1 Samuel 17-18:4; The Serpent-Crushing Shame-killing Shepherd

Introduction

Image:

Sociologist and Missiologists describe cultures as guilt-innocence cultures or honor-shame cultures. In America, we have a guilt-innocence culture. We think of right and wrong in terms of guilty or innocent. If a father robs a bank and is caught, we feel sorry for the wife and children he left at home. In an honor-shame culture, the entire family would receive shame because of the actions of the father. Depending upon the level of shame, the extended family may even cut off the wife and children from the rest of the family as a way to remove shame on themselves.

Arizone State University - 2/9/24 https://newcollege.asu.edu/global-human-rights-hub/fellows-program/ghr-fellows-blog/namrata

The limited and scarce data on honor killings shows that nearly 5,000 women and girls are annually killed for honor worldwide and almost one-third of them are from India and Pakistan. Furthermore, it is important to consider here that these numbers are highly under-reported; as a result, some reports even estimate that the number of honor killings that happen worldwide annually is actually around 20,000. Several reports again highlight the recent hike in honor killings in several countries like India, Iran and Jordan…

The Bible condemns these actions. The Bible progressively promotes an innocence ethic. Since our culture has moved away from this paradigm, we can miss how the Bible talks about honor and shame in this cultural context.

Need:

This morning, I want us to see the weight that honor and shame can have over people. But we also get to see how Jesus can take our guilt and shame and crush it on our behalf.

Referent:

1 Samuel 17-18:4

Organization:

Briefly retell the highlights

Pray

Shameful Serpent (Goliath)

Shameful Soldiers (Soldiers and Saul)

Shame-crushing Savior (David)

Application

Sermon in a sentence:

The good shepherd crushed the serpent and my shame.

The Shameful Serpent

Goliath is described as this animal that brings shame upon Israel.

Read vs. 4-11.

He is this haughty man that comes and defies God. Like Satan himself. (Defy-

Bronze - נְחֹ֫שֶׁת (nehoshet) is similar to Nahash-serpent and we see these words used together often (Numbers

Mail (scales) - קַשְׂקֶ֫שֶׂת (qasqesim) Lev 11:9.

In verses 25-26 He is a disgrace. And he defies Israel and the living God.

Verse 16 tells us that Goliath takes his stand twice a day for 40 days.

Verse 36 compares him to the lion and bear. He is the uncircumcised Philistine that defies the armies of the living God.

Verse 37 compares Goliath an animal by saying God delivered from the יָד (yad) hand of the lion, bear, and Philistine

Read vs. 43-45. He is compared to a dog. David will have dominion over this animal just as Adam had dominion over the animals in the Garden. Goliath will fall because he has defied the God of Israel.

Goliath is a representative of his god Dagon.

Like Dagon in Chapter 5, He will fall, have his head crushed and removed, and fall before Yahweh

We know in a greater scale, Goliath is representative offspring of the serpent.

Genesis 3:15 ESV

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Yes, the devil still uses the old Goliath tactic against God’s people. Satan uses fear, intimidation, and shame to silence God’s people and enslave them.

I have shared with you many times, but I see this especially with sexual abuse. I was watching an interview with the first woman to publically accuse the IHOP pastor, Mike Bickel, of sexual abuse. Debra Perkins did not have sex with Mike. However, at the age of 19, Mike manipulated her and used her. It wasn’t until she was watching an interview with a victim of Bill Cosby that Perkins said she woke up. The victim of Cosby recounted how she did not like alcohol but Bill pressured her to drink with him. She later woke up after Bill put a drug in her drink. Perkins said that was when she woke up. When she was 19, Mike took Perkins with a group from the church to a missions event in Paris. After pressuring her to drink, she woke up in her hotel room the next morning. She thinks he drugged her that night.

Brothers and sisters, countless men, women, boys, and girls have been trapped by the shame and guilt the enemy uses to imprison us. Revelation 12:10 tells us that Satan is the accuser of the brethren. Do not let him use shame and guilt to keep you. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom, amen?

The Shameful Soldiers

Read verses 24-30. The men were terrified and not willing to remove the reproach or shame that Goliath was shoving into their faces.

Eliab, David’s eldest brother heard David’s questions. He tries to shame David by asking him about his sheep.

Read verse 20. It tells us that David left the sheep in good care.

In chapter 16, David was not at the feast because he was taking care of the sheep. It’s like the author is contrasting the poor “shepherding” of Saul and the responsible shepherd David.

The author then turns to Saul. Read verses 31-33 and 38-39. Saul sends for David.

And belittles him with his questions and comparison of Goliath and David.

David fires back, “Your servant (not you) will go and fight…” Remember, why did Israel demand a king?

1 Samuel 8:19–20 “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.””

Saul puts David in his armor because thats the only way he knows to fight. Sword with Sword. Spear for Spear. Arrow for Arrow. He thinks like a king from

Saul returns the insult by putting his armor on David.

Many times our sin is a reaction to our own shame or hurt. Even the sweetest puppy will often hide or run away from the people that love it the most when it is wounded. And if you get too close or try to help that sweet angel, it can attack you or bite you in a sense of self preservation. Humans aren’t any different. When we are hurt we will lash out at anyone close by. These men were ashamed that they were too scared to fight. And they put down anyone that dared to have faith in God.

There is a group of abolitionists in Oklahoma that go out to college campuses, renaissance fairs, festivals, and spread the truth about abortion. It is typical to see people become angry, hostile, and even outright demonic. However, there are those that claim the name of Christ that try to persuade this group to stop spreading their message. They will talk about how its not effective. Its not changing anyone’s mind. Brothers and sisters, doing something for the kingdom of God in faith is a lot more effective than sitting by and doing nothing. Or even worse, giving our support to sin.

Church, I cannot encourage you enough to not live in shame and guilt. You will tear down those around you and even yourself.

Many times in the church, people become hurt and bitter when we are challenged. We pick up our ball and go home. A professor became a pastor in a smaller, older congregation in Louisville. They once had a full day care, 2 or 3 hundred members. But they had declined for years. The pastor wanted to update the membership rolls. They sent letters and called every member they could for months. The letters and calls were to inform all the members that they would have membership renewals. They were going to have a special membership Sunday service.

Verses 55-58 and 18:2. Abner is too afraid to tell the king what he probably knew as a commander of the army.

Saul becomes jealous of David and tries to make David give Saul the glory for the victory. He then makes David stay with him after David doesn’t give in.

The Shame-killing Savior

Verses 12-15 reminds who David is by reminding us of the same info from last chapter.

He is the smallest son of Jesse. The three oldest brothers we saw last chapter, went to battle and David was still a shepherd.

David is a man of war, a man of valor. 1 Samuel 16:18 “18 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.””

And He is the anointed king. He is the “messiah”.

The first time David speaks in scripture is 1 Samuel 17:22 . Everyone has been talking about the shame upon Israel. But David is the first to mention the shame upon God.

Verse 33 tells us that David is willing to fight the champion (the man in between) on behalf of God’s people. He would be the champion, the man in between The Serpent and God’s people.

Verse 40, The author took all the time and detail to recount Goliath’s armor, his deadly weaponry, superior technology, and yeah Goliath had a shield bearer. David is just being a faithful shepherd and thats how the author describes him to us.

Verse 45, Once again, David reminds everyone who is fighting here. It’s not the outward appearance of the fighters that is important. Instead, what is important is whats on the inside. Is Dagon or Yahweh going to win this battle?

Verse 46 uses creation language. Not only is David this shepherd king, but the language is connecting David back to Adam. David is this new Adam who will have dominion over this snake, just as Adam was supposed to in the Garden.

Verses 48-54, David crushed the head of the serpent, just as God promised in Genesis 3:15.

He then took Goliath’s own sword and cut off his head with it. (Dagon, Haman, and Golgotha)

David’s victory over the serpent strengthens the Israelites to fight and plunder the Philistines.

Matthew 12:25 ESV

25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand.

1 John 3:8 tells us that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil.

Application

Repent and put your faith in the Serpent-Crushing Shame-Killing Savior.

Crush the shame, guilt, and schemes of the devil.

Take a smooth stone and remind yourself each day this week or what Jesus has done on your behalf. And remind yourself that Jesus has called you to take heart, crush the head of the serpents in your life, take more ground from the enemy.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, the battles that this world throws our way are too much for us to fight alone. The weight of the accusations of Satan, the weight of our personal sin, the weight of our personal shame is too much!

Martin Luther said, “So when the devil throws your sin in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this, ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there shall be also!’

Can I encourage us, when that serpent opens its mouth to shame us. When our sin creeps back into our life, let us look to our great champion Jesus. Let us put our faith in him while we pick up our stones to crush the head of the enemy and his tactics.