Empowered!
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This morning’s text is a familiar one - it’s a story for the ages, we hear it referred to all the time anytime a, quote, “little guy” takes on a bigger guy. It’s the theme of movies, sports, even reported on in our daily news. It’s the story of David and Goliath.
We all know the gist of the story. David, a little guy takes on Goliath a formidable giant and wins. But there’s more to it than that. I want to take a closer look this morning and first let’s get a look at some in our cast of characters.
First we have Saul - a tall man who stood head and shoulders above anyone in Israel. Why was he chosen? Because the Israelites wanted a king and said,
But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 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.”
...”there shall be a king over us, 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.”
Israel is looking at the outside of a man, so naturally they go for the biggest guy they can find to go fight their battles.
Israel’s army is standing with their king drawn up for battle against the Philistines. They too have a big bad dude to stand behind, and that’s Goliath.
Just how big was Goliath?
6 cubits and a span in height.
1 cubit = 18 inches
1 span = 1/2 a cubit or 9 inches
6 X 18 = 108 inches or 9 feet!
9 feet + the span = 9 ft. 9in.
His armor - His coat of mail weighed over 120 lbs.
His spearhead weighed almost 15 lbs. - equal to about a gallon and 3 quarts of water. And that didn’t include the shaft of the spear that was like a weaver’s beam!
It is safe to say that Goliath was huge, and strong, and overwhelming in his size and strength.
Then, we have David.
How big was David?
We don’t know for sure
Youngest (or smallest) of his brothers. (16:11)
Described as a youth, (17:42)
Certainly smaller than Saul.
Definitely a lot smaller than Goliath
So let’s hear from God’s word about this battle that is looming from 1 Samuel 17, we’ll be beginning at vs. 41.
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.”
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.
Reader: This is a reading from God’s Word.
Congregation: Thanks be to God.
EMPOWERED!
EMPOWERED!
Most people love a good underdog story. About anyone overcoming obstacles and becoming great. About people who by the worlds definition should not succeed and then watching them do just that. This is why the David and Goliath story rings so true for us and even us today.
There’s one key verse I want to key in on in our reading today and that’s what David says to Goliath in vs. 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.
David is not seeking his own glory. It’s not about him. It’s about God.
How often do we forget the power that is with us in our daily lives as those who follow the living God?
In the Great Commission as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (speaking of Himself)” and finished with “I am with you always.”
What’s your Goliath? What is it in your life that just feels overwhelming and impossible to defeat? That’s how the Israelite army looked at Goliath! They said, he’s so big there’s no way we can defeat him. The Philistine army thought the same thing, they were saying, he’s so big, no one will dare to challenge us. And then David, a youth, a little guy, comes along and takes their “giant” away and suddenly the Israelites are empowered and the Philistines are running scared. The Israelites looked at Goliath and said, there’s nothing we can do, and David looked at Goliath and said “If I do something I can’t miss!” Why was he so confident? Because He knew on whom he believed.
It really is a matter of where we put our trust:
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
If you’re doing things for your own glory, if you’re seeking everyone to look at you, the Lord will humble you. Yet, when we lean into and trust God - God is glorified.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
You will be my witnesses - we can’t say we’ve got the Holy Spirit in us if we’re not shining God’s light to those around us, witnessing, testifying to what the LORD is doing in our lives.
You have been empowered. If you do not feel like you have been I want to invite you to pray with me, even if you know you’re empowered pray with me.
Lord Jesus, I’m choosing to follow you.
Forgive me for all the times I’ve turned to my own selfish ways.
Give me the strength to walk in your ways.
Holy God send your Holy Spirit to fill me, and be glorified in me and through me. Amen.
Jesus said,
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
To God be the glory! Amen!