David

God Provides a Savior

Intro

This morning we are going to cover quite possibly my favorite bible story.

It’s a story most people have heard before.

In fact, its so prevalent that it has made its way into popular culture.

This story is David and Goliath.

I want to challenge you to listen very carefully.

I know that many of you have heard and told this story many times.

But I want you to try and push aside all that you know about the story and try to listen to it with fresh ears and a clear mind.

It’s not gonna be easy.

But we can become so familiar with some things that we will turn off our ears.

That we will say to ourselves “I know what happens so I’ll tune out for a little while.”

But I promise you that if you listen you will probably hear this story in a way that you never have before.

Let’s pray.

1 Samuel 17:1–11 CSB

1 The Philistines gathered their forces for war at Socoh in Judah and camped between Socoh and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. 2 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. 3 The Philistines were standing on one hill, and the Israelites were standing on another hill with a ravine between them. 4 Then a champion named Goliath, from Gath, came out from the Philistine camp. He was nine feet, nine inches tall 5 and wore a bronze helmet and bronze scale armor that weighed one hundred twenty-five pounds. 6 There was bronze armor on his shins, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel today. Send me a man so we can fight each other!” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.

The Big Problem

The story begins with describing to us the situation that the Israelites find themselves in.

These details are important and shouldn’t be overlooked.

God is intentional on telling us the his story and never wastes a word.

We are first introduced to the Philistines.

We need to recognize that the Philistines are a thorn in the side of the Israelites.

In fact, you can read about them taking the Ark of the Covenant from the Israelites in 1 Sam 4-5.

The Ark symbolized God’s presence and power among the Israelites and it was taken from them by the Philistines.

And here they face off against one another again, but it is a standstill.

They were on opposites sides of the valley of Elah, the Israelites on one hill and the Philistines on another.

What’s important to know here is that the Philistines were encroaching on Israelite land.

They were in the land of Judah and if they won this battle they would have a foothold in God’s Promised land.

Now the Philistines had a warrior named Goliath.

And he was a Giant.

He stood over 9 feet tall.

He wore armor that weighed in at 125 lbs.

He had a spear that’s handle was the size of a weaver’s beam.

Unable to be used by a man of normal size.

The tip of the spear weighed in at 15lbs when normal spear tips weighed in at around 1lb.

And he had a sidekick.

His shield bearer was there to protect him from any projectiles thrown at him.

Now his armor is made of bronze and the author of 1 Sam wants us to know this so much in fact that he mentions it 4 times.

Why?

Because the word for bronze in Hebrew sounds like the word for snake or serpent in Hebrew.

Additionally, he is clothed in scale armor.

And this word is used to describe the scales of fish and serpents.

The author of 1 Samuel is really wanting the original readers to see Goliath not only as a unconquerable warrior, but also as a snake that has crept into their land.

Where else in the Israelites history do we read about an unwelcome serpent?

Genesis 3.

Goliath’s description would make the original readers think back to that story in Genesis.

And it would cause them to think about whether he would be able to be overcome or if Israel would be subdued by the serpent once again like Adam and Eve.

1 Sam 17:8, tells us that each side would line up in formation and Goliath would come out there and tuant them.

He wanted to fight in what is called Representative Warfare.

Meaning that he would represent all of the Philistines.

And he wanted to fight one man who would represent Israel.

And the loser of the battle would submit to the winner.

Goliath did this as his profession.

We read later that he has been a warrior since his youth, no doubt fighting in similar circumstances.

And the fact that he stood there in front of the Israelites meant he was good at his job.

He had never lost.

He is a trained warrior.

Not only that he is gigantic.

He seemed like an insurmountable and unconquerable foe.

And he wants to fight.

He smells the fear on the Israelites.

And God’s people have a warrior that should be able to fight Goliath.

One that they had chosen to lead them.

One they had put their faith in.

One who stood a head taller than all the other Israelites.

King Saul. He was considered a giant amongst the Israelites.

But instead of fighting against the enemy he was hiding in his tent.

We are supposed to feel the tension.

We are supposed to feel the weight.

We are supposed to feel the fear within the Israelite heart.

1 Sam 17:11 “11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words from the Philistine, they lost their courage and were terrified.”

What were they going to do?

Was God going to deliver them?

Who would be the champion for the Israelites?

1 Samuel 17:12–24 CSB

12 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. 13 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, 14 and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, 15 but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem. 16 Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. 17 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. 18 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. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” 20 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. 21 Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other. 22 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. 23 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. 24 When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified.

A Providential Lunch

We are introduced to a young man, David.

All we know about his age is that he is less than 20 years old.

20 Years old is when the men of Israel would be part of the army.

Now here’s one thing we have to know, most of these men weren’t professional soldiers.

They were only called upon to fight when it was time to battle

Other than that they were at home tending to their families and land.

Being that they weren’t professional soldiers, their families would often provide them with the food and sustenance they needed to have while on the battle field.

And that’s where David steps onto the scene.

He is out tending sheep and his father tells him to bring some grain, cheese, and sandwiches to his older brothers that are on the battle field.

Isn’t it amazing that something so mundane and ordinary as lunch can bring an encounter with God.

God can use it to place us exactly where we need to be for exactly why he needs us to be there.

Meanwhile, we the readers learn that this standoff between the Israelites and Philistines occurs twice a day.

And has everyday for 40 days.

80 times Goliath has come out and mocked the people of God.

80 times Goliath has come out and taunted the army that he knows is afraid of him.

80 times Goliath has mocked and ridiculed God himself.

But things were about to change.

The number 40 in the bible usually describes a time of testing.

A time of trial.

And the Israelites have been tested for the last 40 days.

But God is about to provide for them a Savior.

1 Samuel 17:25–37 CSB

25 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.” 26 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?” 27 The troops told him about the offer, concluding, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 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!” 29 “What have I done now?” protested David. “It was just a question.” 30 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. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him. 32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 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.” 34 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, 35 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. 36 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.” 37 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.”

An Unlikely Savior

In this section, we hear that there is an astounding prize for the man that stands in between Israel and Goliath.

The King is offering to give his daughter in marriage.

He is offering riches.

And most tempting of all he is offering a tax free living for all the extended family of Israel’s champion.

Well, David hears Goliath’s taunts and responds in anger and frustration.

“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?”

You can hear the anger and frustration in his voice.

Probably not only at Goliath, but at the army too.

They have forgotten who their God is.

They have forgotten what their God has done.

They have forgotten who has the power.

Saul over hears David asking about the reward for killing Goliath and invites David into his tent. v. 31.

And in 1 Sam 17:32, David volunteers to go and slay this giant “32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!””

David isn’t afraid of Goliath.

He is ready to go an overcome this snake that taunts and tempts the Israelites.

But Saul discourages David, saying that he can’t go and fight Goliath b/c he is just a boy and Goliath is a warrior who has been fighting since he was David’s age.

In Saul’s eyes David doesn’t stand a chance.

David is going to get crushed.

David has no battlefield experience.

He hasn’t had to fight another man in hand to hand combat.

It doesn’t seem as if David has any chance at all of beating Goliath.

But God has been preparing David for this moment.

David recounts for Saul times where he has wrestled lambs from the mouth of lions.

Where he has killed bears with his own hand.

Listen to what he says.

1 Sam 17:34-37 “34 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, 35 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. 36 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.” 37 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.””

It’s interesting that David relates these experiences to Saul.

It’s almost as if God is telling us that David is doing what man should have been doing from the beginning of time.

David has dominion over the beasts of the field.

And there is one more beast that he is about to subdue.

Goliath.

But he isn’t doing it in his own power.

No he is doing it through the power of God.

The Lord is where David finds his strength.

The Lord is the one who delivered David.

The Lord is the one who is going to protect his people, but he is going to use David to do so.

So Saul gives him the blessing to Fight Goliath.

They have been at a stand still for 40 days.

These men need to get back to their home.

They need to get back to their families.

The time of testing has come to a close.

The Champion that the people chose, Saul, is passing the buck to the champion God has chosen, David.

1 Samuel 17:38–47 CSB

38 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. 39 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. 40 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. 41 The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy and handsome. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!” 45 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. 46 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, 47 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.”

Stand-Off

Saul tries to outfit David in his armor.

He tries to Get David to look like he thinks a warrior should look

You see, like Goliath, Saul trusts in weapons made by human hands.

He trusts in armor hammered out by human hands.

He doesn’t trust in the deliverance and power of the Lord.

It’s crazy that the Israelites and Saul have seen and known that God has power over their enemies if they will trust him, but yet they all continue to trust in their own works, in their own deeds, and in their own abilities.

And David tries on the armor only to see that it doesn’t fit.

That he wasn’t used to it.

You see he’s a shepherd that is used to simple things.

He is used to his simple clothing, and the bronze helmet and armor are too cumbersome and restrict his movement too much.

So he lays it aside and trusts in how God has equipped and trained him to win this battle.

As a humble shepherd that is willing to put his life on the line for God’s People.

David doesn’t want to use the armor or weapons formed by human hands, instead he is going to fight with just a sling and a stone.

So he goes down to the riverbed and chooses 5 smooth stones to carry with him into battle.

For David, it doesn’t matter what he takes into the battle b/c he knows that the battle isn’t his, it’s the Lords.

His trust isn’t in his own ability, but in the power of the Living God of Israel.

So he approaches the Philistine as a humble shepherd and Goliath is insulted by the boy that the Israelites have chosen to challenge him.

1 Sam 17:43-44 “43 He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!””

Goliath is confident that this battle is all but over.

He is cursing David and the Israelites.

He is again mocking God.

But David is more confident, again not in his ability, but in his God.

Listen to how David responds to Goliath’s mockery.

1 Sam 17:45-47 “45 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. 46 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, 47 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.””

David no doubt remembers the stories of God’s victories in seemingly impossible situations.

Abraham defeating 9 kings with 318 men.

God delivering the Israelites from the hand of Pharoah.

Joshua and the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho and not lifting a finger to conquer that great city.

Gideon defeating the Midianite Army with only 300 soldiers.

All those in the Israelite army, including their leader Saul, thought that the battle hinged on their ability.

But David remembers that the battle doesn’t belong to them.

“The Battle is the Lord’s.”

He does the work.

He fights the battle.

He determines who wins and who loses.

And David is confident in God’s Victory.

So David is ready to battle.

David is ready for Victory.

1 Samuel 17:48–53 CSB

48 When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 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. 50 David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. 51 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. 52 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. 53 When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps.

Victory

The telling of the battle is relatively short in contrast to the rest of the passage.

We, the readers, are meant to feel like Goliath is unconquerable.

Meanwhile, the actual battle takes 2 verses.

Showing us that what seems too much for us is nothing for God.

David Defeats Goliath with a sling and a stone.

Then beheads him with his own Sword.

And David’s victory terrifies the other Philistines.

They run for their lives.

They retreat.

And the Israelites chase them for roughly 10 miles.

One of the things I always find interesting is Goliath landing face down after being struck with the Stone.

That’s not the way that Physics works.

In fact, if you look at most of the paintings and drawings depicting this story Goliath is always falling backwards, because that’s the way someone would fall if they were hit with a 1/4lb stone flying at their face at over 100mph.

But again this battle was the Lord’s and Goliath’s death would have struck fear in the minds of the Philistines b/c of an event that happened previously.

I mentioned it earlier, but the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant years before this event.

Remember the AoC, represented God’s presence in the Tabernacle.

So what the Philistines did is they took the AOC and placed it in the temple of the God they worshipped Dagon.

They placed the AOC next to Dagon’s statue.

The next day the statue of Dagon had fallen over.

1 Sam 5:3, “with his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord.”

As if he was bowing in worship and submission before the Lord.

Then they took the statue and placed it back right side up, and again the next morning it was found knocked over with it’s face on the ground before the ark of the Lord. 5:4.

But this time it’s head and arms were removed.

So the god that the Philistines had put their hope in was headless and powerless before the God of Israel.

Likewise, the champion they had put their hope in was now made to bow before the power and authority of the Lord.

Nothing and no one is Like the God of Israel.

He wins battles no one thinks he can.

He overcomes obstacles that are seemingly impossible.

He is victorious. Always.

Now, somewhat quickly I want to discuss a few misconceptions about the story of David and Goliath.

Misconception #1-David was an Underdog.

This is how he is viewed in popular culture.

This is how the phrase David vs. Goliath is used in sports.

But the Reality is, David wasn’t the underdog…Goliath was.

Here’s what I mean.

If we back up just one chapter to 1 Sam 16:1-13 we read about God anointing David as the next King in Israel.

Not only that we read that “the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully on David from that day forward.”

Goliath didn’t stand a chance against David.

I want you to remember that Goliath spent day and night mocking and blaspheming the name of God.

He defied the Lord.

And the consequence for this was his death.

In Fact, we are told in Lev 24:16 that stoning is the penalty for blaspheming God.

And Goliath got stoned.

The people saw David as an underdog, Goliath viewed David as an underdog, but God Saw David as His Champion.

Misconception #2- You are David and you can defeat your Goliath.

This is probably the most prominent teaching in all of Christendom.

The Story gets made into something like this.

We all have Goliath’s in our lives. Maybe it’s your debt.

Maybe it’s your addiction.

Maybe it’s your sin.

Maybe it’s your ______.

You need to be like David and conquer your Goliath.

But listen, though this may sound good.

Though it may make us feel good.

Though we may have heard it taught this way or even taught it this way. It’s wrong.

It cheapens the reality of what’s going on here.

This type of reading rips the story out of it’s context and out of biblical theology and shrinks it down to a size that may seem more manageable, but it is definitely less glorious.

This type of view on the biblical story takes me and places me at the center of the biblical story.

But here’s the problem.

The bible isn’t about me.

It is certainly for me.

But it’s not about me.

Now, I’m not trying to burst anyone’s bubble or make you feel bad.

But if we truly believe this is the Word of God.

That it was given too us by God, then we must not minimize it to being a story about me.

A story centered on my life, my circumstances, my hopes, dreams, and fears.

If you wanted to identify with anyone in this story, we would best be recognized as the Israelites cornered terrified at the giant that stands before us.

David is a representation or a foreshadowing of Jesus.

David is a messiah type figure that comes to save God’s people from a threat that they are unable to overcome.

A threat that is coming to bring death and slavery.

David comes into battle to destroy the serpent Goliath.

Genesis 3.15 tells us that the messiah will crush the head of the serpent.

Remember the language used to describe Goliath was chosen to make him seem like a serpent creeping into the land.

So David crushes his head with the stone, then removes it with the sword.

David is fulfilling, in part, the prophesy found in Gen 3:15.

Now again this is a picture of the true messiah to come, Jesus.

So what does this have to do with Jesus.

Like David, Jesus overcame something that we can’t.

He conquered sin.

He conquered death.

He crushed the head of the serpent.

David saved his people from physical death and slavery.

Jesus saves his people from spiritual death and slavery.

David was chosen by God to be the savior.

Jesus was chosen by God to save people.

Just like the Israelites couldn’t save themselves, we can’t save ourselves.

We needed one sent by God to conquer our biggest obstacle, sin and death.

And Jesus did that.

David was Israel’s champion.

He stood between Israel and Goliath.

He represented them and through the power of God defeated a powerful enemy.

He was victorious.

Jesus is our champion.

He stands between us and death.

He represents us and through his own power, humility, death, and resurrection.

He is victorious.

And he invites you to stand in his victory.

You can't save yourself.

Your church can’t save you.

Your history can’t save you.

You being a "good" person won't save you.

That's the reality of the gospel.

You stand before a foe that you have no chance at defeating.

Sin and death loom over you and you are cowering in the corner afraid of what will happen.

If you approach this giant you will surely die.

Everyone who has faced him has met their demise.

BUT GOD, gracious, merciful, and powerful provided his son to represent you and your life.

The only one who is more powerful than the giant of death and sin stands in your place.

Jesus has defeated sin.

Jesus has conquered death.

Jesus sets God’s people free.

You can’t do it.

I can’t do it. Only God can do it. And the great news is. HE DID!