Imagine you are on a Judean hillside. The star-filled sky and a small campfire are the only lights in the dark shroud that surrounds you. Chilled night air keeps you awake and vigilant. As you look up into the sky, you recognize the "Heavens declare the glory of God". So you pull out your lyre or harp and play music and sing to God. There is a soft bleating of sheep. They grow restless. You stop playing and hear the soft padding of lion's feet. You pray to God, "Incline your ear to me. Rescue me speedily, be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me." You get up in the Spirit of the Lord and hunt the lion that is threatening your father's flock.
When Saul failed to walk obediently as king of Israel, God rebuked him through Samuel the prophet.
The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. 1 Samuel 13:14b.
Samuel felt the pain of Saul's failure even more than Saul himself.
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons. 1 Samuel 16:1
What were the characteristics of David that made him a better man than Saul? How did God develop those traits in David?
Samuel obeyed God. He went to Bethlehem and invited Jesse and his sons to a 'sacrifice to the Lord'.
Read 1 Samuel 16:6-7
What are some areas that we tend to judge people based on external traits?
One example is in sports...
The player the Suns selected was regarded so lowly that even the Suns own website did not call him out by name in the slide show of draft prospects!
If Israel had a basketball team 3000 years ago, King Saul and David's oldest brother Eliab would have both been on the team. In fact, they would have been team captains because of their height and their appearance.
Samuel had each of Jesse's sons pass by, but the Lord had not selected them.
Read 1 Samuel 16:11-13
Where was David when he was called to be king?
--In the field serving (humble, no glamor or notoriety)
What is the ideal way that you would have God call you to serve?
Think about the power of the last statement about David after he was anointed.
And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. 1 Samuel 16:13b
When we become believers, the Spirit of God immediately comes in and permanently lives within us. That is a result of Jesus' victory over sin and his promise to send the 'helper' (John 14:26).
We must be prepared to serve God, but the power of the Spirit is what brings victory.
In 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites had a problem. They were defeated before the battle began.
Read 1 Samuel 17:3-10
Read 1 Samuel 17:11 to find out how the Israelites felt about the giant problem in their lives.
Jesse's sons were at the battlefield and he was naturally worried so he sent David to see how his older brothers were doing. When David got there he was curious and asked questions. This infuriated his brother Eliab.
Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 1 Samuel 17:28
When King Saul heard about David's willingness to fight, he called him in. Saul's doubts about David and attempt to equip him with NATURAL weapons showed he did not see David as the supernatural agent of deliverance that God had sent.
Bullet points:
- Goliath was literally 9 feet tall
- The Israelite warriors had cowered for weeks
- The Israelites asked for a king to "fight their battles", but Saul was also on the sidelines
- David's brothers were cynics. They would rather complain and disparage than believe God could bring a victory.
- Unbelievably, King Saul sent a boy to fight the giant.
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and 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. 1 Samuel 17:45
The victory David won was not for himself but for God's people. David did for them what they could not do for themselves. In the story, David does not represent what we can do for ourselves "when God has our back". David does what ONLY God can do. David was the representation of Christ in ths story defeating Satan's agent. Goliath represented the sin of mankind that could not be defeated by any worldly means.
How was David a representation of Jesus?
- Man after God's own heart (possibly described that way before he was even born)
- Chosen by God to be king (Saul represented the people's choice)
- David saw the supernatural solution not the worldly
- After 40 days, David did for the people what they could not do for themselves
1. David was prepared to serve God as king. What is one specific thing I can do to be better prepared for service to God?
2. In the story of David and Goliath, we are the cowardly warriors; we are David's brothers, or we are Saul. Jesus is the champion that is battling for us to overcome our giants. What is one 'giant' that I can step aside and let Jesus fight for me?
For those who prefer a pop sound. Francesca Battistelli - Giants Fall
For those who prefer a rock sound. Project 86 - Fall Goliath Fall
For those who are still young. Tauren Wells and KB - Undefeated
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