THE LORD FIGHTS YOUR BATTLE

Fri Youth Meeting 4th Oct ‘14

The Source of David’s Success In fact we need to go back to ch16:13 to

discover the source of David’s success: "the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward." As we saw with Saul, the motivating and enabling power for everything that David accomplishes is the Spirit of God. Provided that David remains faithful in following the Lord, God will bring him success as king. God is at work as David comes to prominence as the one who will lead his people to finish the conquest of the land.

It’s almost as if the evil spirit is driven away by the Spirit of God, within David, who inspires, not just his military success, but also his musical gifts. Saul has lost contact with God’s Spirit until David comes and brings the Spirit close again.

The Scene

Now we come to one of the greatest challenges of Saul’s reign. The Philistines have found themselves a champion. He’s nine foot tall and six foot across. He’s Arny Schwarzenegger and a half. His armour alone weighs nearly 60kg. Now I can tell you. I’ve lifted that sort of weight at the gym, doing shoulder squats but there’s no way I’d be walking around with it on my shoulders! But this guy wears it like a jacket. What’s more he’s tough. He’s a hardened warrior. He’s been fighting battles since he was a teenager.

So when he challenges the Israelites to send out their best fighter to a one-on-one fight to see who’s the strongest, the whole army moves back a step in unison. No-one’s mad enough to take up this challenge. But at the same time they can’t just ignore it. Their honour as a nation is at stake.

And so the stalemate begins. Each day for a month and a half Goliath comes and delivers his challenge. And each day the Israelites become more and more dismayed and afraid.

Then into this scene comes the young and naive youngest son of Jesse. He’s sent there on an errand by his father, to take provisions to his older brothers. They’ve followed Saul, but David is left behind to tend the sheep and to go back and forth bringing supplies and possibly playing his harp for Saul.

Who Should Have fought Golliath? You may remember that Saul is the one

who’s head and shoulders above the rest, so he’s probably the logical one to fight Goliath, but he has no more wish to volunteer than any of his men. Besides which, he’s the king isn’t he?

The Reality of the Situation

David understands. On this side we have a Philistine. Uncircumcised is a shorthand for someone who has no relationship with the living God. Someone who relies on dumb idols. On the other side we have the armies of the living God.

A mere mortal. The living God. A bit unbalanced wouldn’t you say, if it came to a fight? Forget the fact that he’s nine foot tall and weighs 150 kg. That’s chicken feed compared to the living God who made the world and everything in it; who formed the heavens with his fingers (Ps 8:3). But why can’t anyone else see it? Is it just that David’s naive? That he hasn’t experienced enough of this world to see that there’s more to the situation than that. Or is it that the army and Saul, in particular, have forgotten, or perhaps never really realised, the power of the God they supposedly worship.

Well, David hasn’t. He’s lived with the living God all his life. He’s sat out on the hills, watching the sheep, looking up at the sky reflecting on the wonder of God’s creation. He’s sought God’s help time and time again when he’s been faced with wild animals, lions and bears, who have threatened his sheep. And he’s seen the way God has protected him and given him victory over those wild animals. So he looks across the valley at this giant of a Philistine and he sees just another man who opposes God and who’ll die at God’s hand in the end.

Five Stones

It is interesting that David chose five smooth stones from the brook when only one was needed. Why did David do this? There is no reason given in Scripture. Consequently, whatever answer would be given would be purely conjecture.

The important aspect is that when it came time to fight Goliath, David took but one stone from his shepherd’s bag (1 Samuel 17:49).

Five Stones

It is interesting that David chose five smooth stones from the brook when only one was needed. Why did David do this? There is no reason given in Scripture. Consequently, whatever answer would be given would be purely conjecture.

The important aspect is that when it came time to fight Goliath, David took but one stone from his shepherd’s bag (1 Samuel 17:49).

Five Stones

When it came time to act according to faith, David took but one stone rather than having several in his hand to re-load if he missed.

As you read the story, this remarkable event becomes an extraordinary expression of faith because David attacked Goliath. He hurled the stone while at a full run!

Think of the logistics of aiming and throwing a stone while both parties are rapidly approaching each other.

Five Stones

By faith, David knew one stone was all he needed for Goliath. James tells that "faith without works is dead, being alone" (2:17-18).

David showed his faith by using but one stone when he had a bag full of stones. Why the other four stones? David told Goliath, 1 Sam. 17:46-47

Five Stones

1 Sam. 17:46-4746* "This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47* and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands."

Five Stones?

Why did David need five stones? Why not just one? One cannot help but wonder, what was

going through his mind as he selected those five stones. How much faith did David really have?

David knew that God was going to deliver Goliath into his hand.... or, did he?

Was he thinking that he might miss with his sling shot and have to try again?

Five Stones?

He only had one chance, David knew this. We all know the outcome of the story, David killed Goliath with one stone and one throw of his sling shot but there is a reason for the other four stones and why David picked five stones specifically.

Five Giants!

Take a look at the old testament book of 2nd Samuel Chapter 21, verses 16 - 22. Here we find the armies of Israel, now under King David’s command, battling the Philistines yet again and that there are other giants involved, one of which had six fingers and six toes!

In verse 19, we read that Jaareoregim slew the brother of Goliath. There are four giants mentioned in this passage and the bible lists them by name; Isbibenob (found in verse 16), Saph (in verse 18), the brother of Goliath the Gittite (verse 19), and a giant with six fingers and six toes! (verse 20).

Verse 22 concludes with "these four were born to the giant in Gath and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants."

Five Giants!

Goliath was not the only giant living in the land of the Philistines. He had four brothers.

David knew that families stick together and that Goliath’s brothers would either come to Goliath’s aid to avenge him or he knew that he would have to face them in other battles, which he eventually did.

Those five stones each had a name of one of those giants on it.

David was ready to defeat his enemy and his whole monstrous family if need be and he had both the faith and the skill to do so.

What are Your Giants?

..."what are the giants in your life?" What is the one problem or problems facing you

that challenges you each day that may seem too big and too much for you to conquer that comes and picks a fight with you like Goliath when he challenged the Israelite army?

Whatever that problem is, rest and stand still, knowing that the battle is not yours, but God’s. The victory is won already.

David said it best when he told Goliath, "the battle is the Lord’s".

The Full Armour of God

Ephesians 6:13 - "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand, stand".

We cannot do battle against spiritual forces by using our physical strength.

Remember what happened to David when he tried to put on Saul’s armor?

It was too bulky and big. He knew he could not fight Goliath using the same tools Goliath was going to use.

He had to wage warfare on a whole different level by letting God be His armor, his shield and his deliverer.

Keep standing on God’s promises and watch the giants in your life fall and be slain by God’s power.

What’s the Point of the Story? What’s the point of this story of David and Goliath? It isn’t that little people can do great things if only

they’ll try. It isn’t that strong people can be overcome by weaker

people who put their mind to it or who give it their all.

No it’s this: "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." That the God of Israel is the true and living God. And it’s this: "47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and it’s he who gives the victory."

What’s the Point of the Story? Here is the hardest lesson for us to learn still. It’s God who

gives the victory, not their skill with sword and spear, not our skill with word and

media presentation. Who is it who will help us achieve our aims as a church? How are we going to win hearts for Christ? How are we going to convince people who are quite happy,

thank you very much, that their lifestyle has a use-by date; that there will come a day when God will ask them to answer

for the way they’ve responded to his Son, let alone the way they’ve obeyed his commandments?

How are we going to grow a church through conversions? How are we going to help people grow in their faith and

knowledge of Jesus Christ?

Will I be Obedient?

We get so hung up on verse 49 when we face our own Goliaths. We worry about, “Can I win,” before we decide, “Will I be obedient?”

I’ll answer your first question, “No, you can’t win.” Read the second half of Romans chapter 7 if you don’t

believe me. Even the Apostle Paul could not win on his own. That’s

the great beauty of our human dilemma. We CANNOT win it on our own. We NEED God. That’s

what Matthew 5:3 means when it says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit;” or in other words, blessed are those who realize their need for God.