David:The Shepherd King, #3
Lessons To Help You Fight Giants
1 Samuel 17
By Dave Redick
Hwy 20 Church of Christ, Sweet Home, OR
The Old Testament is full of pictures of New Testament truth. It is not only a book of history, it also is a book of illustrations. If you read the Old Testament as history, you will learn where the issues and answers of the New Testament came from - something that is essential for a good understanding of Christianity. If you read the Old Testament as an illustration of truth, you begin to understand New Testament Christianity on the level it was intended to be understood - not just as a book of "do's and don'ts" but as a living manual of real life.
To learn the history of the Bible without applying it to real life is a failed mission. It leaves the launch pad in a roar of fire, but it crashes before it gets to its destination.
The passage we are going to study in this message has a destination that is vital to the church today. It is vital to you as a person. It concerns fighting giants. David, a young boy from the hills of Judea, takes on a well armed giant of a man named Goliath. His story is told in I Samuel 17. As we consider David's defeat of this giant, I invite you to open up your life to the scrutiny of God's Spirit and consider how you can defeat the giants of your life.
(Turn to I Samuel 17)
I've called this sermon, "LESSONS TO HELP YOU FIGHT GIANTS."
The Background
It was King Saul who sat on the throne of Israel at the time of the incident described here. He was a man whom the Israelites had demanded to be put there because they wanted to have an earthly king to rule over them to be like the nations around them. God gave them what they demanded, but also predicted through the Prophet, Samuel, that there would be problems. One such problem is described in I Samuel 14:52 -
"Now the war against the Philistines was severe all the days of Saul..."
During the entire 32 years of Saul's reign, Israel was at war, harassed and tormented by their enemies. One particular battle of that long war is the subject of chapter 17, our text.
The Story
(Read v. 1-2)
Two armies, fierce enemies, drawn up face to face on Israelite soil belonging to the tribe of Judah is what we find here. Their camps were near to one another, the Philistines between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim (A place whose name in Hebrew means literally, "The Boundary of Blood"), and the Israelites commanded by Saul in the valley of Elah. The terrain they were in formed a natural battle line against which each army pressed, as we read in verse 3.
(Read v. 3)
Travelers who come from that area today tell us that this particular valley was more like what we would call a canyon. It was nearly a mile across at the place of contact of these two armies. At the bottom of the canyon a deep trench formed by the cutting action of water in the rainy season presented a natural barrier between the two armies. At many places this ravine within a canyon was as much as 20 feet deep.
Now the geography of this area is important to our understanding of this story. You see, in order for one army to get to the other, it would have to go down one slope of the canyon, cross the ravine at the bottom at whatever place was crossable, and then come up the side the enemy was on. It would then be literally an "uphill battle" for whichever army was first to attack, with the opposing forces able to rain down arrows, spears, and rocks onto their heads. Each army, then, was likely hoping the other would attack first so that they could maintain this "uphill" advantage.
Now, before we go further let me tell you what we are going to do with this story. Just as the armies of Israel, God's people in that day, faced a fierce and dangerous enemy in an ongoing war to see who would control the land, so, too, God's people today are in an ongoing spiritual war against a fierce and formidable enemy to determine who will control the souls of men. And though the battle today is spiritual rather than physical, the parallels are significant. Israel would win this particular battle because a certain giant was killed. God's people today must face and subdue certain "giants" that the enemy sends out as well. And God is looking for people who will stand up to those giants until they are destroyed. We'll note the lesson parallels as we go through the story.
(Read v. 4)
Now if you have read any of the history of Israel recorded in the book of Joshua, you will remember that there was a race of huge men called the Anakim who struck terror into the minds of the 12 spies sent into the land prior to the conquest of Canaan. We are told in Joshua 11:22 that not all of them perished in the invasion of the promised land.
"There were no Anakim left in the land of the sons of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod some remained."
So while most of these giant men perished, a few remained here and there. One of them had attached himself to the Philistine forces.
Verse 4 says his height was "six cubits and a span." The man was somewhere between 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 feet tall!
(Read v. 5)
While the exact conversion of these weights is somewhat obscured in antiquity, the weight of this man's coat of mail was somewhere between 125 and 200 of our pounds.
(Read v. 6-7a)
A weavers beam was apparently an arm sized timber used to suspend the threads on a loom used for rug making.
(Read v. 7b)
Goliath's spear head weighed 25 pounds, heavier than one of our modern sledge hammers. The hebrew word for "shield" there designates a massive defense implement behind which a man could crouch and walk to be protected from spears and arrows. A man walked in front of Goliath to deflect anything that might be shot at the champion. And the man had a bellicose swagger to match the size of his armor and weapons.
(Read v. 8-9)
Goliath was calling for something that was characteristic to some of the ancient battles of the east. Rather than engage two whole armies, they would each pick a champion and stake the outcome of the battle on that one man. The Philistines had little doubt who their choice was.
(Read v. 10-11)
As the giant belched his challenge from across the canyon, the Israelites cringed in fear on the other side!
You know, that kind of fear isn't unknown today, either. In a lot of ways the people of God today are intimidated by the apparent strength of the enemy and his army. We cringe when we hear of the inroads Satan has made into our schools and our media. We wonder where our country is going to end up as we see the downward trend of morality around us. And Satan gets bolder and bolder in his defiance every day. We need men and women who will stand up to that defiance! We need a generation of young people who will stand up to that challenge and make a difference! But much like the armies of Saul, we're dismayed. That word "dismayed" in the Hebrew can mean, "broken down by confusion and fear." That is a pretty good description of the church in many places. Many of us haven't the faintest idea what to do or how to do it. So let's watch and see what this Biblical account reveals.
(Read v. 12-15)
Verse 15 probably refers to the time David functioned as a palace musician to sooth Saul's depression. During that time, apparently he went back and forth from the palace to the sheep pens of his father. This incident with Goliath, though, probably happened several years after that period.
(Read v. 16)
Forty days of taunting and mocking God and his army. And not a soul stepped forward to accept the challenge.
(Read v. 17-19)
These people didn't have CNN to cover the war. The only way to find out about your loved ones on the front lines was to go check.
(Read v. 20-24)
When David left the sheep in Bethlehem that morning he knew nothing of the 40 day stalemate going on in the Valley of Elah. He only wanted to see how his brothers were doing and bring them some food. Suddenly, as he was talking to them, he hears this bellowing voice echoing from across the canyon taunting the army of God. And just as suddenly, some of the front line troops begin to scatter. The next verse tells why.
(Read v. 25a)
Hold you finger here for a moment and go back with me to verse 8 of this chapter.
(Read v. 8)
Here Goliath is shouting from the bottom of the Ravine for someone to come down and meet him. Now look back at verse 25. Here he is "coming up." The guy has actually crossed over the battle line and has come up the other side! That is why the troops scattered.
You see, as the giants of the enemy are allowed to taunt and taunt and get no response, it isn't long until they are actually coming across the lines into our territory!
There are personal giants that each of us face also. Issues in our lives that challenge our stand for God. Your giant may be a particularly difficult sin you haven't overcome. It may be fear or insecurity. It may be an illness or handicap. And it controls the whole valley of your life. You must understand, if you leave it go unchallenged, it will advance. You must stand up to it and defeat it!
Well, Saul, who ought probably to have challenged the giant himself since he was a whole head taller than any Israelite in the land, had instead offered a reward for anyone brave enough to take on Goliath.
(Read v. 25b)
The reward was threefold: Money, the king's daughter (which would later turn out to be a real liability, but that's another story), and tax free status in Israel.
(Read v. 26)
I read some righteous indignation in that verse on the part of David, don't you? And some tremendous faith. He is saying, in essence, Who is this godless pip-squeek that he should think he can get away with taunting the army of the Living God?
You see, if you're going to kill giants the size of Goliath, you have to have a hearlthy respect for the size of the Living God! The reason that the Israelites were so afraid is that they were comparing Goliath's size against their size. From that perspective, they were terribly outclassed. But David was comparing Goliath's size with God's size!
Listen, the only way we will ever defeat the giants of Satan in our society is to get a good look at the size and power of our God! We've got to get our focus out of this world and onto the God of heaven!
And the same is true of overcoming those private giants that all of us face. We must recognize the NT teaching that says,
"Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world." (I John 4:4)
We say that, brethren, but we don't believe it. And our lack of faith defeats us. A giant killer must be a man or woman of giant faith. He or she must be one who recognizes that one person plus God is always a majority!
But even if you are growing in your faith, your giant killing potential can be sidetracked. Watch what happens next.
(Read v. 28)
Now, stop right there and put yourself in David's sandals. You've just been viciously insulted and humiliated by your oldest brother in the sight of the soldiers who are standing around. His words are calculated to make you a laughing stock. "Hey, kid, what did you do with those 5 or 6 sheep you're supposed to be watching?" What a slam!
Now at that point ask yourself what happens at your house when one of the older sons or daughters insults a younger one that way. You have civil war on your hands, right?
But we can't fight giants when we're bickering among ourselves, can we? Had David gotten into a shouting match with his brother at this point, Goliath would have continued taunting on day 41 as well as day 40. You see, there are taunting giants roaming the hills and valleys of our land today partly because we can't stop our infighting long enough to mount an offensive!
Look at the way David handled this potential sidetrack. It is a good model for us to follow.
(Read v. 29)
He handled Eliab with respect.
(Read v. 30)
He just turned away. He refused to get into the arguement. David did just what Proverbs 17:14 tells us to do in a situation like that:
"The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so abandon the quarrel before it breaks out."
Listen, we'll whip more giants when we are big enough to overlook the little personal offenses and affronts that are bound to come up in any group of human beings.
"Love covers a multitude of sin."
"It is a glory to overlook a transgression."
"Why not rather be wronged."
However you want to say it. If you're going to kill giants you have to be big enough to ignore some of the drivel! If we let him, Satan will see that we have enough squabbles among us to last till judgement. Brothers and sisters, there is too much at stake for petty bickering! The cause is far too serious to hold old grudges for past issues that don't even exist anymore except in our minds. As long as such things go on, we will be spiritually impotent! If you cannot settle the issues that come by overlooking them, then get in and settle them as fast as you can by going to the ones involved privately.. You're wasting precious time!
Well, word got to Saul that David was willing to face Goliath. So David was brought to him. But frankly, Saul took a look at David and wasn't impressed.
(Read v. 33)
And you have to acknowledge Saul's reasoning. David must have looked like a midget compared to Goliath! But he had done his homework!
(Read v. 34-37)
Where did David get that almost reckless confidence in God? The answer is simple. He got it from the same source we get it today. He had seen God work to vanquish lesser adversaries in his life.
You see, courage and confidence to fight giants is developed by victories over smaller adversaries first. Nobody just goes out without any experience and challenges a giant. Faith doesn't work that way. But as challenges come up in the everyday affairs of life and we trust God to help us overcome there, and we see God come through, our faith grows. The faith to fight giants is developed by everyday faithfulness to the challenges that come upon us. People flunk out in facing giants in their lives because they do not see the need to fight the lesser battles of their lives. David knew God could be trusted on the battlefield because he had learned to trust him in the sheep field. How are you handling the sheep fields of your life? Are you striving for faithfulness there?
When many of us fail to defeat the giants we face, we don't realize that our defeat has been predetermined by our faithlessness in little things. Jeremiah spoke to the people of his day who were failing for this same reason. He told them this:
"If you have run with footmen and they have tired you out, then how can you compete with horses? If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of Jordan?" (Jeremiah 12:5)
Too often we don't see the need for faithfulness in the little things. So we sit around waiting for the big issues, thinking that we'll really pour on the steam when something big comes along. But when it does, we're out of shape spiritually, so we flop!
David didn't have any giants to face out there in the pastures of his dad. He didn't even have any normal soldiers. But there were lions and bears. So he took them on! There are lions and bears in your life, too - lesser challenges that develop your faith if you are faithful to them.
Would you like to do something great for God? Would you like to overcome that giant problem that has been taunting you for years. Get busy practicing on the lesser things!
Well, if you're going to take on a well armed adversary you will need some weapons.
(Read v. 38)
With this gear on David probably looked like a midget version of Goliath standing there. But there was a problem.
(Read v. 39)
That was a wise move, because it was partly David's mobility and razor sharp skill with a sling that gave him the victory.
Today our enemy is in the world. He uses the weapons of this world against us. And the temptation to each of us is to fight him back with the same weapons he uses on us. Don't do it! You will be as hamstrung as David was in Saul's armor. The Apostle Paul would say many years after this,
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12)
Paul went on to say that we are to use the full armor of God and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Scripture.
David had spent years learning to use his sling. Like those 700 left- handed men from the tribe of Benjamin who lived back in the days of the judges (Judges 20:16) he could "sling a stone at a hair and not miss."
When you have put on God's armor and can use the Word of God like David could use that sling, you'll begin to see giants fall. Spend your time learning God's armor and weapons, not the devil's!
Well, the time had come to teach this bad-mouthed Philistine about the power of God.
(Read v. 40-42)
Little did Goliath know the spiritual giant of a boy he was facing! God sometimes puts dynamite in small packages!
(Read v. 43-51)
What a rout it turned out to be! Those formerly timid Israelites suddenly came alive!
(Read v. 52)
When someone finally steps forward and takes on a giang, so often, many others who were formerly terrified are emboldened to get into the battle. That is one of the big reasons why we need giant killers today!
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, we need some heroes! Some men and women who will stand up and be counted. But remember, it doesn't start in the battlefield. It starts in the sheep field. If you're going to take on giants, you need to get busy standing up to the challenges you face right now. Stop your laziness! Leave off your neglect! Put God first in your life where He belongs!
The giants of our day are so bold as to come right into our territory with their taunts. Who will stand up against them? It will only be someone who has a healthy respect for the size of the Living God. Someone who has seen God deliver against the lesser adversaries of life. If you want to kill giants, get busy being faithful with these lesser adversaries.
You also need to get big enough to be able to overlook and ignore the pettiness and infighting that can go on among God's own troops. Do as David did. Just turn away from it. Refuse to get involved. There is too much at stake for pettiness.
Steve Camp wrote a song a few years back that says it well:
"Where are the heroes now, When we need them so desperately? Who'll step out from the crowd And be strong enough to lead? Who'll teach the children? Who'll show them how? Oh, I'm asking you, Where are the heroes now?"
We need some heroes. We need some giant killers. Can you be one of them? Will you devote your life to a cause bigger than yourself? Will you men stand up and be strong enough to beat off the giants who would destroy your homes and families? Will you women set aside your pettiness and get busy in the fight for God? Will you young people quit messing around and playing games with your high school and college years and step out of the crowd to be useful to God? Any one of you could do it if you'd commit your whole heart to God. Be a man or woman after God's own heart! Be a giant killer!
Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.
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All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.