A Shepherd Slays A Giant
TGP A Kingdom Provided • Sermon • Submitted
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· 9 viewsGod wins the victory through His chosen one and is due all the glory and honor
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Well we are continuing in our series called “The Gospel Project” this morning where we are currently looking at the period in history where God provided a Kingdom for His people. It is found in the book of 1 Samuel and today we are going to be looking at probably one of the most, in not the most well known story in the Old Testament. So before we dive into the text, I thought it might be best to hear what some experts have to say about the Story of King David, the man after God’s own heart. Check this out...
Video [Kid’s Bible History: David and Goliath]
Tension
What a great telling of this beloved Bible Story, you know Jesus said...
3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
So there is certainly something for us to learn from the way our children tell the great Bible stories that they have learned. There are things that “get” that we can easily miss.
But what are we to do with this great story. It is so well known that we find it popping up in cultural references all the time. It seems that whenever there is a big discrepancy between the size of two opponents on either side of a conflict it is described as a “David and Goliath” moment, but there are certainly more things to take from this story than the victory of an underdog.
Especially as we look at this smaller story in light of the BIG story. Remember, the Big story is that even though we have rejected God in our sin and selfishness, God is always moving to bring His people back to a right relationship with Him. How does this little story, that has gotten such big play time in our world, reflect that bigger story? It is a very important question because as we seek to understand all of God’s Word through the lens of the Gospel, we can easily miss how this story applies to us.
the role that iplace ourselves in the wrong role in this story. And if we are to bring this story even closer to our lives, to apply it’s principles and implications, where do we see ourselves in this story?
Often times when reflecting on this familiar story, pastors and teachers will approach it from the angle of having courage like David no matter the Giant that you might face. And certainly, David did display admirable courage in the face of what appeared to be overwhelming odds, but we could say that about a lot of men of women throughout history. There must be something more in this story. There must be something deeper here than just a good underdog story. To find it, we have to remember how this story is but one page in God’s much greater story.
You see, typically we when we read stories, and especially familiar stories, we tend to put ourselves in the role of the main character. We ask ourselves questions like, “What would we do if we were in David’s shoes?” and “How would we respond to a situation in our life as David responded to the situation in his?”. But maybe the main character of the story is not where we belong.
What would happen, do you think, if we looked at this story not through the eyes of David, but the eyes of another character in the story? How would it change how we apply this story if we knew that the role of David had already been cast and given to someone else, and we are to play a different role. Then who would we relate to? Who would we see ourselves as? And if that role is more fitting for us, what can we learn from it?
My hope is that we will all be looking for the answers to those questions as we unpack this legendary story and look for the elements of the Big story in this smaller one.
Open your Bibles with me to , p. 238 in the Bible in the chairs, I’ll pray and we will dive into this story together.
You see we when we read stories we typically put ourselves in the role of the main character.
David often gets credit that is due to the Lord, but there is an element of David seeing the sitution in the correct way. He had eyes to see that Goliath was mocking the LORD and David knew that this would not go unchallenged by God.
David often gets credit that is due to the Lord, but there is an element of David seeing the sitution in the correct way. He had eyes to see that Goliath was mocking the LORD and David knew that this would not go unchallenged by God.
Sometimes God asks that we take the first step and then he moves?
Truth
Remember last week we saw how the King that God chose for His people went from obeying Him faithfully to disobeying Him horribly. God gave him everything that he needed to be a good King, but he chose to listen to the pressures of the people instead of the Word of God. Sadly, that is not an unfamiliar story among Christian leaders in our day. So God, in His love for His people, sent his prophet Samuel to rebuke him. Going back to chapter 13 we read:
take some time this week to read through it yourself. If for no other reason than to look for the things that I missed or got wrong and then come challenge me with it. I would love that. Anyway...
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 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.” 13 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.
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul’s servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 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.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 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.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 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. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 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.
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.
12 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. 13 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. 14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
17 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. 18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.”
19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 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. 21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 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.
24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 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.” 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?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28 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.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 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.” 34 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, 35 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. 36 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.” 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!”
38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 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. 40 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.
41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 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. 44 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.” 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. 46 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, 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.”
48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 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.
50 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. 51 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. 52 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. 53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
55 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.” 56 And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57 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. 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.”
Remember last week we saw how the King that God chose for His people went from obeying Him faithfully to disobeying Him horribly. God gave him everything that he needed to be a good King, but he chose to listen to the pressures of the people instead of the Word of God. Sadly, that is not an unfamiliar story among Christian leaders in our day. So God, in His love for His poeple, sent his prophet Samuel to rebuke him. Going back to chapter 13 we read:
13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
We first meet this “man after God’s own heart” as a Shepherd boy.
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
Samuel was understandably hesitant. He and King Saul had not exactly parted ways on good terms. He was concerned that the reigning King would feel threatened and react violently when he heard that there was a new King being anointed in Bethlehem. Yes that Bethlehem. Kind of rings familiar doesn’t it? So the LORD instructed Samuel to bring with him a sacrifice of Worship so that his journey would not raise suspicion.
he brought with him a sacrifice of worship to the LORDthat would not rise suspicion.
He enters the city and has to assure the elders there that his intent was peaceable. We didn’t read this part of the story last week, but King Saul’s disobedience included a failure to execute the King of Amalekites, so Samuel did it and it was not pretty. So he had developed a bit of a reputation so that he needed to reassure the city elders that he was not here for judgement session but for a worship service. So he told the men of the city, including Jesse and his sons to get themselves ready for this Worship service. It was at this meeting that God would tell Samuel which of the sons of Jesse he was to anoint. So Jesse’s sons came out to the service and...
and he Because of this he told them to consecrate themselves, which involved washing themselves in a ceremonial way. This Worship ceremony would have been a big deal, and so as they were preparing Samuel goes out to the house of Jesse the Bethlehemite to invite them to the Worship time as well. At this meeting God said that he would tell Samuel which of the sons is the one he should annoint as the new King of Israel. So the sons came out and...
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
There was something about the look of Jesse’s oldest son that told Samuel this must be the one. This is what we have in any situation. We can look at it from the outside and deduce some things, but we are not always correct in our deductions. We can only see things from the outside - God, however is not limited in this way.
6:
This is where we encounter our first theme for the week...
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This is where we encounter our first theme for the week...
God’s king is measured by the Lord’s standard, not the worlds ()
God’s king is measured by the Lord’s standard, not the worlds ()
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
One of the most profound differences between God and us is that we cannot fully know what is in the heart of another person. It is above our pay grade. While we are made in God’s image, we do NOT carry with us this aspect of his nature. We can respond to what we see on the outside, what a person says or does, but only God can look beyond what is presented on the outside and see the heart.
Let me just stop us for a second on this point. God knows our heart. I don’t know about you but at times in my life this has brought me great comfort, at other times it has brought me great concern. We can fool a lot of people for a long time with right speaking and doing, but we can never fool God.
But God can.
Supporting Verses?????
Jesse’s oldest son Eliab had everything that one would look for in a King, on the outside, but God wasn’t looking at the outside. He was looking at the heart. It is interesting to me, that we find Eliab struggling with this very thing later in the story. But it wasn’t just Eliab that God had rejected for the next King, brother after brother was brought forth and God said “nope” not him either.
So
So here they are, ready to do the sacrifice and Jesse appears to have run out of sons for Samuel to consider
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, 21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
So God had rejected the first born son, and then the next and the next and the next until every son of Jesse that had come to the sacrifice was presented...
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 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.” 13 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.
Don’t miss the significance of this. “the Spirit of LORD rushed upon David... from that day forward”. In this time in Redemptive history, the Spirit of the LORD often would come upon someone and then leave. This was a reality for the Judges, especially the later ones like Samson, but we read here that the Spirit of LORD was with David from this day forward. There is a paragraph break there and then a new title heading in most Bibles, but let’s keep reading because what we find next is deeply connected. Verse 13 says that the Spirit of the Lord was with day from that day forward and verse 14 says...
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.
So while the Spirit of the LORD rushed on David the newly anointed King, the reigning King was tormented by a harmful spirit from the LORD. It is interesting to see how God worked through even his discipline of Saul, because his servants suggested that they bring in someone to soothe the King with worshipful music filled with the Spirit of God. And who do you think they got?
23 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.
God has provided this Kingdom. God has provided these Kings. And even though He has rejected King Saul from continuing as King, He still orchestrates events in such a way as to bring his Spirit into the presence of the throne room of His Kingdom. The way God works in His Big story continues to amaze me!
Spirit of the Lord left King Saul, and now rushed upon David to the point that God sent David in to sooth Saul with his harp.
The Lord removed his spirit from Saul
But lets move forward to the story of the “5 golden stones”?? This is the story when...
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
1 Samuel 16:1-2
Samuel was hesitant, concerned that King Saul would hear and react violently toward him, but God told him to go in his capacity as priest and bring with him a sacrifice of worship and then no one would expect a anointing to be his reason for visiting and if word got back to Saul it would not be threatening to him.
After assuring that elders of the village that his intent was peaceable, he told them to consecrate themselves and then he visited the house of Jesse where he consecrated all of them and invited them to the sacrifice.
1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 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.” 13 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.
6 Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed? 7 Now then, take and prepare a new cart and two milk cows on which there has never come a yoke, and yoke the cows to the cart, but take their calves home, away from them. 8 And take the ark of the Lord and place it on the cart and put in a box at its side the figures of gold, which you are returning to him as a guilt offering. Then send it off and let it go its way 9 and watch. If it goes up on the way to its own land, to Beth-shemesh, then it is he who has done us this great harm, but if not, then we shall know that it is not his hand that struck us; it happened to us by coincidence.”
10 The men did so, and took two milk cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. 11 And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and the box with the golden mice and the images of their tumors. 12 And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
This is one of the most profound differences between God and us. While we are made in His image, we do not have this feature. We cannot know another person’s heart, only God can see into your heart?
Supporting Verses:
So God had rejected the first born son, and then the next and the next and the next until every son of Jesse that had come to the sacrifice was presented...
1 Samuel 16:
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 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.” 13 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.
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 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.” 13 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.
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 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.” 13 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.
Spirit of the Lord left King Saul, and now rushed upon David to the point that God sent David in to sooth Saul with his harp.
God’s king trusts in the Lord’s deliverance ()
God’s king trusts in the Lord’s deliverance ()
You know the basic storyline here, and I would encourage to read through it in it’s entirety this week, but let me hit some of the high points for us. As the youngest son of Jesse, David remained home when all of his brothers followed Saul into battle against the invading Philistines. David’s job was to tend the sheep for the family. That is where he was when Samuel called the worship service together and that is where he is when Saul calls together the army. At some point, Jesse begins to get worried about his other sons because the battle is going longer than expected so he sends David to bring them supplies and to bring back word of how the battle is going.
Well the battle is not going well. Basically these two kingdoms are at a stand still. They are each encamped on opposite hillsides with this lush forest of a valley between them. Neither one is willing to run down their side of the valley and up the other because then their enemy would literally have the upper hand. No military leader in their right mind would suggest an attack from below your enemy, it would be a suicide mission as higher ground is much easier to defend. So they just sit there for weeks, neither side willing to make the first move.
So to attempt an end this deadlock, the Philistines decide to challenge the Israelites to something called “single combat’. This is an ancient military tactic where a single representative from each army would come out and these two would battle each other and both sides would agree to abide by the outcome of that battle.
What is interesting is that the Philistines send out their champion to offer this challenge, and the Biblical writer goes to great lengths to help us to get a picture of what his massive warrior looks like. This man is huge, his armor is indestructible, his weapons are massive, and anyone who took one look at him would be terrified. And this is exactly how the Israelite Army responded.
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24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.
So David walks into this ongoing situation and He has an alternate response. Remember at this point, he has been anointed by Samuel as the next King, and the Spirit of Lord is with Him. So when he hears the boastful taunting of this enemy of God’s people named Goliath, he responds very differently
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?”
1 Samuel
David’s response is “Who does this guy think he is?” Everyone else is looking at him and is terrified and all David seems to care about is that this guy is defying the LORD God of Israel. David seems less concerned about Goliaths size and much more concerned about his mouth. This is when his older brother Eliab comes back into the story, I never really connected with this before but listen to his response to his little brother:
28 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.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”
1 Samuel 17:
David only spoke what he knew to be right, bewildered as to why everyone else wasn’t seeing the same thing that he was. They were too paralyzed with fear over what they saw in Goliath to receive what David said about the LORD. But here his older brother was putting him down and declaring that he knows Davids heart, he is just here to see the battle. But no one can fully know another person’s heart, and the words David spoke were true, and they made their way to
the ears of King Saul and so he sent for David.
What was “just a word” to David made it’s way all the way to King Saul and so he sent for David.
1 Samuel 17:
23 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. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 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.” 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?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.” 28 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.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. 31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 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.” 34 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, 35 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. 36 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.” 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!”
33 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.” 34 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, 35 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. 36 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.” 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!”
And of course we know how the story ends, don’t we. Our last theme for this week is that...
God’s king wins a glorious victory for the the Lord and His people ()
God’s king wins a glorious victory for the the Lord and His people ()
So the next time that Goliath throws out his taunts, lies and mockery of the God of the Israelites, David answers.
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. 46 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, 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.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 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. 50 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. 51 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. 52 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.
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. 46 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, 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.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 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. 50 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. 51 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.
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. 46 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, 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.” 48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 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. 50 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.
One of the things that I found fascinating about this story as I read it again this week is that there is so much more ink dedicated to the arrogant boasting, blatant mockery, and overwhelming appearance of Goliath then there is to the battle itself. Did you notice that? The entire battle is contained in like two verses.
The Philistine got up and David put him down, the end.
And yet, there is so much more struggle, tension and battling in this story. Because it is not just about a battle between a little guy and big guy. It is about how that little guy even got into the fray in the first place. Not long ago David was out watching over his sheep as his brothers walked by him into battle. On this day, their little brother, anointed by Samuel and full of the Spirit walked by them, and all of Israel, to do battle with the giant that none of them thought could ever be beaten.
And David prevailed, but listen to the rest of the story:
51 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. 52 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.
1 Samuel 17:
After the anointed one, full of the Spirit, defeated the peoples greatest enemy, the people then rushed forward to certain victory as they pursued the very enemy that they had no power over the day before.
Gospel Application
Some of you may be beginning to see where I am going here don’t you? When it comes to applying the story of David and Goliath in our lives it is not really that helpful for us to see ourselves as David. We are not really a David is this story. We are the Israelites who were cowering in fear because they could not face the Giant on their own. We cannot face our greatest enemy on our own. So we need a Champion. We are not David, but we need a David. Someone to stand in our place and defeat our greatest enemy. God raised up a Champion for Israel in David, but He has raised up an even greater champion for us in Jesus.
By the time Jesus walked the earth, the nation of Israel had been defeated by several world empires, so they looked back on the reign of David as the glory days of their people. They were expecting, longing and looking for a Champion like David to rise up again and defend God’s people against their enemies. So when this new rabbi from Bethlehem came on the scene they began wondering if he might be that champion. And he was, just not in the way that they were hoping.
in hopes that he would rise up The people were hoping that this popular rabbi who was reported to have done supernatural miracles would be this Champion. That is one of the reasons that Jesus was so often refered to as “The Son of David”.
Could this be the one that we have been waiting for? Could this be the Christ? Which means “anointed one”?
The people were hoping that Jesus was the one who would defeat the Romans, but He came to rescue his people from an even greater enemy. One that was destroying us not from the outside, but from the inside. Jesus came to stand in our place when it comes to the sin that keeps us from a right relationship with the Father. The sling David used was an unexpected instrument of salvation, and we could say that so much more about the cross.
You know the title “Christ” means anointed one, so Jesus the Christ, the anointed one full of the Spirit, hung in our place on the cross receiving the wrath of God that we deserve. He saved us from the penalty of sin, which is called Justification. And now we, like the Israelites are free to move forward in putting to death everything in us that even sniffs of those things in our former life. That is the process of Sanctification. And because of our Champion Jesus we will one day be completely free from the presence of sin. That is Glorification. And what an amazing day that will be!
But Jesus came to rescue his people from a greater enemy than the Roman empire. He came to rescue
The Christ, the anointed one, full of the Spirit stood in our place and defeated our greatest enemy in Sin, Satan and death (Justification). And now we, like the Israelites are free to move forward in putting to death everything in us that even sniffs of those things (that is Sanctification) even as we look forward to full and complete victory in the eternal Kingdom of God (Glorification).
But what happens after Wea
So did you find your place in this story? If you were there that day, whose eyes do you think you would be seeing this all unfold from?
I would like to suggest to you this morning that our role is probably most aptly described in that last verse. Verse 52.
The temptation in this text is to put ourselves in the place of David, but that is not us. We are the Israelites who are dependant upon the warrior to fight the battle.
God wants to give us the heart of Jesus??????
Landing
You see those kids were right. I don’t know if they ate cake or went “Whoop, Whoop” in David’s day, but they did celebrate with singing and dancing.
1 Samuel 18:
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.
Because a great victory, deserves a great celebration and some day when we meet Jesus we will have the greatest celebration that has even been. For He is the champion that all other champions point to. The anointed one, the Christ.
But don’t forget Church, that God knows our heart. Too often we approach God as if we can fool him like we try so hard to fool other people. Here me Church, we cannot fool God, he sese our heart. It might work to switch into damage control when someone else sees you do something you wish they hadn’t, but you cannot fool God. He knows whether you are truly trusting and following him or just paying him lip service. God knows your heart and He loves you just the way you are, He just loves you too much to allow you to stay that way.
If you haven’t given your life to Jesus then today would be a great day. Come see me, one of the Overseers or talk to someone else you trust today so that when our champion does return you will be celebrating with all God’s people. Maybe even eating cake and saying “Woop, Woop”
He is the great Shepherd who has defeated every Giant.