The Life of David: David and Goliath
CCEA
School of Discipleship
January
12, 2025
In Class
Let’s stand and recite Psalm 23:1 together:
(Psalm 23:1 NKJV) The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
Take three minutes, get in groups of three or four, and share one thing you
got out of reading McGee’s chapter 10, “The Psalm of an Old Shepherd”.
Introduction / Review
Last week we talked about King Saul’s disobedience and the prophet Samuel
beginning the search for the next king.
Samuel finds this “man after God’s own heart” among the sons of Jesse in
the town of Bethlehem.
Samuel poured out the anointing oil on David, and the “Spirit of the Lord
came on David” from that point on.
There’s still a bit more left in 1Samuel 16 that we should probably look
at…
Follow in your Bible at …
1Samuel 16
Meanwhile, back at King Saul’s court…
(1 Samuel 16:14–16
NKJV) —14 But the Spirit of the Lord
departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. 15 And Saul’s
servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. 16 Let our master now command your servants, who are before
you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it
shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from
God is upon you, and you shall be well.”
:14 distressing spirit from God
The Hebrew word for “distressing” (rah) here carries the idea of “unpleasant,
giving pain, unhappiness, misery”.
One Hebrew dictionary (BDB) says, “of the divine spirit as producing an
ecstatic state of frenzy and violence”
Don’t think it’s a “demon”, but that when God now touches Saul, it makes him
nuts, “distressing” him.
So someone in the king’s court mentions they know a guy. Pay attention to how this fellow describes
David…
(1 Samuel
16:18 NKJV) Then one of the servants answered and said,
“Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in
playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome
person; and the Lord is
with him.”
And so David landed his first “ministry job” as court musician and
armorbearer.
(1 Samuel 16:21
NKJV) So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him
greatly, and he became his armorbearer.
An “armorbearer” is something like a golf caddie, except instead of handing
your pro his clubs, you stand in front of your warrior with his shield to
protect him from incoming arrows and spears.
(1 Samuel 16:23
NKJV) And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that
David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would
become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.
:23 David would take a harp
Lesson
Worship Warrior
I’m not too happy with this lesson “title” because there are some kinds of
worship songs and worship styles I’m not a fan of, but hopefully you’ll get the
idea why I’ve titled it like this.
harp – כִנּוֹר (kinnor) – A musical
instrument having strings and a wooden frame. Commonly associated with joy and
gladness. [1]
This isn’t the first time the word is used in the Bible. Yet after David
brings the Ark into Jerusalem accompanied with harps and other instruments,
instrumental music seems to come into its own and is used more in the worship
of God.
(1 Chronicles 25:1 NKJV) Moreover David and the captains of
the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, of Heman,
and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, stringed instruments,
and cymbals.
Isn’t it interesting that the band members were recruited
from the army?
I think there’s a pretty strong link between battle and
worship.
When Jehoshaphat faced a coalition of three kings, God
sent a prophet to remind the people that God was in control, and as a result,
Jehoshaphat sent out the worship team ahead of the army…
(2
Chronicles 20:21–22 NKJV) —21 And when he had consulted with the
people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they
went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord, For His
mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to
praise, the Lord set ambushes
against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah;
and they were defeated.
Victory came through the faith expressed in their worship.
Looking back at 1Chronicles 25:1, I have also always found
it interesting to think that you can “prophesy” with an instrument.
Perhaps the “prophesying” might be through the lyrics of a
song, but I wonder if sometimes an instrument itself can “speak” for God to a
heart.
Music touches the “soul”, the emotions.
Yet worship music should go way farther than just touching us
emotionally. When we worship, a door
opens inside of us to come into God’s very presence, to pour out our hearts to
Him, to exalt and praise Him, to find comfort in His presence, and even to hear
Him speak.
That all comes from something deeper than just the
emotions (soul) – it comes from the mind, the heart, and even with the body
itself (like raising your hands).
If you want to be someone who is used by God, be sure you are learning to
worship.
Worship isn’t just something you “arrive” at. It’s something you cultivate and grow in.
Singing at church isn’t the only way we should worship, but it’s something
we should all be taking advantage of.
Don’t be that person who regularly misses the first couple of
songs. Get to church early, prepare your
heart, and then be a part of worship.
I find it fascinating how God makes a way for young David to become
acquainted with life in the king’s court.
Saul has no clue that Samuel has anointed David to be king.
Do you think that David’s life so far, as a shepherd, and now as a musician
and armorbearer will help prepare him for being a king?
The answer to that is “yes”.
Now for the main event…
David and Goliath
1Samuel 17
Be sure to follow along in your Bible…
:1-11 The Philistine Problem
:1 Now the
Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at
Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah,
in Ephes Dammim.
:2 And Saul
and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley
of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.
:3 The
Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on
the other side, with a valley between them.
Play Elah map video.
So here’s the land of Israel with the Sea of Galilee on the top and the
Dead Sea on the bottom, connected by the Jordan River. Shiloh was where the Tabernacle was
located. You can also see Jerusalem and
Bethlehem.
Gibeah was the town where King Saul had his headquarters. Just north of
Gibeah was Ramah, one of the places where the prophet Samuel would spend time.
The battle is lining up in the Valley of Elah, which is about 20 miles west
of Gibeah. Sochoh and Azekah are towns on the hills at opposite ends of the
valley. Ephes Dammim is down in the valley.
If we are looking westward, Israel lines up on the right, north side of the
valley, while the Philistine are on the left, on the south side of the valley.
If we zoom out a bit, we can see Goliath’s hometown, the Philistine city of
Gath, as well as Ekron.
So this is how the armies line up every day.
Gath is about five miles west of Elah.
:4 And a
champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath,
whose height was six cubits and a span.
:5 He had a
bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the
weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
:6 And he
had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.
:7 Now the
staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed
six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.
:8 Then he
stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you
come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the
servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
:9 If he is
able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I
prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”
:10 And the
Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we
may fight together.”
:11 When
Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and
greatly afraid.
Do you see the concept here?
It’s a pretty efficient way to do battle.
Instead of entire armies dying, it’s just one man vs. one man. The winner takes all.
Goliath from Gath
There are various interpretations as to what Goliath’s name means.
McGee says it means “soothsayer”
Other resources I use say it could mean “exile” or “splendor”
I’m not sure I want to make too much of his name at the moment.
He is from the Philistine city of Gath
See map
The Philistines had settled into five cities in the plain along the
Mediterranean while the Hebrews lived up in the hills.
Though they are enemies at that time, you will see some of that change as
David will spend time in Gath, and eventually have an entire platoon of his men
come from Gath (keep an eye out for the word “Gittite”)
:4 Six cubits…
QUIZ ALERT!!!
Lesson
Think in Hebrew
1.
Some of the following information
I’ve gleaned from Ray Vander Laan. Ray
is a Gentile Christian who decided to enroll in a Hebrew Yeshiva (college) in
order to learn how to think like a Hebrew.
Goliath from Gath is six cubits tall (and a “span”)
Now be honest, as westerners what's our question?
What's a cubit? (the distance between your middle finger
and elbow)
We want to know how tall the guy is
For the record, he’s about nine foot six.
His coat of mail weighed five thousand shekels of bronze, but Ray Vander
Laan says there are better manuscripts that say it weighed six thousand shekels
(I couldn’t find them, but just go along with me for now)
We’d like to know how many pounds that is.
The New Living Translation says 125 pounds.
In fact the English translations are split on whether to
give us the number in cubits and shekels, or feet and pounds.
His iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels.
The New Living Translation says 15 pounds. I remember once bringing a
bowling ball to church to give an idea of how heavy his spearhead was.
Important Sidenote: We aren’t
given sizes or weights of the rest of Goliath’s gear, just his size, his bronze
mail, and his spearhead.
Those are all true numbers – the guy was absolutely huge and he had a ton
of armor on him.
But to the eastern, Hebrew mind, something else stands out besides size and
weight.
In Hebrew, there are no numbers. They have words for numbers, but no
numbers.
In the Hebrew text, the weight of Saul’s armor is written out with the word
for “six” along with the word for “thousand” (for us, “6,000”). The weight of the spearhead is written out
with the word for “six” and the word for “ten” (or, 60)
If Goliath was wearing a football jersey, can you guess what number would
be on it?
Would it be “15” like Patrick Mahomes?
Maybe it would be “12” like Joe Namath?
How about “19” like Johnny Unitas? (I’m really dating myself here aren’t I)
His number would be 6 6 6.
Look at all the 6’s in the text.
That’s what jumps out in the Hebrew text. It’s that number from Revelation 13 associated
with pure evil. (in Hebrew, “shaysh, shaysh, shaysh”)
2.
We like to think of the story of
David and Goliath as a story of the little guy beating the big guy.
But the 10-year-old in Hebrew school sees something else.
How did David bring Goliath down?
We’d say with a sling and a stone.
A young Hebrew kid would say that the stone hit Goliath in the forehead.
And the little third grader would jump up and down and say, “Look, God’s
promises are true!!!”
Look at what God had promised the serpent…
(Genesis 3:15 NKJV) And I will put enmity Between you
and the woman, And between
your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
God help us to think a little more like the Hebrew.
As 21st century Christians, we think of Jesus
(the son of David) crushing Satan on the head at the cross, but it’s also a
principle that God has demonstrated in other places as well.
Like David and Goliath.
Back to 1Samuel 17
:12-30 David arrives
:12 Now
David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was
Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years,
in the days of Saul.
:13 The
three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of
his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to
him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
:14 David was
the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul.
:15 But
David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at
Bethlehem.
:16 And the
Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
:16 Forty days morning and evening –
Ring any bells? It reminds me of Noah’s flood –
(Genesis 7:4 NKJV) For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth
forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all
living things that I have made.”
I wonder if this encounter with Goliath might remind
Israel of God’s judgment.
:17 Then
Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried
grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp.
:18 And
carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how
your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”
Papa Jesse wants to know how his boys are doing. We also get an idea of how
Israel’s armies were fed.
:19 Now Saul
and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting
with the Philistines.
:20 So David
rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things
and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was
going out to the fight and shouting for the battle.
:21 For
Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.
:22 And
David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and
came and greeted his brothers.
:23 Then as
he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by
name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to
the same words. So David heard them.
David hears the same taunt that Goliath has been giving for the last forty
days (see vs. 8-10)
:24 And all
the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully
afraid.
:25 So the
men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come
up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king
will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his
father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”
So Saul is offering a pretty substantial bonus to anyone who could kill
Goliath. There are three things offered:
1. Great wealth
2. Marriage to the princess
3. His entire father’s house will go tax free. (keep this last one in mind)
:26 Then
David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “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?”
:27 And the
people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man
who kills him.”
:28 Now
Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was
aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom
have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the
insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
:29 And
David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?”
:30 Then he
turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people
answered him as the first ones did.
:28 your pride and the insolence of your heart
David’s brothers are bothered with David asking questions. They think he’s just looking for an excuse to
get out of watching the family flock.
It does remind me of when Jesus went back to Nazareth for a visit and the
towns people were “offended” at him.
(Mark 6:4 NKJV) But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in
his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”
David has potential, but his family doesn’t see it yet.
:31-39 David and Saul
:31 Now when
the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and
he sent for him.
:32 Then
David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will
go and fight with this Philistine.”
:33 And Saul
said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with
him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
:34 But
David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a
lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,
:35 I went
out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and
when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and
killed it.
:36 Your
servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will
be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”
:37 Moreover
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 the Lord be with you!”
I do find it amazing that Saul is willing to gamble his entire army’s
fortunes on this young kid.
:34 Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep
So they bring David to Saul and David does a very Jewish thing that we
Westerners totally miss. David insults Saul in one of the most sarcastic
exchanges you've ever heard in your life.
Who is Saul? He’s the king.
What is the king of Israel? What is the metaphor in the Bible for the king
of Israel?
The shepherd, the carer of God's flock.
What has Saul done when the flock was threatened?
Nothing. He's up in the hills. He won't even go down to the valley.
Do you know how Saul was physically different from the other Israelites?
He's bigger. If anyone should have
fought Goliath, it should have been Saul.
David has described himself as a shepherd like Saul should be considered a
shepherd.
When a lion came and took a sheep, or a bear came and killed a sheep, David
doesn’t say he fought the lion then and there.
He says he followed the animal and tracked him down and killed him.
David didn't have to fight the lion.
He didn’t have to fight the bear.
But if he was responsible before God for those sheep and when
some lion had the guts to come and attack his flock, he'd track him out into
the desert and find him and kill him.
So he’s saying to Saul, “What have you been doing lately?”
Saul might have replied, “I was sitting here on the hill under this tree.”
And David says, then let me fight him.
:36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear
Lesson
Training Day
First we learn to handle lions and bears, then we handle Goliaths.
Don’t think that the victory over a lion and a bear were “small
victories”. Anyone here want to take on
a lion or a bear with just a sling and a club?
God had been training David, getting him ready little by little for this
challenge by Goliath.
David will write,
(Psalm 144:1 NKJV) Blessed be the Lord
my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—
Some of us have visions of grandeur where we can imagine ourselves fighting
Goliath. Or maybe it’s just being the
pastor of a large church … or having a world renown rockband …
The bigger question is, what are you doing now with the lions and bears before
you?
A promise that helped me in what I might have considered my “small days”
was this:
(Luke 16:10–12
NKJV) —10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also
in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon,
who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12 And if you
have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your
own?
Can you be faithful to shepherd a small Bible Study of
five people in your home?
Can you lead children’s worship?
We certainly don’t like going through trials and battles.
With each battle, we kind of hope that it will be the last battle we’ll
have to face.
But perhaps that “bear” your facing is getting you ready for the next
level, to face Goliath.
It’s important that we learn how to fight.
We ought to grow in our abilities.
The older I get, I find that I handle conflict a little differently.
In the past I tended to handle conflict by overreacting to things, acting
out of “hurt”, at least a little more than I do now.
I’m trying to learn to be more patient and gracious. Sometimes because I restrain my lips from
saying harsh things, the “battles” aren’t as difficult.
Everything we go through in life is training for the next step.
:38 So Saul
clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also
clothed him with a coat of mail.
:39 David
fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them.
And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.”
So David took them off.
:38 Saul clothed David with his armor
Lesson
Saul’s armor
I would imagine that Saul had the best armor in Israel.
But when it comes to battles, you have to be yourself.
Use the things God has provided you with.
Too often we want to copy our heroes just a bit too much.
Keep in mind, David knows how to fight.
He’s killed lions and bears.
He’s also got a reputation as a “warrior”.
Before he got the job as musician in Saul’s court, his “bio” read like
this:
(1 Samuel 16:18 NKJV) …who is skillful in playing, a
mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome
person; and the Lord is
with him.”
David also knows Saul’s armor – he’s been Saul’s armor bearer.
He knows how the stuff works, but he hasn’t used it for
himself.
He hasn’t put in the training time with Saul’s sword.
The point is that David is not Saul.
Saul’s armor is made for Saul.
Don’t try to be someone else.
What works for someone else may not work for you.
David doesn’t know how to use Saul’s sword, but he does
know how to use a sling and a stone.
:40-54 The Battle
:40 Then he
took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from
the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his
sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
:40 five smooth stones
Did you read McGee’s book? Do you
remember what he suggested about David taking FIVE stones?
Goliath had four sons.
(2 Samuel
21:22 NKJV) These four were born to the giant in Gath, and
fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
:40 his sling was in his hand
Don’t think of a “slingshot” with a rubber band. This is a leather strap that slings stones.
Don’t laugh at that weapon.
(Judges
20:16 NKJV) Among all this people were seven hundred
select men who were left-handed; every one could sling a stone at a
hair’s breadth and not miss.
It could be almost like a sniper rifle in ancient days.
One our first trip to Israel, we were in the Valley of Elah, near that
small brook, and I became acquainted with the slingshot. Our tour guide Ronnie Cohen was showing us
how it was done, and then he asked for a volunteer.
Play Stone Slinging video
And yes, he hit ME.
I have a new sense of compassion for Goliath. Ha!
:41 So the
Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the
shield went before him.
:42 And when
the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only
a youth, ruddy and good-looking.
:43 So 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 And the
Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds
of the air and the beasts of the field!”
:45 Then
David said to the Philistine, “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.
:46 This day
the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your
head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the
Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all
the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
:47 Then all
this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for
the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
:47 the battle is the Lord’s
Lesson
Spiritual Warfare
While Goliath was trusting in his sword and spear, David was trusting in
the name “Yahweh”.
Too often we fail to see the conflicts around us in the proper light.
We look at difficult people as the problems when there might be something
more sinister going on in the spiritual realm.
Paul wrote,
(Ephesians
6:12 NKJV) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,
but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness
of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
David did indeed fight a real battle in the physical
realm. He used his sling to put Goliath
down.
But he also recognized that his strength wasn’t in his
sling, but in his God.
Be careful about making “people” your enemies when they
may only be pawns moved around by Satan.
(2
Timothy 2:24–26 NKJV) —24 And a servant of the Lord must not
quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility
correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them
repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that
they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil,
having been taken captive by him to do his will.
Paul also wrote,
(2 Corinthians
10:3–4 NKJV) —3 For though we walk in the flesh, we
do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds…
These spiritual weapons involve
God’s name (like David used)
There’s power in the name of Jesus.
(Proverbs 18:10 NKJV) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The
righteous run to it and are safe.
Prayer
That’s us calling on God for help.
Do you remember the movie “War Room”?
The key to that movie was learning to fight our spiritual
battles on our knees, in our prayer closets.
God’s Word
That involves teaching your mind. It involves the truths that you as a “servant
of the Lord” need to be able to communicate gently with those who have been
“taken captive” by the devil. (2Tim. 2:24-26)
And there are LOTS more weapons available. Look at the list in Ephesians 6, our
“spiritual armor”.
:48 So 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.
:49 Then
David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and
struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his
forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.
I have actual footage of David’s battle with Goliath
Play “David and Bathsheba – David and Goliath”
:50 So David
prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the
Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.
:51 Therefore
David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its
sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines
saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
:52 Now the
men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far
as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the
Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.
:53 Then the
children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered
their tents.
:54 And
David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put
his armor in his tent.
:51 and killed him
Lesson
Facing giants
When the Israelites first sent spies into the Promised Land, the thing that
kept them from going into the Promised Land was their lack of faith (Heb. 3:19)
(Heb 3:19 NKJV) So we see
that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Their lack of faith was cultivated by the fears of the bad ten spies.
(Numbers
13:32 NKJV) And they gave the children of Israel a bad
report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we
have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the
people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
Joshua and Caleb had the right idea, they tried to encourage the people…
(Numbers 14:8–9
NKJV) —8 If the Lord delights
in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which
flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land,
for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the
Lord is with us. Do not
fear them.”
Caleb was the first to take on the giants of the Promised
Land. He was given the city of Hebron to conquer, a city with giants. He was in his eighties when he did it.
If you want to face your “giants”, you need someone bigger than your fears
to help.
There was a movie in 1980 called
“My Bodyguard”. It’s a story of
teenagers in high school being bullied by a group of very mean kids. Until one day one of the bullied kids hires a
“bodyguard”, and he feels like he can now take on the big bullies.
Play “My
Bodyguard” clip.
Do you have
somebody bigger than you that you can rely on?
Greg Laurie
likes to say that when Satan comes knocking on your door, just turn around and
yell, “Jesus, it’s for you”.
You need a big God. You have a big God.
Let’s get some perspective…
Play “Valley of Elah Zoom” video
If only we
could have this kind of perspective of just how big God is.
:55-58 Who is David?
:55 When
Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the
commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said,
“As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
:56 So the
king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”
:57 Then, as
David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought
him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
:58 And Saul
said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am
the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
The last four verses might sound
confusing because both Saul and his general Abner want to know whose son David
was.
It sounds like they didn’t know
who David was, even though David has been playing his harp for Saul and been
his armor-bearer.
The difficulty is resolved when
you realize that they know who David is, they just couldn’t recall who
David’s father was. Remember that
the father’s entire household would go tax free.
Quiz
There are TWO fill in the blanks…
From the lecture (7pts):
1. When it comes to reading the Bible, it’s helpful to
Think in __________
(Hebrew)
From Memorization (fill in the blank, 3pts)
2. ________ is my shepherd, I shall not want (fill in the blank)
Homework
Read McGee chapter 2 – “Water from the Well at Bethlehem”
Memorize Psalm 23:1-2
(Psalm 23:1–2 NKJV)
—1 The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green
pastures; He leads me
beside the still waters.
The blessing…