Standing Up to Giants

God’s Word is full of great stories that help us to see His great love for us. He uses stories that sometimes make us cringe or even shake our heads to see His mercy and grace. I for one am very fond of the Old Testament stories and especially love the life of David. Let us continue in our study in the life of Israel’s greatest king and see why his life is so important to us today.

Identifying the Enemy

talk about SITREP

Anyone who has ever served in the military can tell you that it is important to know who your enemy is. Military members are trained to identify planes, helicopters, vehicles, weapons and even the uniforms of nations that they would come in contact with. Failure to properly identify the enemy can cause one to be easily overtaken or worse to be involved in a friendly fire incident. Lets look at our first passage.

1 Samuel 17:1–11 NLT

The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them. Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder. The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked ahead of him carrying a shield. Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken.

Battle has certainly changed over the years.

Today we have drones flown by pilots who sit in an air-conditioned space somewhere in the world operating a multi-million dollar aircraft far from the danger. Its all much like a video game. As a matter of fact they look for people with a certain kind of hand-eye-coordination that gamers tend to have.

When I served in the Marines, like many other service members, we would set up shooting stakes in a defensive position. We would setup a stake to the left and to the right. This is called your field of fire. You were responsible to shoot and kill anything that came within your field of fire. Each person next to you would also have a field of fire and each of them overlapped so nothing could be outside of the kill zone.

In ancient times the army would show up to a battlefield and make camp. They would set up their tents and go stand in line across the field and wait for the other one to make a move. Since both of the camps had a good position, neither would make a move and give away their advantage.

What they would do is send out one of their best from each side and they would fight. They would continue this process on until something happened.

Goliath was the best that the Philistines had to offer. He was a giant for sure. Look at the description of him:

9 ft tall

wore bronze helmet and coat of mail - 125lbs

wore bronze leg armor

carried a bronze javelin

his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam (iron tip of 15lbs) I looked up and found that this would over 12 ft long

He had an armor bearer walk in front carrying his sheild

As Goliath stood infront of his army taunting the Israelites talking his smack, there was no one in Israel’ army that could stand up to this champion.

At one time there actually was one. He was a man who was head and shoulders taller than any other Israelite. He had the power to cut 2 oxen an send the pieces all throughout the country. (1 Samuel 11:7)

The king who should have been able to stand in front of this Philistine was back at the rear having himself a pity party.

So the taunts of the enemy kept on and the children of God were discouraged.

Today, many people face Goliaths in their lives. These things seem to be so big that there is no way possible for them to be defeated.

The real life giants seem so big and loud.

They got a good look at the enemy that day. Do you even know what your enemy looks like?

That is the first step. Identify the enemy.

I can tell you that its not your government, its not your spouse, its not your school system, its not your neighbor.

These are not your enemy.

But just hold on it gets better.

Showing Up to The Camp

1 Samuel 17:12–31 NLT

Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in the land of Judah. Jesse was an old man at that time, and he had eight sons. Jesse’s three oldest sons—Eliab, Abinadab, and Shimea—had already joined Saul’s army to fight the Philistines. David was the youngest son. David’s three oldest brothers stayed with Saul’s army, but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem. For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army. One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers. And give these ten cuts of cheese to their captain. See how your brothers are getting along, and bring back a report on how they are doing.” David’s brothers were with Saul and the Israelite army at the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines. So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.” But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him.

This scene is so remenicent of a time when Moses sent out 12 scouts to survey the land. (Numbers 13)

They saw the giant and were terrified.

But there were 2 men who saw things dffierently: Joshua and Caleb. What mighty men of faith these 2 were!

Here we have young David who leaves his shepherding duties and does what his father told him to do.

He was just there to deliver some bread and cheese but there is no way that he can ignore what he just encountered.

Sometimes we think we are on a particular mission only to find out that we cannot ignore a certain situation. Have you ever been there? I know I have been guilty of missing it before, but now I look for the mission on the way to the mission.

Much of ministry is done on the way to something else. Amen?

Notice the harrasment of the brother, Eliab.

Remember, he was not chosen by God to be king. Who knows if this played into this conflict or not. But Eliab was giving David a hard time about even being interested in things that were in Eliab’s opinion beyond his place or duty.

If you ever plan to do anything for God, you can expect to have people give you a hard time, and some of those might even be people you thought were close to you.

Not everyone will understand your anointing. Don’t worry about listening to them, listen to God!!!!

Now we see that word gets to Saul that someone is asking questions.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

1 Samuel 17:32–49 NLT

“Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.

You have to love the invicibilty of youth.

I remember when I was young and just out of boot camp at Parris Island. I could take on the world. Then I got a little older and a little more injured and found out that I was very much fallible and flawed.

This may seem like what was going on with young David but look further in the passage and you will see a different story.

He had some experience at fighting off attackers. He fought off the lions and bears that came after his sheep.

Saul must have been laughing out loud when this little fellow came and said he would fight the giant. Remember, it should have been Saul doing that in the first place.

But even in David’s experience of taking care of his sheep he sees that this cannot keep going on.

He also sees that the Lord’s name is at stake.

He knows that the Lord has seen him through the battles in the past and he will do it again.

Is there anyone here who has seen the Lord get them to it and throught it?

I want to point out something I see as a very important part of this whole story. David knew that the battle belonged to the Lord, but He still had to walk out onto that field and stare down that Giant.

The same goes with us. You need to pray but you still have to show up for roll call.

What was ole King Saul supposed to do now? This young kid has the faith that maybe he wished he had and is ready to stand up for God.

The only thing he could do is to let him go and stand up.

He does what he thinks is best and offers David his armor but David finds that it doesnt work for him.

Here is a lesson for the church today:

1. You cannot use the armor of the world: position, power, education, wealth, and influence. These are useless against the enemy that we fight.

2. You cannot use the armor that you have seen other fellow Christians wear. What worked for them, may work for you but it may not. Don’t spend your time copying the behaviors of others and follow the example of Christ. He is our benchmark. Compare yourself to Him through his word, the Bible.

The armor that we need, is what God has provided. It is the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). The armor for a child of God is: TRUTH, RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE GOSPEL, FAITH, SALVATION, SCRIPTURE AND PRAYER.

David did not need fancy equipment or specialized weapons, he just needed one smooth stone and trust in his God.

Today, people are looking for the newest, latest and greatest thing. They will flock to a Bible that is leaking oil or run to a college campus where the Holy Spirit is being manifested.

What you need, you have! Fall in love with Jesus and long for Him.

David saw the same giant that everyone else did but his perspective was so much different.

David would go on to write many psalms including Psalm 34 where he decares that he will praise the Lord at all times. He invites others to come and magnify the Lord with him.

Will you do that today?

Victory

1 Samuel 17:50–58 NLT

So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah gave a great shout of triumph and rushed after the Philistines, chasing them as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron. The bodies of the dead and wounded Philistines were strewn all along the road from Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the Israelite army returned and plundered the deserted Philistine camp. (David took the Philistine’s head to Jerusalem, but he stored the man’s armor in his own tent.) As Saul watched David go out to fight the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” “I really don’t know,” Abner declared. “Well, find out who he is!” the king told him. As soon as David returned from killing Goliath, Abner brought him to Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. “Tell me about your father, young man,” Saul said. And David replied, “His name is Jesse, and we live in Bethlehem.”

Can you picture the scene as Goliath fell to the ground. I can picture the mouths of the Philistines wide open, with their jaws dropping to the ground. The Israelites had to have a similar look. “What in the world just happened.”

What we do see is that the Philistines turned tail and ran. The Israelites were shouting in triumph because the battle had been won and the enemy was running away.

Things were different from that day on.

David trusted God and stood for Him. He represented the people and fought the giant enemy and cut off his head.

Our Lord Jesus did the same thing for all who will call on him as Savior. He took our spot on the cross as the punishment for sin. He defeated the enemies plans and taunts and ruined his plans. The enemy has been defeated.

Is there anyone today that can shout a shout of victory?

Halelujiah!!!

Will you stand with me please?

As we close out today’s service I want to give you an opportunity to respond.

The first response one needs to make is to surrender your life to Jesus. He is drawing people to him today. This is not something that should be put off any longer. Let’s pray together:

Lord, I surrender today.

I admit that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. I need you.

I beleive that Jesus was born and lived a sinless life, he died taking my sin to the grave. He was buried and raised to life on the third day.

I confess you as Lord and Savior and will follow you from now on.

Come and fill me with your Holy Spirit, in Jesus Name!

Here’s the other part of the altar call today:

The altar is a place where God wants to meet you.

Do you need to get things right with Him, or confess a sin? Come and talk with Him.

Do you need God to give you guidance and direction? Come and talk with Him.

Do you just need to praise Him for all He’s done for you? Come and talk with Him.

The Blessing

Numbers 6:24–26“‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.’”