Return To Lowell F. Johnson Master Menu Return To Lowell F. Johnson Sermons on David Menu When Two Giants Met Face To Face CHAPTER 3 I Samuel 17:1-54 The account of David and Goliath is among the top ten best known stories in the Bible. -Even folks who don't attend church could tell you something about Adam and Eve or Noah and the Flood, or Samson, the strong man, or Daniel in the Lion's Den or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the Fiery Furnace or the Birth of Jesus or Zacchaeus who Climbed up the Sycamore Tree or Jesus Dying on the Cross, and they can tell you about David and Goliath. I can't remember a time when I didn't know the story of David and Goliath. About three-fourths of I Sam. 17 describes the scene of the battlefront. The first 40 verses describe the battlefront and the last 14 verses describes the battle. Before I get into the message, there are three SEEMING discrepancies in this passage that I want to deal with. 1.Scripture tells us that Goliath challenged the men of Israel for forty days. Why did the opposing armies remain inactive for such a long time? Realize that neither the Philistines nor the Hebrews had regular, full-time armies; their soldiers were drawn from citizens who spontaneously left their homes and occupations to respond to their ruler's call for volunteers. That means their food and wages were not supplied by the rulers. Food and supplies were often sent from homes. 2.In I Sam. 17:55 Saul asked Abner, the commander of the army, who David was. If David played his harp for him and was his armor-bearer, Why didn't he know him? David didn't stay at the palace with King Saul. He would play for Saul then return to his father's house. We don't know how long a period intervened, between the return of David to his father's house and his appearance before the King, on the morning of the duel with Goliath. It may have been as much as two years. Remember that David was 16 or 17 when he came to play before Saul. There have been times that I haven't seen teenagers for a year or two and then, when I see them, they have changed so much I hardly recognize them. So it was with David. 3.In I Sam. 17:54, we are told that David took the head of Goliath and his armor and put them in his tent, as a trophy of war. Later, we will learn that the priest of Nob kept Goliath's sword. How many times David must have reflected on those items and remembered that the battle is the Lord's. But at that time of his slaying of Goliath, David had no tent. But don't forget that the description of David's encounter with Goliath was written many years after the event took place. David not only had a tent but a palace by the time the events were written down. Since three-fourths of this chapter describes the scene of the battlefront, I want you to picture the scene with me: -17:1a, 2-3, 16 The Philistines, the ancestral enemy of Israel, were trying to penetrate into Israel's territory. -King Saul and his men drew up in battle array against the Philistines at a place called the Valley of Elah. It was only about 17 miles south of Jerusalem. -The Valley of Elah was much like a large canyon with high, mountainous walls on each side and a wide ravine separating them. In the wet season, water drained there, but most of the year there was only a small stream in the bottom. There, David would find ammunition for his sling.
-For at least 40 days, the two armies had faced each other without so much as an arrow being shot. They were locked in a standoff. Picture it like this: Israel's army was on one mountain cliff and the Philistine army on the other mountain cliff. Between them is the Valley of Elah with a gap of only one hundred yards to a quarter of a mile wide. They stood facing each other. Scripture says they were drawn up in battle array against each other. They were standing in orderly arrangement, facing each other; shouting at each other; with the Valley of Elah between them. Both were frozen in inactivity. Neither of these armies were moving. 8 -Why did these armies remain basically inactive for 40 days? Had either army attacked, the defenders would have a definite advantage. They would be shooting down at their enemies who were trying to scale the hills and cliffs. Any military tactician will tell you that any assault going uphill against a well-fortified enemy would be a suicide mission. The losses to the attacker would be staggering. So both armies watched each other across the Valley, but neither moved a finger to break the stalemate. I. The Confrontation 17:4-11, 16-25a This day began for David like any other day. He plans to tend his sheep and do the things he has done day after day for years. But this day will be different! Jesse sends David to check on David's three elder brothers who were fighting in Saul's army. They have been gone at least 40 days and Jesse is worried. -So, David goes to his brothers as he is commanded. When he arrives, he finds the armies of Israel cowering in fear because of the taunts of Goliath. -How little do we know what a day may bring forth. David never realized that morning the great trial and victory he would face that very day. -He thought he was delivering provisions for his brothers. Little did he know that he was God's provision for His people and that he would deliver God's people from Goliath and the Philistines. -The key point here is that David was ready for the task at hand. Our prayer each day should be, Lord, prepare me for what lies ahead today...the opportunities to serve, the temptations to shun, and the trials to endure. May I be your provision for someone in need! The Bible says that for 40 days, at morning and at the evening, Goliath would come out and defy the armies of God, saying, Give me a man to fight. -God saw to it that David arrived just in time to see the army go out as it did every morning to array itself for battle. David thought he had arrived just in time to see the fight. For the eighty-first time, Goliath challenged God's people and like every other time; one minute they were shouting the war cry and the next minute they were all running away to hide in their tents. David said, Why doesn't someone go out and fight that man? In 17:25, they respond, Have you seen this man? -It's interesting to see how the Bible describes both David and Goliath in this passage: (1) Goliath 17:4 says Goliath stood six cubits and a span. The Hebrews measured a cubit as the distance form the elbow to the top of the middle finger, or about 18 inches. A span is the distance from the top of the middle finger to the end of the thumb when they are expanded as far as they can reach, or about 9 inches. So, Goliath was about 9 feet and 9 inches tall. 17:4 also says Goliath was from Gath. He was a descendant of Anak, a race of giants. Remember in Num. 13 when the 12 spies went out to spy out the land and they said they saw giants
there? This is no fairy tale or something made up for Sunday School teachers to tell children. Archaeologists have found hundreds of giant skeletons in the Jordan Valley. Nor was he the largest giant recorded in scripture. Deut. 3:11 says that King Oz of Bashan had to have a bed thirteen and a half feet long. His coat of protective armor was made of bronze and was made like fish-scales and weighed some 175-200 pounds. He wore a helmet and armor on his legs made of bronze. The staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, or the size of a man's arm. The head of his spear was 15-20 pounds, or the weight of a bowling ball. You can imagine what he must have looked like in the morning when he would come out and the sun would reflect off of him and when he raised his arms calling for a man to fight. 9 One commentary said there was probably only about a two or three square inch of exposed skin on Goliath's forehead. David: Not much is said about David. We are told that he was ruddy, the youngest of the brothers...but The Lord Was With Him! If all you see in this passage is a physical giant coming against the people of God, you have missed the purpose of God giving us this account. -Giants come in different shapes and have different names, The greatest giant for the army of Israel that day was the giant of fear and giant of lack of faith and confidence in God. -Today you may be facing the giant of Thoughts of Regrets, Feelings of Guilt, Sense of Failure, some Besetting Sin, Some Constant Temptation. Maybe it is something like Depression, Anger, an Unwillingness to forgive. It may be a health giant or financial giant. -Remember that We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, spiritual wickedness in high places. Three things I would point out about giants you face in your life: (1)Giants usually come unexpectedly When David left home that day, he didn't leave to go out and fight a giant. But before the sun went down, David found himself face to face with a mighty big giant. Isn't that how the giants usually come to you and me in life? They rarely give notice that they are coming. When they come, they always catch us off guard and they always frighten us. If we are going to survive giant country, we need to understand that giants don't just show up; their appearance is well timed. Now, from our perspective, they just appear. But from God's perspective, they are all part of His plan for us. If we could ever grasp the truth that nothing comes our way apart from the will of God, it would change our attitude toward the giants of life. Passages like, Rom. 8:28; Ps. 37:23; Job 23:10; Jer. 29:11, would become real to us and they would bring us great comfort. Here is what I'm trying to tell you: when that giant showed up in your life, it didn't get there by accident. That giant is there by the providence of God. It is there because God sent it or allowed it in His precise timing and wanted you to face it when it came to you. When giants come in our life, we can be like Saul and hide from the giant; or be like David and face the giant in our lives. (2)Giants are persistent. Goliath came morning and night for 40 days. (3)If you tolerate giants, they will take over your territory. -In 17:8, he came down his side of the mountain; in 17:25, he came up the side of the mountain where
Israel was. He kept gaining ground. II. The Contempt In 17:4, Goliath is called a champion. It means a man who has proven himself in battle. -Notice 17:8 This was often done in that day. The whole army would not fight, but one man from each army would fight and it would be winner-take-all. -Notice Saul's reaction 17:11 They were terrified. They all shook in their sandals for fear of this giant. Notice David's reaction 17:32 -David didn't see Goliath as Saul and his army saw him. The people saw Goliath through man's eyes; David saw him through God's eyes. 10 -The people said He's too big to hit! David said He is too big to miss! There was only one Giant in David's life and that was God. But don 't look for automatic applause, even from God's people or even family and friends, if God leads you to do something for Him. -Your biggest opposition may come from those closest to you. Eliab, David's own brother, taunts him -17:28 -He belittled and ridiculed David. He wasn't going to do anything, but he criticized David when he wanted to. -David won a victory even before he faces Goliath. He had won a victory over anger. He has mastered himself by the way he responded to Eliab. Saul Discouraged David -He told him he was too young and not skilled in fighting. -Saul even tried to get David to wear his armor. Saul was a 52 long and David was a 38 regular! Some suggest that Saul wanted everyone to think David was he. Two things gave David confidence: (1)He had proven himself already 17:34-37 (2)He knew the battle was not his, but the Lord's. He was not going in his strength, but in the strength of the Lord -17:45-47 Nor did David trust in his sling! He trusted God and used what god had given him. III. The Conflict 17:40-51a Finally, after 40 verses, we get down to the battle and it only took a few seconds. David took three important steps in winning the victory: (1)He Faced the Giant -No one else would even face the giant because of fear. -Even when Goliath scorned and belittled David, David was not at all intimidated. He didn't stutter,
stammer, or hesitate. (2)He Fought the Giant -He was not all talk; he fought. Saul's army was big on talk, but nothing else. -Did you notice in 17:48 that David RAN toward him? -Findly Edge said: We go to church on Sunday and talk about God, how good He is...about sin, how bad it is...about the world, what a mess it is...then we have prayer, go home, and do nothing. (3)David Fell the Giant 17:49 -Giants are not really that big...when they are flat on their face on the ground! When we allow God to fight the battle for us, that's where they will be. IV. The Conquest 17:51-54 David took Goliath's own sword and lopped off his big ugly head. The Philistines saw this and fled. -By the way, giants, like Satan, are deceivers. Notice 17:9 11 Four Lessons : 1. Facing giants is an intimidating experience. Doing battle is a lonely experience. Your Goliath is your Goliath. No one else can do battle for you. 2. God is bigger than any giant. Problem, besetting sin, failure 3. Trusting God is the secret to victory; -Never forget: The battle is the Lord's. -If God be for us, who can be against us? 4. God doesn't want us to waste victories. Don't forget them. See 17:50-51a, 54 1Sa 17:50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. 1Sa 17:54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. Return To Lowell F. Johnson Master Menu Return To Lowell F. Johnson Sermons on David Menu