A Shepherd Slays a Giant

When Samuel’s career as prophet and judge was winding down, the people of Israel demanded that Samuel appoint them a king so they could be like the nations around them. God warned them of the foolishness of this demand and gave them over to the consequences of their request, consequences that did not take long to manifest under King Saul’s failed reign.

In this session, we will look at David and see how he became the second king of Israel. In David we see the kind of king that God desires while also catching a glimpse of the future King God would one day provide. David won the battle over Goliath, one of the most dangerous enemies Israel ever faced, but Jesus, our perfect King, won the ultimate victory in His battle with sin and death.

Session Outline

1. ++God’s king is measured by the Lord’s standard, not the world’s (1 Sam. 16:1,6-7,11-13).

2. ++God’s king trusts in the Lord’s deliverance (1 Sam. 17:23,26,34-37).

3. ++God’s king participates in an improbable victory for the Lord and His people (1 Sam. 17:45-51).

Session in a Sentence

God delivers His chosen, not by sword or spear, but by His strong hand, so that all the world may know that He alone is God.

Christ Connection

In David we see a picture of an unexpected warrior and king. David defeated a seemingly unbeatable enemy with courageous faith in God’s power. Jesus is the greater King whom no one expected to win the victory over sin and death, but through His death and resurrection, He is mighty to save.

Missional Application

Because we have been forgiven through the power of the cross, we don’t pursue the nations in judgment but with the message of grace that all may hear the good news and be swept up into the glorious love and grace of God.

page 39 (DDG) we all serve someone or something, most often a functional king of some kind.

American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan penned the broad-sweeping lyrics to “Gotta Serve Somebody,” saying everyone sits under the rule of someone or something, and he was absolutely right. No matter the decision we make, big or small, we all look somewhere to give our lives guidance. In fact, it’s safe to say that we all have a functional king in our lives. Many of us balk at the idea of an actual king sitting over us on a throne with a scepter and a crown. But when we examine our lives closely, we see that we all have something in our lives that rules us, even if it is somewhat more abstract.

Ask

What are some functional kings that can rule over our lives? How are these functional kings dangerous and destructive?

(relationships; appearance; health; influence; power; career; success; money; possessions; grades; sex; entertainment; man-centered religion)

The problem is not that we serve a king but that we serve the wrong king much of the time.

· Instead of serving the Creator God as King, we usurp His authority and put part of His creation on the throne of our lives in His place. These misplaced, illegitimate kings may vary, but the result is always the same—each of these kings leads to frustration, despair, and ultimately to our own destruction.

· We are made for more. Our hearts long for the true King, the One who will secure us and satisfy us in ways that no other king can. Thankfully, God has provided that King for us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is the King our hearts long for and the only One whose reign over us does not enslave us and lead to destruction but rather frees us and leads us to life.

David won the battle over Goliath, one of the most dangerous enemies Israel ever faced, but Jesus, our perfect King, won the ultimate victory in His battle with sin and death.

Point 1: God’s king is measured by the Lord’s standard, not the world’s (1 Sam. 16:1,6-7,11-13).

Chapter 16 serves as a turning point in 1 Samuel, and in Israel’s history.

The Lord had rejected Saul and had a new king in mind (13:14; 15:28). What kind of king would you choose? Someone similar to Saul, only taller, stronger, and even more kingly in appearance? If so, you would be in good company because that’s who the prophet Samuel had in mind.

Read 1 Samuel 16:1,6 (DDG p. 40).

1 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”

…………………………..

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”

DDG (p. 40)

Each of us has a picture in mind, a standard, of what a king is supposed to look like. They need to be good looking or athletic or intellectually inclined or skilled in some particular field. In fact, we’d prefer they have all of these visible qualities and more. Why is that? Because we are quick to judge people strictly by appearance. This outside-in approach to life is often how people measure value and success.

· We all see certain qualities as essential for someone to be successful in leadership. If someone looks good, they must be good. If they look powerful and strong and courageous on the outside, then they must be that way on the inside. The key to a better interior life is seen as a better exterior life.

· We cannot underestimate how important it is to recognize the flaws and dangers of this outside-in approach. Jesus reserved some of His hardest sayings for those who focused on looking good on the outside while ignoring what was on the inside (see Matt. 23:25-28).

Samuel learned quickly the lesson that God sees people differently than we do. After seeing Eliab and thinking he must have been the Lord’s anointed, God spoke to Samuel about the kind of king He had in mind.

Read 1 Samuel 16:7,11-13 (DDG p. 40).

7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

…………………………..

11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

What does it mean that “the Lord looks on the heart” (16:7)?

God doesn’t merely look at a person, He looks into a person.

He takes an inside-out approach, not outside-in like we do. When God looked through Eliab’s impressive exterior, He didn’t see the interior He desired. But when God looked through David’s modest exterior, being the youngest of his brothers, He saw something different, something He desired in the one who would be Israel’s next king.

· Even though David had an attractive appearance (16:12), there was something deeper and much more significant about him. No one who saw David that day imagined they were looking at God’s next anointed king of Israel. Why? Because they all judged him by the world’s standards. They were taking an outside-in approach, one which would have placed Eliab, and even Saul, above David when it came to choosing a king. But the Lord judged David by a different standard, a higher and truer one—He began with his heart.

The Bible speaks of the heart as the center of who we are. It’s certainly more than just our emotions. The heart drives all that we do. Our motives, intentions, and desires all reside in our heart, which is why we are told in Proverbs to guard our heart above all (Prov. 4:23).

Proverbs 4:23 NASB

Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.

Ask

How can believers evaluate someone with an inside-out approach?

(follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit; examine the fruit of someone’s actions and words; evaluate people based on the teachings of Scripture; view people through the lenses of grace and humility; evaluate people based on their expressed heart of devotion to Jesus)

Point 2: God’s king trusts in the Lord’s deliverance (1 Sam. 17:23,26,34-37).

Sometime after David was anointed the future king of Israel, he went to a battle against the Philistines. Jesse had sent David not to fight but on an errand to check in on his brothers in the army (17:17-19). For forty days, Saul’s army had been listening to the Philistines’ giant champion, Goliath, shout against Israel in defiance, taunting them to send one of their best men to fight him. Whoever won would win the battle for his people.

Read 1 Samuel 17:23,26,34-37 (DDG p. 41).

23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

…………………………..

26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “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?”

…………………………..

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

DDG (p. 41) note the stark contrast in responses to Goliath between Israel’s army, including Saul, and David.

Voices from the Church

“We must learn to be like David and see things with the eyes of faith. We must hear things with ears tuned to the frequency of heaven.” 1 –Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana

For forty days, the army of the Lord, including Saul, trembled in fear under Goliath’s slander; David heard Goliath once and trembled in holy anger. His immediate desire to take action against the giant demonstrated the depth of his trust in the Lord. From David we can learn two vital components to genuine trust in the Lord’s deliverance:

(DDG p. 41):

Two vital components to genuine trust in the Lord’s deliverance:

1. Trusting in the Lord’s deliverance means looking back at past victories.

· David: David was not deterred one bit when Saul tried to talk him out of this challenge (v. 33) because David’s confidence in God did not begin on the day he heard Goliath. Long before, David encountered lions and bears while tending sheep in the wilderness. Before defending the house of Israel, he first learned to defend his father’s flock. On those occasions, David learned to trust in the Lord and to lean on God’s strength, not his own. Even though he was likely a skilled fighter, David never boasted in his own strength. He was clear to credit the Lord as the One who was faithful to rescue him from the lion and the bear (v. 37).

· This is important for us to remember as believers: As soon as we see an enemy or a trial approaching, before we look forward and develop a battle plan, we must first look backward on what God has done for us in the past.

Ask

What are some victories you have seen God accomplish in your past, in recent history?

(be prepared to give answers of your own to jump-start the conversation)

The second of two vital components to genuine trust in the Lord’s deliverance (DDG p. 41):

Two vital components to genuine trust in the Lord’s deliverance:

1. Trusting in the Lord’s deliverance means looking back at past victories.

2. Trusting in the Lord’s deliverance means taking action.

· David: David believed that the same God who delivered him from the bear and the lion would also deliver him from Goliath. But David also knew this would not be automatic; He would have to fight. He would have to gather stones, take a stand before Goliath, and face the giant who mocked his God. This was how it had happened in the wilderness before. Yes, the Lord delivered him, but the Lord’s deliverance came through David’s action. That is what trust looks like.

Spurred on by God’s faithfulness behind us, we walk in faith and take the initiative in whatever situation we face, knowing that the Lord is going ahead of us and that He will accomplish His plans through us. Trust is doing what is the rightest thing to do and then to leave the results/consequences up to the Lord.

Ask

What are some ways past victories have strengthened you for present and future battles?

(be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

Point 3: God’s king participates in an improbable victory for the Lord and His people (1 Sam. 17:45-51).

Say: Goliath challenged one warrior to face him in a “winner take all” contest, so Saul had a big decision to make. If young David marched out to battle Goliath and he lost, which seemed the certain outcome of the battle, the Philistines would have defeated the Israelites as a whole. But persuaded by David’s faith, Saul allowed David to face Goliath in one of the briefest yet most epic battles in Scripture.

Read: 1 Samuel 17:45-51 (DDG p. 42).

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and 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 down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

DDG (p. 42)

David defeated the giant. So we should imitate David’s actions and attitude to overcome the “giants” in our lives, right? This is the imitation view of the application. It’s not necessarily wrong, but it is incomplete because David was still a sinner in need of a Savior, and only the Lord saves. Ultimately, the Scriptures are about God, our Savior.

· We know the Scriptures are not primarily about David, nor us. We are not followers of David but followers of God. Because He is our greatest treasure, the perfect One into whose image we want to be molded, we must learn from but press beyond the imitation view of applying the Scriptures.

The Book of Hebrews devotes an entire chapter to Old Testament saints and how we should follow their example (Heb. 11; see also 1 Cor. 10:1-14). So we should learn what to do from David’s example here, just as we should learn what not to do based on what he would do later (see 2 Sam. 11).

Ask.

What are some of the dangers of applying Scripture using only an imitation view?

(we set a standard for ourselves that we can never live up to; we rely on our own wisdom and strength to do what we think God wants; we will strive for holiness without concern for the gospel that grants righteousness and holiness to us through faith in Christ)

DDG (p. 42) explain the imputation view to this passage

Israel faced a giant problem…Goliath and their weak faith. David took their place, God was proclaimed to the world, and the Israelites had David’s victory through the Lord imputed unto them. David’s win was Israel’s win.

David’s victory was imputed, or attributed, to his nation.

This points to what Jesus did for us. On the cross, Jesus defeated the ultimate giants of sin, death, and Satan. While we cowered in sin, He stood in our place and won the victory for us to God’s glory.

This is the imputation view. Believing that the final victory has already been won in the Lord is what empowers us to face the giants in our lives with courage and faith.

· If we admire David’s finer moral qualities but stop there, we will miss the redemptive forest for the moral trees. We will fall into the works-based trap of trying to muster from within ourselves the attributes God says He is looking for. In doing so, we will experience nothing but failure and frustration. We will miss the better way of faith—God sent the true King who did for us sinners what David did for Israel, and just like David, Jesus won an improbable victory on behalf of His people.

David offers us a great model of faith in this moment, but we know he was far from the perfect king we need. We have the luxury of knowing in full what the author of 1 Samuel knew only in part. We are aware that a greater “David” would come one day. Many years later, David’s descendant, Jesus, came into the world to accomplish our salvation from sin.

Fill in the blanks: DDG (p. 42).

Christ as King: To restore His broken world, God promised a King who would deliver His people and restore all of creation. The promise of a coming King finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ and looks forward to its perfection when Jesus returns for His bride, the church.

Essential Doctrine

“Christ as King”: God has always ruled over His creation, whether in heaven or on earth. Yet some of His creatures in both realms have rebelled against Him, leaving destruction in their wake. To restore His broken world, God promised a King who would deliver His people and restore all of creation. The promise of a coming King finds its fulfillment in Jesus Christ after the Tribulation and looks forward to its perfection at the second coming of Christ to restore and establish Israel, where He will rule on earth in the Millennial Kingdom.

My Mission

What kind of king does God desire?

He wants one whose heart is fully devoted to Him, one who trusts His deliverance and who will show how God Himself fights for His people.

David exemplified these traits like no other king in the history of Israel. He not only provided us with an example to learn from but also points us to our true King, Jesus Christ, who died for us and rose again. Jesus is the One God put forth to rule and reign over us and grant us the salvation and freedom we long for. We have experienced a glorious victory through Him, and the world desperately needs to hear about His victory. May we be diligent to spread this message of victory and deliverance through faith in Jesus Christ.

DDG (p. 43)

Because we have been forgiven through the power of the cross, we don’t pursue the world in judgment but with the message of grace, so that all may hear the good news and be swept up into the glorious love and grace of God.

· Does your life reflect the truth that Jesus has gone before you and won the victory? Why or why not?

· What are some opportunities for your group to serve and share the message of grace with those in your community?

· How will you share the good news of your victorious King Jesus with someone who is facing a giant in his or her life?

Voices from Church History

“Christ is our fortress; patience our defence; the word of God our sword; and our victory is a candid, firm, unfeigned faith in Jesus Christ.” 2 –Menno Simons (c. 1492-1561, Catholic Priest who became an influential Dutch Anabaptist)

Close in prayer:

References

1. Gbile Akanni and Nupanga Weanzana, “1 and 2 Samuel,” in Africa Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 355.

2. Menno Simons, A Christian and Affectionate Exhortation to All in Authority, in The Complete Works of Menno Simon (Elkhart, IN: John F. Funk and Brother, 1871), 81.

3. Angukali Rotokha, “1 Samuel,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 356.

4. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7 in The New American Commentary (Nashville: B&H, 2003) [Wordsearch].

5. Robert D. Bergen, “1 Samuel,” in The Apologetics Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2007), 429, n. 16:6-11.

6. Robert D. Bergen, 1, 2 Samuel, vol. 7 in The New American Commentary [Wordsearch].

7. Bryan E. Beyer, “1, 2 Samuel,” in CSB Study Bible (Nashville: B&H, 2017), 436, n. 17:26-27.

8. Bryan E. Beyer, “1, 2 Samuel,” in CSB Study Bible, 438, n. 17:48-49.

9. Harold Mosley, “Giants in the Land,” Biblical Illustrator (Winter 2003-2004): 16.

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