1 Samuel 17:31-58 David, Goliath & Us!!!

Intro: What are the Chances or the odds that a tall lanky young bible toting hillbilly wining the Presidential Election?

A)Well in 1861 it happened when Abe Lincoln was elected the __ President of the United States of America

B) What are the odds / the chances of a movie based on a real life Olympic runner who was a Christian & chose not to run on the Sabbath 1932 Olympic

1) What are the odds / what are the Chances of a movie based on that theme winning the Picture of the year?

2)Well it happened in 1981 Chariots of fire did win

C) What are the Chances / what are the odds of a military mindset / a conservative coo – coming against the largest communist country in world

1) And w/in 72 hrs the leadership is turned & begins to go in a Democratic direction ?

D) Well it happened in the Former Soviet Union in 1991 –

And what are the Chances / the odds – of a small shepherd boy armed only w/ a sling & some rocks – conquering & Killing a Giant of a man

A)A man who has been a mighty warrior the Champion of his people for longer than the shepherd boy has been alive

B) The odds are very very good – if that Shepherd Boy has the Living God – the Creator of heaven & earth on His side

1) That is what happens here in 1 Sam. 17/ read 31-51

Scene – Two armies opposite hills – valley in between / On the one side are Israelites ( Covenant relationship w/ God)

A) On the other side the Philistines – they are the invaders They are encroaching upon Judah – territory that God had already promised to Israel – 393 yrs before thru Joshua

B) The Philistines have sent out their Champion -

1) V.8 A Challenge –send me a man – v.16 40 days morning & evening

1) 80 times – Result the army is paralyzed by fear –

C)Goliath was an Obstacle in the way of Israel from Possessing the Promise that God had given to them

1) Goliath is a picture of the sin / the enemy –stands as an obstacle in our lives keeping us from possessing the promise of God

D) Along comes David – When everyone else is seeing a giant / David sees the Lord – a man who is mocking God

1) That is all that David needs to know – He volunteers to fight him. – Note 5 things about this battle

I. In the eyes of the World – the odds were insurmountable v33

A)Saul argues – You are but a youth …….. from his youth

B) The NATURAL MAN – looks at things only in the Physical – he sees things only in size & numbers /yrs of experience

1) But God isn’t so much concerned w/ any of those things –

C) There is a spiritual dimension we would do well to Remember – If God is in it – God is behind it – We are destined for success

D)And God is in the Business of using – that which the world deems small & insignificant –

1) Because – When all is said & done there is no doubt that the work was a

work of God !!!!!

Examples – Judges 6 & 7 Gideon: God whittles his army down from 32,000 to 300 to fight against the Midianites who were described as

A) laying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

B) Result the people Praised God for the Victory / His work not mans

C) We see the same thing in 1 Kings 18 when Elijah the Prophet goes up against the 450 Prophets of Baal – God gives him victory -

1) Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

D) And we could give one example after another – of God using the undersized the under privileged / the weak / the lame

1) to accomplish his purpose –

1 Cor 1:28 ²⁸God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important, ²⁹so that no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

But “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.”

E) So David is an example to everyone of us – who has ever doubted that God might be able to use our lives

1) God is not looking for ABILITY but AVAILABILITY !!!

II. DAVID HAD A HISTORY OF FAITH & Wanted it to Continue

A)David responds to Saul’s objection by telling Saul of his encounter w/ the lion & the bear v. 34-37

B) How a lion tried to attack his sheep & how he grabbed the lion by his beard & struck him & killed him – later same w/ a bear

C) The key verse however in that section is v.37 – because it shows that David’s confidence wasn’t in his flesh – but in the Lord

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.”

Saul couldn’t argue w/ that kind of faith !!! Go & may the Lord be w/ U!

A)David had a history of faith/ believing God to help him in protecting his sheep against the Lion & the bear / but he also wanted a Present faith

B) A lot of Christians are content to have a History of faith – they like to talk about the days when they were “On Fire”

1) Like it was a thing of the past – Listen if you are not “On fire” Now

SOMETHING IS WRONG

C) Jesus to Laodecia – You hot or Cold but because you are Luke warm vomit you out of my mouth

Redpath: “So many Christians believe in the God of Prophecy we believe in the great things that God did in Wesley’s day in Moody's Day in the 60’s. We believe in the great things that God is going to do ONE DAY when he comes again. But few of us really believe that he is the God of today. That he is an ever Present Power – living with in our hearts”

Sometimes we look at Zeal as a negative – thing / Yea when I was younger in the Lord I was so crazy & Zealous

A)Understand the Bible never condemns ZEAL – it simply says that ZEAL is to be mixed w/ Knowledge !!!

B) Some Christians have gained Knowledge – but they have lost ZEAL

1) God doesn’t want us to be any less Zealous , any less – On fire-

C)Our lives might not be as simple as they once were – we might have more responsibility – more required of us –

1) But God wants us to hunger & desire that he might use our lives/ Step out in Faith Zeal mixed w/ Knowledge of Who He is

D) God’s past victories in our lives / The times in the past where God has used us / worked thru – us are to foster w/ in us –

1) The faith that He can & that He wants to do more !!!!!

Spiritual maturity does not mean that I am any less on fire / it doesn’t mean that I become lackadaisical

A)Bible Knowledge is not an equivalent for Spiritual growth – because God only recognizes – Bible knowledge when it is put to use / Practiced

B) David had seen the Lord do some great things in his life, but they only made him hungry for more

1) Our Past Victories in the Lord are not meant for us to lean back on our laurels & think that we have done something for God

C) But they are there for us to look back on in faith – believing that God does come thru / that He is faithful

1) That He can & will use our lives if we make them available to him

Now David at the time didn’t know that his battle w/ the Lion & the bear were going to be used by God to prepare him for Goliath!!!

A)When we are in the mist of preparation we rarely see how God is going to use it !!! We just trust him (Courson early yrs in Oregon.)

B) David had no idea he was being trained to fight a giant.

1) Yet now, David can look back and know that the same God who delivered him before will also deliver him now.

C) David knew that God’s help in times past is a prophecy of His help in the Present as well as in the future.

1) That battle that you are in now – God is wanting to use it in your life to prepare you for a greater Victory up ahead

D)Do you believe God will deliver you? God will deliver you. He has promised to get you to your destination: (Phil. 1:6). He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

E) Know this God may deliver you from trials or deliver you in the midst of trials, but He will deliver you!

So David’s confidence was in God – The God who has given me victory in the past will give me victory this time around as well.

A)David’s Confidence was in God & David’s Concern was for God!!

B) The thing that incensed David was that Goliath had the nerve to Mock God – to Defy the Lord

1) This is a reason why David was a man after God’s own heart –

C) We noted in our first study – that speaks of a person whose heart is in harmony w/ the Lord – that the things that God loves – He loves /

1) God hates / he hates / grieve over sin

D)The things that burden God are the things that burden that person / the things that are important to God are important to that person

1) That is the kind of person that God is looking for – fits that Criteria Man or woman after God’s own heart!!!

E) David’s Concern was for the Lord – Said to v.46 Goliath God is going to help me defeat you so that all the earth knows there is a God in Israel

1) And in v.47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S,

III.The Fleshly response of King SAUL / v. Saul attempts to Clothe David in his Armor

A)Saul was still in the natural,/ the flesh, THINKING OUTWARD ONLY

B)He figured that if this boy was going to beat Goliath, he would need the best armor in all Israel – the armor of the king.

1) Saul wanted to dress David up like Goliath as best as He could

C) Saul is a good example of those in the Church who try to fight the Devil by using the methods of the World

1) Alan Redpath does a great Job in His Book the MMG- showing how Goliath is a Picture of Satan decked out in all his fascinating garb

D)And parading himself in all his arrogance & Intimidation & how Israel is a good picture of the Church – sitting organized to fight

1) With all their programs & techniques But defenseless against the enemy READ PG 23 & 26

That is a true picture of the Church

A)Gal. that which began in the spirit perfected in the flesh

B) Zech. 4:6 Not by might nor by power but by my spirit says the Lord

C) So Saul attempts to deal w/ the Situation in the Physical – by giving David his armor but it didn’t work.

1)It didn’t work because Saul’s armor did not physically fit David. Everything was too big, and David could not move well with Saul’s armor.

D)Also, it didn’t work because Saul’s armor did not spiritually fit David.

1) Armor, military technology, or human wisdom would not win this battle. The Lord God of Israel would win this battle.

Often, people try to fight with another person’s armor.

A)They see God do something wonderful through someone else, and they try to copy it / Create a formula - without really making it their own.

B) Takes more work to Develop your own Amour – Your own relationship w/ God./ WE NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR FORMULAS

C) David’s response I can’t where these because I haven’t tested them

1) He hadn't proved them prove = * By means of testing

D)Contrast He had proved that the Lord was strong / By the test of the bear and lion he proved God's real protection and might.

So David Renounced Saul’s armor & Announced His faith in the Lord – v.45 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. This could be another whole study

A)David coming in the name of the Lord- Meaning come not in his own strength /not in his own authority / not in own his power

1) But in the Strength authority & Power of Jehovah God !!

IV. DAVID RAN AT GOLIATH V.48 ⁴⁸So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

A)Because David knew that God was w/ him – He was able to enter into this Battle w/ extreme Confidence & boldness

1) I bet Goliath was startled by this – he had probably never had anyone run at him in battle before !!!

B) David had been anointed in Private before being used in Public– the spirit of the Lord had come upon him which enabled him to be Bold in public

1) David knew that God was w/ him / for him / behind him = Confidence

C) That is so often our Problem we don’t believe – we don’t know that God is w/ us / for us / behind us / - we lack confidence

D) But Knowing that God is w/ us /for us behind us – allows us the run at the obstacles in our life

1) Tackle them head on in his strength & not our own – He wants to restore your marriage – He will work if both are willing

So often our tendency is to run from the obstacles / - run around /

A)But The Lord knowing that the only way we are going to be able to enter into the blessing he has for us /

B) The only way that we are going to be able to Partake in the Promise he has set before us is to deal w/ that obstacle / that sin / head on

1) He is for you / He wants the best / He wants to give you victory /

C) He wants to fill you w/ His might & Power – Question is are you willing

V. David’s faith is contagious 52 –18:4

A)David’s Faith has a profound affect upon the army of Israel

Our boldness & faith has a profound affect upon others

B)God is looking for men to stand – men to make profession

C) David’s faith had a profound affect upon Jonathan

1) David gained a best loyal friend – Focus next Sunday

One last thing: Christ Victory over Satan should affect us the same way that David’s Victory over Goliath affected Israel

A)We are fighting not for Victory – but From Victory !!!!!

B) Wed How David is like Jesus