Fighting the enemy God\'s Way

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Tonight we look at one of the most well known stories in the Bible. Most people, even those who have never set foot in a church, know the story of David and Goliath. Goliath is truly a larger than life character. He is like the schoolyard bully who is just itching for a fight and longs to strike fear into the hearts of everyone he meets. A bully is only powerful until someone with greater power comes along. Goliath makes the mistake of making an enemy of God, while David makes the correct decision not to rely on his own power to fight the enemy, but on God?s wisdom and fight with God and for God.

1 ? 3

Partly because of Saul?s folly in chapter the Philistines are still around to bug Israel. The Philistines have come up from their cities towards Jerusalem. Israel goes to meet them at the Valley of Elah. The two armies encamp on two hills overlooking the valley. There is a small brook, that is dry most of the year, that runs down the middle. The warfare in that day wasn?t always an all out battle. Sometimes champions from either side would decide whose army had more strength.

4 ? 11

Goliath was over 9 feet tall. His armor weighed between 125 and 194 pounds. The head of his spear alone weighed 17-23 pounds. The key to understanding Goliath was that he defied the armies of God. Goliath was a formidable enemy for a man, but a puny foe for God and God?s man. How many times do our problems loom large like a Goliath and we think there is no way we can overcome them. But when anything tries to stand in the way of us serving God or when an enemy rises up that would try to bring shame to our Lord you might be amazed what power can be summoned. Here, the men of Israel simply run away.

12 ? 18

David had already been employed by Saul to sooth him with music when he entered a state of madness. But David also had to travel back and forth to Bethlehem to tend to his father?s sheep. While Goliath is coming out twice a day to taunt Israel, David is doing a lot of traveling. But on one occasion he is finally there to hear what is going on.

19 ? 22

There is a similar scene in the movie Troy with Brad Pitt where to armies are lined up on either side but it is the champions who fight each other. So David arrives, hears the war cries of the armies, and leaves the stuff he brought to go near. To me I see the first glints of the warrior that David is to become here. He is attracted to the fight.

23 ? 27

David thinks he is just getting close to a battle to check on his brothers. He doesn?t know that God is about to prompt his heart in a very significant way as he hears the enemy of God?s taunts. Sometimes it is not until we are in the thick of battle, a battle we didn?t even know we were to fight in, that God moves on our hearts. Don?t be scared when this happens. There are things we can learn from David?s reaction and actions that can give us hope and courage when we face our own Goliaths.

Notice the contrast between the men of Israel and David. When they saw Goliath they ?fled from him and were very much afraid? (24). The men then say there are great riches and honor waiting anyone who can kill Goliath, none of them are willing or able to do it. But David?s reaction is: 1) taking away reproach (rebuke) 2) uncircumcised (not in submission to God) 3) defy God?s armies (expose, blaspheme ? root of ?reproach?). ()

28 ? 30

Couple of things going on here. Clearly Eliab and David?s other brothers didn?t think much of him. I guess that happens in a lot of families. Its too bad because the words he was speaking were to Israel?s next king. Notice that David totally blows him off, but I think it was more than a sibling rivalry thing that motivated David. David was reacting with righteous indignation against an enemy of God. Eliab was calling David?s heart evil and not responsible. When we are truly being called by God we should not let others deter us with insults. I think this might have actually been a plan of Satan to deter this young man from taking a giant step forward in faith and trust in what God can actually do through a person. Don?t let Satan deter you with insults either by saying ?you?re motives are wrong and by serving God you are neglecting other responsibilities that are more important.

Now I?m not saying for us to bring harm to our families or be stupid. But David had already taken care of his responsibilities at home. Now it was time to serve God and nothing would deter him.

31 ? 37

So here David is the motivator towards faith and victory. His attitude is so different than the other soldiers that someone goes to tell the king. By the time David gets to the king no one else is willing to step out and fight so David volunteers.

Saul, voicing the obvious from the physical environment says that David is not able to accomplish what God has called him to. Truth be told I think most of us would do nothing at all if we only moved out when we felt able. It?s better to move and fall on our face then stand still and do nothing.

But David does have experience he can bring to bear (pardon the pun). God has been training him. No, he?s never gone up against a giant, but the giants he has gone up against showed him that he was gifted and more importantly that God was at work in his life. And that?s really all we need to know. And David rightly says that anyone who defies God shall fall.

(37) David speaks not as someone with youthful presumption, nor with arrogance or personal pride. He speaks as someone who has such faith and confidence in the Lord that he can do anything. Notice that he says ?The Lord who delivered me.? It?s not confidence in his own abilities but the abilities of God.

Is that not a huge lesson for us? Much later three Hebrews who face possible death by being thrown into a fiery furnace in Babylon for not bowing to an idol say ?our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace ? but if not ? we will not serve your gods?? (Daniel 3:17-18)

This is the kind of faith that allowed Paul to go unafraid into hostile cities where he could be, and was, stoned. It?s a confidence born of small victories and being obedient building into larger and more impossible feats for the Lord.

Jesus said:

John 14:12-14 \"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.? 13? Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.? 14? If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

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And Paul:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

The key is 1) these are the works of God, 2) they bring glory to God and 3) the strength comes through God.

38 ? 40

Saul is moved, perhaps by God, to allow David to go. This was a big risk because if David failed it could mean that Israel would be enslaved to the Philistines (though it was Goliath who made that claim, not Israel or Saul). The armor thing wasn?t going to work?not because it didn?t fit necessarily, but because he hadn?t ?tested? it. He was comfortable in his shepherd?s outfit, not this ungainly armor. Besides, it wasn?t with brawn or metal that he would win the day.

David is a smart warrior. He uses whatever weapon does the job. We need to be smart warriors too. We need to pray that God will give us just the right words, the right Scriptures, the right actions at the time so that His work can be done.

41 ? 44

Goliath is rightly pretty arrogant, but he doesn?t know who he has really come up against. David is about to tell him, then show him.

45 ? 47

These are words that should echo though our hearts every time we step out for God. The enemy and the world come at us with difficulties and temptations and arguments but we come in the name of the Lord. David?s sole purpose for being there was so ?that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.? Our sole purpose for waging battle for the souls of men against the enemy is to show that there is a God in the earth who is more powerful than anything?anything that stands against him. David declares that his battle is not his, but God?s.

48 ? 49

David did not necessarily kill Goliath with that stone, but if you hit someone right in that place on the forehead hard enough it will knock even the more powerful person unconscious. That?s all David needed. Then he finished the job.

50 ? 54

Goliath?s armor comes back again later in the book. It ends up in Nob and comes into the story in chapter 21. Jerusalem was not yet under Israelite control. Perhaps David is putting the Jebusites on notice that their days are numbered. This verse actually comes after verse 58 in chronology.

55 ? 58

Verses 55 ? 56 go with verse 40 and Verses 57 ? 58 go after verse 51. As David is going out to battle Saul wants to know who he is. That?s when David is brought before Saul. The reason this is done this way is because of the effect on Saul?s son, Jonathan, who we meet in chapter 18.

Lessons:

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Is there a schoolyard bully in your life? Is Satan, like Goliath, trying to bring you into situations, taunt you into fighting on his turf with his weapons? You might find yourself with people who know how to hurt you and want you to react with anger and emotion, for instance. It is vital for us to realize that everything and everyone we encounter has been allowed by God and that we are always on duty as a soldier in his army and an ambassador of his kingdom.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6? being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.

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And what are our weapons? They are prayer, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God?not anger, violence, gossip, money, power, endless arguing, or threats. See Galatians 6.

Don?t let the bully taunt you. Keep your cool, keep in prayer, keep to the task, and look for God?s creativity. Jesus didn?t often respond to those taunting him. He realized the real problem was that they hid their own unbelief, so he explained clearly the truth and then let the decide how to handle it.