1 Samuel 17 verses 12 to 30 The God of the Unexpected

 

Introduction

 

Last time we left Saul and the army paralysed by fear as the Philistine giant thundered his taunts across the Valley of Elah- their only movement was their quaking in their sandals. Saul The situation appeared hopeless for those on the Israelite side.

But what we learn, if we spend enough time in God’s Word, is that God is the God of the unexpected. God will bring down the proud and shatter His enemies. But He accomplishes His powerful purposes by unlikely means- most wonderfully we see this in Jesus Christ on the Cross.

And so, in our second instalment in the story of David and Goliath we see how things take an unexpected turn. Today we will meet David and watch how God guides the one He has chosen to rescue His People. Along the way we will hear David ask a provocative question because he knows that his God is the God of the unexpected.

David’s Domestic Scene

David’s Divine Appointment

David’s Provocative Question

Today we learn that God would soon use the hands that delivered food to his brothers to deliver His People from their terrifying enemy. God is the God of the unexpected who works all things for our good and His Glory. And so, we do not need to give way to fear, but we look to our Champion and His ‘unexpected’ victory at Calvary.

So, firstly we come to… David’s Domestic Scene

In our second instalment in the story of David and Goliath begins with us leaving the terror and excitement of the Valley of Elah. We travel twelve miles east to a domestic scene in the little town of Bethlehem; in verse 12 we read:

Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was old and well advanced in years.

Now, nobody would expect from this verse that we are at a decisive moment in the story.

But we should not miss the sense of providence in this introduction of David. In waiting to verse 12, and by first focusing our attention on Goliath, the writer is carefully introducing us to the unexpected rescuer of God’s People.

From the first word of verse 12 it is clear that we have left the drama in the Valley of Elah to meet David and his family. His father, Jesse, is now identified as an Ephrathite. Surely it is no coincidence that 1 Samuel opened in a similar way- a domestic scene in a relatively unimportant location, with Israel facing a major crisis. First, we had Elkanah an Ephrathite, the father of Samuel; now we have Jesse an Ephrathite, the father of David.

In the face of the Philistine threat, David’s being another ‘son of an Ephrathite’ is intriguing. The last leader to thoroughly defeat the Philistines was the son of an Ephrathite. His name was Samuel. Perhaps there is more in verse 12 than first thought.

In verses 13 and 14 we are reminded that David was one of Jesse’s eight sons. Our attention is deliberately focussed on Jesse’s three oldest sons- Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah- these are the three who were named in our earlier visit to Bethlehem in Chapter 16. Now they had joined the king’s army and were among those who had seen and heard Goliath and were terrified.

What about David? We are told, ‘David was the youngest…’. In other words, he was too young to join the army. And so, in verse 15, we see David did not go with his older brothers to the battle front- instead he continued to look after his father’s sheep while going back and forth with messages and supplies for his brothers.

In the world’s eyes David was an unlikely source of hope for terrified Israel. A small boy from a humble family who was ‘double jobbing’ as a shepherd and errand boy. And yet, verses 12 to 15, echoing Chapter 16, remind that we have reason to be very interested in David. The man after God’s own heart who is filled with Spirit will be worth watching and listening to.

According to verse 16, while we’ve had this little moment in Bethlehem, Goliath has been continuing to taunt Israel ‘…for forty days … morning and evening…’. So we turn now to verse 17 and witness… David’s Divine Appointment

In verses 17 to 24 we follow David step by step until he is at the frontline and hears the ferocious Philistine. We know this story will lead to a momentous encounter. And yet, it all starts with a normal, low-key family chore; in verses 17 to 19 we read:

Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

Notice how the details emphasise the ordinary character of both David’s family and the task he is given.

In verse 20 we have more seemingly ordinary information. The unimportant details keep us in suspense and force us to experience things from David’s point of view.

That David left ‘…[e]arly in the morning…’ is hardly gripping- even if it is unusual for a teenage boy (!). It is nice to know that he ‘…left the flock with a shepherd…’, but we probably don’t need to know this detail. But all of this is how David experienced the start of this day- as an obedient son, going about his work.

The last time we heard of a son doing ordinary things in obedience to his father, was Saul’s search for lost donkeys. That rather ordinary task resulted in his appointment as king! In Samuel we learn that ordinary situations can be the beginning of extraordinary things.

In verse 21 David arrived just as some action was taking place. The armies were marching out, shouting their battle cries, ready to face each other. Any moment now the fighting would begin.

David was too much of a boy to miss seeing the action. In verse 22 David leaves the supplies with the ‘keeper’ and runs to the frontline to his brothers. Without realising it David was leaving behind old responsibilities to take on a new calling.

If David had rushed to the battle lines hoping to see some fighting, he was in for a surprise. In verse 23 David meets Goliath for the first time. David sees him step out from the lines.

More significantly, David hears him. David listens to the taunt of this Philistine and hears it for what it is: defiance of the Living God. This was the turning point in Israel’s fortunes, in Israel’s history, and consequently in world history.

Before we explore that further we should note David’s ‘divine appointment’. Little did David realise that when he rose early that day that the defining challenge of his life was only hours away. David’s experience reminds us that, as God’s People, we should be ever prayerful and prepared for what the God of the unexpected may have ordained for us on any given day.

Let us face each day mindful of opportunities to do great service in the cause of truth, or to fight temptation and grow in faith. Let us stick close to our God in prayer and devotion so that we may glorify Him in every aspect of our living.

Indeed, the Glory of God should be ever on the minds and hearts of God’s People; we see this in… David’s Provocative Question

In verse 24 we see that not much had changed since the first day Goliath had issued his defiant taunt: the Israelites saw Goliath and ran from him in great fear. These words parallel verse 11 where they were ‘…dismayed and terrified…’.

In verse 11 it had been the hearing that had led to the terror. This time it was when they ‘saw’ him. With Chapter 16 in mind we could conclude that the Israelites saw Goliath ‘…as man sees…’ and were terrified. But what would happen if someone saw as the Lord sees? Soon we will find out.

Before hearing David’s response to what he had seen and heard, we hear Saul’s response to the threat from Goliath. Tellingly, we hear only rumour of Saul’s response in verse 25:

…The king will give great wealth to the man who kills [Goliahth]. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.”

We cannot be sure that the king had promised to do all this. All we are told is that this is what was being said.

David seems to have been unsure about this as well. In verse 26 we read::

David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

These are the first recorded words spoken by David in the Bible. He asked two questions. The first was to clarify the rumour. The second was in defiance of the Philistine arrogance.

In asking his question, David reveals a rather different perspective on the terrifying figure in the valley. David sees things differently to his fellow Israelites. The people were focused on the giant they faced and goods they could get. David was focused on the glory of His God.

David’s words offer the first biblical perspective on the battle at Elah. Up to this point the narrative has been ‘godless’. But now David brings a godly perspective in his provocative question: Doesn’t having a living God make a difference in all this?

Saul and his army saw and heard the giant and were dismayed and afraid. They had lost their faith in God and acted accordingly. David, on the other hand, trusted in the living God and acted accordingly. He saw Goliath for what he was in God’s eyes.

David expressed contempt, not terror, before this giant Philistine. He saw this uncircumcised Philistine- this pagan worshiper of dead gods- was mocking not only Israel but Israel’s God, who alone was ‘the living God’. And David knew that his God would not stand for such mockery of His Name.

This was the effect of the Spirit who had rushed upon David in Bethlehem. The Spirit-filled man saw Goliath differently- he saw ‘as the Lord sees’.

David saw Goliath’s size but measured it against his big God. David heard Goliath’s words but realised that they were really aimed at ‘…the living God…’ whose Word sustains the cosmos and ordains the rising and falling of nations.

To see as God sees is the calling of every Believer. We are People of the living God who do not need to tremble before the powers of our day. Instead, we live as faithful witnesses assured of God’s presence and power. And we live holy lives in dependence upon our God. When we live for His glory and depend on His equipping, we will experience His blessing.

David’s response to the situation at Elah teaches us that all of life is essentially theological. What we do with our lives, how we decide who to marry, or not, what priorities we pursue, or the way we relate to friends and neighbours all reveal what we really believe about God.

We may say that we belong to God, but if His Word does not impact every aspect of our lives then we show that the world holds greater sway over our minds and hearts than God does. If we shrink from doing difficult things for God, we show what we really think about God.

David also shows us how important it is for Believers to know the truth about God. Theology, doctrine, the confessions of our faith, and Biblical teaching are inherently relevant for life. If we are to live for God in this world then we need to know God’s Word and pursue a deepening relationship with the God of the Word.

Young people established in biblical truth will be equipped to face the giant temptations they will face and the radical assaults on their faith. Believers struggling with doubt and fear will be lifted from the pit of despair when they call to mind the Bible’s clear testimony of God’s abounding grace and affectionate delight in His People. We can only stand firm when we stand on the solid ground of God’s Word.

In Chapter 17 we see that David has entered this serious situation, and he has asked the question. The people were focused on the goods. David is interested in God’s glory. If we are Believers then this is our calling: to see as God sees and act accordingly.

In verse 27 the people answered the first of David’s questions by repeating what had been said by way of confirmation. But to David’s second question there was no response. The people did not see as David saw- as the Lord sees- and so they had no answer to David’s provocative question.

But there was a response of sorts, in verse 28 we hear Eliab respond to David’s provocative question:

Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

Eliab was among the very few in Israel who had witnessed David’s anointing. His hostility was more than sibling rivalry. It was nothing less than opposition to God’s chosen one and therefore to God Himself. Eliab had unwittingly taken Goliath’s side and adopted Goliath’s mocking tone.

David gives a classic youngest brother response:

“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”

In verse 30 David moves away from his brothers and continued to ask his provocative questions. We might imagine young David moving from one group of soldiers to another, uttering his challenging question.

God is the God of the unexpected. No one in the Valley of Elah that day had any idea that this young man was the one through whom God would deliver his people.

God is the God of the unexpected. What he was doing in the Valley of Elah was the beginning of a sequence of events that can be traced through the Biblical record over about ten centuries. It came to its climax when a descendant of David appeared speaking words more provocative than anything David said on that day at Elah.

In Matthew 15 we read:

And [Jesus] coming to his hometown … taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is[n’t] his mother called Mary? … Are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him.

It may be an understandable mistake, but it is a great mistake nonetheless to take offense at the unexpected ways of God.

 

Conclusion

When you belong to the People of God you must expect the unexpected.

In the Valley of Elah we see young David and we wonder at God’s unexpected ways- that he would deliver His People through this apparently insignificant shepherd-boy.

Similarly, today, we look around at our world and we must understand that our God has acted in the most unexpected way for His People. In Christ, the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God, we have One who has displayed His power in the weakness of the Cross and delivered His People from our ultimate enemies.

As we leave this place, may our hearts be open to see the affairs of our world in light of God’s Word, and to act accordingly. And may we live trusting that our God always works for the God of His People and the Glory of His Name.