Everyone Needs a Deliverer

Read

1 Samuel 17:1–11, 16 (ESV)

1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. And his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not 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 ranks 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.

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

Opening Prayer

A Familiar Story

Most likely, all of us are very familiar with this story of David and Goliath.

A true historical story that is most often labeled as a story of of heroism and courage.

So popular is this story that you hear it quite often used as an analogy by commentators in sports, saying things like...

Today, we have a real David meets Goliath matchup.

Or this is a matchup we didn’t think we’d see in the Finals of the playoffs, tournament, etc.

A more athletic team with much more talent & experience.

But on the other side, you have a team that has a enormous amount of heart.

Well, I want us to see this biblical, historical story at a different angle...

An angle that takes us to the resurrection.

What we see here in this story is...

A People Who Needed Someone to Conquer their Most Fearsome Enemy

So, what do we see in these opening verses...

The fear of Saul & the entire Army of Israel

Goliath stood over 9’ tall.

To put this into perspective...

Shaquille O’Neal stands 7’1” and weighed around 350 lbs during his NBA career.

Shaq wears a size 22 shoe.

Goliath’s shoe size would have been approximately size 37 and could have easily weighed 475 lbs.

Think about wearing and toting around Goliath’s armor:

Bronze Helmet

Coat of Armor weighing 125 lbs.

Bronze Leggings

Bronze Spear w/a tip that weighed 15 lbs.

A skilled shield-bearer that carried a shield and defended the warrior from spears, arrows, and the like.

So, imagine Goliath with his size and stature...

A fierce champion of combat…Gladiator like...

Renown in the land as a killer...

A widow maker.

Covered in defensive armor.

Shielded by a competent, trained warrior to protect him from being struck, while he slings his spear and sword killing all in his path.

And, we read...

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

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

Forty days of this.

These degrading, fear–inducing threatenings...

Over and over by this fierce, enormous, towering, champion warrior...

He had the entire army, including King Saul...

Cowering in their tents...

Fleeing from Goliath’s approach...

They were, in a very real way, held captive by this enemy.

They were in the bondage of fear...

Fear of losing out on life...

Fear of death by a cruel enemy.

24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.

For forty days, Israel has been tested to trust in the Lord...

And Israel has failed to do so.

What are they going to do?

Who will deliver them from this torturous bondage?

They need a hero, a conqueror...

For forty days, morning and evening...

The battle lines would be formed...

And, then Goliath would make his taunt...

Make his challenge...

Make degrading remarks against the Israelites...

And defy the armies of the living God.

One thing has now changed in this forty day stand off...

1 Samuel 17:23 (ESV)

23 ...Goliath...came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

For the first time, David has overheard the mocking champion, Goliath.

And, within himself is a zeal for the glory of the Lord that rises up and cannot be hushed.

The Soldiers Talk

David is told by soldiers what King Saul has offered anyone who defeats Goliath.

It’s a promise of:

Great riches to the Victor

the King’s daughter as a bride

No taxes for the Conqueror’s father

David hears the soldiers talking about the awesomeness of this enemy...

And, David’s response is this...

26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “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?”

David is like, “have you all forgotten who we serve?!”

But, as David is speaking about what should be done to this Philistine wretch...

Word gets to King Saul that David is speaking that this Goliath should have already been defeated.

Saul wants a Word with David

Saul tells David it’s ridiculous to think that he, a youth, can defeat Goliath...

Goliath is a seasoned, behemoth, veteran, champion who has been fighting & winning since he was a youth...

And, David is only a youth.

But, David cannot be calmed.

David tells Saul how he has killed bears and lions who have stolen sheep from his flock...

And, this Philistine will end up just like one of the beasts, dead.

But, David does something incredibly important...

He doesn’t take credit for killing those beasts...

He gives the credit to God.

1 Samuel 17:37 (ESV)

37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

What Happened to Saul? What Convinced Him?

First, Saul basically laughs at David and reminds David that he’s just a kid.

Saul tells David this is an impossible task for such a youth as David to go against a killer like Goliath.

Next thing you know, after a couple of stories from David...

And Saul tells David to go fight Goliath.

What switched in Saul’s mind?

Was Saul convinced God was with David?

Maybe, Saul was inspired by David’s faith in the Lord and in a moment of inspiration gave in to David’s request.

Did Saul grow weary of David’s zeal & courageous talk?

Maybe, Saul decided that if David lost he would deny that David was sent out by the King.

No matter what Saul’s reasoning, what we see next is...

1 Samuel 17:38 (ESV)

38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor.

Saul and all the soldiers...

They seem to be trusting in what they can see.

Soldier, armor, size, braun…nothing in their eyes seem to match the champion Goliath.

No wonder they’re cowering.

Who wouldn’t.

David, his trust is not in physical things.

David doesn’t trust in horses or chariots.

David knows, the real Conqueror...

The real Deliverer is the Lord Almighty.

David is Ready to Rest in God

So, David heads down to the battle with his staff in his hand.

Picked up five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch.

His sling in his hand.

And, he approaches the killer, Goliath.

41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.

Goliath immediately notices:

the size & youth of David

the lack of weaponry on David

And, he starts mocking David.

And he tells David that he’s about to tear him to pieces and feed him to the animals.

And, then David makes multiple & beautiful statements of faith in the sovereign God...

45 ...“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts,... 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand...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.”

Well, we know how it ends.

David runs toward Goliath and slings a stone at Goliath...

And it hits him square in the forehead and it sinks into his forehead and Goliath falls face first into the dirt...

And, Goliath is dead.

God delivered Goliath into the hands of David.

God delivered His people from the enemy that held them in bondage for forty days.

Saul Wants to Make Good on His Promise

And so, we read in conclusion of this story...

58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

The Point of the Passage

This passage has been applied in so many ways:

Find your courage and be like David.

God can do mighty things through the smallest people.

God can do the impossible, you just have to believe.

Believe like David and you will overcome your Goliath’s.

Face your Goliath’s like David and your Goliath’s will go away.

The list goes on.

Not that there aren’t good things in those applications...

And, there are some true applications in that list.

But, sometimes your Goliath is cancer...

And you don’t defeat it…not the way the world views defeating it.

Sometimes your Goliath is a bad boss, horrible job, hostile work environment, or mean peers...

And, they don’t change or go away...

Or, if they do...they just get replaced with the next Goliath in your life.

Is the point of the passage that we need to be like David...

And we just need to do like David did.

Here’s the reality is:

we are not the anointed King of Israel...

God has not made a covenant with us to be the King of Israel...

God has not made a pledge that the Messiah would come through our lineage.

we’re not an army fighting battles in valleys against armies with a champion giant.

Here’s what I believe is the main point of the passage in the “There & Then.”

We see that:

God is working, even in such seemingly tragic circumstance such as this, to keep His covenant promises to His people.

The promise that an eternal King from the tribe of Judah is being initiated.

Saul has been rejected by God for his unbelief and he’s acting like it.

The Spirit of God has left Saul and he’s acting like it.

But God is intervening by working in David to keep the Nation safe from their enemies.

The Spirit of God rushed upon David at his anointing and we’re told that the Spirit remained on David from that day forward.

And, this passage is a wake up call for the people to awaken to the Lord...

because no matter the enemy...

no matter the circumstances...

God is on His throne and will keep His promises.

Here’s what I believe is the application of the passage in the “Here & Now”:

We have an enemy like Goliath, but greater.

That enemy is more deadly than Goliath.

We do not have the power, weapons, or fortitude to slay this enemy.

We have already been enslaved by the enemy.

We’re not David running towards the enemy.

We are not David in this story.

We’re the soldiers cowering in their tents.

And we, like them, need a Conqueror who will slay the enemy and deliver us from bondage.

That enemy is Sin & Death & the Devil.

We’ve enslaved ourselves by our own unrighteousness.

We do not have what it takes to redeem/free us from captivity.

We need Someone who can and who will free us.

We need Someone who can make us righteous.

To redeem us from our unrighteousness.

We need a hero, a conqueror who always, perfectly trusts the Lord, no sin, a better David.

Remember when Saul calls David to him to ask who his father is...

And we read...

“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

God foretold of a Conqueror who would bring comfort to those who were broken-hearted over their bondage to sin.

God promised that there would be a Deliverer who would come and crush the head of the enemy.

Promises like...

Jeremiah 23:5–6 (ESV)

5 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

The Lord, Jesus Christ is the better David.

He is the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant.

Christ has a new and better covenant than the old.

Christ is the ultimate Conqueror.

As we looked last week in the gospel of John...

Who is our Victor?

Who can fight for us and defeat the enemy?

Behold the Lamb of God...

Jesus the Conquerer

1 Corinthians 15:56–57 (ESV)

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let’s think about this...

What do you see as your greatest enemy?

So often we perceive that our greatest enemy…is the greatest conflict in our life at the moment.

You ever see someone get recognized, honored for something they’ve accomplished.

And, what rises up in us is envy, and there’s no way we’re going to congratulate/honor them…

Or if we do, it’s not true encouragement…

It’s flattery to save face.

And we think, why should I encourage them, honor them…

I mean, I haven’t been honored.

Plus, all that person is getting is a big head.

And so the perceived deliverer in that moment for us is for that person to be humbled…

Or for me to be exalted.

When all the while our true Deliverer from that circumstance is really Christ...

Who paid for our sin of envy.

Who drank the wrath we deserver for our desire to be boasted in.

Who gives us real value and identity that will pass the grave & judgment.

Have you ever been in a really difficult situation, not threatened with harm, but a hostile work environment, or a friend that is being very difficult or something like that.

And our response is to run from the situation, run from the friendship, quit the job…even though there are good people who need ministering to left behind…

And, so we perceive our greatest enemy is the difficult friend or the hostile work environment…

And the perceived deliverer would be a new friend or a new work place…

When in reality no matter where we run or what new friend we get...

There will always be a Goliath.

When all the while the real Deliverer from those difficult situations...

Is Christ...

To lean on Him as your Protector in those situations.

To trust that Christ will be your ultimate friend in a difficult friendship.

To trust that Christ will be your Healer if that friend does inflict heartache upon you.

To trust that Christ will defend you in the midst of hostility in the work environment.

What are you currently looking at in your life situation as your greatest enemy?

And, who/what are you looking to to deliver you?

Let me share something with you...

The real enemy behind our every enemy is our vulnerability to sin.

The temptation to fall captive to our perceived needs.

And, never actually gain sight of our real need...

Freedom from our real enemy: sin & death.

The freedom from that vulnerability & guilt of sin & consequence of death is Christ.

He is our Conqueror, our Deliverer, & our Savior.

He calls us to trust in His power, His finished work...

And to stop from our efforts to deliver ourself...

And rest in Him.

Trust in His power, not your own.

The Resurrection

Christ’s resurrection is what we celebrate today in a special way.

The resurrection proves that Christ accomplished His mission in a way that perfectly satisfied the Father.

Jesus not only trusted in the Lord for 40 days...

He trusted in the Lord every millisecond of His entire life...

So, He could represent those who were faithless.

You and Me.

Christ perfectly completed His mission...

Therefore, we can be assured of our victory over Sin & Death, and the Devil...

In Him!

We have a Conqueror.

We have a Deliverer.

We have a Hero.

His name is Jesus!

Closing Prayer