HOW TO BE A GIANT-KILLER
I Samuel 17: 1-10, 32-36, 45-51
Israel is in a show-down with their old arch
enemy, the Philistines. The Philistines are on one
mountain and the Israelites on another, with a valley between them. Both armies seem to be at a standstill, with neither one wanting to be the first to descend to the valley floor. That would be suicide.
But it soon becomes apparent that the Philistines have another motive behind this confrontation. For out of the camp of the Philistines comes their champion, a killing machine, the “Terminator”, the great Goliath of Gath. As he descends out of the mountain’s morning mist, the Israelites cannot believe their eyes. He looks like a monster from the pits of hell! He is more of a mammoth than a man! He is at least 10 feet tall. He is as wide as 3 or 4 regular men.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of his size and strength -- his bronze armour weights 125 lbs., he carries with him a spear weighing over 30 lbs., as well as a javelin made of pure bronze (that likely weights 50 to 60 lbs.). As he thunders down into the valley, he resembles a giant boulder, hewn out of the mountain’s rock.
For forty days, every day, this giant descends to the valley and bellows out a challenge: “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together!”
The Israelites quiver in fear, like scared puppies with their tails between their legs. Even
their most fearless and war hardened men have turned into cowards. Their integrity is at stake, yet no one is willing to die for integrity. The name of their God is being slandered, but nobody is provoked to the point of risking his life.
Then, along comes David, just a young man, too young to even serve in the army. He is there
because his mother has sent him with some cheese and corn and bread to feed his brothers. After all, they must be exhausted and hungry after 40 days of cowering in fear! David, unaware of his comrades’ cowardice, arrives at the scene of this checkmate, shouting and cheering for his people. But soon he discovers that there is little to cheer about.
While he is still there, once again, Goliath makes and appearance shouting blasphemous threats. And once again, the Israelites stand down. But David, a simple, God-fearing shepherd boy, cannot understand why no one is willing to fight. Stirred in his spirit, he asks “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” Embarrassed by the scene David seems to be causing, Eliab criticizes David and tries to put his little brother in his place. But David’s motives are pure. “Is there not a cause?”, David asks. And even if it is only a sheep herder with a sling shot, it looks like Israel finally has a volunteer! David, the boy shepherd will face the giant!
King Saul, the man who himself stands a head taller than all of the other men of Israel, hears about David’s resolve and sends for him. Saul knows David to this point as his arm bearer and harp player. So, naturally, he is sarcastic. “You’re not able to go up against this Philistine! You’re just a young lad and he is a man of war from his youth”. But David retells how that by the power of God he was able to slay a lion and a bear, and he testifies of his trust in God’s ability to give him victory.
With nothing else to lose, Saul responds by lending his own armour to David (which looks awkward and rather ridiculous). David feels uneasy about using unfamiliar armour and weapons,and quickly discards them. Although the giant is armoured from head to toe, David will fight the giant his way -- not covered with man’s strength, but in his faith in God.
David makes his way down to the little brook. He carefully picks out 5 smooth stones. And without wasting any time, he goes out onto the open valley floor to confront Goliath. When the giant sees this young man “ruddy and of a fair countenance” he is sorely insulted. “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?” he roars, referring to David’s shepherd’s staff. Then, like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth, he begins to curse young David by his gods. “Come to me,” he cries out, “and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field”.
David responds with one of the most powerful declarations of faith to be found in the Bible.
{Read verses 45-47}
Then David RUNS toward Goliath (he doesn’t wait for Goliath to come to him), he takes out a stone, puts it in his sling, whips it around and around and flings it in the giant’s direction. The stone flies through the air with bullet-like force and hits Goliath in his only vulnerable spot in the middle of his forehead. The giant falls immediately on his face. With no hesitance, David leaps upon the giant, awkwardly unsheathes the enormous sword and LOPS OFF HIS HEAD!
Now that’s a terrific story isn’t it? But wait... it’s more than a story. It’s an example of how
we need to live today as the people of God.
After all, though we do not battle necessarily against flesh and blood, we do have some giants in our lives that need to be slain. So let’s learn some valuable advise that may be gleamed from David’s classic confrontation with Goliath. How can we become GIANT KILLERS?
I REALIZE THAT THERE IS A CAUSE
A David said to his brother and to the other
Israelites, “Is there not a cause?”
B I want to ask you the same question today. Is
there not a cause? Are there not giants in
your life that need to be felled?
C What kind of giant are you facing today?
1. Your giant may be a personal problem.
2. It may be a bad habit that you can’t seem
to defeat.
3. Perhaps your giant is a burden that you
are carrying around.
4. Maybe it’s a decision that you need to
make.
5. Perhaps there is some obstacle in your
life that is keeping you from being all
that God wants you to be.
6. It might be that which keeps you from
living a victorious Christian life.
D HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU FACE SOME KIND
OF GIANT IN YOUR LIFE TODAY?
E These giants tease us and taunt us and threaten
us and try to paralyze us.
1. Can you hear the giants shouting?
2. They are saying “You’re a failure”, “You
can’t do it”, “You’re a loser” “Give up!”
II REMEMBER PAST VICTORIES
A Nobody thought David was qualified to fight
Goliath.
1. I imagine the Israelite warriors thought
he was crazy! Think about it.
2. His own brothers thought he was just a
young, overly zealous fool.
3. Saul, Israel’s great warrior, had no
confidence in him either. “You’re just a
kid!”
B But David thought back, he remembered how God
had given him victories in the past.
1. He was able to kill a lion. He was also
able to kill a bear.
2. David had already experienced the
supernatural power of God to protect him
and empower him.
C The Christian life is a lot like this. The
more we experience God’s power in our lives,
the more confidence we can have in Him.
For example. I remember the first huge
financial crisis Pam and I had. But God got us
through it. And some others... So I know,
whatever I face NOW, He will provide!!
D Listen friend. DON’T EVER FORGET what God has
already done for you!
1. The God who proved himself in the past,
will be there to deliver you in the future.
2. I think that’s what Paul was getting at
when he said (II Cor. 1:10) “...who
delivered us from so great a death and
does deliver us; in whom we trust that He
will still deliver us”
{Notice the past, present and future of
Paul’s trust in God}
3. Isaac Newton said it well in his great
hymn, “Through many dangers, toils and
snares, I have already come. T’is grace
hath brought me save thus far, and grace
will lead me home.”
III RELY ON PROVEN EQUIPMENT
A I want us to notice that Saul, with all good
intentions, wanted David to use his armour
and weapons.
1. The only problem was, Saul’s armour was
made for Saul. And Saul’s weapons were
made for Saul.
2. You can’t fight in someone else’s
armour. You can’t use someone else’s
weapons.
B And think about this. If David had won the
battle dressed in Saul’s armour, Saul could
have boasted that it was his armour that did
the job.
C That we might not boast in ourselves, we
need to be reminded that our battles today
are not fought with human weaponry and human
skills.
1. Paul said “The weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds...”
2. He also said, “We wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places.”
D David relied on what was proven to him.
1. Might I add that we have some very
reliable equipment in fighting the enemy
today?
2. GOD’S WORD is quicker than any two-edged
sword!
3. PRAYER is also a weapon that Satan
fears. "Satan trembles when he sees,
the weakest saint upon his knees!"
IV REST IN THE POWER OF GOD
A The question is often raised, “What killed
the giant? God’s supernatural power, or
David’s skill?” I believe that both were
involved. (Although it was certainly God’s
power that was most important)
1. David was no doubt very skilled with a
sling shot. Historians tell us that the
Jews of David’s time used slingshots with
great precision. A marksman with a sling
could whirl a stone 2” to 3” in diameter,
200 ft/sec with a bone crushing impact of
5,000 pounds of energy.
2. YET, I refuse to believe that it was
just skill or coincidence that the
stone hit the exact spot necessary to
take the giant down.
3. David did his part by surrendering his
skills to the Lord. The Lord honoured his
diligence by causing the stone to fly to
the right spot!
B The point is, however, that when you have
done all that you can do, you can stand back
and let God show you what He can do!
C Don’t underestimate what David said. “THE
BATTLE IS THE LORD’S”
D If we depend on the flesh, the flesh will
fail us. But the Spirit of the Lord provides
real victory to those who depend completely
on Him.
CONCLUSION:
Some of you said that you have giants in your lives. Well, what are you going to do?
Can’t you hear them taunting you? Can’t you hear them mocking you?
IT’S TIME TO TAKE A STAND FOR GOD.
Goliath wasn’t the giant in this story. He was just a big man. David was the giant! He was the giant because he had a giant faith in His Lord. NOW THEN, what about you???
