Today we begin a new series and will take the next several weeks to study David. We know he was a king; scripture also says he was a man after God’s heart. But what made him tick? What were the unique traits around him? What can we learn about David that we can apply to our lives?
We are going to be looking at things like
His Faith in God
His desire to Honor others
Trusting God, even when it didn’t make sense on the surface
Being a person of integrity
Being someone who was fast to ask for forgiveness and give forgiveness
Being a passionate worshipper
Being a strong leader
As we go through this study, you will realize that you can be like David, after God’s heart, but also uniquely you. You just have to say yes to God. Today we will start this series by discussing David’s attribute of Faith. We are going, to begin with 1 Samuel 17:1-3…
So often, the danger of reading Biblical texts is that we try and understand them with today’s knowledge or experiences. So, for example, if this battle were being fought today, the standstill that is about to occur would never happen.
We have both camps on a hill on either side of this valley and this valley in between. So now we must understand that there would have been three types of fighters.
Those in the Calvary being on horseback
Those in the Heavy Infantry, and they would fight in hand-to-hand combat,
Finally, artillery would launch their weapons. This would include archers but also slingers.
A slinger would have a leather pouch with two long cords. They would put a projectile in the pouch and begin spinning it with the cords. At a certain point, they would let go of one cord, and that would launch the projectile toward the target.
When a skilled slinger turns the sling around, they do it at about 6 or 7 rotations per second. Then, when the projectiles would leave an experienced slinger’s sling, it would be traveling at about 78-100 miles per hour. The stopping power of the rock fired from a sling is roughly equal to that of a [.45 caliber] handgun. We know from historical records that experienced slingers could hit and maim or even kill a target at distances of up to 200 yards.
So we most likely have all three types of fighters on each side and no one ready and willing to enter the valley. If either army had entered the valley, they would have been sitting ducks to an army still on the hill. So they find themselves at a standstill.
So they moved to a fighting style that would have been called Single Combat, a style of combat that would have been preferred to limit the bloodshed of a major war.
The Philistine camp chooses to send out Goliath. The passage of scripture tells us that he was…
More than nine feet tall.
He wore bronze armor that weighed 125 pounds.
For 40 days, Goliath came down into the valley to ask for a challenger and mocked the Israelites. No one was willing to go and face him.
The People Lacked Faith Because The King Lacked Faith
Before we go any further into this story, I want to draw your attention to a specific verse. 1 Samuel 17:11…
This was not so much an issue that Saul was having difficulty rallying the people of Israel. He is specifically named and mentioned as being dismayed and afraid. When the leader lacks faith and belief, it will have a ripple effect on all of the people. Not that King Saul needed to be the one to fight. Goliath, after all, was not the king but a champion.
But Saul lacks confidence and faith that God will see this battle to victory.
Let me ask something to you today. When you pray for me, be praying not that I will do what you want but that God will give me the boldness and the confidence to do what He calls me to do and lead the way He wants me to.
I don’t want anyone to be able to write a book about the history of The Shores Church and say that “When Pastor Scott and all the people heard these words, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”
I don’t want that for me, and I don’t want that for you.
Let’s jump back into the text…
I think there is an evident and apparent reason why David was willing to face Goliath. David knew he was chosen to be King and recognized this difficult situation was the first step.
I do want to point out something, though. Even though David knew he would eventually take over for Saul, it wasn’t his time. He allowed himself to be in a place of service to the King. Even a king that didn’t have any faith in him.
Saul was so beaten down that he didn’t give David a chance. He didn’t ask David for his resume or skillset. Instead, he just looked at the outward instead of the heart. And let's for a moment go back one chapter to 1 Samuel 16:7 when Samuel anoints David as King…
Saul tells David he can’t fight Goliath because of his youth and because Goliath has been a man of war from his youth. So basically, it was okay for Goliath to start in his youth, but you cannot start in yours.
All of this works together to set up David as an underdog. When we look at a situation where someone is the clear favorite, we use the phrase It’s David vs. Goliath.
This morning, I want to break us of that mindset because it is not entirely true. If David had fought Goliath in hand-to-hand combat or a heavy infantry battle, then yes, he would have been an underdog.
David doesn’t fear fighting Goliath because he has beaten a lion and a bear. He had practice. When we first read this, you’re likely thinking what Saul was likely thinking. David says he struck the lion and the bear. It makes you think he got into this hand-to-hand fight with a lion and a bear.
Thats not what it’s saying. Remember I mentioned cavalry, Infantry, and artillery. David is trained in Artillery. He would have done the same to a lion or a bear, and Goliath would be like one of them. David has faith in his abilities because he hasn’t passed up a test. He has been prepared for this moment. Many of us want to jump right to the glory moment but have had no preparation moment.
We might view it as a season of frustration of sitting in a field; he was in a season of preparation.
Now Saul still doesn’t see it and isn’t trusting God. He wanted David to go and fight in his armor. His intentions are great because he wants to protect David, but he is asking David to fight a battle he can’t win. So Saul was going to make David an underdog unintentionally. Saul wanted him to fight or thought he would fight hand to hand. And David had no desire to do that. He was going to fight his way.
If David wears Saul’s armor and uses his sword, he fights a battle that Goliath will easily win. It's a hand-to-hand combat battle, and there is no way that David could take down Goliath. However, David has faith in his God and his abilities. He removes the armor not meant for him, sets aside the battle not meant for him, and confidently chooses to fight an artillery battle.
I think the best way to describe this is from an iconic scene from Indiana Jones. Indiana is running through the town, and you have the nice choreographed fight scene happening, and all of a sudden, he runs into a guy with a large sword. He is maybe 20 yards away, and Indiana Jones looks at him, pulls out his gun, and shoots him.
Because David brought his sling, Goliath became the guy swinging around the fancy sword. Goliath essentially brought a spear to a gunfight. Goliath was ultimately the underdog, but no one ever knew it. Only God and David. Lets look at the next portion of our text…
When God gives you victory, it's something to celebrate. He delivered Goliath into David’s hands, used his giftings, and then allowed him to finish him off with Goliath's own weapon. Especially when no one had confidence in you. No one placed their faith in you. There are going to be moments when you are going to be surrounded by doubt. But if you know God is speaking, then just keep pushing forward!
Know that you can believe God will provide the timing, opportunity, and resources right when needed. David was sent to the field to bring food to his brothers. It was after 40 days of this. Every warrior had multiple opportunities to fight Goliath themselves, but no one would. David was given the opportunity to fight Goliath and use his skill set. David found the first resource on location, the smooth stones. But when he needed a sword, God provided him with a sword to remove the head of Goliath, with Goliath’s sword!
You need to have faith in yourself, but most importantly, you need to have faith in God and His plans for your life. And then, when God gives us victory, it’s a reason to celebrate. David takes his weapons and Goliath's head and returns them to Jerusalem. The path that shows it being the shortest trip places it as a 16.5 half-mile trip.
Imagine carrying your problem around as a trophy. But to ever do that, we must live lives of faith, placing our complete confidence in God. Celebrate the victory that God gives you!
Want to study this topic more in-depth? Watch the full sermon here on YouTube!