The Enemy

Week 1 of Trust God For The Victory

Sermon Series: Trust God For The Victory

Sermon Title: The Enemy

Today’s Passage: 1 Samuel 17:1-11 (ESV)

Main Idea: When we trust God for the victory, no enemy can stand against us.

INTRO:

What is the greatest story ever? If you google that question you’ll get a list of what most people consider the best novels ever written. Books like:

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Great Gatsby

Invisible Man

Jane Eyre

The best stories are told so well that even without pictures or cinema, your brain can imagine what things looked like, smelled like, felt like.... the best stories are usually told by the best story-tellers!

I love to read the bible… all parts of it… i love the gospels… i love paul’s letters, i mean… we just spent the last year studying Romans and i loved that.... but probably my favorite genre in scripture is the narratives found in the old testament.

maybe it’s because i grew up in the church and those are some of the first stories we read about in sunday school when we’re little kids… i don’t know but i love those stories!

And i’m excited because we’re going to take the next 4 Sundays to study one of the most famous and well-known stories in all of the bible. it’s found in chapter 17 of the book 1 Samuel, and it is the story of David & Goliath

Now, as soon as i tell you that, how many of you immediately had mental pictures of that story come to your head???

it’s a great story and so memorable!

now, how many of you are wanting to ask, “Brian, I know this story… it’s a great story… why do we need 4 weeks to talk about it????”

here’s the deal… did you know that the story of David & Goliath is actually 58 verses long???? That’s a lot of verses!!

if we tackled this narrative in one week.... i’d quickly recap the story for you and have time to choose one main application to take away with us when we left today,...

but by breaking this story into 4 acts, if you will, i think we will find a story even richer with details than we remember

and i’m praying that God will help us leave here each week with something that will strengthen and establish our faith moving forward

we’re going to title this 4-week series, “Trust God For The Victory”

and today’s sermon title is “The Enemy”

so let’s get to it!

you can turn in your bibles to 1 Samuel 17 and we will find ACT 1 of our story in verses 1-11

BODY:

INTRO

let’s set the stage first.... this story happens at a difficult time in the history of God’s people, the Israelites.

the timing of 1 Samuel comes right after the end of the book of Judges which ended with all kinds of sin and evil going on in the lives of the Israelites because there was “no king in the land and everyone did whatever was right in his own eyes.”

if that’s not the biggest use of foreshadowing ever!!!

people have always been in need of a king… but not just any king… not just a king that looks the part and can take care of the obvious problems in front of us...

we need a righteous king, amen! a king who can fight our battles… seen and unseen… for us!

...but i’m getting ahead of myself!

back to the israelites...

there was no king in the land… of course… God wanted to be their king… but the people God had rescued from slavery in Egypt consistently turned their back on Him

when finally, in one of the biggest acts of betrayal toward God, His people asked for their own king… a king that would make them like the other nations…

- 1 Samuel 8:19-20 (ESV)

English Standard Version Chapter 8

19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

did you notice that? one of the main reasons they wanted a king was because of the threat that their enemies posed to them. which is crazy if we have read Genesis through Judges because God always delivered victory to the Israelites… when their hearts were turned toward Him...

i guess they forgot about all that!

of course, the biggest threat to the Israelites was not other nations that they could see… it was the potential to turn away from God and worship false gods

it was when they chased the gods of other nations that God turned his back and delivered them into the hands of their enemies.

this is the first thing our story has in common with our lives today. often we are faced with enemies.... enemies that we can see.... enemies that scare us...

people or things or situations that force us to be fearful or anxious…

should we fear these things? are we seeing them properly?

seeing properly is a huge theme in the book samuel and it continues into our chapter 17. we see it most plainly in chapter 16 when God had Samuel anoint David as the new king...

1 Samuel 16:7 ESV

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

we need to learn to see our enemies as the lord sees our enemies..

back to the Israelites....

So God granted their request and gave them the first human king of Israel. he gave them King Saul.

however, King Saul was disobedient to God and so God rejected him. in fact, without Saul knowing, or anyone else really, God chose his own king, and even had him secretly anointed in Bethlehem in chapter 16 of 1 Samuel. what was his name?

That’s right. David.. Son of Jesse the Bethlehemite

In fact, with this anointment, the spirit of God had left Saul and rushed upon David from that day forward.

So even though Saul was still the acting king, God had already set things in motion for David to eventually replace him.

ACT 1

- 1 Samuel 17:1a [the Philistines and their location]

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle...

this was not new… the Philistines were Israel’s greatest threat during the reign of Saul. the Philistines show up in the book of 1 Samuel back in chapter 4 and the fighting continues for many years… in fact when Saul died, he was still at conflict with the Philistines.

sometimes the Philistines would win like in chapter 4 when they even captured the ark of the covenant

and sometimes the Israelites won.... like in chapter 7… when the Israelites had turned back to God.... and so He delivered them from the Philistines in pretty dramatic fashion!

at one point.... because of Jonathan’s leadership… not Saul’s… the Israelites had the Philistines on the run… but because of Saul’s foolishness.... they didn’t finish them off

and the fighting with the Philistines continued.. in fact, this is one of the reasons the people wanted their own king.... and God himself even said of Saul in 9:16:

- 1 Samuel 9:16

1 Samuel 9:16 (ESV)

16 “...He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines.....”

but here we are again… in chapter 17… and the Philistines have gathered their armies for battle....

a reminder that Saul has still not lived up to his purpose as king

verse 1 continues: And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah...

the Philistines are in Israel’s territory… Socoh it says, belongs to Judah

they just can’t get rid of these guys!

so the Philistine army is ready for battle..

- 1 Samuel 17:2 [the Israelites]

1 Samuel 17:2 ESV

2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines.

Saul and the men of Israel are there.. ready for battle.... but our narrator just leaves it at that… Saul is just part of the group… not really actively leading out in any way....

**** ILLUS. about leadership ****

have you ever worked or played a sport… or in some way been under the influence of a bad leader? that can be a really helpless place to be in...

let me say real quick, if there is a leader in your life… in whatever quadrant of your life… pray for your leaders..... pray for Godly, wise, loving leaders

and if God has placed you in a leadership role… in whatever quadrant of your life… pray for yourself! pray that God will show his strength in your weakness… pray for humility and direction

**back to the story****

- 1 Samuel 17:3 [the setting]

1 Samuel 17:3 ESV

3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

So that’s our familiar setting… the Philistines on one side of the valley facing Saul and the Israelites on the other side

Enter our next character… verse 4....

- 1 Samuel 17:4 [Goliath; his name, city, & appearance]

4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

this battle with the Philistines… it appears will be different… the Philistines are going to be represented by this terrifying champion named Goliath.

interesting, no mention of giants on their team in the other battles. i don’t know if the Philistines recruited Goliath after the last battle… i don’t know if they gave him some sort of an NIL deal.... but for whatever reason.... the Philistines all of a sudden have added a number 1 draft pick to their side and he’s a big one!

the word champion here literally means “the man of the between” — it describes someone who steps out of the front line and stands “between” the battle lines… a representative… a challenger.... or champion. That’s what Goliath was that day for the Philistines...

we don’t know much about the name Goliath… this is really the only time he’s even mentioned in the Bible… but it is a name that matches his appearance…because it’s just a scary sounding name! GOLIATH!!

now come some details about his appearance...

vs. 4 says his height was six cubits and a span.... if you have one of those bibles with weights and measurements in the back… it will tell you that six cubits and a span would equal about 9 feet 9 inches.... so yeah… he’s huge!

now when we hear that, we may quickly be reminded of the verse from chapter 16 we already read once… when God told Samuel:

- 1 Samuel 16:7

“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

but serious question… how do you ignore a champion who is 9 feet 9 inches named Goliath????

some of the enemies we face are huge! hard to ignore!

- like cancer

- untimely deaths

- or the 6th grade bully who somehow can drive to middle school

it takes practice and trust to begin to see those problems as God sees them...

back to Goliath....

not only was the “man of the between” huge and scary… he was also very well prepared for battle.... let’s look at the description of his armor and weapons, and shield...

- 1 Samuel 17:5-7 [his armor, weapons & shield]

1 Samuel 17:5–7 (ESV)

5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze (that’s about 125 pounds of armor…). 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron (15 pounds… the head of his spear). And his shield-bearer went before him. (his shield was so big… a servant had to carry it for him.)

now, if you’re thinking… that’s a lot of detail.... you’d be right… not often do biblical narrative writers take up that much space for such detail… the purpose is obviously to impress you with how well protected and prepared for battle Goliath was.

you also might wonder… how did the narrator get such an up close and personal view of Goliath’s armor and weapons.... you’ll have to make sure you’re here on October 30th to find out how that kind of information would become available!

--- if his name and appearance weren’t scary enough for you… we now hear Goliath speak for the first time… Hear Goliath’s threat in vs 8...

- 1 Samuel 17:8-10 [his threat]

1 Samuel 17:8 (ESV)

8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a (THE) Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?

Goliath says, “take a look at me… 9’ 9” protected and prepared like no other.... I am the Philistines… and you guys are just servants of Saul.... do you really want to fight?

obviously using servants as a derogatory term here.... flat out bullying the Israelites

and then Goliath comes up with this proposal… a plan for how to go about this battle

he continues in vs. 8

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.....”

“choose a man for yourselves....”

this is great… no way Goliath even knew how ironic his choice of words was

the Israelites had chosen a man for themselves....

- 1 Samuel 8:18

1 Samuel 8:18 (ESV)

18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king (Saul), whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

and why did they like the choice of Saul???

- 1 Samuel 10:23-24

1 Samuel 10:23–24 ESV

23 Then they ran and took him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. 24 And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

the people HAD chosen! they wanted their own king… God gave them Saul… and no one else was like him in all Israel… he was bigger… he was stronger

and if there was going to be a guy on their side to send out against Goliath.... to take on his challenge… it was SAUL!!!!

but there was no movement from the battle line on the side of the israelites.... Saul didn’t jump up and volunteer.... another reminder of the disappointment his reign as king had been…

with no answer… in fact… complete silence from the Israelite side...

Goliath continues in vs. 10....

10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel (and their God) this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”

you see, this battle isn’t just a battle of 2 armies. this is a battle of an army vs the army of the Israelites.. God’s people!

so there you have it. Goliath’s threat… his proposal.... and his mocking of God’s people

we have only one more verse in Act 1 of our story.

as a fan of God’s people… you would hope that after Goliath mocked and ridiculed the Israelites in that way… that Saul… or someone.. would stand up and say, “ok, that’s enough… now you’ve gone too far.... I’ll fight this guy....”

but unfortunately, Act 1 is going to end on a disappointing note… look at vs. 11

- 1 Samuel 17:11 [fear]

1 Samuel 17:11 ESV

11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

notice again… no leadership from Saul… he’s grouped in with the rest of the Israelites… dismayed and greatly afraid

again, this was Saul’s chance to fulfill his purpose… it was God that said of Saul in chapter 9...

- 1 Samuel 9:16

1 Samuel 9:16 (ESV)

16 “...He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines...”

but here is Saul… and all of Israel.... dismayed… broken to pieces…

it’s not supposed to be that way! do you remember how the book of 1 Samuel started? it was Hannah, who prayed to God… because of her bareness… for a child. God answered her prayer… and gave her Samuel who she then dedicated to the Lord.

and in chapter 2 of our book, hannah praised God with a song that included these lines:

1 Samuel 2:10 ESV

10 The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”

but here it’s not the adversaries of the Lord that are broken to pieces… it’s God’s own people… shattered and greatly afraid.... because they did not have their own “MAN OF THE BETWEEN”

at this moment… it appears that darkness has won… that the enemies of the Lord and His people will undoubtably triumph

and the words of Hannah’s song will not come true

CONCLUSION:

church family,

it is sometimes easy today, to lose sight of hope because of the amount of darkness around us

it might seem that our enemies… sin, satan and death… have the upper hand

do you recognize that your enemy, Satan… is so much more prepared for battle than you… that you have no chance on your own?

are you, like the Israelites with the Philistines… fighting the same sin over and over… sometimes losing… sometimes winning.... but never putting it away for good?

is your greatest fear death… because you aren’t sure where to look for hope that you will rest in heaven for eternity

you need a “MAN OF THE BETWEEN”

you need a man who will step out from the front line… into the battlefield FOR you… as your representative

and there is only one man you can choose who can guarantee victory over your enemies… and that is Jesus .

if we choose Jesus as our Man of the Between, we can look at whoever or whatever we fear… including death… and say with the apostle Paul....

- Romans 8:31-39

Romans 8:31–39 (ESV)

31 ...If God is for us, who can be against us?

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? ...

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

church family, take this with you as you leave today....

Main Idea: When we trust God for the victory, no enemy can stand against us.

PRAY