This sermon can be used for a small group study and contains cross-references, lessons to learn, verse by verse commentary, and applications. Feel free to print them, copy them, or share them. I only ask that you remember these are are personal study notes and are only meant as a supplement to your own study, not a replacement. I hope you can find some helpful information inside. See part 1 of this sermon on David and Goliath.
1 Samuel 17 Bible Study Part II
David inquires of the reward for killing Goliath.
26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will 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 taunt the armies of the living God?“
27 The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who kills him.”
Learning of David’s courage, Saul sends for David.
Saul’s lack of Faith
31 When the words which David spoke were heard, they told them to Saul, and he sent for him.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 Then Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth.”
· Saul’s assessment of the situation was entirely worldly and consequently concluded that David had no chance of victory. When God is left out of the equation, difficulties appear insurmountable.
Contrast that with David’s evaluation.
David’s Experience and Faith
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
36 “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted 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, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, ” Go, and may the LORD be with you.”
· David reasoned that the same God who enabled him to defeat the lion and the bear would also give him victory over this uncircumcised Philistine.
· That is how we grow in faith. It is a dynamic process. As we trust God and He gives us victories in life, our faith grows. He brings larger tests into our life allowing us to exercise our increased faith. Victory brings increased faith and so the cycle repeats itself.
· That’s where David was. God had been preparing him over the years by giving him larger and larger victories in faith. Though Goliath was perhaps the most formidable warrior of all time, God had increased David’s faith so that he could face him with boldness and confidence, David looked at the situation through the eyes of faith.
Worldly Defense
38 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor.
39 David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” And David took them off.
· Here’s another contrast between David and Saul. David’s trust was solidly in the Lord, but Saul’s confidence was in the weapons of the world.
· David had no experience with such weapons and armor, so he wisely set them aside.
So, if David would not use the armor that Saul offered, what would he use to fight one of the greatest battles of all time.
David’s Weapons
40 He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd’s bag which he had, even in his pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine.
· David didn’t want or need any fancy new weapons. He took with him the weapons by which God had granted him victories in the past.
· They were simple yet had proven effective against the lion and the bear. David believed God would also use them to give him success over Goliath.
The Rhetoric
41 Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him.
42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance.
43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 The Philistine also said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field.”
· Lots of big talk, but which one would be able to deliver?
Compare their qualifications
|
Goliath |
David |
| Experienced warrior – a champion | Never fought in a war |
| One of the most powerful men in history | A mere youth with ordinary strength |
| Armed with the best weapons of war | Armed with a stick, a sling and five stones |
· What an incredible mismatch!
· This is really an unfair battle. Think about it.
The Decisive Advantage
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and 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 taunted.
46 “This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and 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 does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.”
· Both were going into battle with great confidence for victory. With Goliath’s qualifications, it’s not difficult to see why he was so confident, but here in these verses we see the reason why David was so confident of victory. Let’s take another look at that qualification comparison chart.
Compare their qualifications again!
|
Goliath |
David |
| Experienced warrior – a champion | Never fought in a war |
| One of the most powerful men in history | A mere youth with ordinary strength |
| Armed with the best weapons of war | Armed with a stick, a sling and five stones |
| Trusting in himself | Trusting in the Lord |
· As we noted before this is an incredible mismatch.
· Goliath had no chance! That’s right, David had a truly unfair advantage and was assured of victory. God was on his side!
Let’s find out how the battle went.
The Actual Battle
48 Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David’s hand.
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.
· David didn’t hesitate from fear. He ran to the battle line.
· He killed Goliath with a shepherd’s sling and a stone. God mentions specifically that “no sword was in David’s hand emphasizing that he didn’t win the battle with the world’s conventional weapons. God gave David a huge victory that day because David dared to trust in his Lord!
· God makes the lesson as obvious and clear as it can be made. If we trust completely in Him, we will defeat even the toughest enemy.
1. Like David, we have many daily opportunities to trust the Lord in small ways.
2. As we exercise faith in these smaller areas, God increases our faith to prepare us for greater tests of faith.
3. From time to time in our Christian life, we will be confronted with a huge test of our faith. How will we respond to our “Goliath”?
4. Whether we respond in fear like the entire Israelite army or in faith like David depends on how we have responded to the small daily tests of our faith.
Lk 16:10
10 ” He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
5. Do you really, really want to pass the big tests of faith when they come? If your answer is “Yes”, then you must be faithful in those little daily decisions of faith.
6. Here are a few of the “little things” for which you must say “Yes” to the Lord in order to have victory over the occasional “Goliaths” that He will bring into your life.
· Spend daily time in the Word and prayer.
· Be consistent in a regular Scripture Memory program
· Be a servant at home and at work
· Humble yourself and repent of all known sin
· Give regularly and generously to the Lord’s work
· Be quick to forgive when wronged
· Share the “Good News” with others often
This is not comprehensive list and you might want to modify it but I think you get the idea.
If you say “No” to the Lord on any of these basic issues, you can be confident of being defeated when confronted with your “Goliath”. Don’t dishonor the Lord in this way!
On the other hand, can you imagine the thankfulness and joy in David’s heart when he slayed Goliath. You can experience the same if you are only willing to say “Yes” to the Lord and be faithful to Him in the little ‘things’. It’s not easy, but the Lord commands it and it can be done. So say “Yes” to the Lord today and be just as confident of victory as David was when you face your next “Goliath”!
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