Opposing the Proud

Introduction

This morning we are going to continue looking at the life of David in 1st Samuel. And I’m excited for this part of the story. It’s probably the most iconic part of David’s story, and I think one of the most iconic stories in the whole Bible. It’s the story of David and Goliath. I’ve heard references to it even in secular contexts, those names “David & Goliath” have made a lasting cultural impact because of how powerful this story is. It’s as big culturally as any myth or legend passed down over the ages, but of course the difference here is the book of Samuel is not a book of myths, we believe this to be accurate historical tradition, not mythological tradition. And to me that makes it a lot more exciting!

Recap

Hannah’s Poem

Last week we read through the events leading up to here. And I started by going back to the beginning of the book and Samuel’s origin, to remind us of Hannah’s poem, and 3 key themes from that poem that set up the rest of the book. So I want to bring those themes back up, to refresh your memory and also because I actually have the slide for it this time. (SLIDE)

God opposes the proud and exalts the humble.

God is at work in the midst of human depravity.

The hope in God’s promise to raise up a messianic king.

So, again, keep these in mind today. And if you know anything about this story you know it’s going to be an excellent illustration of that first point, so we’ll be focusing heavily on that one today.

David’s Anointing

When we eventually got to chapter 16 of 1st Samuel, we were introduced to David as the youngest son of Jesse, from Bethlehem. He was assigned to the lowly duty of tending to his father’s sheep and goats, and out of him and 7 other brothers was the last one anyone expected God to choose as the next king of Israel.

But God had the prophet Samuel anoint David, officially choosing him by divine appointment, and in doing so taught Samuel a lesson, stated so clearly in verse 7: (SLIDE)

1 Samuel 16:7 CSB

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature because I have rejected him. Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.”

The first half of that verse is specific to that situation, but that second sentence is a theological truth, a constant that God was teaching through the situation.

Tormented Saul Welcomes David into His Court

Meanwhile, we cut away to Saul, who was still king and had no idea that Samuel anointed this other kid David from Bethlehem. He was, though, tormented with depression, anger and fear. So his servants suggested he bring in someone to play music to soothe his spirit. So he said good idea! Go find me someone, and who did they bring him? David!!! The guy who’s supposed to take Saul’s throne. But Saul doesn’t know that, and in fact takes a liking to David because his music does relieve Saul’s anxiety. Saul loved David very much, and asked that he remain in his service, so he could play the lyre whenever needed.

Transition to Chapter 17

(SLIDE) That’s pretty much where we left off last week, so this week we’re going to continue right into chapter 17. (Go there now if you want to). It’s not clear exactly how much time lapses between chapters 16 and 17, but most scholars agree they are in chronological sequence. We know it couldn’t have been more than a few years at most, because David is still referred to as being very young. Let’s read the introduction to this chapter, starting in verse 1:

1 Samuel 17:1–3 CSB

The Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel gathered and camped in the Valley of Elah; then they lined up in battle formation to face the Philistines. The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a ravine between them.

The Philistines

So, whether it was a couple weeks, or months, or years, we are taken to the next major plot point in this story, and it’s a point of conflict with Israel’s archenemy at the time: the Philistines. Throughout their history, Israel went through a variety of different archenemies, their main opposers or oppressors changed over time. When we looked at Gideon, the “bad guys” were the Midianites. By the time we get to David, the primary threat at hand is the Philistines.

If you’ve read through the book of Judges, you may recall the Philistines being featured as the antagonists in Sampson’s story. At that time they were beginning to conquer and control territories near Israel, and over time they have encroached further and further and now threatened to take Bethlehem and the capital at the time, which was Gibea. So that’s the desperate situation being painted here, and the significance of all those locations that were specifically listed.

If this were a medieval story, it would be like the threat that was looming for years, got closer and closer and now was gathered at the gate of the castle. The king is very nervous, and getting ready for battle. Of course, we have hills and ravines here, not castles and moats, so the setting is more of a “300” type of battle than “Lord of the Rings” but you get the idea.

They’re actually on two opposite hills, facing each other. It’s a pretty epic image, I can’t help but think of the aerial shots in movies like Braveheart or Narnia (I like movies!) and it makes sense that so many movies do have scenes with two armies gathered to face each other. It naturally just builds so much tension and suspense. Let’s keep reading, picking up in verse 4:

1 Samuel 17:4–11 CSB

Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds. There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed fifteen pounds. In addition, a shield-bearer was walking in front of him. He stood and shouted to the Israelite battle formations, “Why do you come out to line up in battle formation?” He asked them, “Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose one of your men and have him come down against me. If he wins in a fight against me and kills me, we will be your servants. But if I win against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.” Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!” When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

Goliath Introduced

So, we knew the Philistines were a threat, but now we’re introduced to their champion, this guy Goliath. And he’s HUGE! It’s difficult to even imagine someone over 9 feet tall. The Hebrew measurement is “Six Cubits and a Span” which is roughly 9 and ½ to 9 and ¾ feet.

To help visualize this, I started Googling and found the tallest person in modern medical records was 8’11” which is pretty crazy! Almost a foot shorter than Goliath, but the closest I could find. (SLIDE)

Here’s a photo of a scale model of Robert Wadlow, next to a guy who looks around 6’ or a little taller.

The top line would be 10 feet, so Goliath would have stood even taller than Robert, somewhere between that 9 ½ and 10 foot mark.

And to put this even further into perspective, scholars generally agree that based on archeological records, the average ancient Jewish man would have been around 5 to 5 ½ feet tall. So even this guy next to Robert would have seemed tall to them at the time. Actually, he’s probably closer to Saul’s height, who we know stood at least a head taller than everyone else.

Besides that, he wasn’t dressed in a nice, friendly business suit like Robert is here. The text goes into intentional detail about Goliath’s intimidating armor and huge weapons. It’s really NOT surprising at all that Saul and the Israelites were “terrified and deeply shaken” by Goliath’s challenge.

David Comes on Scene

(SLIDE) So, that sets up the scene in which David is about to arrive. Picking up in verse 12, we are re-introduced to David. Let’s read how this unfolds:

1 Samuel 17:12–31 CSB

Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem. Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. One day Jesse had told his son David, “Take this half-bushel of roasted grain along with these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Also take these ten portions of cheese to the field commander. Check on the well-being of your brothers and bring a confirmation from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had charged him. He arrived at the perimeter of the camp as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry. Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other. David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were. While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words, which David heard. When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified. Previously, an Israelite man had declared, “Do you see this man who keeps coming out? He comes to defy Israel. The king will make the man who kills him very rich and will give him his daughter. The king will also make the family of that man’s father exempt from paying taxes in Israel.” David spoke to the men who were standing with him: “What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” The troops told him about the offer, concluding, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.” David’s oldest brother Eliab listened as he spoke to the men, and he became angry with him. “Why did you come down here?” he asked. “Who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and your evil heart—you came down to see the battle!” “What have I done now?” protested David. “It was just a question.” Then he turned from those beside him to others in front of him and asked about the offer. The people gave him the same answer as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him.

So, the standoff has lasted 40 days, and 3 of David’s brothers at this point have joined Saul’s army. But so far, neither side has done any fighting. So Jesse sends David with some bread for his brothers, and cheese for their captain, and he wants to hear an update on what’s going on. Understandable, after 40 days, and David did exactly what his dad told him to.

He gets there just in time to see the standoff play out, with Israel rallying to the battlefield, but running away as soon as Goliath comes out to taunt them. As he’s seeing this, he also gets filled in on the fact that king Saul has offered a huge reward: his daughter in marriage PLUS lifetime exemption from taxes!

What’s David’s response to all this? In contrast to everyone else’s response, which is fear, I would describe his response as indignation. A mix of anger and disgust: “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of living God?” He’s basically saying “Why are you letting him get away with this?”

In true big brother fashion, Eliab gets pretty miffed that David is even there, and accuses him of pride and deceit. And I think David’s response is a classic sibling style response “What have I done now? I was just trying to ask a question!” and he just moves on to some other people continuing to try to verify the reports he’s been hearing.

David Talks to Saul

So, Saul catches wind of David’s question, which again is basically “Why would you let this dude get away with what he’s saying?” and Saul sends for David. Let’s see what happens next, in verse 32 when David approaches Saul, he says:

1 Samuel 17:32–40 CSB

David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.” David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.” Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

So, he’s all alone, heading across the valley to face a giant, with no armor and just a staff and slingshot for weapons. But he has total faith in Yahweh to defeat this enemy.

Notice that when he brings up his past experiences with the lion and the bear, it’s not to boast about his own strength or bravery, he totally gives all the credit to GOD for his victories and success in defending his father’s flock.

Remember that in chapter 16 we read that after David was anointed by Samuel, the spirit of God was with him greatly, and I think this is a great demonstration of him being led by the spirit, representing God’s will and presence among the people, even before he became king.

We’re at the climax now, so let’s keep going, reading from verse 41 now, we see Goliath’s response to being approached by David.

David Fights Goliath

1 Samuel 17:41–51 CSB

The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome. He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!” David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him. Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.” When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground. David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled.

So Goliath was clearly incapacitated by the stone, but it’s not really clear as to whether or not he was totally dead yet, so David takes Goliath’s sword and finishes him off, and even beheads him with it. But whether or not he was actually dead before the sword, credit to the victory is given to the sling and stone, rather than to the sword.

I don’t know how many of you have every played “Mortal Kombat” but I can’t help but think of it at this moment. I never thought I’d be referencing it in a sermon, but I grew up playing it every now and then with my cousins, who had a Nintendo 64 console. There would come a moment in Mortal Kombat fights when either you or your opponent’s health bar would get so low that the character couldn’t fight back anymore. They would just stand there and sway back and forth, helpless, while a very memorable instruction would come on the screen telling the player still alive to “FINISH HIM!!!” (SLIDE)

At that point, the other player could use whatever move they wanted to end the match and win, whatever felt most satisfying, it didn’t really matter, the fight is over at that point. So I can’t help but hear “FINISH HIM” in between verses 49 and 50.

Philistines Retreat

Anyway, this fallen champion is really bad news for the Philistines, and they retreat, as we see in verse 51:

1 Samuel 17:51–58 CSB

David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled. The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps. David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent. When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, “Whose son is this youth, Abner?” “Your Majesty, as surely as you live, I don’t know,” Abner replied. The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is!” When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine’s head still in his hand. Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” “The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David answered.

Saul’s Sudden Interest in David

Now, these last few verses might sound a little confusing...because back in chapter 16 we read that one of Saul’s servants told Saul who David was: the son of Jesse! And hasn’t Saul known David long enough to get to know him by now? Well, remember first of all that David came to Saul when he was tormented and depressed, not in his right mind. So, he knows that this kid comes and plays music to make him feel better, but it’s not all that surprising that he doesn’t remember his dad’s name.

It seems to me that Saul’s fondness for David was based on superficial values and selfish motivations. Saul used David to meet his needs, and because he was young and handsome he fit into the royal aesthetic and wouldn’t make Saul look like he was keeping lowly company. So, while David’s presence fueled Saul’s pride, Saul clearly took no real interest in David’s life, his family, or where he came from.

Friends, let’s not make that same mistake of superficiality in our relationships. Not that with every new acquaintance we should dive right into the deepest, soul-baring topics within the first 10 minutes of conversation. But we should take genuine interest in other people, and be willing to go there when the time is appropriate, as every human bears the image of God and has value. Focusing your interest outward inherently sets aside your own pride and self-interest.

The other thing that must be on Saul’s mind, as he suddenly becomes VERY interest in who David is, is that very great reward he promised: his daughter’s hand in marriage, along with lifetime tax exemption. Suddenly, he realizes, this little twerp is going to want to marry my daughter now! And at this moment there’s a seed of jealousy, resentment and defensiveness sown in Saul’s heart toward David.

Conclusion: Opposing Pride

We’ll see how that plays out eventually, but for now I want to leave us really contemplating this topic of pride. This story is such a vivid illustration of that first Theological principle from Hannah’s poem, that God opposes the proud and exalts the humble.

In this chapter we see the humiliation and downfall of a larger-than-life embodiment of pride, arrogance, and self-assuredness. This event is also a turning point for Saul, as we’ll see later on, but the focus in chapter 17 is mainly on the fall of Goliath.

In contrast, the victor, David, is an embodiment of humility. We haven’t gotten to his full exaltation yet, but we can see here how God used humble shepherd boy David to bring down proud, arrogant Goliath. Everything David said and did was to the honor and glory of the living God of Israel, and every victory, even those over the wild animals, was an opportunity to boast not in himself, but in the power of God.

Now, I do want to make a distinction here, because sometimes the idea of humility gets too closely associated with timidity or inaction. That is so clearly not the case here. David’s humility and selflessness is a replacement of pride in himself with confidence in God. David is far from timid, he is bold, and fearless, and takes decisive action while everyone else is shaking in their boots. Of course, Goliath was bold and fearless too! But the difference is that Goliath was confident in himself, whereas David was confident in God.

It’s a real-life example that is hyperlinked to principles of wisdom we see taught throughout scripture, like in Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18 CSB

Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

Or Proverbs 3:34, which echoes the wisdom in Hannah’s poem:

Proverbs 3:34 CSB

He mocks those who mock but gives grace to the humble.

This is a prominent theme throughout Psalms and Proverbs, and really the whole Old Testament if you look for it, going all the way back (you guessed it!) Adam and Eve’s pride in the garden.

So it should have been completely unsurprising that when Jesus came preaching about the true meaning of the Torah, and the nature of God’s upside-down kingdom, he made statements like:

Matthew 23:12 CSB

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

And:

Matthew 5:3 CSB

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

“The first will be last, and the last will be first.” I could go on and on. Meanwhile, he opposed the self-seeking, self-righteous, attention drawing pride of the predominant religious leaders of his day.

His brother, James, got it, when he wrote:

James 4:10 CSB

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

And the apostle Paul got it, in Philippians 2:3 he says:

Philippians 2:3 CSB

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves.

Again, I could go on with a dozen similar quotes. So, the story of David & Goliath is really fun, and really satisfying, but let’s allow it to be a reminder of this fundamental principal of God’s kingdom. Let’s examine ourselves for areas in our lives where we might be prideful in our own abilities or achievements or relationships, instead of prideful in the one way that we should be: the way a proud child might boast about how strong or smart or funny their parent is. That’s the way in which Paul boasts openly and lavishly throughout his letters. Or, on the flipside, boasting in his weakness, as we see in 2 Corinthians 12:9:

2 Corinthians 12:9 CSB

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

This would be like David saying “look at how small and weak I am and how pathetic my weapons are. The fact that God used me to defeat Goliath shows just how big and strong HE is.

Salvation in Christ, through faith, is itself designed to facilitate this mindset, as we see in Ephesians 2:8-10:

Ephesians 2:8–10 CSB

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.

None of us here can boast about having a relationship with God, or about how many cans we’re donating to the CANstruction project, or about any good things we do. Without God we are powerless over sin and death, and we are not saved from those things because of anything good we’ve done, we’re saved so that God can do good things through us.

So, let’s approach each day with humility and selflessness, but also with confidence and fearlessness. With pride, not in who we are, or what we do, but in who our father in heaven is, and in our role as ambassadors for him. Like David, without shame or hesitation to stand up for God’s reputation and to proclaim the truth of the good news. For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. (Romans 1:16)