DAVID AND GOLIATH – STANDING ALONE FOR GOD (1 Samuel 17)

*The battle between David and Goliath is a classic story. It never gets old. This is the first battle King Saul must fight since the anointing of the Holy Spirit left him. Saul knew that God has left him, but he does not even try to repent and seek God. The men of Israel chose Saul to be their king because they wanted him to fight their battles (1Sam 8:19-22). For men, stature and physical strength is important. Saul was taller than the rest. But now, Goliath was taller than Saul. King Saul was not really a coward. Together with his son, Jonathan, he led the armies of Israel in many battles. As a king, he was not interested in administration or worshipping God. Being a soldier is what he loved the most. But without God, Saul became a coward. His rise to fame and his tragic fall is a warning to all men. Lesson: Fear God!

*Goliath was a Philistine ‘champion’. This is a particular type of soldier who fights alone, one to one. He was a giant. His height was about 3 meters and 400 pounds in weight. His heavy armor of 120 pounds was covered with scales looking like a snake. He is a type of Satan. He fights with intimidation and fear. Goliath insulted the army of Israel saying something like this: ‘I am a pagan. I hate your God. You are supposed to trust in your God and come to kill me. Why do you run away? Is your God not able to help you?’ Saul and the people of Israel, saw Goliath as a giant in the battlefield. David saw an enemy of God and of God’s people. He knew God’s Word: “Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the Lord, he shall be put to death” (Lev 24:16). Based on God’s Word, Goliath will die.

*This is also the first battle that young David fights since the Holy Spirit came on him as the next king of Israel. His victory confirms the fact that God is not impressed by the outward appearance. God rewards faith and godly character. It also shows that the secret of all David’s success in life was the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon him. David loved God and the righteousness of God. Therefore, David became bold in battle. “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (PV 28:1). In Israel, the minimum age to join the army was 20 years. David’s three older brothers joined the army under King Saul. David was too young to be a soldier. He had no army uniform and no official training as a soldier. But he had faith in God. His brothers mocked him. King Saul mocked him. Goliath mocked him. But God was with David and David was with God. Lesson: in all situations of life, have faith in God! if God is with you, you will win every battle. Learn to mature as a believer. Draw closer to God and God will draw closer to you! (James 4:8).

*King Saul gave his armor to young David. But David refused it. For David, this temptation was greater than fighting Goliath. It is not easy to reject the gift of your king, to refuse to step into the shoes of a disgraced king. If David used Saul’s armor, Saul would share in the glory of the victory. Lesson: the man of faith does not use carnal methods. By removing the armor David presented himself as a living sacrifice to God. He will fight Goliath without man’s protection. Like Queen Esther, David said: If I perish, I perish! (Esther 4:16). This is the voice of faith and courage! David fought Goliath with the simple weapons of a shepherd: a sling and a stone taken from the riverbed. He won the battle not with sword and spear, but with faith in the name of Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of the armies of heaven. That is why, all the glory goes to God. Lesson: Saul’s armor is the power of the flesh. If the pastor does not preach God’s Word but offers religious entertainment, political speeches or secular stories, he is using Saul’s armor. He cannot kill any Goliath. He cannot defeat the devil. The true armor for any believer is the armor of God: The helmet of salvation- the breastplate of righteousness- the belt of truth- the shoes of the Gospel of peace- the shied of faith – and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God spoken in the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Eph 6:14-17). The battle between David and Goliath is a spiritual battle. David stands for Christ and for all the believers in Christ. Goliath stands for the devil who intimidates all men thru the fear of death. When Jesus died, the last enemy of man, the fear of death, died at the Cross. In Christ we are now free. We can now sing the victory song. We can join Apostle Paul and boldly confront death saying: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1Cor 15:54-56). Praise the Lord!

*Both King Saul and Goliath have many things in common. They are both proud, tall, and physically strong. They both despised David. They saw him only as ‘a youth’, without wisdom, strength or experience on the battlefield. They saw David as a loser. Both were wrong. This is a reminder that at the Cross, Jesus proved that the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. “The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Cor 1:25). The world rejects the Gospel of the Kingdom, Christ crucified and resurrected. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation for those who believe. Faith is the gift and the mystery of God.

*When David was brought before King Saul, we are not sure if Saul remembered him as the former singer in the palace or his armor bearer. Confidently, David tells Saul that as a shepherd, he has the experience to kill ferocious animals. This is not the foolish boasting of a teenager. It was the truth. Because there was no other man who could do it, Saul agrees to let David go and fight the giant. Saul told David: The Lord be with you! This was prophetic. God’s anointing has left Saul and is now on David. Unknowingly, Saul admires the royal mantle on David, the future king. Lesson: faith developed in the past will help you fight the present battles. Enemies change. But Faith never changes. Why? “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever!” (Heb 13:8).

*When going to war, be sure that your motives are right. David was prepared as a fighter, but he also had the right motives for fighting Goliath. God looks at the heart. The state of your heart is more important to God than your words or actions. David did not fight Goliath to gain fame or fortune. David’s main reason to fight Goliath was his holy desire to defend the name and glory of God. David heard Goliath insulting God and God’s people. That was enough for David to volunteer to fight him. 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” (1 Sam 17:45-47). “So, the nations shall fear the name of the LORD, And all the kings of the earth Your glory” (Ps 102:15). The second reason why David fought Goliath is to help God’s people. Like a shepherd helps his wounded sheep, David stepped forth as the true leader of Israel and defeated their enemy. Lesson: Victory is on the side of him who has God on his side!

*David was willing to stand all alone for God, even when all others draw back. On that battlefield, David was the only one who saw the reality behind the visible. David stood before Goliath. In no man’s land. That is the loneliest place in the world. No man to help you! But David did not worry about himself, whether he would live or die. All he wanted is that God’s name should be honored. To stand alone you must be sure that God is with you. Also, you must be sure of is that the Battle is the Lord’s. David knew that he was God’s servant and anything that happens to David, concerns God. People like Joseph, Moses, David, Daniel all believed that God watches over them. If you know that God is with you, you will not be easily discouraged. Question: Do you fight your problems alone? You stand for God when you study God’s Word, and you go to church even if nobody in your family does it. David killed Goliath and became the hero to inspire many generations! With all his failures, God said David is a man after His heart. David loved to be identified with God. He is a great example to us all, pointing to Jesus Christ, our Savior and King! Worship the Lord!