Summary: Winning battles

Kill The Lion Kill the Bear Save the Lamb

1Sa 17:15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

1Sa 17:16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

1Sa 17:17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;

1Sa 17:18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.

1Sa 17:23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spoke according to the same words: and David heard them.

1Sa 17:24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

1Sa 17:25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.

1Sa 17:26 And David spoke to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

1Sa 17:27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

1Sa 17:28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

1Sa 17:29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?

1Sa 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

1Sa 17:33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

1Sa 17:34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

1Sa 17:35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

1Sa 17:36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

1Sa 17:37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

Lion

Weigh up to 550 lbs

when it comes to food, each lion looks out for itself. Squabbling and fighting are common

In folklore, man-eating lions are sometimes considered demons

Roar of the lion right before the kill

but they lack the endurance to be long-distance runners, so they have to come quite close to their prey before starting the attack

lions often hunt in packs and surround their prey

In March of 1898, during the building of the Uganda Railway, engineer Lt. Col. John Henry Patterson led the construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in Kenya. During the construction period, many railway workers were killed by two maneless male lions, which dragged men from their tents at night.

The workers built bomas (thorn fences) around their camp to keep the lions out; however, the lions were able to crawl through. Patterson set traps and tried several times to ambush the lions at night from a tree. After repeated unsuccessful endeavors, he finally killed the first lion on 9th December, 1898, and the second three weeks later. By that point, the lions had killed nearly 140 workers.

David describes his predicament in Psa 17:12 Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

Psa 91:9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

Psa 91:10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Psa 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Psa 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Psa 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet

Psa 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

Psa 91:15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.

Psa 91:16 With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Bear

Grizzlies up to 1600 lbs

a running bear can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h (30 mph).

Hunting times are usually in the dusk or the dawn

Bears generally lead solitary lives

Despite their large size, bears are capable of moving through wooded or rugged terrain while making very little noise. They may live in surprisingly close proximity with humans.

bears are opportunistic feeders, and will generally take food where it is available. When humans provide feeding opportunities, such as left out garbage, food stored outside, or deliberate feeding, the chance of confrontation escalates. As a bear begins to associate human presence with food, it may lose its shyness and pose an increasing risk to humans.

For several months a year bears hybernate

The sheep has to live calm quiet submitted easily follow

Psa 100:1 A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Psa 100:2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

Psa 100:3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Psa 100:4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

Psa 100:5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Goliath – exile the state of being expelled from one’s native country or place of residence by authority, and forbid to return, either for a limited time or for perpetuity.

1Sa 17:51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.