Scripture:
I Samuel 17:3-54 NKJV
[3] The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. [4] And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. [5] He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. [6] And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. [7] Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. [8] 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. [9] 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.” [10] And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” [11] When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. [12] 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. [13] 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. [14] David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. [15] But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. [16] And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. [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. [18] And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.” [19] Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. [20] So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a 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. [21] For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. [22] And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. [23] 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. [24] And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. [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.” [26] Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” [27] And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.” [28] 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.” [29] And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” [30] Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did. [31] Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. [32] Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” [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.” [34] 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, [35] I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. [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.” [37] Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” [38] 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. [39] 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. [40] Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. [41] So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. [42] And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. [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. [44] 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!” [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. [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 all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. [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.” [48] 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. [49] 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. [50] So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. [51] 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. [52] 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 Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. [53] Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. [54] And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
Observation:
I know there is a lot of scripture here, but I wanted to paint a complete picture. It’s really easy to grab a few verses and build something around it, or to grab 2 verses here and 5 verses there to put together something that will tickle the ears. In fact that’s what most pastors are doing in this day and age. What I want to make clear at this point is that I am not a pastor or a preacher. I am a man who absolutely loves Jesus Christ, and has a desire to know what GOD is saying directly to me, So I spend my days with HIS word on my heart. Every situation that I find myself in. GOD always leads me to scripture that fits perfectly. So let’s take a look at what the bible says. There is a lot of it to get through. The Philistines were an enemy to GOD’S chosen people, who had desired a king so bad, so that they could be just like the rest of the nations around them. However the king that had been chosen did exactly what was said. King Saul had put himself in an elevated position. We see this in one of the first times that he faced battle. In 1st Samuel chapter 13 when he impatiently offered a sacrifice to GOD, because Samuel had not shown up to do so. The exchange that took place when Samuel finally did show up is important to look at as we open up what’s happening in the chapter we are diving into. Saul’s impatience led to even more disobedience and a few statements from Samuel that more than likely placed some fear in the situation that he was facing in chapter 17. One of the things that Samuel said was that GOD would replace Saul. I think it was stated something like, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. And also the strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For he is not a man, that he should relent.” As we look at 1st Samuel chapter 17 keeping this in mind we can see why Saul was somewhat hesitant in his approach to the battle. His disobedience was now staring him in the face and calling him out. His sin had a price that was more than he could pay, and his life and the lives of those who were in the kingdom were at stake. A defiant giant stood across the battlefield, day after day belittling the army of Saul, and as long as Saul was in charge of the battle, fear would continue to overtake the men he had been leading. With the words of Samuel echoing through his ears, the intimidation from this giant would seem to be the end of it all. But as we know GOD’S ways are not our way and HIS thoughts not our thoughts. Yes HIS plan was to give the kingdom to a man who had a heart that would not fail, a heart that would know who was fighting the battle, the heart of a humble shepherd boy who knew what it was like to fight for real, a boy who had taken care of the least of them by herding sheep. A boy who was brave enough to step forward in the face of what looked like certain death knowing that he wasn’t fighting for a group of cowards, but instead showing a group of men how to have the confidence needed to see the results GOD had in store from the beginning, sure victory. Sent by his dad, a boy named David showed up on the battlefield young and confident but not really expecting to fight at all let alone he did not expect to find the men backing down from the fight that they came to end. Standing across the battlefield was a 9 foot tall windbag in his eyes. You see the young boy had known the deliverance of GOD having killed not only a bear that had tried to attack the sheep but a lion as well. This giant that stood there mocking the armies of the living GOD would fall in the very same manner. The hand of the LORD. As Goliath stood up to do the same thing he had done for the past 40 days, David couldn’t help but take offense to it. Spending time with the LORD day after day in the fields praising HIM for the deliverance from the paws of the bear and the jaws of the lion. Seeing HIM in the provisions that had been provided, as days turned into nights and nights turned into days. This boy, although only sent to bring food for his older brothers, knew who GOD is, and that all he needed to do was face the challenge with confidence. Rising up to the occasion, and thinking back to the moment he had with Samuel as the oil dripped down his face after being anointed to be king. I could see his confidence in the plan that GOD had for his life growing. Well seasoned warriors in fear as this young boy steps up to the battle line to see what had caused them to shriek back. Hearing the men caught up in what the giant looked like… big, boastful, cocky,and arrogant. Just like what Samuel had said to Saul about the kingdom being torn from his hands. The oil running down his face echoed words in his ear,“You have been anointed king,” GOD’S plan for David’s life was starting to unfold. As he began to investigate to see if this was true by asking, “what shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel?” HIS comment after the question made a statement that Saul had not paid attention to. It was not Saul’s army, and David knew it, the army belonged to GOD. They were HIS chosen nation, the sons of Israel. Not only was there a plan for David but there was a promise from GOD for them. A promise of victory but it could not be gained without standing on what the LORD had said. It wasn’t confidence in man that was needed. It was confidence in what GOD had said, and this uncircumcised Philistine was standing between the armies of the living GOD and what HE told them was theirs. As the men tried to discourage the young boy, he would not back up, “Something needs to be done to shut him up and you guys are not doing it. I know a GOD who will. Seeing that David had his mind set on the battle, Saul clothed him in armor that was insufficient for him… all he needed was what GOD had said… you are not a shepherd boy…. You are a king. Stepping forward armed with only a few rocks and the promises of GOD gave him all the confidence he needed, “You come to me with sword, with spear,and with javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts. That was the only weapon needed. HE was David’s armor, HIS promises were the sword, spear and javelin, David was equipped for the battle with weapons that could not be seen but that were already provided. That moment was proven the very second the rock struck the giant’s head and he fell to the ground. His own sword fell as well. David ran to the now limp body and cut his head off with the sword that had been intended to kill him. The confidence of the Philistines stood in one man who was now defeated by what looked like a boy, but was actually a man after GOD’S own heart.
Application:
I’m not sure how many of us are facing giants. But I know I have a few in my life. Standing there with intimidation, larger than life, seemingly calling me out. We all want to be a David, but how many of us are Eliab’s who are discouraging the warrior that rests inside of us. The one crying out to step up and stand on GOD’S word. I promised myself when I started this SOAP, that I would live my faith out loud, and for the past several years I have done so. There have been times when, as I was writing, tears were falling. This is one of the times. You see, I know what GOD has called me to do, and I have done my best to step into that, to tell the truth I started this SOAP a few months ago when I was told by someone that I could not attend a particular ministry until I bowed to something that was outside biblical principles. To be honest I just couldn’t do it. The only armor I need is GOD. As we read in Ephesians chapter 6 HE provides every piece we need, all we have to do is put it on and victory is sure. That’s done through prayer. So today I stand in the face of a defiant giant, with a sling and a stone. It’s not the only giant I face but I’m not one to back down. You see there’s a part of the story about David in those moments that you would not know unless you study a little deeper. He grabbed 5 stones… not because he thought he would miss… but because Goliath had 4 brothers. He was prepared to take them all out, and eventually did. What I want you to know is that the giants are not going to stop coming as soon as you slay one there will be more. Knowing and standing on what GOD has said is the key. What I have found that a lot of people do, is they find what fits their lifestyle in the bible and then they ignore the rest. A lot of pastors do this. Preaching only what they want their congregation to know, knowing that their congregation doesn’t spend time in the word. The bible says do not be deceived. It also says that men will deceive others because they are deceived. The giant in your life may be the fact that you have not read your bible, and do not know the whole council of GOD. Maybe you are holding on to just a few pieces of it that have been taken out of context and building doctrines out of it. GOD does have a plan for you and it is a good plan. It’s a plan that includes you learning how to seek HIM. That means reading HIS word and finding out what HE says to you. Maybe your giant seems too big for you to fight. Can I tell you something. The battle doesn’t belong to you. It’s HIS. I want you to notice how David came to the giant. It wasn’t in his own strength. It was in the name of the LORD. Everyone around you may be telling you… you can’t do this, or you are fighting a lost cause… have you seen the size of this problem…. It’s bigger than you, and it probably is. David was a little boy, but he knew a great big GOD, A GOD that was bigger than any problem he faced. Having confidence in yourself is ok, but knowing the GOD you serve is what matters. It doesn’t matter what you think you can do. All that matters is what HE says you are, and I want you to know that as I sit here in the face of more than one giant. I have 5 smooth stones, one in my sling and 4 in my pocket. I’m not backing up, because I’m fighting for the least of these. I’m fighting for the ones who have run from the giant, the ones who have been intimidated by the words of man and not stood on the only word that matters, GOD has not promised you victory, HE has already given it to you, all you have to do is stand on what HE said. “The seed of the woman will crush your head and you will bruise his heel.” The head of the giant was not only crushed but removed, and a crushing blow is much worse than the bruises that come from the battle. You are more than a conquer, so am I. The giant has called you out, stand in the strength of GOD, not your own.
Prayer:
Father, it’s all part of your plan. I am standing on your words as they are written. Not watered down or altered. Not redefined to fit my life. But your word. The only truth that matters. I know that I am not the one who can win this fight, you are. This is not the only giant you have faced, and your win lose record is far better than mine. I know that this is not the end of anything although it may look that way to some. It’s only the beginning of something far greater than what I can put together on my own. You are a mighty GOD, one who does not shrink back, one who has already seen the battle, I pray that you would bring the truth in your word to the surface of our hearts, so that it is the foundation we build our lives around. Not our opinion of what it says but what it says. Not altered or shifted to fit us and how we want to live. Father, I pray that believers everywhere will read your word and change their lives to fit what it says, rather than changing your word to fit their lives. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus we pray amen