IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Key Verse 17:45

“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.’” 

Today’s passage teaches us a secret of victory in a war. The secret is to fight the Lord’s battle under the leadership of the Lord. David shows a good example in today’s passage. He knew that the battle is the Lord’s; and the Lord used David for his battle. David was used by God because God was in his heart. 

God gives us victory when we follow him under his leadership. The Lord can use us in his victory when we fight for his honor by depending on him. 

Today’s passage shows who God is. First, God is the LORD ALMIGHTY. Second, God defends the honor of his name. He is able to defeat his enemy who defies him because his name is the LORD ALMIGHTY. If Saul and Jonathon were not able to defend the honor of God, he will find someone else like David. If there were is no one, he would still be able to find someone or someway to defend his honor. It is because the battle is the Lord’s. 

I. DAVID, THE CHALLENGER (1-40)

    

Where did the Israelites and Philistines pitch their camps? (1-3)

* The Philistines camped at Ephes Dammim, and the Israelites in the Valley of Elah. The Valley of Elah was a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. Each of them occupied one hill, and the valley was between them. Since they camped on the hills, and the valley was between them, each of them could see what the other was doing pretty well. They could see their enemies eating breakfast or taking showers, etc.

    

It is an interesting war. Sometimes war is like hide and seek, and there is something called a surprise attack. As one military strategist defines it, “War is deception.” But in today’s passage their battle is a very traditional one. Apparently intimidated by each other, they decided that the outcome should be determined by a contest of champions who would engage each other in combat.

Who came out from the Philistines’ camp? (4) 

* A champion named Goliath who was from Gath. He was a champion, meaning a champion of battles. He was nine feet tall. Shaq is about over seven feet. But he is nine feet tall. 

Describe his appearance (5-7).

* Goliath wore a bronze helmet and a coat of scale armor weighing 5,000 shekels, that is, about 125 pounds, and bronze greaves. He was armed with a bronze javelin, and a long spear with a 15-pound iron tip! (six hundred shekels)

How did Goliath defy the army of the Israelites? (8-10,16) 

* "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." (v.8b-9) "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." (v.10b) “For forty days Goliath came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.” (v.16)

The result of the battle would determine who would be slaves of the other.

Describe Saul and all the Israelites before Goliath. (11,24)

* “On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” (v.11) “When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.” (v.24) 

They were terrified. They lost all their courage slowly for 40 days. They were almost ready to run away even before fighting. They barely kept their positions as soldiers. Not even Jonathan who attacked the Philistines and won a great victory (1Sa 14:1-23), could not challenge Goliath. Goliath wanted to win the war even without fighting by planting fear.

Satan works by planting fear in the heart of man. When man is fearful about his future he loses his strength to do God’s work and become Satan’s slave.

What did David do while his brothers went out to war? (12-15) 

* He took care of his father’s sheep. David’s three oldest brothers (Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah) went to war with Saul. But David was not in the war probably because the war could break out while he stayed at his home. David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem (1Sa 17:15) because David played a harp for Saul. (1Sa 16:18-23)

Why did David go to the battle field? (17-22)

* It was because of his father’s errand concerning his brothers. His father wanted to send something to eat for his sons and have assurance of their safety. At that time probably some soldiers could be volunteers gathered for the national crisis and their provision could be helped by their friends or family members. When David arrived at the battle field, Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. So David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. (v.21-22)

What did David hear from Goliath and the Israelites? (23-27) 

* David heard Goliath’s defiance. He also heard the king’s reward for the one who would kill Goliath. The king’s reward was for great wealth and to become the king’s son-in-law, it was also to be exempted from taxes for one’s father’s family. David heard about the reward twice. (v.27,30) Saul must have proclaimed the reward in advance, and that was why the soldiers all knew about it. David also wanted to know who Goliath. (v.26)

    

How did David see Goliath and the army of the Israelites? (26b) 

* Uncircumcised Philistine; the armies of the living God. To man’s eyes, Goliath was like indestructible power, and the armies of Israel were like the armies of grasshoppers. (Nu 13:33) But in David’s eyes, Goliath was nothing but an uncircumcised Philistine (which means an object of God’s judgment), and the armies of Israel was the armies of the living God. David could see them in this way because God was in his heart. God was in his heart because David was seeking God with all his heart. David’s whole heart and mind and thoughts were focused on God. 

    

Think about his anger against Goliath. 

* David’s anger against Goliath is a spiritual one. David could not bear Goliath’s defiance because Goliath was defying the armies of the living God. In this way Goliath defied the living God.  

Why did Eliab burn with anger at David? (28-30)

* He was angry probably because he was embarrassed and jealous. Eliab was present when Samuel anointed David as king (1Sa 16:6-13). When the fear and humility of his army was exposed to David, Eliab could not bear it. So he falsely accused David of conceit and wickedness. But David avoided quarrels with Eliab because his enemy was not Eliab but Goliath. He simply went to another person and confirmed the fact once more. He did not argue with his brother, saying “Do you know how much you are falsely accusing me now? You, not I, are indeed conceited and a wicked man.”

 

In our spiritual battle, it is important not to fight against our fellow soldiers. We need to make sure to know that who our enemy us and to fight against him. To create fighting among fellow soldiers is one of Satan’s strategies. If we fight with our fellow soldiers we lose morale and lose battles. 

How did David comfort Saul? (31-32) 

* David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." (v.32)   

David was called to Saul because what David had asked was known to Saul (v.31). This was brought to Saul because no one was even considering challenging Goliath. 

Describe David’s courage as a shepherd. (33-35) 

* No one can win against a lion or a bear with his bare hands. But David won battles against a lion or a bear. The victory came from David’s love and sense of responsibility for his sheep. God gave him such strength when he depended on God to protect his sheep. So although David did not have experience in actual battles, he was experienced in battles as a shepherd. 

    

What confidence could David gain through his experiences as a shepherd? (36-37)

* David killed both a lion and bear with his bare hands. He believed Goliath would be killed in the same way because he defied the armies of the living God. In his eyes, Saul and his armies were like trembling sheep before a lion or bear, and Goliath was like a lion or a bear. David expressed his faith in the Lord who saved him from the paw of lion and bear.

    

Why didn’t David take Saul’s armor? (38-39) 

* Because David was not used to them.

    

What did David take for the battle? (40)

* His staff, sling, and five smooth stones. These were his usual weapons. He took five smooth stones because he might have seen another four giants in the Philistines’ camp, although we are not sure. According to 2 Samuel 22:16-22, there were four more giants from Gath. 

It is important for us to develop our own sling shots, something that we can use at such a critical moment without fail. They can be the word of God or prayer or something else. David mastered the art of throwing stones until he could hit any place at any time. 

What can we learn from David who challenged Goliath? 

* David challenged Goliath for God’s honor. God is pleased with anyone who challenge God’s enemy for God’s honor.

What is our Goliath?

* Mainly, Satan the devil. But the devil appears in many forms. He can work in three worlds. They can be a physical world, a cyber world, or a media world.

II. DAVID, THE VICTOR  (41-58)

Why did Goliath despise David? (41-42) 

* Because David was only a boy.    

How did Goliath curse David? (43-44)

* When he saw David’s staff he was humiliated because it was a mere stick like ones to keep dogs away from sheep. Then Goliath cursed David by his gods. He was a mere instrument of the devil because the devil was behind his idols. 

What did Goliath and David each depend on as they went out for the battle? (45) 

* “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.’” (v.45)

Goliath: sword and spear and javelin

   David: in the name of the Lord Almighty.  

This is the key difference. It shows what they had been seeking for. Goliath had sought physical strength. David had sought God. Goliath wanted to know the power of his sword, spear and javelin whereas David wanted to know God and his power. 

Goliath was coming to David in the strength of sword, spear and javelin. But David went against him in the name of the Lord Almighty.

Who is the LORD whom David depended on?

* Almighty. That is what David knew for the Lord. So he said, “But I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” The Lord whom David found and knew for his battle was ‘the LORD ALMIGHTY’. The Lord blessed David by revealing himself as ‘the LORD ALMIGHTY’ when David had sought the Lord with all his heart.

Why could David cut off Goliath’s head? (46a) 

* The Lord would hand Goliath to David. Although David himself was in the battle, and he would fight physically, his whole heart and mind and soul were concentrated in the Lord Almighty. He was fighting the Lord’s battle for the Lord’s honor. 

What did the whole world know through this? (46b) 

* There is a God in Israel. When they saw the impossible outcome they would recognize God because there would be no other way to interpret the outcome. 

   

What did all those who gathered there know? (47a)

* “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves” (v.47a). 

The soldiers of Saul and the Philistines would know that the Lord did not depend on the power of sword or spear to save men. He can save any man anytime because his power is not limited like the strength of sword or spear.

To whom did the battle belong? (47b) 

* “For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (v.47b)

David could see that the battle is the Lord’s. The Lord himself will fight for his honor because Goliath defied the living God. God can defend the honor of his name. But God could use David in the course of exalting him over the gods of Goliath because David sought the Lord and was willing to fight for the honor of the Lord. 

Why did Goliath fall facedown on the ground? (48-49) 

* Because David’s stone sank into his forehead.  

    

Describe the victor, David, who cut off Goliath’s head (50-58).

* “So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.” (v.50) It is because it is not the sword or spear that the Lord saves.

“David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.” (v.51) 

The end.

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