Boldness of Faith: Conviction of His Presence
Notes
Transcript
Relationship between boldness and presence
Relationship between boldness and presence
In facing situations that are intimidating, the presence of someone trustworthy allows for greater boldness in the situation
Examples
Kids in a swimming pool learning to jump from the ledge
individuals in a performance/competition with high steaks find comfort in the presence of family
Meeting with your boss about a controversial issue knowing your spouse is praying and supporting you regardless of the outcome
The presence of one you find comfort in allows you to be brave and courageous
End of Chapter 16
David has been anointed
Saul has a distressing spirit and David begins to play music to comfort him
Comparison between Saul and David is set up
Theme of comparisons will be carried out in ch 17
David and Goliath
David and Saul
Goliath and the Philistines
Goliath and the Philistines
Key take a ways from verses 1-11
The battle is happening on Israels home ground
Isreal is prepared for battle but not engaging because the philistine style of battle
Isreal is used to army v. army
Philistine is presenting a new battle format…Representative combat…best solider v. best solider in a high steaks battle.
indicated by the explanation of Goliath (v. 8-9)
The military description of Goliath is the most detailed in the OT
Presents an invincible picture of Goliath and therefore the philistines since we are in representative combat mode
Goliath heaps inflammatory insults at Isreal
1 samuel 17.10
10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”
Confusion pervaded the camp of Israel from Saul down to the men and struck fear
11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
This confusion highlights the coming camparison between Saul and David
Saul is confused on how to lead when, foreigners show up on their home turf and begin dictating how a battle will be fought.
You are the king in your own land anointed by God…take control of the situation
Saul’s inability is the manifestation of God’s absence
Boldness of David
Boldness of David
More background of David ( 1 Samuel 17:12-22)
The youngest of 8 sons of Jesse
3 oldest sons went to battle
likely David was too young to join the military
David had some sort of support role to Saul/arm during this battle which had been going on.
David had a tent for over night stays, but had to come home to feed the sheep
In this narrative David is sent by Jesse to take supplies for his brothers and the army and upon arrival he leaves the supplies with the supply keeper and goes to the front lines
Conviction of God’s Presence
To this point, unannounced to Saul, David has been anointed king of Isreal.
The spirit of God has left Saul and filled David
David lives and moves with a real conviction of His presence. God’s presence is as real to David as his brothers, father and Saul are real people.
Anyone with the conviction of God presence shows boldness.
What are the characteristics of Boldness illustrated by David
25 So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
26 Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “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 this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” 30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.
31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then 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 a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”
And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
Characteristics of Boldness
Motivation
While David did inquire about the reward, his concern was removing the reproach from Isreal.
1 Samuel 17:26
The presence of God, who is mighty, in David wouldn’t tolerate a situation that would present God in any other light than victorious
Composure in the face of insults
Boldness naturally rubs other the wrong way because it will highlight their lack of boldness
David’s desire to quickly remove the embarrassment from Isreal and the misrepresentation of God, highlighted the cowardice of everyone else…especially his brothers
Eliab insults David, but his boldness and zeal for the greater goal keeps him focused and tempered.
David redirects the discussion to the current crisis of embarrassment
1 Samuel 17:29-30
Boldness in personal challenges
As David is brought to Saul, he brings up stories that have prepared him for this moment, lion and the bear
these are untold stories or else if people knew of David’s repeated victory of wild animals they would have thought of him sooner
David was faithful as shepherd to the challenges of shepherd to guard the sheep…If you can’t guard sheep, how will you guard people?
Our boldness is always a work in progress, building from one experience to the next…if we shy away from the challenges where will we end up.
Solving marital conflicts
tough conversations with children
sensitive topics at work
casual discussion with friends about faith and society that become
Boldness to be oneself
Boldness in any situation implies there is a deficiency of sorts
David was a youth and Goliath a warrior from his youth
Logic is naturally drawn to equalize the deficiency
Spiritual Boldness sees and accepts the deficiency in ourselves to the point that it will defy logic but believes in God’s provisions
Living in the might of God has allowed many little people accomplish the illogical
David declined the armor and went to what he knew best
The Lord of Host: A name or revelation of character
The Lord of Host: A name or revelation of character
41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So 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 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, 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 and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
A name is not just a name, but a revelation of Character
throughout scripture a name can embody the character of the person, circumstances, journey etc....its not just a name
Ex. when an ambassador of a country speaks on foreign soil, it is as if the country is speaking
To use the name “Lord of Hosts” in this context David was bringing to light the character of God
Characteristics of God in the defeat of Goliath
He is not bound by the ways of the world
sword and spear…v....name of the Lord (rocks)
size difference
He cannot remain humiliated…His Glory will always be revealed
The truth will always be revealed
Those who mock now will be humbled later
His desire is for all to be convicted of His Glory manifested in His love for us
1 Samuel 17:47
47 Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
There is a physical battle in play but the real battle ground is the soul of individuals. God uses the physical world in order to penetrate into the soul of man.
Closing remarks
David defeats Goliath
Israel defeats the philistines
Saul’s question of who David is, is likely due to the reward which is a tax exemption for his father.
Next week 1 Samuel 18-20
Jonathan's Friendship and Saul’s Jealousy