David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17

by David Guzik

A. Goliath challenges Israel

1. (1-10) The Philistine Goliath challenges Israel

a. The big (anywhere from 8'5" to 9'2") man, with armor and weapons to match his size, challenges any man in Israel to a one-on-one duel

b. Goliath was from Gath; Joshua 11:22 says that the Anakim (described in Genesis 6:4 as giants on the earth) were still there in Joshua's day

2. (11) Israel (including Saul!) hear Goliath's challenge and respond with fear

a. Saul is especially afraid; being one of the tallest men in Israel (1 Samuel 9:2), he was a logical choice to square off against Goliath

b. As the Spirit departs from Saul, so does his courage; we should expect someone who has the Holy Spirit to have the courage to fight (like David)

B. David comes to the camp of Israel

1. (12-15) David, the youngest of eight brothers, splits his time between the palace and the pasture

a. David was only called to the palace as needed, when Saul was afflicted by the distressing Spirit

b. Notice that David is said to be the youngest of eight sons of Jesse; yet Psalm 89:27 calls David God's firstborn, demonstrating that "firstborn" is as much a title and a concept as a description of birth order (see Colossians 1:15)

2. (16-21) David brings gifts from home; comes into Israel's camp

a. Forty days (or years) is used in the Scriptures rather consistently as a period of judgment and/or testing (Noah, Israel, Jesus)

b. The text points out that even if David left his father's flock, he made sure that they were taken care of. This is a good shepherd!

3. (22-24) David sees Goliath make his arrogant challenge, and sees the fear of Israel's soldiers

4. (25-27) David hears of Saul's reward to the man who beats Goliath; but he speaks of God's honor

a. We can see circumstances from two perspectives: as opportunity to glorify ourselves or glorify God

b. Here, David shows proper concern for God's honor, name and reputation

5. (28-30) David is misunderstood and falsely accused by his brother

a. Eliab thought that David was trying to provoke someone else into fighting Goliath just so that he could see a battle

i. Perhaps Eliab still wasn't too pleased that he, among Jesse's sons, was the logical choice to be anointed king, but was not

b. David was probably hurt, but he was not hindered by a brother's misunderstanding - can we handle misunderstanding the same way?

i. What helped David to handle the hurt this way? He was more concerned with God's cause (Is there not a cause?) than with his own feelings

C. David to fight Goliath

1. (31-33) David volunteers to fight Goliath

a. David has courage from walking in the Spirit (unlike Saul)

2. (34-37) David's training as a shepherd prepared him

a. God prepared David for this very battle as a lowly shepherd; this is generally God's pattern for preparation

i. Back then, David had no idea he was being trained to fight a Goliath!

ii. David was thoroughly proven faithful in the small things; now God can entrust him with great things - like giant killing!

b. David knew that God's help in times past is a prophecy of His future help

3. (38-40) David will fight Goliath with the same tools he had used before as a shepherd

a. We can't battle with another person's armor; God intends for us to work for Him according to the way He has called us and prepared us

b. A Rabbinic legend says that the stones called out to David, By us you shall overcome the giant!

c. Why did David choose five stones? Perhaps because Goliath had four brothers (1 Samuel 21:18-22)

D. David fights and defeats Goliath

1. (41-44) Goliath curses David and his God

a. He makes use of the name of the Lord in his curses, thus defying both David and God

b. David is not the underdog any more; now it is Goliath against God

2. (45-47) David's reply of faith

a. David is bold, but he is bold in God, not in himself; he knows that God will win the battle

3. (48-49) David kills Goliath

a. David understood it was God's victory, and that he had a place of participation in God's victory

b. David knew that God would win, but that God would to use David to do it; so when Goliath ran at David, David ran at him (instead of just getting on his knees and praying for God to do something)

4. (50-54) David beheads Goliath; Israel romps over the Philistines

a. It is fitting that many of God's enemies meet their defeat by their own sword

E. Examples of how David's victory over Goliath prefigures Jesus' victory on our behalf

1. Goliath wanted to be a representative of his people; whatever happened to him would happen to the Philistine nation; whatever happened to the representative of God's people would happen to God's people

2. The battle took place on ground that rightfully belonged to God's people, ground that they had lost

3. Goliath was able to dominate the people of God through fear and intimidation alone

4. Who sent David to the battle ground? He was sent by his father (1 Samuel 17:17)

5. David was scorned and rejected by his own brethren

6. David fought the battle without concern with human strategies or conventional wisdom

7. The Philistines did not willingly serve Israel when David defeated Goliath; don't expect the devil to keep his bargains!

8. Just like in Jesus' battle with Satan, the battle was really over before it started

F. (55-58) Saul meets a victorious David

1. Why didn't Saul recognize David, when David had played for him in the palace? Four possible solutions:

a. He did recognize him, but wanted to know his family background for the sake of marriage

b. He could not recognize David because he is, or was, too mentally and emotionally unstable

c. Perhaps Saul never really saw David, because David played behind a curtain

d. Perhaps David had matured greatly (had he grown a beard?) in his time away from Saul

e. Young man in verse 56 means one who is fully grown, mature, and ready to marry