1 Samuel 17 verses 31 to 40: The Gospel of David

 

Introduction

What is the Gospel?

You’re sitting with your friend or colleague one day and unexpectedly they ask you this question. You have prayed for them for years, but deep down you wondered if you would ever get the opportunity. And, now the opportunity has arrived, you are not sure what to say.

And, to be honest, who can blame you. Many Believers today are unclear about what the Gospel message actually is after repeated attempts to change the Gospel in recent decades.

Such attempts appear to be well-well-intentioned- motivated by a desire to make the Gospel ‘relevant’. But really they leave us with a Gospel message that reflects less what the Bible says and more what our culture finds acceptable.

So, as God’s People in this time and this place we need to seriously consider how the Bible teaches us to answer the question: What is the Gospel?

And so, we go again 1 Samuel 17 today. In our third instalment of this superb story, we listen to the exchange between Israel’s ‘Spirit-less’ King Saul and David, the Spirit-filled future king. As David proclaims his ‘gospel’ to Saul we learn that the Gospel is:

An Unbelievable Message that we must be ready to declare

An Unforgettable Message that we must continually remember.

An Unchangeable Message of God’s Unchanging Way

So, let’s begin with… An Unbelievable Message that we must be ready to declare.

Last time we saw David, the shepherd-turned-errand boy, come to the Valley of Elah with provisions for his older brothers. On arrival he encountered the giant Philistine and witnessed the terror among the Israelite troops. But David saw the Philistine through God’s eyes and responded accordingly. And so, provoked by his passion for God’s glory, he asked questions which, in turn, provoked a response.

His brothers were unimpressed. Eliab accused him of arrogance and acting improperly. But it was not long before David’s words reached Saul; in verse 31 we read:

What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

‘What David said…’ takes us back to verse 26 and how belonging to the Living God made a difference to David. David saw the giant Philistine differently- as the Lord sees- and acted accordingly. David did not fear this giant but would seek to face him in the strength of the living God.

As David is brought before him just imagine the scene. This youth would have appeared before Saul clothed as a simple shepherd boy straight from the fields; not even dressed for battle. But, as one commentator puts it:

A little shepherd, come but this morning from keeping sheep, has more courage than all the mighty men of Israel.

And so, in verse 32 we hear the words of David:

David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

It is astonishing to see how the young man, well under military age, took charge of the meeting.

And, it is not too much to say, David proclaimed the gospel to Saul. It was not yet, of course, the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But here is a message of ‘good news’: God has sent one who will deliver His People.

Saul waited a long time- at least 40 days- to hear someone say these words. But to hear them now, from the mouth of this simple shepherd boy, almost seemed like a cruel joke. He must have thought to himself: After forty days of facing this ferocious Philistine all I have is this little shepherd boy. Unbelievable!

David’s words- sounding something like, ‘Calm down everyone, I’ve got the situation completely under control’- must have seemed completely unbelievable. Here was a teenage boy suffering from outrageous overconfidence. At least that’s how it appeared to the faithless Israelites.

We could say that David’s words were unbelievable in the same way that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is unbelievable in today’s world. And, grasping how unbelievable David’s words were to Saul, helps us see something of the offense of the Gospel to faithless people today.

For this teenager, too young to leave home and join the army, to tell the king that he need not be afraid anymore because he, David, would fight the Philistine seemed wildly optimistic- even absurdly unrealistic. Any sensible person would have seen and heard Goliath and thought: ‘Run for your life’. But ‘Let no one lose heart…’ was the most unbelievable thing anyone could have said to Saul in those circumstances.

It is just like the Gospel. As Believers we look sin and death in the face, and we declare ‘do not lose heart, put your hope in God’. To a watching world this looks and sounds unbelievable. Yet it is grounded in the truth of Christ’s ultimate victory. As Believers we must be prepared to live, and die, in a way that speaks of the eternal life that is found in Christ.

The Gospel is an unbelievable message that we must be ready to declare. And we do so mindful that people find it hard to take the Gospel seriously for just the same reasons that Saul found it hard to take David’s gospel seriously.

It is not difficult to relate to Saul’s disbelief in verse 33:

Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”

Saul could see what anyone could see: David was no match for the Philistine. That David should propose to fight a seasoned warrior of Goliath’s experience was, to Saul’s mind, shocking. It was simply not possible. Saul did not believe David’s gospel.

To an unbelieving world, to unbelieving friends and family, the message of the Gospel is unbelievable. And yet, it is a message we must declare. We do so without fear but with humility. We do so with clarity and consistency. We do so prayerfully- asking that God, by His Spirit, will give eyes of faith to see Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

The Gospel is an Unbelievable Message that we must be ready to declare, it is also… An Unforgettable Message that we must continually remember.

 

At Home Group the other night we were thinking about the words of the hymn, Before the Throne of God Above, they go like this:

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the Just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me

As Believers we must be aware that Satan is the accuser- he would have Believers forget God’s grace and stumble in disbelief. But we are to continually remember the Gospel of God’s grace- what God has done for us in Christ- so that we might run the race of faith.

In verse 33 we see Saul stumble in disbelief. Saul seeing as man sees, thought David was disqualified because of his age, size, and inexperience. Saul essentially says: He’s been a soldier longer than you have been alive, do your really believe you can defeat him?.

Notice David’s response in verses 34 to 37. David respectfully challenges the way Saul sees things. David recalls his experience as a shepherd and argues that fighting off bear and lion has been the perfect preparation for this battle with the enemy of God’s People.

It is as if David says to Saul: Don’t say I have no experience of war; fighting off dangerous enemies is part of my job- it’s just that they are usually wild beasts rather than defiant giants. Saul saw him as an inexperienced youth, but David had gained experience in the wilderness. The uncircumcised Philistine, who had threatened the armies of the living God, would be as the wild beasts who threatened the sheep under David’s care.

 

David’s words tell the story of his past exploits as a deliverer. On one level we could hear David and think he is claiming he was a courageous and skilful fighter. But these words were really a testimony to God’s deliverance of David rather than David’s experience and abilities. In verse 37 we hear David declare:

 “The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” 

David understood that the deliverance of the sheep and the shepherd was actually the work of God in his life.

And so, David saw everything differently because he trusted in God’s commitment to deliver His Peopel. David remembered what God has done in the wilderness of Judah and trusted that He would do it in the Valley of Elah. David remembered God’s past deliverances and believed that the Lord who had delivered him from the beasts would deliver Him, and all Israel, from this Philistine.

David was ready to fight Goliath because he had experienced God’s past deliverance and trusted in God’s faithfulness to continue to deliver. It was David’s remembering God’s past faithfulness that allowed him to go forward in faith.

In other words, David’s looking back in faith enabled him to look forward in faith. David’s gospel was an unforgettable message that he continually remembered- and that remembering sustained him in the fight of faith.

Today, especially as we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, it is important we heed this lesson.  Remembering what God has done in the past, in Christ at the Cross and in our walk of faith, sustains our faith in present situations.

David looked with the eyes of faith and acted accordingly. David remembered his own experiences which reinforced the truth He had learned in God’s Word. David saw things theologically- from God’s perspective- and he was readied to face the fight.

As God’s People today, it is important we publicly remember and retell God’s great deliverance of His People at Calvary. The public celebration and remembrance of God’s provision in Christ is vital for the nurture of our faith.

Today, at the Table, we spend time meditating on the Good News of the Gospel- that in Christ we have been delivered from the evil powers of Satan and sin and death. And today, as we remember our ultimate deliverance in Christ, we are empowered to fight the fight of faith and put sin to death in our lives.

 

In verse 37 David speaks the truth of the Gospel: God will deliver me. David will be delivered because He knows and trusts in the true God. He knows that His God is faithful and unchanging. Situations may change, but God is the same day after day. And so, the Gospel is… An Unchangeable Message of God’s Unchanging Way.

 

In verse 37 Saul, impressed by David’s passion and resolve, declares: Go, and the Lord be with you. And, with that, we expect to get to the action. However, there is a slight delay.

You see, Saul still sees man sees. And so, in verses 38 and 39 he tried to equip David with his armour and weapons- the armour and weapons of the world.

Saul wants David to do well and tries to help David. But Saul is a king like all the other nations and relies on worldly ways.

But David is not a king like all the other nations. David, the Spirit-filled man of faith, trusts in God’s unchanging way. So, as we see in verse 39, David could not use Saul’s armour. Saul’s way could not be David’s way. He had never used such equipment and now was not the time to start!

So, David put them off. Then he took his staff, chose five smooth stones, put them in his shepherd’s pouch, and, with sling in hand, he approached the Philistine. David advanced as a shepherd-servant of God, to deliver God’s People in God’s strength.

Here we remember our Good Shepherd who went to the Cross to deliver God’s People in God’s strength. That is the message of the Gospel: in Christ, the Shepherd-King, God was reconciling sinners to Himself in the most unexpected, glorious and gracious way possible.

Saul wanted to clothe David in the ways of the world. In a sense he wanted to change David’s gospel – David would fight and be delivered by God AND Saul’s armour. But David trusted in the Lord’s deliverance in the Lord’s way. David understood that God uses the apparently weak things of this world to display His power and glory.

The Gospel, at first glance, appears to be a weak thing. It’s an old story in a world that loves the new and shiny. It is a story of sacrifice in a world that wants comfort at all costs. It is a message about sin and its solution in a world that refuses to even tolerate the word. It is a message of foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

 

The message of the Gospel is that in Christ’s sacrifice, the enemies of Satan, sin and death are slaughtered on the battlefield and God’s People are delivered. In the sacrifice of Christ there is wonderful Good News for all who would put their hope in God alone.

The Cross declares the eternal justice, mercy, grace, glory and love of God. At the Cross, in Christ, we do not get what we deserve, that’s mercy; and we get what we do not deserve, that grace. At the Cross Christ takes from us our sin, and suffers our punishment for us, and in return He gives to us all that He has and makes us sons of God.

This is not a message that needs to be changed or adapted or added to in any way whatsoever. Yet, today many would, like Saul, want us to employ the world’s ways to win the battle.

Many would have us seek the defeat of evil and the spread of the Gospel by employing worldly tactics. Many believe our hope is in political power, celebrity endorsements, popularity in the public square. Many want us to be ‘relevant’ by making public worship an entertainment event and replacing the plain preaching of God’s Word with Ted Talks and soundbites.

These well-meaning suggestions motivated by the assumption that we must fight the battle in our strength. Such suggestions display the unspoken belief that what God has given us- the promises of His Word, the guarantee of His power and His presence by His Spirit- all of these maybe just aren’t enough.

 

 

 

When tempted to give in to this way of thinking we must remember what David declared to Goliath in verses 45 and 47:

“You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. … The LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand”

If the battle is the Lord’s, then God’s People step forward in the power of prayer and the firm foundation of God’s Word.

In every generation the great call of God upon His People is simple yet profound: go forward with faith in the truth of God’s Word, the power of His Spirit, and the guarantee of His presence. The battle belongs to the Lord and must be fought in His strength.

And just as this truth applies to the Church, it applies to each of us individually. Today, and every day, we know joy of soul, strength of heart and peace of mind as we trust in the Gospel- the unchangeable message of God’s unchanging way. In Christ, and His finished work, we rely on God’s faithfulness, seek God’s glory, and fight in God’s strength until we will have the supreme satisfaction of hearing the ‘well done, good and faithful servant’.

Conclusion

As we approach the Lord’s Table let us use the time to pause and ponder just what has been done for us, what God is doing in us, and what will be accomplished when Christ comes again.