David and Goliath Lesson 4 A very brief discussion among opposing world views
1 Samuel 17 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” 1 Sam 17:45
‘Not by might nor by power , but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. What are you, O mighty mountain? ….. you will become level ground. Zech 4:6-7
I. How it all began to unfold
A. The Setting the valley of Elah 17:1-3
B. The Players
1. “In this corner…wearing 175 pounds of bronze chain mail,…Goliath !!” 17:4- 11
a. his size (good grief!) 4-8
b. his solicitation (a common proposal) 9-11
c. his swagger (he keeps “coming up”) 25
App: They’re still out there - the persistently intimidating, stomach-churning giants
2. “And in this corner…wearing a knee-length skirt with matching sandals … David” 17:20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed.
a. motivated
b. obedient
c. conscientious
3. “And our promoter,…who will remain in his tent, under the cot …Saul”
a. cowardly
b. self serving
c. out of options
1 Goliath looked like a warrior; David looked like a shepherd; Saul was nowhere to be seen. God saw them all. II. Why Spirit Filled People are Different
A. The Comparison
Saul Now the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, 1 Sam 16:14 David the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power 1 Sam 16:13
Saul hiding in his tent David being obedient “as directed”
Saul dealing with indigestion (and trying to bribe others to solve his problem) David seething with indignation (that the name of God was being defiled)
B. The Characteristics
1. Faith 1 Sam 17:34-37
Saul had a history of disobedience and self will, therefore no assurance of God’s presence David had a history of trusting in God’s power, therefore every assurance of His faithfulness
Vince Lombardi, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all” RM, “Sin makes cowards of us all”
Where does such faith come from?
It is born in simplicity, silence, solitude, and surrender every day of life through prayer, study, and obedience
It is exercised in private, with minor lions and bears, before it is every victorious over a Goliath in public
It is nurtured in perseverance of the ordinary and mundane
It is tested in misunderstanding and criticism
It sees beyond the humanism and pragmatism of the culture
2 2. Wisdom
a. when confronted by a brother - he knew which battle to fight 1 Peter 2:23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.
Rom 12: 14 Bless those who persecute you 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath
b. He knew better than to try and be someone other than himself
Saul “you can’t do that” you need more money, manpower, education, material stuff “you need armor, man!!”
David “I wear it all the time” Eph 6:11-17 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
3. Courage
Saul “Can’t I even pay somebody to be brave?” 17:25 David “ran” to meet the challenge 17:48
Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you;
Acts 13:16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!
III. The Day God Slew the Giant with a shepherd and a rock (which kind of gives a whole new meaning to the term, “God rocks!”)
A. David’s preparation
B. Goliath’s consternation
C. The battle’s duration
D. The giant’s mutilation
E. The king’s interrogation
F. The story’s application
Giants are inevitable. Never compare them to yourself. Compare them to God.
Saul and the Israelites evaluated the circumstances and correctly concluded that they were not up to it. David evaluated the same circumstances but concluded that God was more than up to it.
3 What do you believe about God? When the only solutions are worldly solutions, we will often be overwhelmed, and lose a lot of sleep.
Ps 3:5-6 5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me. 6 I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.
Be grateful for Giants. People who never experience them never know God in His fullness, and Satan is pleased James 1:2-4 2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
1 Peter 1:6-7 6b for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.
Rom 5:3-4 3b but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Cultivate a Christian world view
God is in control
Isa 46:10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
God orchestrates the events of my life
Ps 31:15 My times are in your hands
God will prevail - through me, but …
1 Sam 17:47 the battle is the LORD's,
Rom 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
As you study, watch carefully as the Spirit reveals Jesus in the typology of David.
In 1 Samuel 17 David was the representative of God’s chosen people Jesus is the representative of God’s chosen people David was sent by his father Jesus was sent by his father David was scorned by his brothers Jesus was scorned by his brothers David experienced victories in the field Jesus was victorious over Satan in the wilderness David relied on the promises of God Jesus relied on “it is written” David prevailed by faith Jesus, “not my will, but yours be done” Because David won, all Israel won Because Jesus won, all believers win
4 TNBS Questions Preparation for lesson 5 Read 1 Samuel 14:1-46; 18:1-16
1. What traits did David and Jonathan have in common? ______
2. What do you think were the terms of the covenant in 18:3? (see 20: 8, 14-17 for help) ______
3. How might David’s success and popularity affect Jonathan directly? ______
4. What do you think Jonathan’s gifts symbolized in 18:4? ______
5. If David serves as a ‘type’ of Christ (and he does), how would you apply Jonathan’s covenant and gifts to us? ______
6. How would you apply Proverbs 18:24 and Romans 12:10 to David and Jonathan’s relationship? ______
7. Describe Saul’s deteriorating relationship with David? Why did Saul keep him around? ______
8. Describe David’s ascending relationship with the people. Why did they think so much of him? ______
9. Restate in your own words Proverbs 27:4. ______
10. For each verse describe how Jonathan exemplifies the principle and Saul demonstrates the opposite.
Mat 20:26-27 Jon ______Saul ______Luke 14:10-11 Jon ______Saul ______
5 Phil 2:3-4 Jon ______Saul ______Prov 3:34-35 Jon ______Saul ______
11. Extra Credit – Name at least two other instances prior to David where Jealousy gave rise to thoughts of murder. ______
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