David and Goliath

Introduction

Outline

Introduction

“Sir, we wish to see Jesus”

Brief overview of Israelite history from conquest of Canaan through Saul

Conquer the land

Fall away from God during the period of the Judges

Look at the other nations and demand a king

Crown Saul king of Israel

Saul abandons Yahweh

Yahweh chooses his own king, David

Quick overview of how to interpret OT narrative

Understand what the story meant to the original readers

Understand how the story fits into the bigger narrative of Scripture

Understand how we are to apply the lessons of the story to our lives

The Narrative

Goliath taunts the Israelite army ()

Physical description of Goliath one of the longest in Scripture - intended to demonstrate just how powerful and intimidating he was!

Taunts of Goliath imply defiance and disrespect of Yahweh, setting up a contrast between God’s people and their enemies

David arrives at the camp ()

A contrast is set up between David and the rest of the army (including Saul) - David correctly diagnoses the situation and understands that Yahweh is fighting the battle, not the men, and that Yahweh will give victory

This contrasts with Saul and the rest of the Israelites - recall that Yahweh has withdrawn his presence from Saul and has anointed David as the rightful king instead. Amazingly, Saul does not once consult Yahweh to determine what he ought to do in this situation!

David speaks with Saul ()

When Saul calls David a youth, he is not implying that he is a child, but that he is not yet of military age (20 years old in Israel). At this point, David was most likely 19 and he was a strong young man of similar size to Saul. We know this because Saul dresses David in his own armor, something that would have been ridiculous if David were a small child. Note that David rejects the armor not because it is too big, but because he is not used to it.

David’s selection of stones as his weapon confirms that he fully understands the theological implications of the coming battle. Goliath has defied the armies of the living God (Yahweh) and has blasphemed against him. The punishment for blasphemy (even for a foreigner!) is death by stoning (see ). These were not pebbles - they would have been the size of typical ancient Near East sling stones - about the size of a tennis ball.

David faces Goliath ()

David triumphs ()

Kills Goliath with a stone - the proper punishment for blasphemy

The fact that there was no sword in David’s hand is significant. It demonstrated his complete and total victory over Goliath, so total that his death was assured (if he wasn’t dead already) by being killed with his own sword!

What it Meant to Israel

Confirmation of God’s promise to protect his people when they are obedient to Him.

Confirmation of David’s status as God’s anointed - Saul mentions it, and we see his explicit faith that Yahweh will win the battle.

Demonstration of God’s absolute power over the gods of other nations - warfare in biblical times had a theological aspect to it - to defeat an enemy was to demonstrate that your god was more powerful than their god.

What it means in light of the full revelation of Scripture

It points us forward toward another anointed one, another shepherd king who stood in the breach for his people

Confirmation of Jesus’ status as God’s anointed on the cross

Confirmation of God’s promise to redeem his people and crush sin

Demonstration of God’s absolute power over sin and death

It demonstrates to us our own powerlessness and our need for Yahweh to fight our battles - we are the new Israel

What are the implications for us?

It can be very tempting to make the story about us - to ask which giants we face and what stones we ought to use to defeat them. But that is not the point. The point is for us to look to Jesus! We are not the David character in this story. We are the Israelites, cowering in fear.

Jesus is the true and better David - he stands in the breach for his people, conquers sin and death on our behalf on the cross, and reigns gloriously in the kingdom of his redeemed.

Introduction

If you’ve ever stood behind the podium up here on stage, you will notice that it has the words “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” written on it. These words are quoted from . They were spoken by some God-fearing Gentiles who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and who had heard of Jesus and wished to see him. These are good words to have on a pulpit. They remind us of what ought to be the purpose of each and every sermon - to see and proclaim the person and the work of Jesus Christ.

These are good words to have on a pulpit. They remind us of what ought to be the purpose of each and every sermon - to see and proclaim the person and the work of Jesus.

This may seem like a strange opening for a sermon text from 1 Samuel. Chronologically, we are a long way from Jesus - about a thousand years off, to be precise. But it is my hope and my prayer that even as we walk through this passage, one of the most well-known in all of Scripture, that it will become clear that here we have the opportunity and the privilege of seeing Jesus. To that end, let us pray:

Gracious God, we thank you for the opportunity this morning to gather under your holy Word. We thank you, Father, for the Old Testament, that you have given us as part of the Scriptures this book that shows us your graciousness and your compassion for your chosen people. We thank you that even though we sometimes struggle to bridge the cultural gap and understand exactly why you have revealed these things to us that you have shown us the perfect fulfillment in your Son, Jesus. As we dig into your word today, let your Spirit guide our hearts, and let it draw us closer in love to one another and to you. Amen.

It is my privilege today to preach through one of the most well-known stories in the Old Testament - the story of David and Goliath. Before we jump into the meat of the story though, I’d like to spend a little bit of time setting the context for what we are going to talk about this morning. It’s imperative that we understand what was going on in Israel at the time in order for us to fully grasp the importance of this narrative.

To start, I want us to go all the way back to the Exodus. The Israelites have left Egypt and have finished their wandering through the desert. Under the leadership of Joshua and Caleb, they have (for the most part) subdued the inhabitants of the Promised Land and have settled there. But after the time of Joshua and Caleb, there was a sharp decline in the devotion of Israel to Yahweh. We see this decline throughout the book of Judges, where it is said of the Israelites that “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”. The nation spirals into sin and rebellion, and we find ourselves in the book of Samuel. The people of Israel look at all of the nations around them and demand a king so that they might be like all of the other nations. Never mind that Yahweh himself was to dwell with them and be their king - they wanted to be just like the people that they had displaced from the Promised Land. They wanted a king to lead them into battle and to rule over them. Yahweh warned them of the consequences of this decision through Samuel, but they stood fast in their demands, and he appointed Saul as their king.

Saul did reasonably well at first, but even he turned from Yahweh. Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites and all that they possessed, but he did not do what Yahweh commanded him to do, and instead kept the good things of the Amalekites and destroyed all of the worthless things. Because of this, Yahweh rejected Saul as king of his people and told Samuel to go and anoint a new king. And Samuel goes to Bethlehem and anoints David as king, a “man after Yahweh’s own heart”. And while David has been anointed as the new king, he is still just a shepherd, and Saul retains his position as king. And it is in this situation that the Philistines, one of the historic enemies of Israel, gather their army for battle and march to war with Saul.

Now that we understand the background, we’re going to take some time to walk through the narrative. It’s a long passage, and I’m going to skip over certain parts in the interest of time (otherwise this sermon would be 2+ hours long!). I’m going to point out some of the important aspects of the story, and we are going to explore what it would have meant for the Israelites at the time that it was written. But more importantly than that, we are going to explore what it means in light of the full revelation of Scripture, and then see how we can apply the lessons of this story to our own lives.

Let’s begin.

The Narrative

English Standard Version Chapter 17

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.

Our story opens in the territory of Israel - of the tribe of Judah, to be precise. The scene is set at the valley of Elah, where the armies of the Philistines and the Israelites stand opposed on opposite sides of the ridge, with a valley in between. From the Philistine camp comes a man named Goliath. The description of Goliath here is one of the most detailed in all of Scripture. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it. We have four verses here dedicated to a physical description of this man. There are no such descriptions of Jesus. That alone should tell us something about his importance. Goliath is an imposing figure. He stands at 9 foot 9 inches tall. He would have towered over the average Israelite.

Not only is he physically imposing, he is also incredibly well equipped! His scale armor weighed over 120 pounds. The iron point on his spear weighed 15 pounds.

Our story opens in the territory of Israel - of the tribe of Judah, to be precise. The scene is set at the valley of Elah, where the armies of the Philistines and the Israelites stand opposed on opposite sides of the ridge, with a valley in between. From the Philistine camp comes a man named Goliath. The description of Goliath here is one of the most detailed in all of Scripture. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about it. We have four verses here dedicated to a physical description of this man. There are no such descriptions of Jesus. That alone should tell us something about his importance.

To put it in terms of a modern analogy, Goliath was as imposing as an Abrams tank facing a squad of soliders armed only with muskets and bayonets.

That’s the reason that the description of Goliath is so long - the author of Samuel wants to make certain that we understand how powerful and intimidating this man was. It would have been a lot to expect an entire squad of troops to be able to defeat him. It would be a hopeless, suicidal endeavor to go up there to face him in single combat, and Goliath knew that. That is why he stood in the middle of the valley, looking up at the Israelites army encamped on the ridge, and dared someone to come down and face him in single combat. Goliath had made himself a representative for his people, daring the Israelites to send their own representative to face him in single combat that would decide the battle. The word translated “champion” here translates literally as “the man in the space between”. How fitting a picture we see as Goliath stands in the valley between the two armies, calling out for someone to oppose him. The Israelite army was right to be afraid. They were facing an insurmountable enemy that any one of them would not be able to defeat, and any one of them who ventured into the valley would carry the weight of the nation upon his shoulders.

And Goliath knew that. That is why he stood in the middle of the valley, looking up at the Israelites army encamped on the ridge, and dared someone to come down and face him in single combat. Goliath had made himself a representative for his people. The Israelite army was right to be afraid.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

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.”

We pick up the narrative in verse 17, where Jesse tells David to take food and gifts to the army to see how his brothers are faring. Three of David’s brothers were fighting alongside Saul - Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah. When David arrives, he seeks out his brothers and he finds himself in the camp just at the same time that Goliath makes his way down into the valley and issues the same challenge that he has before to the Israelites. David watches the Israelite army flee from Goliath’s presence, and he hears the fear in the men’s voices as they whisper about the promises that Saul has made to the person who can conquer this man.

And here we see a contrast between David and the rest of the men in the army (including Saul). David correctly diagnoses the situation and understands what is going on here. Goliath is not merely defying the armies of Israel. Goliath is defying Yahweh himself! And this means that that the battle (and the success of the battle) belongs to Yahweh, not to the Israelite army.

This is a stark contrast between David and the rest of the troops, up to and including King Saul! Remember that at this point the Spirit of Yahweh has been withdrawn from Saul. He is a king in name only - the power of God no longer rests with him. It’s pretty incredible to think, but it becomes clear from the narrative that Saul has not even attempted to consult with Yahweh about what he should do in this situation. He seeks to resolve the battle in the same way that any other king would seek to resolve the battle, and in doing so he demonstrates why Yahweh has rejected him as king.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

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.

David’s words are quickly carried to the ears of Saul, and he sends for the young man. David tells Saul that he will fight as a champion for Israel, that he will go and face Goliath alone. Saul responds in a perfectly reasonable way. He takes one look at David, a young man with no military training, and he says, effectively, “What are you, crazy?” David replies by telling Saul about how in the course of his work as a shepherd, he has needed to fight lions and bears in order to keep the sheep safe. But more importantly, he tells Saul “and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God…Yahweh who delivered me from the pay of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

You see, David understood that the battle wasn’t really about who had the bigger army, or whether he was stronger or Goliath was stronger. It wasn’t about how brave he was to face lions and bears, and how that bravery would help him to face Goliath. The battle was between Yahweh and those who defied his authority and reign. It didn’t matter how strong and imposing Goliath was - what mattered was that he had stood against Yahweh, that he had blasphemed his name, all of which meant that he could not win.

I think we have to wonder if for just a moment, Saul understood what was going on here, despite the fact that Yahweh had removed his power from his kingship. Saul responds with what seems like a little bit of faith - he tells David to go, and seems to pray that Yahweh go with him. But just a moment later he is back to thinking in the ways of the world. He puts his own armor on David, thinking that it would at least give him some protection. There’s more than a little foreshadowing going on here too - here stands Yahweh’s newly anointed king, clothed in the armor and splendor of the king that has been abandoned. From Sunday School stories we often have this picture in our heads of this young boy clothed in armor far too big for him, but that wouldn’t have been the case. The narrative here implies that David was at least of similar size to Saul - and if you remember from , Saul stood a full head taller than the gathered masses of Israel - this was not some child going out to face the giant! David removed the armor because he was not used to using it.

And that detail is important, because in removing the armor, David chooses to enter the battle the same way that he would have entered the battle as a shepherd. As Robert Bergen in his commentary on puts it:

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Samuel (2) David Rescues Israel from a Philistine Giant (17:1–58)

Saul chose to dress in royal clothing “such as all the other nations have”; David would wear none of it. Instead, he would identify with the great shepherd-leaders of the Torah—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and especially Moses—and live by faith in the promises of God (cf. Heb 11).

And so the shepherd king goes down to the brook in the middle of the valley and collects five stones as weapons for his sling. Friends, even the use of stones as David’s weapon of choice demonstrate his faith and his trust in Yahweh. These weren’t pebbles - they would have been the size of a typical ancient Near East sling stone - about the size of a tennis ball. Their use was deeply imbued with meaning. In defying the armies of Yahweh, Goliath was blaspheming Yahweh, and there were very specific punishments for blasphemy. tells us:

English Standard Version Chapter 24

16 Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

So David, armed with the correct tools for the job, sets out to face Goliath.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

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.”

As David comes out to face Goliath, he is met with scorn and taunts. The fact that Goliath curses David by his gods shows us that even Goliath understands that this is theological combat. He looks upon the champion of Israel, the one who stands in the breach for his people, and curses him. Goliath looks at David and sees certain victory - here comes a young man dressed as a shepherd, with no armor, and no human weapons. David comes forward not in the strength of the weapons of men, but in the strength of the sovereignty and power of Yahweh. Goliath’s taunts and threats do not scare David, no because of any great courage that he has, but because he knows that this battle is Yahweh’s battle.

English Standard Version Chapter 17

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.

David’s attack delivers quick and brutal judgement. The first stone from his sling smashes Goliath’s skull and brings him to the ground. His armor and his spear are of no use - he has been found guilty of defying the living God and has been judged and punished accordingly. David hastens over to remove any shadow of doubt that Goliath is dead - he uses the giant’s own sword to cut of his head - and the rout is on. The Philistines flee in panic, and the Israelites pursue them all the way out of Israelite territory and to the very gates of one of their major cities. The battle is won. Goliath and the foreign army have been defeated. Yahweh has proven himself to be victorious.

Implications

It’s a wonderful and fascinating story. What is a little bit harder is to understand what this story has to say about us. Given the individualistic bent of our culture, we might be tempted to put ourselves in the shoes of David. We might decide to ask questions about what the “Goliaths” are in our lives, and what we need to do to trust God so that we can overcome them. But to do this would be to miss the true message of this narrative, and to understand why that is, we need to look at what the original audience would have understood the main point and message to be.

The people of Israel would have understood that this narrative accomplished three things. First, it served as explicit validation of the fact that David was, indeed, the king that had been anointed by Yahweh. After all, he is the only one who expresses faith in Yahweh during the entire story. He is the only one who understood the power of Yahweh over the gods of the Philistines and his sovereignty in the entire situation. Even the current king, Saul, seems to recognize that the presence of Yahweh is with David as David goes out to face Goliath. David’s victory, clad only in the trappings of a shepherd rather than the trappings of an ancient king, would have served as clear evidence that he was indeed Yahweh’s chosen king.

Secondly, the people would have understood the narrative as a demonstration of the sovereignty and power of Yahweh. Goliath (and by extension the Philistines) were openly defying the army of Israel. They intended to make the Israelites servants, and in so doing prove the power of their gods over the Yahweh and his people. We know from Scripture that Yahweh is sovereign and is in complete control over everything that happens. He will not allow his people to be defeated unless it is in accordance with his will, and when he has raised up some other nation to do it. But the Philistines were not Yahweh’s agents of judgement, like the Assyrians and Babylonians would be in years to come. They sought to prove that Yahweh was powerless. It did not end well for them.

Third, the people would have understood the narrative as a demonstration of the fact that Yahweh cares for and saves his people. Yahweh’s covenants with Israel certainly included punishments when they strayed from proper worship of him, but they also contained promises that Yahweh would uphold them and make his name great through them. Through his anointed king, Yahweh has rescued his people and given them victory.

These three implications should cause us to stop and think that maybe, just maybe, the story of David and Goliath is not about the seemingly giant struggles that we face in our own lives. Maybe it isn’t about us. Maybe it is about something even bigger.

Scripture tells us of another anointed king who comes from Bethlehem, a king who called himself the good shepherd and who looked at his people and had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Scripture tells us of another king who “stands in the breach” on behalf of his people, another king who faces a seemingly insurmountable enemy with faith in the Father’s plan, who wins the victory and leads his subjects to the spoils. Scripture shows us another king who had his anointing vindicated - not just by a victory over the temporal enemies of his people, but by his victory over the eternal enemies of sin and death. Scripture tells us of another king who crushes the head of the serpent in the same way that David crushed the head of Goliath with his sling stone.

Friends, when we read the story of David and Goliath and we try to identify with the characters, I hope it has become crystal clear that in this story, we are not David! We are the Israelites, cowering in their tents on the top of the hill, looking down into the valley at the giant who defies their God and their nation and promises their destruction. We are the people who are powerless to help themselves, who melt like wax before the presence of evil. And we are the ones who are in need of someone to stand in our place, to fight on our behalf, to triumph and obey where we could not.

Friends, we should not see ourselves in David. But we should see Jesus.

The story of David and Goliath helps us to identify our need. It shows us how we are helpless in the face of that which would oppose us. It shows us how we need a savior, how we need an anointed one to do what we cannot. It points us to our need for Jesus.

Friends, the question that we take from this story cannot be “how can I be courageous in order to face my giants?”, like many people tell us it ought to be. The question that we must take away from this story is “in whom do I place my trust?”. Who stands in the breach on my behalf? Who fights this impossible battle for me? In who’s finished work do I rest?

Jesus. The only possible answer can be Jesus. Because if the answer is that I fight my own battles, I will fail. Even David, a man after Yahweh’s own heart, faltered and fell. But there is one who did not falter, and who has never failed. There is a man who instead of saving himself hung on a cross in our place as the punishment for our sins and our failures, despite the fact that of every person who ever lived, he was the only one who did not deserve it. And at the cross and the empty tomb, we see the same three implications for Jesus that we saw for David - in his resurrection, we see vindication that he is God’s anointed. We see God’s absolute power over sin and death as he punishes his Son on the cross for our sake and raises him from the dead. And we see the final fulfillment of God’s promise way back in that he would crush the head of the serpent. The same promises, the same faithfulness to fulfill them, but one fulfilled for the people of Israel at Elah, and the other for people of every tribe, tongue, and nation who have been called to faith in the one true God.

I was recently reading about a group of American pastors who decided to travel to London in the 1880’s to hear and learn from some of the great English pastors of the day. On their first Sunday in London they went to hear a famous preacher who pastored a large church of 3,000-4,000 members. The Americans listened to his preaching, and as they left the church they marveled and proclaimed, “What a great preacher! What a great preacher!” The next Sunday the group decided to attend the Metropolitan Tabernacle in central London to hear Charles Spurgeon preach. They listened to him, and as they left the church they marveled again . . . but this time they proclaimed, “What a great Savior! Hallelujah! What a great Savior!”

David is a wonderful, marvelous example of how God uses his chosen one to redeem his people. But we have seen the true and better David, Jesus.

Reflections on a Teaching Career: “What a Great Savior!”

Let’s pray.

John D. Currid Professor of Old Testament Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte

Gracious God, we thank you for how the entirety of your Scriptures point us toward Jesus. We especially thank you for this story, Lord, as it so perfectly paints a picture of our desperate need for you to act on our behalf. Father, please remind us of this day after day, lest we trust in our own strength, become proud, and turn our hearts from you. Remind us day in and day out of our complete and total dependence on the finished work of Christ, and help us to trust in you day after day. Let us glory in the picture of your grace that this story reveals, and let us marvel at how it shows us how Jesus must be the sole desire of our hearts. Amen.

Communion

It is fitting that after going through a passage that point us to Jesus that we take the time after the sermon to reflect and remember the finished work of Christ through the Lord’s Supper. David’s victory over Goliath pointed us to the coming promise of Christ’s victory over sin and death, foreshadowing how God’s anointed would stand in the breach as the representative of his people and emerge victorious. It shows us explicitly how God has done the work for us, how we need only trust in his finished work in order to share in the victory.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Samuel (2) David Rescues Israel from a Philistine Giant (17:1–58)

The writer’s inclusion of the clothing incident probably was meant to serve two functions: first, to preserve an unusual but interesting occurrence in the background of the Goliath event, indicating the greater value of divine enablement over human devices; second and more importantly, to symbolize David’s rejection of Saul’s approach to kingship. Saul chose to dress in royal clothing “such as all the other nations have”; David would wear none of it. Instead, he would identify with the great shepherd-leaders of the Torah—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and especially Moses—and live by faith in the promises of God (cf. Heb 11).

And as the elements are passed around this morning, that is what I encourage each and every one of us to do. We should examine our hearts and see where we continue to insist upon trusting in ourselves, in our culture, in our secular leaders, in anyone else other than Jesus. And as we do, let’s take the time to confess those sins before God and return to trusting and resting in Christ, the only one who has accomplished all that has been promised, and the only name through which men might be saved.

The New American Commentary: 1, 2 Samuel (2) David Rescues Israel from a Philistine Giant (17:1–58)

Furthermore, David expressed an awareness that Goliath had committed a capital crime by insulting, and thus blaspheming, the God of Israel. According to the Torah, any individual guilty of blasphemy—even a non-Israelite—must be stoned (Lev 24:16). Perhaps this was an underlying reason why David chose the weapon he did in confronting the Philistine; even before serving as Israel’s king, David would prove himself to be a diligent follower of the Torah and thus a man after the Lord’s heart. At the same time, of course, David’s use of the sling and stone also must have been motivated by the fact that he was skillful in their use and the weapon was especially suited for exploiting Goliath’s vulnerabilities.

If you are here this morning and you have not yet placed your faith in Christ, we ask that you allow the bread and the cup to pass you by. But above all else, I urge you to look to Jesus, to see your need for a savior who can and does forgive all of our sins, even those which we think may be unforgivable. I urge you to trust in him, to rest in his finished work, to embrace his sacrifice on your behalf, and to enter into his presence with joy so that we might share this meal with you in the future.

David crushed the head of Goliath, the same way that Jesus crushes the head of the serpent.

Let’s now take that time to reflect on the glory of our Savior, and on the marvelous work that he has done for us.

On the night he was betrayed, our Lord took bread. And after he had given thanks he broke it, saying “this is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me”.

In the same way after supper he took the cup, saying “this cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for the many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this every time you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Let’s pray.

Gracious God, thank you that you have given us Jesus to be our “man in the space between” - the one who descends into the valley of death for our sake so that we might be redeemed. Thank you that you did not leave us in our sins, but that you graciously made a way for us to be restored to you through the blood of Jesus. Help us to see and to understand the immense cost of that grace, and let it lead us to not trust in flesh and blood or in our own strength, but to trust in the finished work and power of Jesus alone. Amen.