Let me ask, how many of us would love to ask God – “God give me just a glimpse of the battles I will face this year or for the rest of my life?”
Psalm 39:4 “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end.”
How many of have said at one time, “God, just let me get everything in order with my life and then I’ll serve you?”
Ecclesiastes 11:4 “If you wait for the perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”
May I remind all of us that we take life head on by faith before anything else - even when life looks seemingly unsteady, surely unpredictable, seriously unbearable and securely unbeatable!
It was a mild October afternoon in 1982 and Badger Stadium in Madison Wisconsin was packed with over 60,000 die hard University of Wisconsin fans watching their team getting hammered by Michigan State. It was so lopsided in the score by the 3rd quarter – but the announcers kept asking why are so many of these Badger fans cheering and hollering - their team was getting crushed on the field.
Well, it turned out that 70 miles away, their popular baseball team Milwaukee Brewers were beating the St. Louis Cardinals in game 3 of the World Series. Most of the Badger fans in the stands were listening to the World Series on portable radios and cheering uncontrollably to their Brewers winning 70 miles away!
That’s how life is for us as believers in Christ – while there are some circumstances that look pretty bad around us – we still have a lot to cheer about in life! Remember, we walk by faith not by sight!
Verse 1a: If we are in God’s camp, the enemy is encamped somewhere near, trying to trap and destroy your victory in Christ!
Verse 4 a: Goliath, he is the man in the middle! He was the best the enemy had in order to get between Israel’s victory from God and God’s vision for Israel!
What giant stands in your way today? Maybe it’s your attitude, anger, anxiety, past actions and current circumstances! Sometimes our personal giants stand between us and God’s blessings! There is only one mediator between God and man, Jesus!
Let’s Look at Goliath:
• His Size. Vs. 4b
Over 9 feet tall - the Sacramento Kings would love to have him playing! If you’re wondering who the tallest man to ever be recorded, it was Robert Wadlow who died in 1940 – he was 8 feet 11 inches tall.
Maybe you’re thinking - but 9 feet? Yes! Archaeology was confirmed that many of the Philistines were giant people!
• His Strength. Vs. 5, 6, 7
“Coat of mail” or canvas body cover made of bronze – about 200 pounds! The spearheads found in this region of Israel have weighted 25 pounds.
“Shield barrier” = a man who ran a head of Goliath with a huge shield – so Goliath had double protection.
• His Shout. Vs. 8-10
It lasted over 40 days – verse 16.
Folks, Satan stand at times around our lives with 2 weapons:
- Intimidation. 1 Peter 5:8, 9 “Roaring lion…resist him…”
- Condemnation. Romans 8:1 “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus and walk according to the Spirit.”
Verse 11: Israel is afraid.
Let’s look at David:
• His Care. Vs. 17, 18
He was concerned about his 3 brothers on the front lines. David didn’t go there to fight, but to care for his brothers. Just doing what comes naturally for his family!
• His Curiosity. Vs. 22-27
I can vision it now, he must have been thinking, “No one talks about my God this way!”
King Saul is a coward at this point!
• His Characteristics. Vs. 28-30
The youngest bother and a shepherd of Dad’s sheep! What a picture! His oldest brother was trying to humiliate David in front of everyone – because Elaib who should have been anointed king over Israel. There is bad blood between them!
Isn’t it so easy to see our own guilt in someone else’s life?
David just asks one question and he gets blasted! But notice that David didn’t try to retaliate, because he was secure in his station of life! Sometimes we need to be patient with our critics!
• His Courage. Vs. 31-32
David knew who his fight was really with – not his brother! How many times do we choose the wrong battles to fight? David was about to teach Israel and people through the centuries a powerful truth. I can picture it now; David is blinking his eyes and thinking in his head – what giant! The only giant I see in my life is my God! Goliath is a dwarf over there!
Verse 16:7
We are so quick to judge on the external rather than in internal!
Benjamin Franklin said, “A man without courage is a knife without an edge.”
Abraham Lincoln said, “One man with courage makes a majority.”
You know it took great courage when Noah sailed in a wooden ship with 2 termites!
So Where Did His Courage Come From?
a. His Youth. Vs. 33
Don’t ever let anyone ever say that a 13 or 14 year old can’t do something Great for God!
b. His Experience. Vs. 34-37
So often when we face really big issues in life – we fail to remember what we ought to remember and we remember what we ought to forget – we remember our defeats and forget our victories! I guarantee – you have far more victories in your life than defeats! List your victories and see that I’m right – money back guarantee!!
c. His Equipment. Vs. 38-40
Saul says, “Well if you’re going to fight then we’ve got to get you dressed for the fight of your life!” He said, “I’ve got the perfect stuff for you David!”
Imagine this small body with this XXX large armor! David must have said to himself how can I fight the way I know I should with all this stuff consuming my body? Interesting how other people think how you should fight your battles, solve problems and conquer strongholds!
So he strips off that silly costume and stands there only dressed as a simple shepherd boy and grabs his most important weapons – his staff, and sling shot!
Why his staff? There’s no sheep around and in order to understand this David’s situation better we need to look at Psalm 23:4…
Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.”
“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”
A shepherd’s staff was use for reassuring sheep during a difficult journey and for rescuing sheep during trouble.
5 stones but he only uses one! WHY? Grace comes from the only one true God!
d. His Faith. Vs. 45-51
He exercised his faith by:
- Standing his ground.
Compare verse 8 to 25.
Please don’t ever think you can defeat evil on its own turf!
- Speaking to Goliath.
Matthew 17:20 “If you have faith of a mustard seed, you may say to this mountain, ‘move’ and it will move, for nothing is impossible for you.”
So out of this battle, the real truth comes out, it is evident to both camps that Goliath was the dwarf and David was the giant!
