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Facing our Giants
“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 Samuel 17:47
Every Christian is at war. We are seeking the extension of his Kingdom on earth in a hostile environment. If today you do not feel this may be so, it may be because you have not yet enlisted in the armed forces of Jesus, or you have gone AWOL (absent without leave). The gospel is very much about war and peace.
The victorious battles within the Old Testament are there for two reasons. One reason is to teach the art of Christian warfare, and the second reason is to point us to the greatest battle of all time, that was won by Jesus at the cross. Both these aspects are here in the David – Goliath narrative. Is there a Goliath standing in front of you at this present time? That seemingly and surmountable obstacle threatening your spiritual life and most importantly the honour and glory of God.
- Get to know your enemy (verses 1-11).
An important rule of war is to fight it on your own terms. That was not happening here. God’s people had been duped into thinking that the battle was all about Goliath (v8). As a consequence, God’s people are dismayed and terrified (v11). Disobedience had led to paralysis. The enemy was dictating the terms. God’s people had forgotten that ‘The battle is the Lord’s.’
The enemy had presented a ferocious gladiator of immense proportions: 9 foot tall, standing in scale chest armour weighing in at 57 kilogrammes. He had the full kit: sword, javelin and spear. His PPE was impressive. He even had a lackey to carry his shield.
What was the deal? Let’s make it a one-to-one, and in that way we can save a lot of bloodshed (v9). One death, not many. This is how the devil often comes to the Christian. Jesus made it clear that to be his disciple is to put your life on the line. There is no death-free path to victory. There must be a cross before a crown (Luke 14:33).
Isn’t it comforting to know that every battle we face ‘Is the Lord’s’ and he is the General who loves his serving men and women. We don’t need to fear his plans. We have a daily prayer, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
- Get to know your Lord.
From where does the mindset come from that causes a young man without any military experience to ask the question of his elders, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v26). This was “A man after God’s own heart.” (1 Samuel 13:14). David could see the battle from God’s perspective.
Where was David’s military academy? Where did he get a heart like that? It was the place that his brothers disparagingly described in v.28 with, “A few sheep in the desert.” Let’s visit that desert and see what was happening there.
a) David was feasting on the Word of God (the law and the prophets) and prayerfully worshipping his God. He would be singing his praises with his harp. Battles are won in the solitary place, alone with God in prayer. Mark’s gospel tells us how essential prayer was to the battles that Jesus faced, “Very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Where was the final battle to face the cross won? Was it not in the garden of Gethsemane?
b) David was proving God. God was part of his daily work. David’s skills on the battlefield didn’t just come out of the blue. He was learning to trust God in his daily work and be a good shepherd, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw off the bear” (v37). David learned to fight effectively using his sling and staff to rescue sheep. He was faithful in the small things.
c) David was waiting on God’s timing for his promotion. The solitary place kept him humble. He had been anointed (1 Samuel 16:13). He had the Spirit of the Lord. He had power to serve but he humbly waited upon Gods say-so. God wanted a humble shepherd to front his deliverance. David knew what it was to keep in step with the Spirit and not run ahead.
3) Get to know great David’s Greater Son.
“So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone.” (v50). God fights and rescues his people in unusual ways e.g. Joshua, Gideon. God’s strategy to rescue humanity comes across to many people as extremely odd. But therein lies the wisdom and beauty of the gospel. The wisdom of the cross was God’s wisest ever act.
Remember, Jesus walks the pages of the Old Testament. He is there in many different guises, in lineage, prophecy, pre-incarnate appearances and types (pre-figuring). This story is clearly a type of Christ’s battle with its one-to-one encounter. David, the ‘anointed one,’ goes out alone on behalf of his people. He goes out as a good shepherd, scorned by his brothers into “the valley of the shadow of death.” He runs towards the enemy and puts his life on the line. Can you see the glorious New Testament picture of Jesus emerging? This was the young man who, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, was enabled to see into the far distance to “great David’s Greater Son” (Jame Montgomery). His prophetic utterances right there in the lyrics of his songs. Did you realise this, David co-authored the hymn book and prayer book of Jesus?
For each one of us there can be various different Goliath’s throughout life. But there is one we will face one day and his name is Death (the last enemy). Death is a truly menacing giant looming large over all of us. And what is it that makes Death so menacing? Because death is not the end for anyone. For anyone who is not safe in Jesus, death has a nasty sting in its tail. It is not a peaceful release for those outside of Christ but an eternal death.
But here is the good news. Jesus thrashed death at the cross by taking the punishment we deserve onto himself. God punished Jesus instead of you and I. He took the hit and satisfied divine justice. His resurrection proved that he did indeed strike a death blow to Death itself. William Williams Pantycelyn puts it like this, “Death of death, and Hell’s destruction.”
Jesus was able to say these words to his recently bereaved friends, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.” (John 11:25).
Do you realise that Jesus not only took our penalty at the cross from his father, but he had to fight a lonely battle to get to that cross. He truly went onto the field alone. He had the religious elite to contend with, Satan around the corner, and the unbelief of the common folk like you and I. Jesus didn’t only suffer at the cross, he suffered throughout his life.
But this is the most poignant bit. David had God with him all the way through the clash with Goliath and he didn’t get killed. But with Jesus there came a point when he, “suffered and died alone,” in the darkness. He cried out using the first line of David’s song, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22). Theologically, we have to stand back, stand in awe and recognise that there was in the darkness a profound distress within the Godhead that we will never understand, all because Jesus was counted the sinner instead of you and I.
Are you able to accept right now that Jesus so loved you that he was prepared to go out onto the field alone, face the cross and gain you peace with God?
If you today, are prepared to crossover from the enemy lines to God’s side and rest in what he did on your behalf, you can know today, “Death of death, and Hell’s destruction.” What is more, God will help you take on all your other Goliath’s as well.
Penuel Baptist Chapel, Roch 