Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.1UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.1UNLIKELY
Joy
0.61LIKELY
Sadness
0.56LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.52LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.39UNLIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.78LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.65LIKELY
Extraversion
0.08UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.45UNLIKELY
Emotional Range
0.66LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
We’re finally to that point in 1 Samuel that everyone—and I mean everyone—is familiar with.
This is no exaggeration; this isn’t a story only churchy people know.
This story has become a favorite way to discuss an underdog scenario.
We’ve got ourselves a real “David and Goliath” situation here.
Worse than that is the way Christians have taken and twisted this story into something it is not.
This isn’t about “facing your giants” in life or on the football field.
Don’t make a cheesy football movie about this (Whoops.
Too late).
This isn’t a parable about standing courageous in the face of “your Goliath”.
You don’t have “5 smooth stones” and a “sling” with which you can conquer that work project.
Don’t do that to this story.
Don’t make this story less than what it is.
Don’t start to believe that you are David and you’re facing giants in your life.
That’s lazy Bible reading and it’s simply missing the point.
We aren’t going to spiritualize this.
We aren’t going to insert ourselves into the story.
We need to hear, over and again, that we are not David.
We need to get the setting of the story and need to reveal the main issue of the text.
This chapter is about way more than we’ve made it; it’s much more glorious a story than our contemporary interpretations.
Let’s consider the setting:
[MAP]
Here’s a nice map for us to see where this takes place.
This is an actual historical event; it happened in a real place, in real time; it involved real people.
This is one of the reasons not to spiritualize this account.
It’s not a parable; this is real life stuff.
After locating this story for us, the author introduces us to the champion:
In Bible times, the ANE, and in Homeric literature, a man who steps out to fight between two battle lines and wins would have been referred to as “champion”.
Of course, if you had a man on your side who was 9-and-a-half feet tall, you’d send him out between the battle lines.
Of course, Goliath was the champion.
His coat of armor weighed 126 pounds, the iron point of his spear weighed 15 pounds.
And he’s 9-and-a-half feet tall!
To illustrate this for us, my childhood Sunday School teacher, Joan Ulmer, drew a paper Goliath and taped it to the wall in our church’s secondary chapel.
9-and-a-half feet tall it stood, almost unbelievably large in front of us young kids.
Joan let us throw different items at the paper Goliath to see if we could hit him in between the eyes.
Harder than you might think...
Think about Goliath in terms of a basketball goal.
He was almost that tall; he would have been quite the addition to his local team if James Naismith had invented the game way back then.
Goliath was the champion, undisputed.
He was intimidating and imposing.
He stood in defiance, taunting the armies of Israel.
When Goliath shouts in v. 10— “This day I defy the armies of Israel” he’s letting us in on a major theme in the book.
This word—defy/defiance—is used 6 times in the chapter.
Remember that; we’ll come back to that theme.
As we read this long introduction of Goliath, I’m guessing you were picturing what he looked like, weren’t you?
A man that tall, that strong, that imposing.
He’s the champion, undisputed.
No one can match him.
He’s too tall, too strong, too much.
His appearance is intimidating.
But didn’t we just read something about appearance?
Coming from 1 Samuel 16, we must realize that verse 7 applies here, too.
As the OT people of God, Israel should have realized Goliath’s appearance isn’t anything to God.
They should have seen Goliath and reminded themselves to “take no notice of his appearance or his height.”
All Goliath is is external appearance.
This giant falls right into the application of the verse telling us not to consider the appearance of a person.
His appearance should neither impress us or intimidate us.
Sadly, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified by Goliath and his threatening stature.
How quickly people forget what God has said.
God is not intimidated of or dismayed by Goliath; nor should His people be if their faith was in the right place.
The appearance of a mere man is no matter; the ability of our God is what matters.
The author of this story is a genius, a Holy Spirit inspired genius.
He gives us the setting, the intimidating champion Goliath, and leaves us with a note of hopelessness—dismay and terror.
And then, verse 12:
It all seems so casual.
Pretty low-key and natural.
The father of 3 sons enlisted in military service sends the youngest to deliver them some food, check up on them.
David is probably not the only younger brother taking supplies and checking in on family members on the front line.
David is simply doing what his father has told him to do.
And yet, this is the providential chain of events which will become one of the great events of all time.
“Don’t forget to worship before you proceed [with the story].”
-DRD
David’s intro is a bigger intrusion into the story than we might imagine it to be.
Goliath shouts his “usual defiance”.
David heard it.
And that’s all it took to raise David’s ire.
David wants to know, in part, what’s in it for him if he was to take the challenge of going up against the champion, but there’s more to it than that.
David understands the the issue here is spiritual at its core.
“David injects the first theological note into the narrative.”
- D. F. Payne
These are the first words we hear from David, and they’re theological in nature.
David speaks about the living God, comparing Him with this “uncircumcised Philistine.”
David brings a brand new worldview to the situation.
To this point, the situation has been godless.
But now, David interjects a godly question into the mix.
Of course, Saul’s and Israel’s fear and dismay is plenty theological—it shows what they believe about God.
David’s theology—on the other hand—believes the right things about the Lord Yahweh.
Shouldn’t having a living God matter?
Doesn’t the living God make a difference?
This Philistine has mocked the armies of the living God!
If God is so identified with His people, do you think He’s going to put up with this?
Will God be okay with slurs on His name and His reputation?
The defiance of Goliath and the repeated use of the word defy forms the focus of the chapter.
Six times this word is used:
v. 10—Goliath himself says that he mocks or defies the ranks of Israel.
v. 25—Israel’s troops acknowledge that he has done just that.
v. 26—Only David seems concerned to turn away this mockery and derision of Israel.
v. 26—David realizes that mockery of God’s people is mockery of God Himself.
v. 36 and v. 45—David will assert this point with both Saul and Goliath.
The driving concern of this chapter is not something piddly like facing your personal giants or going up against a bigger, better football team.
The driving concern of this chapter is the honor of the Lord’s name, His reputation, His glory.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9