Sermon Tone Analysis

Have you ever had your perspective changed on something familiar to you?

Maybe it a food you although you loved and then you had it and it was different?

Or maybe like if you are a recovering picky eater it was a food you assumed you didn’t like but upon trying again realized you liked it.

Or maybe it was movie you had watched a million times that a certain moment hit you differently?

That happens sometimes.

If we are open and paying attention, sometimes we can be surprised and have our perspectives changed.

About a year ago I had such a moment, I had found myself back at a familiar place that had been important in my faith journey, a place called Warner Camp in beautiful West Michigan, also know as God’s country.

I was there because I was exhausted and spiritually dry.

My hope was that getting away for a couple days to a place that I had encountered God many times might lead to a similar experience.

By the grace of God I did have such an encounter and a moment of clarity and perspective shift.

I was in the midst of my typical morning Bible reading when I came upon 1 Samuel 17 which is where we find arguably one the most famous and well know story in all of the Bible, the story of David and Goliath.

This is a story that most people, especially in western culture have some level of familiarity with even if they have never read the story or attended a church service.

The idea of the story is ingrained in our cultural.

We typically talk about David vs Goliath match up in sports and business.

Think about March when we have the NCAA basketball tournaments which is my favorite sports time of the year because on any night, anyone can beat anyone but we typically say that when an unknown smaller school beats a larger elite school that it was a David and Goliath type of upset.

Now that is the traditional view of the story.

That with God even the disadvantaged underdog can defeat a giant which is true.

God does that all the time in scripture and still till this day.

Here is the thing though.

The more I have read this story.

The more I am convinced that David wasn’t as much of an underdog as we thought.

And there is a moment for me that I think might be the linchpin of the not only this battle but also David’s life.

If you would allow me to, I would like to tell you the story of David and Goliath.

Again it is found in 1 Samuel 17 and I highly recommend you to read it yourself but I want to tell you the story because I think sometimes when we read something that is familiar we can miss out on the beauty of the story and what is happen.

So indulge me for a moment.

Now to understand this story you need to know the Israelites story, they are a group special people who began as just a family that God established a conventual relationship, which really just means a relationship that centered on a promise.

God established this special covenant with the goal of restoring His creation back into right relationship with Him and to help draw all people back as they see how His people flourish.

The hard part is if we read the biblical narrative we see that God continues to pursue the people and be faithful to them but the people typically do not.

Eventually the people plead to the prophet Samuel to ask God to make them like the other nations around them and give them a King.

Now God’s plan then as it is still to this day, was and is for God Himself to be the King of His people.

But God granted their request and gave them Saul to be their first King.

Now Saul was the prototypical warrior, type-A, macho-man…king…he fit the bill of all the guys wanted to be like him and all the ladies wanted to be with him.

He looked and behavior like the part of a king like everyone else.

And at first he was faith to God and a good king.

But eventually he began to be disobedient and prideful.

Hold on to that for a moment.

Back to our original story.

Let me give you the spark notes version.

The Philistines show up to fight/invade the Israelite land.

They are are down in a valley.

A Giant named Goliath shows up on the scene and issues a challenge to the Israelite army to bring forth your best warrior to face him Mortal Kombat style to settle the standoff.

David is sent by his father Jesse to basically take lunch to his brothers who are in the army.

David is basically ancient door-dash.

David hears the giant and is offended by the way he feels that giant is essentially mocking his God.

David steps forward to fight the giant.

Spoiler alert- David defeat the giant with a sling and a stone

David cuts off Goliath head in victory as one does in all good children’s bible stories (I don’t remember that part in any Flannelgraph).

So you might be asking…what was the big moment?

That seemed normal to me.

Many lessons and insights can be explored, but I think possibly some of the most interesting and important moments is one we skip over.

I didn’t even put in my spark notes.

You might remember it but might not have thought a ton about it.

It actually happens before David and Goliath actually face off in battle.

I actually think it might be the linchpin moment of Davids life.

No, I am not talking about when young David is anointed King right before this moment while Saul is still on the throne.

Although that is crazy and important.

Don’t worry we will talk about that later.

So what then is the big moment?

The moment that inspired my changed perspective on this story?

It is a moment that occurs between David and King Saul.

David, who is only at the battlefield because he was sent by his father to deliver food to his brothers, has stepped forward to face the giant when nobody else was stepping up.

To be honest, this is wild and crazy.

Crazy that he steps forward.

Wild that the Israelites thought this was a good idea.

However, it is not like they were overwhelmed with volunteers stepping up as tribute.

But God knew.

We serve a God who loves doing what is wild and crazy in our eyes.

A God who Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:27, "God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

Now King Saul, the prototypical warrior King, has the bright idea that since he has this young boy who has stepped up, he should help him by making him ready to face the giant the way he would if he was in his sandals (sorry dad joke).

Saul has David put on his armor, his helmet, and take his sword.

This would have been the best of the best.

No better gear in the land.

But it wasn’t going to work for David.

But why you ask?

Because what was best for Saul.

What was made for Saul.

What made Saul great and mighty.

Was what would have held back David from becoming a great warrior and fulfilling his God-given mission.

You see, all of Saul's armor would weigh down David.

It was too heavy for him.

It didn't fit him.

It would not allow David to play to his strengths.

I have this sense that many of us can relate to this.

We feel the weight of expectations.

Maybe it’s expectations from a parent or a sibling or mentor.

Perhaps it’s the expectations we place on ourselves because we believe others have placed them upon us.

Maybe it’s the weight of expectations of the past of our business or organization we lead.

Regardless of the source, I know from personal experience, these expectations are heavy.

So here is the other sense I have...maybe we are trying to face the giant in our life, whatever it may be, feeling weighed down because we are wearing our own version of Saul’s armor.

We feel boxed in to being something we are not, nor are we created to be.

The truth is Saul’s armor isn’t always a bad things, often it is actually good things or maybe even right things.

But not everything that is good or right for someone else is always right for you.

You see as I was reading this story again as pastor running on empty, God revealed to me that some of the own past issues and struggles where leading me to the bad place I was in.

You see part of my story centers around not feeling like I am enough.

I have been a Pastor for about a decade now.

But honestly, I really never wanted to go into vocational ministry.

My grandfather (aka my Mom’s father) was a Pastor, my Father is a Pastor, and my childhood nemesis/ older brother JJ would eventually become a Pastor too.

You could say in some ways it is the family business.

We are basically like the mafia but without the crime.

And money.