God Wins (1 Samuel 17)

In 1 Samuel 17, the Philistine nation has risen against Israel. These Philistines have been a constant thorn in the side of Israel since Israel set foot in the promised land. Now all the Israelites are lined up on one mountain, and all the Philistines are lined up on the other mountain with a valley in between. Then, out of the army of the Philistines comes one who sticks out like a sore thumb. He is a 9'6" behemoth of a man who is loaded down with over 200 lb of armor and weaponry. He is covered with a coat of mail (woven iron), bronze armor on his legs, and a bronze helmet on his head. This guy looks like an impenetrable fortress on two feet. On his back is a javelin of bronze, and he has a giant sword that would later be described as something, unlike anything the Israelites have ever seen. He comes down to the valley and yells to all of the Israelites, saying, "I defy the armies of Israel this day! Send someone to fight me; if I win, you will all be our servants, and if you win, we will be yours." Saul and all of Israel are struck with terror. No one wants to go out there to fight with this guy, so he returns to his camp after waiting for a competitor. A few hours later, he returns, and the scene replays with this guy taunting Israel daily.

Meanwhile, the young boy David continued to shepherd his father's sheep. His three oldest brothers are at the battle line, but he seems too young for battle. His father sends him to take food for his brothers and to check on them to see how they are doing. As David drops off the food, it just so happens that Goliath has come out for his daily ritual. There is a great commotion as Israel shouts a war cry like they are about to battle. I picture this boy running to get a look across the valley at the enemy. What a sight this would be for a young shepherd boy! Can you imagine seeing this yourself in person? Imagine wedging your way through to get a peek at what's going on, and there you see this giant Philistine stand up to defy Israel's ranks again, saying, "I defy the armies of Israel this day!" David hears all of this and looks around. These guys in Israel's army who are bigger than David are cowering. I imagine the look on David's face is horror and disgust. Those feelings are not about Goliath but Israel's army. Have you ever seen someone you look up to fail miserably? He can't believe it. They respond to him by saying, "Have you seen this guy? He is HUGE! Whoever kills him will get riches, no taxes, and they get to marry the king's daughter."

The first recorded words of David are interesting. "What's going to be given to the man who kills Goliath?" But that's not all he says. He calls Goliath's taunt what it is: defiance against the armies of the "living GOD." We can't let this uncircumcised Philistine do that, can we? Somebody has got to step up and take this guy out! It was about that time that his brother Eliab showed up. You would think that Eliab, who is comparable to Saul, would want to prove that he is a worthy contender for the kingship. Instead, he questions David's motives and accuses him of being evil for even showing up, saying, "Where are your sheep David? Don't you need to get back to those sheep? Leave the big boy stuff to us." David simply responds, "What have I done that is wrong? I'm just speaking the truth."

The truth of David's words pierced the army's men because they somehow reached the ears of king Saul whose reward hadn't fetched many volunteers over the last 40 days. That's right, this has been going on for 40 days, and no one has stepped up! Picture him pacing back and forth in his tent, trying to find a way out of this. If no one else goes, he will have to go. But suddenly, news comes in of someone asking about the reward and saying that Goliath has to be defeated. Can you imagine the disappointment when Saul sees this boy set foot in the room? When David comes in, he says, "Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." "Huh?" Saul is in disbelief, saying, "This guy has been fighting battles from his youth and you are still just a youth." David defends himself by saying all that God has done through his hands as he has rescued his sheep from lions and bears and even killed the lions and bears to save his sheep. He knows that God can make this Philistine like the lions and bears. Surprisingly, Saul agrees to let David go into the fight and says, "Go, and the Lord be with you." Before he leaves the room, Saul has his armor put on David. You would think this is the best armor Israel has if it is supposed to protect the king. But how ridiculous would it look for this boy to try on the king's armor? So David says, "I haven't tested them," meaning that he hasn't practiced fighting in these yet. They will hinder him, so he goes out to battle unprotected. Who does that?

Israel may have been laughing at David as he entered the tent. Can you imagine the thoughts going through everyone's mind as he leaves the tent and begins to walk toward the path down the mountain? A lot is riding on this battle. If the man sent down there could not win the fight, Israel would be servants of the Philistines again. They see their only hope being this boy who begins to walk down the mountain. What were they thinking? Maybe, "He's going to get himself killed!" or "He's crazy!" Do you think they were ashamed? Maybe they thought Saul would fight this battle and be able to pull it off, so no one else volunteered. Here goes a little shepherd to meet a giant.

He goes to meet the enemy without a sword, shield, or armor. All he has is a stick and a sling. But wouldn't you know it, a pile of smooth stones is waiting for him along the way. He grabs 5 of the smooth stones for his sling and steps foot on the battlefield with Goliath. Goliath is offended, and he curses David from his gods. The thought is that my gods will fight this battle for me, and the birds and beasts will eat you by the end of today! To this, David responds, "You are fighting with weapons of men instead of the true God on your side. I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel who you have defied. The Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I will cut your head off then all of the Philistines will make a feast for the birds and the beasts by the end of today." At this, I imagine. Then everyone would gasp. All of Israel's face would flush red. Who would dare to speak that way to someone so big in that way? We don't want him angry! Goliath began to walk toward David, and David showed no hesitation. He starts running full speed towards Goliath with the stone swinging in his sling. This stone is probably around the size of a baseball, and when it leaves that sling, it will go over 100 mph. The trick is to hit the target. He winds it up, and every Israelite stares with bulging eyes as David and Goliath get closer... and closer... and then David releases the stone. Then... WHACK! The stone struck Goliath square in the forehead and knocked him flat on his face. David came over on top of the giant, grabbed Goliath's sword, and cut off his head. I imagine he lifted his head high for all to see. After that, all of Israel was shouting, and they started running at the Philistines. The Philistines have to pick up their jaw from the ground and start running with their tail tucked between their legs, trying not to get destroyed all the way back to their city.

What's the Point?

This is a story that the world around us knows. People still refer to having the odds stacked against them as being like David and Goliath. Many movies have followed this theme, with the underdog rising to defeat their Goliath. But what is the point of this story?

Looks Aren't Everything; God Cares About The Heart

The original audience reading this book of Samuel would be drawn to compare Saul's failure in leadership with David's rise in leadership. Saul is seen cowering and afraid because relying on looks and size will only get you so far. God doesn't care about external appearance. This idea brings us back to 16:7, where it says, "The Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

This idea is proven in the text as we see Goliath, with all of his physical greatness being brought to nothing by the hand of the one God has chosen. Nothing physical can withstand the all-powerful God who fights on the side of those with a heart that wants to please him and honor his great name. This ideal man with a heart that pleases God is greater than Goliath. This is the message that the people of Israel would understand as they hear this story.‌

What do we look at when the trials come? Are we so unwavering? When it looks like no one else is willing to do the right thing because it's too hard, Good wants us to have confidence. God wants us to have eyes that see what he can do. We must ensure that we focus more on the inside than the outside. The heart is the most important thing.

Courageous Faith

We see David overcome several obstacles to defeat Goliath. His brothers angrily respond: "What are you doing here David? Can't you find something better to do? I know what's in your heart; you want to cause trouble." How many of us would feel ashamed and head home at that point with our heads hanging low? David didn't back down. Nor did he punch Eliab or come up with some disrespectful thing to say, either. He let his actions do the talking for him. David wasn't just going to make people feel bad for their failure. He would go out to fight in the battle for God's honor.

How could David overcome the fear, peer pressure, and self-doubt in that situation? When we are faced with opposition to doing what is right, what do we do? Have you ever kept silent when others dishonor God's name? We might think, "I will just mess up whatever I say and make things worse for everybody." Have you ever stopped doing something right because family, friends, or even church members are pressuring you to change? When we read what David did, we see the outcome of courageous faith and being encouraged to stand firm against the opposition. We realize it's imperative to do what we know should be done for God's glory. The words of David as he comes up against Goliath show what he is focused on, and it has nothing to do with what the people behind him are thinking. Listen to his words again as he speaks to Goliath on the battlefield.

1 Samuel 17:46--47 (ESV) --- 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”Ω

Wouldn't it be great if we could all have that courageous faith with boldness and confidence that the battle is the Lord's? God would be honored in our lives, and the world would learn to fear God. Our fruit would be abundant for God. Do you think Eliab was among those shouting and running in the charge against the Philistine? David's courageous faith created that outcome. Our courageous faith can have a similar effect, providing courage to our brethren.

Where Can We Find Courage?

How can we find that courageous faith? It might surprise you that real courage doesn't come from knowing that we are strong enough to defeat the giant. The world tells you that you have strength inside of you. But the truth is, you don't. None of us do. We cannot win our battles on our own. But real courage comes from knowing that God fights for us.

Satan is the Goliath of our lives. He taunts us and terrifies us. The truth is that we are more like those Israelites who were scared for 40 days. The battle is too hard for us. But Jesus is our David. He defeated Satan for us. Remember how the Israelites felt after David defeated Goliath? They were courageous and ready to defeat the Philistines. That's what Jesus does for us. He frees us from slavery and gives us the courage to face our enemies. This means that we can overcome the sins in our lives that weigh us down and make us filthy before God. God has already given us victory over sin, so now we can chase those things down and put them to death. We don't submit to them again. That is what Paul tells us in Romans 5 and 6. While we were still enemies, God saved us through the death of his Son, and now we get to choose who we obey.

Romans 6:16--18 (ESV) --- 16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, 18 and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

Picture yourself as that Israelite who watched David cut off the head of Goliath. Sin now holds no power over you. Are you going to serve the Philistines? NO WAY! Your belief has exploded, and now you sound the battle cry! That sin is a Philistine that is running away terrified. It holds no power over you. It is no Goliath. Goliath is the condemnation you once felt. It is dead!

Romans 6:22 (ESV) --- 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.

Romans 8:1--3 (ESV) --- 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,

We have a treasure now that cannot be taken away. We can give it up if we let sin back into our lives and let it rule over us. But we don't have to be afraid anymore. There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. Our sin will not follow us beyond the grave, and we can win battles against sin today. God has made way for us all to be reconciled to him as we put on a heart like David's that wants to glorify and magnify God by conquering our sins with his help.‌

Conclusion

Jesus is the Son of David, and David shines a light into what the Messiah or anointed one will be like. As David defeated Goliath, so did Jesus. How did Christ defeat Goliath? Did he go out in a physical battle dressed in physical armor? Was he loaded with guns and ammo and riding in a tank with a Bazooka on his shoulder? No way! Jesus triumphantly conquered Satan, sin, and death through the cross. Through the cross, he rendered Satan unconscious and took away his greatest weapon, condemnation.

God has done for us what we could never do through the death of Jesus. What are we going to do? God has won the ultimate battle over sin and provides us with the hope that we can conquer the enemy of sin in our lives. The victory over sin is ours. We can have great, courageous faith because of what God has accomplished for us in Christ. We see God's great victory for us, which motivates us to honor God's name, remain firm in the faith, and return to the enemy's camp.