped? Do we wander 
down the street making disciples with bandoliers across? No! He 
chose 12 simple men in the first century, and He put a simple 
message in their hearts and in their mouths, and He sent them 
out to preach. Paul says, Jews seek after sign, 
Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ and Him crucified. This is the wisdom and power 
of God. You see, God doesn't need money. God doesn't need resources. God doesn't need all the things 
that we think He needs. God is sovereign. God is powerful. God is good and God will most 
certainly accomplish His purposes in the earth. Davis makes this 
observation concerning this theme of weakness. This theme of weakness 
has been building throughout the chapter. All the important 
people regard David as weak. If we might colloquialize, Eliab 
tells him, you're a pain. Saul warns, you're green. And 
Goliath sneers, you're puny. 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. One instance, Psalm 20, some 
trust in chariots, some trust in horses. Who are the people 
of God supposed to trust in, brethren? Who was that again? What was his name? The Lord God 
of hosts. You see how the church trusts 
in horses and chariots? If we can only do this, if we 
can only do this, if we can only manipulate people, if we can 
only create an environment, if we can only usher in heaven on 
earth, at least in these four walls, then everybody will get 
saved. You know what's truly amazing 
is that God saves sinners between four walls like these, where 
it's riddled with imperfection, it's riddled with sin, it's riddled 
with shortcomings, and it's riddled with all kinds of problems. That 
God saves in our midst is truly amazing. And I think this jives 
with what Paul says in 2 Corinthians elsewhere. Verse 4, he takes 
gospel treasure, he puts it in earthenware vessels, so that 
the excellence of the power may be of God and not of men. You 
are converted under a preacher of the gospel. You never owe 
your allegiance to that preacher, but to the God of the gospel. You see, God works through weakness. Davis goes on to say, what matters 
not is 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." 
Beautiful. Now notice, the victory of David 
over Goliath. As I've said, 48 to 51, this 
is the actual battle. Now, I imagine that Goliath was 
pretty clunky. I used the word clunkiness in 
my notes and word underlined it in red. I thought clunkiness 
was a word. Imagine if I was nine feet, nine 
pounds, weighing in about six or seven bills, carrying this 
sword, wearing 126 pounds of armor, I wouldn't be the fastest 
guy in the world. Would I? You get this picture 
that he's just this lumbering oaf marching in brainlessly to 
this battle. What's David got? Yes, God is 
sovereign. Yes, victory is of Yahweh. Yes, 
deliverance comes of the Lord. But it's interesting that Yahweh, 
who brings deliverance and victory, often times uses means. Well, 
always uses means in our experience. David was a lot quicker. David 
was more nimble. The clunky ones marching over 
to him, what does David do? He takes out that one stone and 
he lets fly and God guides it right into the forehead of this 
giant. The text says that he died. He 
falls to the ground, and then he dies. David doesn't have a 
sword, so David takes his sword and cuts off his head, and then 
the text says that he died. Wait a minute, isn't that a contradiction? 
Did he die when the rock hit his forehead, or did he die when 
he lost his head? Imagine if I shot someone at 
a particular scene. Let's just say I was at a 7-Eleven, 
and I shot someone in the head. Probably the worst illustration 
I could give, but go with me. It's not me, it's someone else. 
Some bad guy shoots somebody at 7-Eleven. He shot and he killed 
him, but he didn't die until he got to the hospital. He didn't 
die, perhaps, for a few days later. Does the criminal have 
the option to go before court and say, well, I didn't kill 
him. Of course you did. It was the bullet that you put 
in his head that brought him to death. There's no contradiction. If we think for a moment that 
we see contradictions in the Bible, let us ask ourselves, 
don't we think the author would have seen it? Don't we think 
that the man who writes back-to-back verses wouldn't have said, wow, 
that sounds odd? Are we somehow smarter than the 
inspired author of Holy Writ that we figured out that there's 
contradictions? There's no contradiction. He 
hit him in the head with a rock. He fell and he died. He took 
his sword out. He died. No contradiction. It's reaffirming. It's making 
the point twice, pun intended. Now notice what happens on the 
heels of that. The victory of Israel over the 
Philistines in 51 to 54. You mean Goliath lied? You mean Goliath wasn't honest? 
He wasn't accurate? No, we said he was trash talking. 
Remember what Goliath said. If your champion beats me, then 
the Philistines will be subservient to Israel. That's not what happens. The Philistines don't bow down 
and say, hey, we're going to worship you now, we're going 
to serve you, we're going to do what you say. No, verse 51, 
therefore David ran and stood, I'm sorry, verse 51b, and when 
the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 
Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted. Where were 
they before? It's easy to get empowered, isn't 
it, when you have the victory in the bag. Brethren, don't be that kind 
of a fan, a fair weather fan. We're going to support our church 
insofar as everything's going well. But the moment that something 
doesn't go well, we're out of here. Wait a minute, what's the 
deal, man? Either you're in or you're out. 
Or whatever the situation may be, I'm going to be in this cause 
and I'm going to serve the Lord. But as soon as it gets difficult, 
I'm going to run home and cry. No. These guys are crying and 
whining and afraid. Now David kills Goliath and what 
do they do? Let's get them! I'm not suggesting they shouldn't 
have said let's get them, but it should have happened a long 
time earlier. This was the military. This was 
the fighting wing of Israel. These were the soldiers. These 
were the combat men. These were the ones who were 
supposed to take care of Philistines and Goliaths. But nevertheless, 
they do. They run, they shout, and they 
pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley 
into the gates of Ekron, and the wounded of the Philistines 
fell along the road to Shaarim, 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, and he put his armor 
in his tent." I mean, David's just so cool. I wouldn't even 
touch a severed head. I'd be like, that's icky. I think 
I mentioned that when I preached through judges with Samson. I don't think I'd pick up the 
jawbone of a donkey. I really don't. Samson picks 
it up and kills a thousand Philistines with it. David means business. David's not holding up his skirt 
here. David picks up the head and he 
walks back in victory. Now the last few verses, as I 
mentioned last week, some people see a bit of a problem. The end 
of chapter 16, Saul obviously meets David. David is the harpist 
that soothes that man when the distressing spirit from Yahweh 
comes upon him. And yet we get to the end of 
chapter 17, it's almost as if Saul doesn't know who David is. 
No, Saul does know who David is. Remember the particulars. It was promised by Saul that 
the victor over Goliath would be able to marry Saul's daughter 
and that his father would receive tax-exempt status in Israel. The question that Saul poses 
at the end of chapter 17 is not, who is David, but whose son is 
he? He needs to identify Jesse. You say, well, back in 16, he 
would have heard of Jesse. He's a bureaucrat. There's a 
lot of things going on in the orchestration of a kingdom. He 
could forget the father of a servant in his court. The issue is not 
that he forgets David. He's ascertaining who David's 
father is so that hopefully he can make good on his vow or promise 
to give tax-exempt status. Now, there's our exposition. 
We'll close with a couple of lessons And then we'll move on. In the first place, the advancement 
of God's kingdom is something we ought to appreciate here because 
that's what this is. It is the advancement of God's 
kingdom. Typological to be sure, the anti-type 
is the progress of the kingdom today. But certainly as we look 
in 1 Samuel 17 and the continual rise of David to the throne in 
Israel, what do we see under his rule and under his reign? 
We see advance. We see progress. We see it going 
forward. And the way we do not see that 
progress go forward in 1 Samuel 17 is through experience, or 
through weaponry, or through a superior ability, but rather 
we see the manifest Grace and the strength of God, or the strength 
of God rather manifested in the weakness of David. The same is 
true for the advancement of the kingdom today. What are the weapons 
that God has given to the church today? Not five smooth stones 
necessarily. He's given us prayer. He's given 
us preaching. You say, well, we can read our 
Bibles. Of course that's what we should do. Absolutely. But 
in terms of the Church, what is the Church supposed to do? 
She's supposed to pray. She's supposed to preach. It's interesting that the Reformers 
identified three marks of true churches. One, preaching of the 
Word. Two, the administration of sacraments. 
And three, the exercise of discipline. That's what churches are supposed 
to do! That's the measuring standard. That's the rule. That's the paradigm. That's what she's supposed to 
do, not everything else that she wants to do. The Kingdom 
of God will advance insofar as the people of God do what they're 
called by God and do it faithfully. In the second place, back to 
that statement I made earlier, have you ever noticed how many 
times in the Old Testament the enemies of God suffer fatal wounds 
to their heads? Maybe you haven't, so I will 
refresh your memory. I think what we have in 1 Samuel 
17 is typological of what Genesis 3.15 promises is in the future. Genesis 3.15, where God says 
to the devil, Now the identity of the seed here probably has 
both a collective and an individual aspect. Individually, it's a 
reference to Jesus Christ. Galatians 3.16 tells us he is 
the seed, singular, of Abraham. He is the seed that crushes the 
serpent. He is the seed that destroys 
the devil. But Jesus as seed has a seed. So there is a collective reference. 
I think what the author is telling us, Moses, is that there will 
be an antithesis between the wicked and the righteous that 
will ultimately be ended by the righteous seed himself who brings 
victory to all of his seed. We need to understand this. The 
nature of the seed as described in 315, I will put enmity between 
you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. We get 
from Genesis 3.15 that the conqueror, the victor to come, is going 
to be a man and he is going to be born of a woman. Beautiful. When we consider Galatians 4.4, 
in the fullness of the times, God sent forth his son, born 
of a woman, born under the law to redeem those under the law. 
As well, the victory of the seed. He crushes the head of the serpent. Now notice, he shall bruise your 
head. That's a death blow, isn't it? You get your head bruised or 
your head crushed, what happens? You do not continue on to sing 
another day, and you shall bruise his heel. Now, I've always understood 
this as a comparison. At the death of Christ on Calvary, 
when Jesus dies, he delivers a death blow to the head of the 
serpent. But in his suffering, comparatively, 
he most certainly does suffer. Comparatively, it's as if his 
heel was bruised. But consider this. Michael Reitlnick 
points this out in his book on the messianic hope. He says, 
what does a serpent do to deliver a death blow? It bites you, right? And where do serpents typically 
bite you? Remember, they don't have feet, 
and they don't stand up, and they don't go for the neck. Everybody 
with me. Pay attention. Listen. Typically, a slithering serpent's 
going to bite you on the foot. It's going to bite you on the 
heel. What we have at the end of verse 
15 is probably not a comparative statement in terms of the fact 
that his head will be crushed but your heel will be bruised. 
But what we have is how the head of the serpent will be crushed. 
It is through the death of the seed himself. because he has 
been bit fatally by the serpent. But lo and behold, he'll rise 
again the third day, and he'll enter into his glory, and he'll 
bring many sons to glory with him. But you need to understand 
Genesis 3.15 is very paradigmatic or programmatic for the rest 
of the Bible. And as I've said, if you look 
at the enemies of Israel, throughout redemptive history, many of them 
suffer fatal head injuries. How did Jael dispose of Sisera? She took a tent peg and drove 
it through his head. How did Abimelech meet his end? Remember that rogue man who wanted 
to irrigate for himself a position of authority? He goes around 
the countryside wreaking havoc on Shechem. He gets to Thebes. He knows there's people up in 
the tower. And it says a certain woman. We're not even given her 
name. A certain woman takes a large millstone and throws it out of 
the tower. Guess where it hits? It crushes 
his head. You see, these are typological 
statements given to Israel in light of this garden promise 
to point them to the coming Redeemer. You see this even in the law 
in Numbers 24. Most would take verse 17 as a reference to Messiah 
shattering the forehead of Moab. You see this in the prophets, 
in Isaiah, and in Jeremiah, and in Habakkuk. The enemies of the 
Lord meet with fatal head wounds. You see this in the Psalter, 
in Psalm 68. You see this in Psalm 119. I 
pointed this out, I'm sorry, Psalm 110. I pointed this out 
last month at the Lord's Supper. The skull-crushing seed of the 
woman is going to render the devil defeated. And we have these 
payments, these types. I think this understanding helps 
us to make heads or tails out of Psalm 137.9. I've often thought 
that preachers ought to preach the hardest texts in the Bible. 
One of the hardest texts, I think, is Deuteronomy 13. Psalm 137.9 would have to take 
its place among the top three of hard Bible verses to preach. That's when the psalmist says, 
happy is he who dashes your little ones against the stones. The psalmist sees the wickedness 
of Babylon. The psalmist witnesses the wickedness 
of Babylon inflicted upon Judah. And so the psalmist prays, the 
psalmist pronounces a beatitude on the ones who would rise up 
and take Babylonian children and dash them on stones. Again, 
that's a tough passage to get one's mind wrapped around. Perhaps 
if we were Judahites and we had witnessed Babylon do that to 
our children, we might sing a different song. But consider the reality 
in light of this garden promise in Genesis 3. Could be a messianic 
statement. The fact that the Psalter is 
Davidic through and through certainly helps us to understand this reality. The psalmist could be saying, 
happy is the Christ who will take the collective seed of the 
serpent and will dash them against the rocks when he brings victory 
for his people. You see, what we have in these 
typological statements of the enemies of Israel losing their 
lives through fatal head blows is probably a witness to the 
reality that Christ will come to crush the head of the devil. And then finally, brethren, we 
need to make sure that we understand the point of the passage. I encourage 
you to take verses 45 to 47 However you need to do it, put a little 
mark next to it, put a little bracket around it, that's the 
point of the passage. Whenever men preach, whenever 
men study, whenever men read, whenever men teach, please, get 
the point of the passage. The Bible has been made to say 
a whole lot of things it never said. The Bible has been used 
to substantiate things that it never made claim to. Some of 
the obvious things we miss. Some of the clear things we miss. We take our experience, we take 
our desires, and we read it into the text of the Scripture. Davis 
is right. Ask the question, what does the 
Bible assert about God in this passage? And learn that lesson. And the two lessons primarily 
that come to the fore in this chapter is that all the earth 
may know that there is a God in Israel. And that all Israel 
may know that he doesn't save by sword or by spear or by military 
prowess, but he saves by his mighty right arm. And it is intriguing 
that David's greater son, his gospel teaches us the same things, 
doesn't it? Christ lived, He died, He was 
risen again on the third day. That cross testifies that there 
is a God in Israel. That cross testifies that everything 
prophesied, everything written concerning of Him came to fruition. So all the earth may know that 
there is a God in Israel. If you have not come to the cross, 
if you have not learned of God through His Son, the Lord Jesus, 
may I say, believe on Him. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 
and you shall be saved. You say, but I thought this was 
a Calvinistic church. I thought you taught predestination. 
I thought you taught sovereign grace. We most certainly do. 
We most certainly do. But we also teach that all men 
everywhere ought to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, 
we proclaim Christ and Him crucified. We tell men, believe on Him. We leave the saving business 
up to God with whom there is power. Believe. Why will you 
die? Why will you turn your back? 
In His providence, in His goodness, in His wisdom, and in His kindness, 
you are hearing the gospel today. Do you know how many persons 
in the history of the world have never had that privilege? They 
have never heard that Jesus lived, He died, and He rose again. Which, 
that's the gospel. The gospel isn't my warm feelings. The gospel most certainly is 
not my life. The gospel is the good news concerning 
Christ and Him crucified and risen. There are a whole multitude 
in this world populated with 7 billion people that have not 
come into contact with that message of the gospel. You have. Right 
here. Right now, today, you can continue 
to resist, you can continue to reject, you can continue to write 
it off, you can continue to make excuse, you can continue recoursing 
your sin, you can continue with your dagons, or your mollax, 
or your bales, or your money, or your possessions, or your 
whatever, or you can, by God's grace, believe. Why will ye Die. To the saints of Christ, pray. Walk in faith. Trust in the means 
that God has ordained. Listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 
121, for since in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom 
did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of 
the message preached to save those who believe. Israel, brethren, 
you need to learn it's not horses and it's not chariots that ultimately 
bring deliverance. It is the name of our God. Well, 
let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
the Word of God and we thank you for 1 Samuel chapter 17, 
for what it teaches us about God. Help us to receive these 
lessons, help us to recognize that there is a God in Israel. 
And as those who by grace are believing, may we recognize that 
your strength is made perfect through our weakness. Grant us 
help, Father, to receive with thanksgiving these lessons and 
grant us grace to live in light of them. And we pray through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.