Israel - Azekah, Elah Valley

Slide 1 - Obligatory Food slide

We’ll start with the obligatory food slide.

Every day at lunch we had a picnic until we got into the cities.

Our Jerusalem picnic was a fluke because the restaurant messed up our order.

I forget what city we at in a restaurant - oh, and we ate in the restaurant at Qumram.

But other than that - picnics

And what is a picnic with Lay’s potato chips?

You can see we had barbeque, plain and sour cream and onion - because that’s what the pictures say.

But they had the best dill pickles known to man.

Slide 2 - Map from Shemesh to Azeka and Elah Fortress

So the last time we met we talked about Bet Shemesh.

Anyone remember what the geographic area where Bet Shemesh is located? (Shephelah)

What is the significance of the Shephelah? (Fertile, place of war)

Who lived on the coast? (Philistines)

And of course you went up from the coast to Jerusalem that is located in the Judean mountains.

On day one, we traveled from Bet Shemesh to Tel Azekah - a distance of 8 - 9 miles.

Azekah was settled around 3500 B.C. and because of it’s location, it grew to be a fortress city.

It was on high ground with semi-narrow passes in the valley below - easy to defend.

It was destroyed though sometime between 1500 - 1000 BC and was resettled by Israel.

We were there because it overlooks the Elah Valley - the place where David and Goliath met around 1022 BC.

But there’s a little more to Azekah’s story.

In 701 BC, King Sennacherib of Assyria conquered Azekah.

Azekah was described in Assyrian texts as “an eagle’s nest…with towers that project to the sky like swords.” (https://azekah.org/about-tel-azekah-2/)

It was rebuilt by Judah but it would be able to withstand what was coming.

In 586 BC, the Babylonians swept in from the north - the way most conquering armies came.

Jeremiah 34:7 “when the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that were left, Lachish and Azekah, for these were the only fortified cities of Judah that remained.”

There was a ostracon recovered at Lachish - an ostracon is a piece of pottery used as writing materials.

It described the Babylonian conquest.

Keep in mind, there was no fast way to communicate except by line of sight.

The cities would have signal-fires at night that could be seen for a distance.

The ostracon describes the panic of the people at Lachish as they slowly saw the signal fires in the distance winking out.

Headed their way.

One of the entries was meant as a warning to Jerusalem, “for we cannot see any more, the fire-signals of Azekah.”

That meant Lachish was next.

Slide 3 - Azekah Aerial view

This view is looking towards the north.

That’s the Elah Valley surrounding it - but that’s not the David and Goliath site.

I suspect back in the day the shrub trees were either not there or kept very short so you could see your enemy as they approached.

Slide 4 - Azekah looking up

It is a bit of a hike to get there.

Use the trees for scale and you can see it is a reasonable hill.

It is a national park now - there is a finished footpath up one side - which we used.

They have stone markers along the way - in Hebrew - that tell the stories.

Slide 5 - Azekah drone panorama - click on the slide to start the video

As the slide progresses

Notice there are excavations on the sides and on the top

at 35 second mark - Use people for scale - see how small their rooms were in contrast to the size of the people

Notice the double wall for fortification with looser rock approaches

very hard to climb - lots of slippling

Notice all of the loose rock down the hillside.

It looks to me that a lot of them are uniform in size and shape - lead me to believe they were cast down as the last people conquered the city.

Final notice

Off in the distance is a city - I’m not sure what city it is - but imagine living in a very modern place that within eye shot are the remains of a city that is 5,500 years old.

It was first settled in 3,500 BC - now it’s 2024 AD - That’s 5,524 years.

Slide 6 - Azekah room

This is a view looking down into the excavation on the top of the tell.

The walls look to be about 18 inches thick - and maybe it’s 6 feet deep - probably had a higher roof in it’s day.

Also - you see a little concrete - you didn’t see much but in a few places, excavators placed some concrete to preserve the walls and in some places, rebuild walls with original stone.

Slide 7 - Azekah trees - Elah Valley

I included this one because it is just so stinking pretty.

Notice the benches under the trees have historic sayings carved into them - in Hebrew.

In the back ground is the Elah Valley - looking to the left you see a small mountain with a valley then another mountain.

That’s very close to David and Goliath.

Slide 8 - Elah Valley - my picture

As you can tell from the cheesy title, this is one of my pictures.

I’m disappointed in the titles - but on many pictures I’d never remember what I was seeing without them.

This is a better view of the battle site.

The Israelites would have been camping at the base and on the hill in the foreground.

The Philistines would have been camping on the opposite side at the base and on that hill.

And keep in mind, all of the people of Judah living at Azekah would have a ring side seat.

Follow that thought.

For 40 days they could see a giant walk into the field - they couldn’t hear him it was too far.

But you can’t tell me that over that amount of time someone from the Elah Fortress wouldn’t have made the 2 -3 mile trek to Azekah and told them what was up.

For 40 days - longer actually because they would have seen the Philistines moving in, setting up camp.

But for 40 days they’d see no one challenge the giant.

And they would wonder and they would worry - what happens if our guys lose?

What happens to our women and children because certainly they will come here next - and if they can beat Saul and his army - what chance do we have?

Remember as you read the text, it’s not spoken into a vacuum.

Real people were affected - worries just like you.

Fear - anger - fight - everything you feel - they felt.

Wonder - what will the Lord do?

Will He deliver us?

Or will He discipline us?

And it’s all of us - we are very pagan in our belief that the individual reigns supreme.

Remember, it’s the nation of Israel - and now there is the church

Groups of people who can be sinful and be disciplined

Or groups of people who can be protected and delivered.

And it’s not based on the Lord’s whim - but on the holiness and devoutness of His people.

Not His individuals - but His people.

We are in this together.

Slide 9 - Azekah drone to Elah - click on the slide for video

That’s not our group, but it could have been because we stopped under that tree for a devotion.

I spared you the pictures of Anna (my daughter) and I here - you’re welcome.

Slide 10 - Azekah pottery shards

When the archeologists excavate, they sift the dirt through screens - you’ve seen them.

The sifted out so many pottery shards that they no longer needed to keep just the every day piece of pottery.

So they pour them out - and anyone can take one that they want.

Which we did - and I hope I remembered to bring mine for you to see it.

Mine is from a later period of time - probably closer to 500 BC or so

You can tell because it is very smooth and relatively thin - that shows a Greek influence.

They were better pot makers than the early Israelites.

Slide 11 - Anna pottery shard

The older stuff is over 3000 years old - it’s is thicker and rougher.

You can see the impurities in this piece and see how it’s thicker if you look towards the edges.

But - like they say, if you’ve seen one pottery shard, you’ve seen them all so let’s move on.

Slide 12 - Map to the Elah Fortress

So we didn’t go to the Elah Fortress - but we need to see it because it’s very important - I’ve got pictures from Andy Cook

On this map, it’s called Khirbet Qeiyafa and it’s about 2 - 3 miles SOUTH of Azekah.

(Show how the Elah Valley wraps around the area and passes Bet Shemesh.)

Slide 13 - Elah Fortress view of Elah Valley

So we are getting very close to the story of David and Goliath

Again, this is the Elah Fortress and it is on the summit of the mountain.

This is where Saul was cowering in the face of the Philistines and their Giants.

Obviously Goliath was the largest of the bunch, but let’s talk about his folks for a minute.

Goliath was from Gath.

Gath was a Philistine city located about 10 miles southeast of Bet Shemesh.

And some of the folks from that area were extremely large.

In 2nd Samuel it mentions 4 extremely large people that the Israelites defeated.

But right here, Saul cowered.

There is no other way to explain it - if he had had confidence

In Himself

In His troops

In God - if God brought him to the battle -

What is the song we sing?

“Even what the enemy means for evil, you turn it for our good

“You turn it for our good and for your glory

“Even in the valley, you are faithful

“You’re working for our good

“You’re working for our good and for your glory.” (Sovereign Over Us)

If he had believed that, he would have attacked.

But he didn’t.

In fact, he might have stood right where you are looking.

Slide 14 - Elah Fortress looking at Tel Azekah

Maybe during his many days of being here and his 40+ days of taunting by Goliath

He walked to the back of the fortress.

Just over 2 miles in the distance this is what he would have seen - Tel Azekah.

He would see smoke rising from fires to cook food, maybe keep warm.

He would know that within those walls and in the surrounding land - there were women and children depending on him to keep them safe.

If he failed, the Philistines would conquer Tel Azekah next.

Some women and children would be abused.

Some carried off into slavery.

And all of the men would be killed.

A generation would be destroyed.

All of this would have been on King Saul’s mind

As he woke up to another day

With a very, very large man standing in a field taunting them.

And the largest, tallest Israelite - was Saul himself.

Go to Google Earth - Elah Fortress - Google Drive - Google earth folder

Click 2D then 3D to get motion

You can see the incredible view of the valley Saul would have had from here.

He and some of his men would have been in the fortress - but it wasn’t that large.

100 meters - just over 300 feet - the length of a football field end to end.

The Israelites would have been camped in front of the fortress down the slopes.

Pan out until you can see both sides of the valley

On the opposite side, on the hillside and up on that flat portion of ridge the Philistines would have camped.

Remember, they marched up the valley from the coastal plain, past Bet Shemesh to get here.

Pan back in until you can see the Wadi

Do you see the words at the top Nahal HaEla?

That’s a wadi - where rainwater travels on it’s way to the sea.

Now, this is modern topography so the land might have been a little different then.

But - David talked to Saul at the fortress.

David would have had to walk down this hillside.

David would have had to cross the Nahal HaEla - where there would have been a multitude of smooth stones weathered by thousands of years of rains.

Slide 15 - Elah Valley from the Bus

I didn’t realize it until preparing for the study today

But this is our view from the bus

We are going over a bridge - and the bridge was over the Nahal HaEla

You can see the stones in the stream bed.

It’s not very large - but it didn’t need to be did it?

It simply needed to be big enough for David to find 5 perfect stones for his slingshot.

Slide 16 - Click on the slide to start the video

Let the entire video play before speaking

This is where David defeated Goliath

See that line of trees - that’s the Nahal HaEla - obviously it’s very wet or the trees wouldn’t grow.

You can see it is cultivated now

It would have been farmland then.

David walked through whatever was growing to approach a vile, foul mouthed heathen taunting Israel and blaspheming God.

9 foot 9 in tall Goliath

Less than 5 foot tall - maybe less than 4 foot tall David.

You can hear the Israeli army muttering to themselves as this midget stood before the giant - “We’re dead.”

Text - 1 Samuel 16:14-17:58.

There is too much to tell today - we could easily spend days on this - so let’s hit the high spots.

First, back up to 1 Samuel 16:12–13 “And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.”

Tell me about David (What does ruddy mean? Suntaned)

Samuel anointed him King of Israel - but on the sly right?

No one knows but this family - and as a theme we see over and over, the older brothers will later prove that they don’t approve.

“And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily on David from that day forward.”

David was “made new,” right?

But what changed in David’s life at that moment?

Nothing at all.

1 Samuel 16:14–23 ESV

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his son to Saul. And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

There is no such thing as karma or coincidence or chance.

1 Samuel Chapter 23: In Service to King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14–23)

Things do not merely happen for a reason in general, but the events of our own lives happen for God’s holy, wise, and infinitely good purposes

David had no clue what he was getting into - he simply tried to follow the Lord.

When he was anointed, he didn’t head to Jerusalem - he went back to the fields.

Nothing changed until Saul called for David - and that happened not because Saul had plans for David’s life - but because Saul had “an harmful spirit” and the only thing that soothed his mind was music.

Let’s talk about the harmful spirit for a second because that’s scary to me.

Do you mean the Lord could send - if you are reading the KJV it says “Evil Spirit.”

So here’s the question that comes to my mind - how can a man that had the spirit of God resting on him, have that spirit removed and now the Lord sends a harmful spirit on him?

Any ideas?

Why would God do that?

Discipline - Saul had rebelled against God a multitude of times - and it appears God’s patience runs out at some point.

Yes we have grace

But also yes, the Lord expects us to cling to him as best we can.

That’s why I have trouble with folks who were “Saved” when they were seven and yet live like the devil all of their life.

That seems to be to be an impossibility - the Lord isn’t off in a cloud wringing His hands hoping you don’t do something stupid.

He’s actively working to discipline His own and if there isn’t discipline, I’m not so sure that you are His own - I’d worry about that at the last.

Plus, remember Paul, “2 Corinthians 12:7 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.”

“A messenger of Satan to harass” sounds like a harmful spirit to me.

God is for our good and His glory.

So to soothe the harmful spirit, David was called into the royal court, where, when he was there - it seems he came and went as needed - he got to learn what a king was required to do from Saul himself.

Saul trained his successor and had no clue he was doing it.

1 Samuel 17:1–8 ESV

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. 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. 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. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 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. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 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. 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.

Tell me about Goliath?

helmet - 30 pounds

coat of mail - 150 pounds

shin guards, javelin

Spear shaft - 15 pounds

spear point - 15 pounds

Slide 17 - David and Goliath

I’m not sure this is very accurate - I don’t know if the Philistine army stood that close to Goliath - and you know the land was flat, not quite like that

but the scale is pretty good.

What’s on Goliath’s shield

It would have been a representation of their god.

So, look at verse 8

Why is Saul cowering in the Elah Fortress?

(Because he has let Goliath frame the battle as between Goliath and Saul - not Goliath and God.)

We do that - we forget - we are too scientific - we are too educated - we believe in God but we forget that the battle belongs to the Lord.

We let the opposition frame it as us and them - and it is not.

All of the evil forces of this world who are going after the people of God aren’t after us - they are after God.

(optional- on the Briefing this week - an activist LGBTQ+ group this week started rating churches in England on their LGBTQ friendliness.

(It’s a 1 to 5 scale with 5 being best and 1 being worst.

(1 and 2 should be avoided - 3 is visit at your own risk and 4 and 5 are churches that embrace the groups agenda.

(why do we care - they are in london

(Because on social media they are urging activist groups around the world to do the same thing and publish them.

(and some will - and we can get all angsty and wring our hands in our fortress of FBC and say whatever will we do if we get rated here - we know we’ll be in the bad group and oh the publicity.

(But its not us and them - it’s them and God - under those terms - how will this turn out?)

1 Samuel 17:8–19 ESV

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. 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.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening. And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.” Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

Saul is recorded - for the last 3000 years of history - as being greatly afraid.

Tell me about David.

Why did Jesse want a token? (to know they were alive)

Verse 19 - Were they really fighting? (no)

1 Samuel 17:20–30 ESV

And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 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?” And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.

Look at verse 25 - what’s wrong with that?

(They have allowed Goliath to frame the argument - He “has come up to defy Israel.”

(Saul is trying to fix the problem with a worldly fix - because Saul is now worldly - he’s lost sight of God.

(give you riches, his daughter and make his father’s house free - rich in other words)

Verse 28 - Eliab had seen David anointed by Saul - but what did he say?

(Why is my punk brother even speaking - that’s just like the little weasel.”

And David reacted like a little brother?

(What did I do?)

1 Samuel 17:31–47 (ESV)

When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.

And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” (Ya’ll quit being afraid - I’ll handle this)

And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,

I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.

Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

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!”

Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,

and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.

Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

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

And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.

And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”

Then David said to the Philistine, “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, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

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,

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.”

Verse 36 - David reframed the battle to it’s correct orientation

He’s not mouthing off at us - He’s defying God’s elect. How dare he do such a thing?

David was concerned with God’s honor - not his own.

God’s honor - I find that convicting.

Do you?

1 Samuel David’s Reasons for Battle

As Martyn Lloyd-Jones said:

The whole purpose of your salvation and mine is that we should glorify the Father.… People come and talk to me, and it is generally put in that way: “What will salvation do for me?” they ask. And the answer that is given so often in our evangelism is, “Believe the gospel, and it will do some marvelous things for you.” I say, thank God that that is true, but, my dear friends, we should not put that first. The ultimate aim and object of our salvation is that we may glorify God.… The essence of salvation is to bring us into the state in which we do glorify God.

Look at verse 43 - See how the battle has been put in proper context?

Goliath “cursed David by his gods.”

Now the battle is against Dagon, and Ashteroth, and Beelzebub - and Jehovah.

3 to 1 against, right?

Verse 45 is one of the coolest verses in the Bible.

1 Samuel 17:45 “Then David said to the Philistine, “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, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

You come to me with the greatest weaponry know to man at this time in history.

But I come to you in the name of the Lord who you have defied.:

Dude - the end is near.

One thing I’ve never considered - look at verse 46

David’s going to cut Goliath’s head off.

What’s he going to use?

David is telling Goliath, I will terminate your existence using the very weapon you plan to use upon me.

That’s bold.

1 Samuel 17:48–54 ESV

When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

Guess when David framed the battle correctly and the Lord showed everyone what He will do for His people - His people gained courage and fought the good fight and routed the enemy.

Now, what does that say about us?

(If we will stand firm - maybe we will give others courage to stand in the face of God’s enemies - and maybe, just maybe we will prevail.)

1 Samuel That All May Know

“The purpose of David’s victory is not simply to save Israel or defeat the Philistines. The purpose is the glorification of Yahweh in the eyes of the world.”

Now, here’s a tidbit - according to what I read, Jerusalem didn’t belong to Israel just yet - it still belonged to the Canaanite group - the Jebusites.

Israel had not fulfilled what the Lord told them to do when they crossed the Jordan into the promised land.

So David bringing Goliath’s head to Jerusalem was him saying, “Look out, cause you are next.”

And I can guarantee you that David had no clue how God’s plan was going to be executed, but he knew it would - so he kept trusting the Lord and putting one foot in front of the other.

That’s all we are called to do, really.

Let’s finish the story.

1 Samuel 17:55–58 ESV

As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Saul paid so little attention to David when he played the lyre to sooth his soul that he didn’t recognize him.

David was a nobody - a shepherd boy

That the Lord had chosen to do mighty things.

Final thought:

1 Samuel David’s Faithful Reply

David’s response to the situation at Elah teaches us that the great affairs of life are all essentially theological. What we do with our lives, how we decide whom to marry, or not, what priorities we pursue, or whether we witness the gospel to friends and neighbors all reveal what we really believe about God. Regardless of our formal profession of faith, if we seldom act on the basis of biblical truth, we show that the world holds greater sway over our minds and hearts than God does. If we shrink from doing difficult things for God, we show that we think him weak, distant, or indifferent.

Moreover, David shows how important it is for Christians to know the truth about God