Monday, February 11, 2008
By Faith... David, Part 4 of 15
TEXT: 1 Samuel 17
IDEA: There is more at stake in the battle between David and Goliath than merely what happened to the two combatants.
PURPOSE: To help listeners see that throughout the Bible there is a spiritual warfare shown in what appears to be only a physical battle.
When you watch the Olympic games, what athletes do you tend to cheer for?
Some purists insist that the Olympics are merely a contest between outstanding athletes, that we should not focus on the fact that our athletes come from the United States or Canada. We should forget that we are Americans or Canadians.
Do you think that is really what is going on?
I. In the story of David and Goliath, you have what appears to be a heavyweight championship fight.
Goliath is the strongest warrior that the Philistines have. Whom do you think the people of Israel should have had fight against him? Saul stood head and shoulders above his people (1 Samuel 9:2, 10:23).
Humanly speaking, why is David, a young man without armor, going against Goliath?
II. In the ancient world it is common to have battles between champions with winner-take-all.
Battles were regarded not only as the victory of a nation but as a victory of the gods. So single combat was practiced because of the belief that the gods of each army actually fought and decided the battle. As a result only one champion is needed for either side.
You see that spelled out in the battle between David and Goliath, and you see it in 1 Samuel 17:43-45. Both David and Goliath call upon their respective gods.
III. If you were a sportscaster looking at the conflict between David and Goliath, what would strike you?
Goliath is physically superior to David—In his height, in his armor, in his ability to fight.
David is inexperienced in this kind of battle, he has no armor, and he is smaller than Goliath.
Humanly speaking, the odds are with the Philistines. In a heavyweight fight, no money would have been placed on David.
What does David's victory over Goliath tell us about the gods of the Philistines and the God of Israel?
You see the same phenomenon worked out later on when Elijah goes up against the gods of Ba'al: put water on the sacrifices, etc.
IV. What lessons can we learn from looking at how God works in this battle?
