Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends on this Wednesday,
Sometimes success can be dangerous, do you agree? Success can fuel blind pride in someone. Success can draw the attack of the opposition who hadn’t noticed you before.
I left you yesterday watching the remarkable selection by God of a young boy named David in the little village of Bethlehem. Directed by God, old Samuel the prophet anointed shepherd boy David, as he had Saul, to be king over Israel. The problem was, Saul was still king and would be for many years yet, and David was just a boy, a shepherd boy at that! Was God making a serious mistake here? Was God’s timing way off?
No, God doesn’t make mistakes, and His timing is always strategic and multifaceted, have we learned that yet? Samuel was old and soon would die, but it was important Samuel, the most trusted, spiritual man in all Israel, be part of this identification of Israel’s future king.
Saul had yet many years ahead of being king, but without the Spirit of God, Saul’s leadership failure would be evident to all. Israel needed to learn the folly of having a king who disregarded God. Boy David had years of development ahead of him during which God would be shaping him to be the patriarch king of Israel and the story of 1 Samuel 17 is an important part of his development.
When you hear the name GOLIATH, what comes to your mind? Yes, 1 Samuel 17 is the famous story of young boy David, with his slingshot and 5 stones, fearlessly walking out onto the battlefield to face a 9 ft armor protected giant whose weapons were fearsome.
It’s one of the most fascinating and famous stories in the Bible and I urge you to read it today, like you are standing there in the Valley of Elah, watching it unfold right before your eyes! Look, over on that hillside is the ferocious, well armed Philistine army. For generations they have tormented Israel by their ferocity, their superior weapons and their determination to annihilate the Israelites and take over their land. Does that sound familiar? Over there, on the opposite side of the valley, are the Israelite fighters. Fearful, much fewer in number, poorly armed, and having tasted defeat at the hands of the Philistines many, many times over the decades.
And then there’s this giant from Gath, one of the 5 great cities of the Philistines. So, what gave young boy David the confidence and courage to walk out onto that battlefield that day with only a slingshot and a few stones? When questioned by king Saul, shepherd boy David, reflecting on his efforts to defend his sheep, replied: “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who rescued me from the lion and the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:36,37) What do you hear in David’s words? What is his source of confidence? Do you have such confidence in God? Do you have stories about how God has done miraculous things in your life and do those stories propel you forward to face your giants?
David’s bold challenge to Goliath stunned the giant and made him angry: “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. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head…and the whole world will know there is a God in Israel…for the battle is the LORD’s…” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)
Now remember, David had no Bible! David was not a member of any organized church, had no Christian radio or TV and had never participated in any Bible study group! But young David had a personal relationship with God developed over the years he was out in the fields guarding his sheep.
And David had grown up in a Jewish family who understood they were an important part of God’s Grand Narrative, and David, I’m sure, had heard the stories, hundreds of them, about the God of Israel. The stories which are our Old Testament, including the story of his grandfather Obed! Remember we looked at that story in the book of Ruth. So… what are the things which nourish your relationship with God? What gives you the spiritual confidence to walk out onto the battlefields of your life everyday?
Within a few minutes of David shouting those words to Goliath, the giant’s decapitated body was lying on the ground, and David was holding that bleeding head for all to see! The Israelite soldiers routed the far superior Philistine army as they ran like cowards that fateful day! God had done exactly what David had promised and to this day tour buses, filled with pilgrims from all over the world, pull off the highway right there at the Elah valley, and people walk out into that valley and read 1 Samuel 17. I’ve done it and it’s a thrill that never grows old.
For both David and Saul, the success of that day resulted in very different emotions and shaped a strained future relationship. Saul lived in envious fear of David and David’s God, for the rest of his life. This statement in 1 Samuel 18:12 describes Saul’s reality: “Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul.”
But for David, that God empowered Goliath confrontation was just the beginning. 1 Samuel 18:14 says: “In everything he did David had great success because the LORD was with him…David met with more success than the rest of king Saul’s officers, and David’s name became well known.” (1 Samuel 18:30)
The opposite trajectory of the lives of Saul and David could not be more pronounced. As time passed, Saul became more and more angry, despondent, insecure, fearful and failing in his leadership. Saul attempted several times to kill David. Saul eventually sought the help of an occult witch, (1 Samuel 28:7) and finally Saul killed himself! (1 Samuel 31)
David, on the other hand, sought more and more to know God and follow God’s instructions in his life and leadership. David eventually became the most famous king of Israel. Even today, the Jewish six-pointed star is referred to as ‘the star of David’ and an important part of Jerusalem is the ‘city of David’, and to this day David’s tomb in Jerusalem is highly revered.
Once again God’s Grand Narrative calls us to pause and reflect. What is the trajectory of our lives, where is our life path leading us? How do we describe our relationship with God and how does that relationship affect our daily lives, our courage when facing our giants?
1 Samuel 17 & 18 are a very significant turning point in Israel’s story, don’t rush by without learning important lessons here my friends. Very good summary notes are again available at the Grand Narrative link below and a wonderful worship song invites us to lift our voices and hearts to the “God of all our days”, before we rush out into this day, and I’ll see you here again tomorrow…
Today’s Scripture: 1 Samuel 17, 18.
Choose below to read or listen.
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1 Samuel 18
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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