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1 Samuel Chapter 17
David and Goliath
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1Samuel 17:1 Now the
Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were
gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and
pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
One of the many thorns in Israel's side
were the Philistines since the days of Samson. They had many other
adversaries before that. Here they came to torment Israel.
- 1Samuel 17:2 And
Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched
by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the
Philistines.
- 3 And the
Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel
stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley
between them.
- 4 And there went out
a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of
Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
- 5 And he had an
helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of
mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of
brass.
- 6 And he had greaves
of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his
shoulders.
- 7 And the staff of
his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed
six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went
before him.
Goliath was one of the giants that
still survived in the land of Caanan. He had brothers. He was almost
10 feet tall. This was the last of the giants in the land.
- 1Samuel 17:8 And he
stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them,
Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a
Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you,
and let him come down to me.
- 9 If he be able to
fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants:
but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our
servants, and serve us.
- 10 And the
Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a
man, that we may fight together.
This giant was confident that he would
win over any person that came against him. He didn't know as many
others do not realize that the Lord God almighty, creator of Heaven
and Earth, was the real champion and any person that God protected
would be safe from anyone that threatened them.
They were scared of this great giant of
a man but we shall see how God used and young shepherd boy. David
shows absolutely no fear.
- 1Samuel 17:12 Now
David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose
name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among
men for an old man in the days of Saul.
- 13 And the three
eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and
the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab
the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
- 14 And David was the
youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
- 15 But David went
and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
David's heart at this time seemed to be
strong in the Lord. He cared for the sheep, wrote the Psalms, and
was a fervent worshipper of God. As we saw in chapter 16, he was a
muscian and I would guess a singer also.
The bully teased and terrified for
forty days daring them to find someone to fight him.
- 1 Samuel17:17 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;
- 18 And carry these
ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy
brethren fare, and take their pledge.
He seemed to be a good father the
worried about the welfare of his sons. David reminds me a little of
Joseph who did the same for his father although Joseph's brothers
were jealous and mean to him. I do not see that in this case.
- 1Samuel 17:19 Now
Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of
Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
- 20 And David rose up
early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and
took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the
trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted
for the battle.
Notice how David left his sheep in the
care of someone he could trust before departing to vivist his
brothers. This is different
time he left his sheep, the first being when he played music for
Saul.
- 1Samuel 17:21 For
Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army
against army.
- 22 And David left
his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran
into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
- 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
spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
I don't know about anyone else but I
see the Lord's hand in all of this. Jesse was sending David at the
right time to hear the threats and taunts of Goliah. As a keeper of
the sheep, David was use to threats from bullies, at least in animal
form. He was a protector of the sheep. I believe God was preparing
him to become king. I would love to be a person with that kind of
faith.
We do need good leadership in all
places. Congress, the president, judges, policemen and all of those
that serve the people need to be people that really care and are not
out for power to control people but to care for them.
- 1Samuel 17:24 And
all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and
were sore afraid.
- 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.
- 26 And David spake
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?
- 27 And the people
answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to
the man that killeth him.
David is ready and willing to fight
this giant and he seems to show no fear. Like a shepherd defends his
sheep, we see a preview of why God chose David to be the next king.
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1Samuel 17:28 And Eliab his
eldest brother heard when he spake 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.
Little brother seems to be esteemed as
one who is full of pride and just wants to see a mighty battle.
Eliab assumed David was just there to see the battle as a young boy
would probably do. Actually I doubt David was a little boy but
perhaps in his late teens but one who was a young man but still too
young to serve in the army. Still he seemed to be a child by his
older brothers.
- 1Samuel 17:29 And
David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
- 30 And he turned
from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and
the people answered him again after the former manner.
- 31 And when the
words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before
Saul: and he sent for him.
The words David spake sounded critical
of those who were fearful of the giant's threats. So much so that
Saul found out about it and called for David.
David offers to go and fight Goliath
showing absolutely no fear.
Saul was hesitant to send David to
fight as he should have been if he would have been a good king that
cared about people.
- 1Samuel 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:
- 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.
- 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.
Uncircumcised seems to mean an
unbeliever in the God of Israel who was the real God that created
the heavens and the earth. It was a sign of the covenant between God
and Abraham which was done after a male child was born but to some
in Israel it seemed to be a sign of faith in God that the healthen
or unbelievers didn't have. Sort of like believers and followers of
Jesus Christ esteemed those that do not believe as lost sinners in
need of salvation.
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1Samuel 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.
David was a man of faith. He was one
that risked his own life for the life of the sheep in his care. He
was a man fit to be king because he cares for those he is in charge
of. He is still only a human being who because of the fall of Adam
when he disobeyed God caused the curse of death to fall upon all of
us, David was weak in some areas the same as anyone else. Yet
through the power of God and now through faith in our Lord Jesus for
providing our salvation, we can overcome the temptation to sin.
David experienced having to fight lions and bears, so he didn't
think Goliath would be a problem when God was the real fighter and
deliverer.
Mail here was a coat of linen that was
quilted in rows of metal plates. They were probably too heavy for
David.
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1Samuel 17:39 And David
girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he
had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with
these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
David had no previous training to take
advantage of coats of armour to protect him.
- 1Samuel 17:40 And he
took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out
of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had,
even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near
to the Philistine.
- 41 And the
Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that
bare the shield went before him.
- 42 And when the
Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he
was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
- 43 And the
Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me
with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
- 44 And the
Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh
unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
Old Goliath was sure David would be no
problem. He felt a little insulted that he had not had someone
stronger and bigger to deal with. He was very over confident even
cursing David with the power of what he thought was his own gods.
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1Samuel 17:45 Then said
David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and
with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name
of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou
hast defied.
David gives God all the glory and
power. He didn't come to fight Goliath for a sport but to fight for
Israel's deliverance from the oppression of the Philistines once and
for all. David knew where his strengh was from. He trusted in God's
power not in his own strength.
- 1Samuel 17:46 This
day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite
thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the
carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls
of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the
earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
- 47 And all this
assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and
spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into
our hands.
- 48 And it came to
pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet
David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the
Philistine.
- 49 And David put his
hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and
smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into
his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
- 50 So David
prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and
smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in
the hand of David.
- 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.
The prophesy David gave that we read in
verse 46 and 47 came to pass. He showed no fear having confidence in
God to deliver not just him but the whole army of Israel.
This should make all nations that
forsake God tremble with fear. Without God's hand of protection,
anything can happen. Evil nations can take over, children can be
lost and not know of Him. It is dangerous to live apart from our
God. I don't know what the Supreme Court was thinking back in the
early 1960's when both prayer and bible reading was ruled
unconstituional in public schools. Yet they allow anything else now
from Halloween to drag queens to read and tell stories to little
children. Shame on us.
Through the power of God a whole army
of tough experienced powerful men was defeated by a young lad of
Israel who had faith in God. It is said that Goliah was covered with
heavy armor and was about 10 feet tall.
- 1Samuel 17:52 And
the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued
the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates
of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the
way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
- 53 And the children
of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they
spoiled their tents.
- 54 And David took
the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he
put his armour in his tent.
This defeat of the giant gave the rest
of the army of Israel courage to chase the army of the Philistines
and defeat them taking the spoil of war from their tents.
- 1Samuel 17:55 And
when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said
unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this
youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot
tell.
- 56 And the king
said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is.
- 57 And as David
returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him,
and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in
his hand.
- 58 And Saul said to
him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I
am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
Since this is the same David that played
music for Saul previously, some bible theologians say that these
chapters in the book of Samuel are not in chronological order and
David playing the harp for Saul happened after this event of the
defeat of Goliath. This they suppose is the first meeting of Saul
and David. It could be that this may have been what started the
jealousy of Saul against David as we will see in further chapters.
This was according to some bible teachers are Parenthetical events
that come between 1 Samuel 19:9 and verse 10 of that chapter.
I'm not so sure of that though. It could be
that when Saul previously was tormented by an evil spirit and needed
help, that he was in no condition to inquire who David was or
anything about his family. He did become his armor bearer later but
David returned to his own home to care for the sheep after the event
of playing for Saul. No matter what order though, the main part is
the importance of a man of faith relying on the power of God to
defeat the enemy. DC
1 Samuel Chapter 18
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