1 Samuel 17 verses 1 to 11 Facing Giants

 

Introduction

How do we ‘see’ the world around us?

How do we respond to the state of the world at the moment?

 

Perhaps you want to save the world, but the sheer number of issues and problems leaves you overwhelmed. Perhaps you are too busy just trying to hold your own world together at the moment. Or, perhaps you just shut it all out and simply say to yourself, ‘It’s not my problem.’.

In 1 Samuel 17, God’s People face a problem that is literally gigantic- they face a giant named Goliath.

The story of David and Goliath is one of the Bible’s most famous stories. Many of us probably first heard it from a children’s storybook or at Sunday School. And because of this we probably think we know the story better than we really do.

For this reason, we are going to spend a few weeks in Chapter 17. As we work our way through this story, we want to listen carefully to how the story is told and reflect on the significance of this story in its context.

Today we are going to consider the first eleven verses which could be understood like this:

Battle Lines Drawn

The Enemy’s Description

The Enemy’s Defiance

The Israelite Dismay

God’s People face a familiar foe- the Philistines. And they encounter Goliath- a fearsome giant who leaves God’s People terrified.

As we study 1 Samuel 17 today, we want to consider how we respond when we face the fearsome giants of this world- do we look around or within and try to fight in our own strength? Or will we look to our great champion, our Rescuer-King?

But firstly, we turn to God’s Word and see… Battle Lines Drawn

 

Before we get into our story proper it is important to realise that the story of David and Goliath isn’t just about a little boy with a sling facing a giant. Yes, this is a true story about David- the shepherd-boy who would be king- and his real confrontation with Goliath in a particular time and place.

But this is also a story set within the bigger story of God’s purposes for His People: that He has chosen Israel and He is at work in the life of this people, His People. So what will happen between David and Goliath is directly related to God’s purpose for the nation of Israel.

And this story of God and His People is set within the biggest story of all: the story of salvation. In a very real way, what happens between David and Goliath relates to God’s eternal plan to rescue a People through Jesus and His victory at the Cross.

With this in mind, our story begins with ominous words; in verse 1 we read:

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah.

1 Samuel 17 begins with an all too familiar situation: the Philistines had gathered their armies to fight Israel. The Philistine threat has been an ongoing theme in 1 Samuel- having first appeared way back in Chapter 4.

While Israel had other enemies, it was the Philistines who, more than any other, constantly threatened Israel’s existence. Remember, it was principally to save Israel from the Philistines that Saul was made king.

But both this renewal of hostilities, and the fact that Philistines were now further west than they had been in a long time, tells us that something had gone wrong. We are right to wonder what will happen next under Saul’s kingship.

So, in verse 2, we read:

Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.

Here we see that while the Philistines actively ‘gathered’ their forces, Saul and the men of Israel passively ‘assembled’. There is no sign of active leadership among the Israelites. Saul is just among those who ‘camped’.

Then in verse 3 we read that the battle lines are drawn. The two forces face each other across the valley. Neither side wants to give away the strategic advantage of their respective positions- no one wants to leave the safety of their hill to take the hill of the enemy. And so, it’s stalemate.

What is described for us in verses 1 to 3 is setting up verse 4. We will go there in just a moment. But first, we pause and ponder: today, do we feel like we are in a stalemate with our sin or struggles? Or, as we look out on the situations in our world and in the Church, are we wondering what will happen next?

How are we to respond?

Well, for now, let us go further into the story and listen to… The Enemy’s Description

The Philistine threat was embodied in a single, terrifying individual. He is introduced in verse 4:

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall.

The word translated ‘champion’ literally means ‘the man of the between’- a man who would step out to fight between the two battle lines, on behalf of his side.

Notice how much attention is paid to describing this man. This is no accident- the author is painting a picture, inviting us to feel the tension.

Firstly, we are to notice he was huge- a mountain of a man, rising far above the head of any Israelite warrior. Here was height and stature that were not easy to ignore! In fact, gazing at Goliath would take your breath away.

Then there was his armour. In verses 5 and 6 we are given a lengthy and detailed description.

There’s lots of metal. Remember from Chapter 13, the Philistines had had the monopoly on metalworking. Their technological superiority was on display in the figure that stood before the Israelites that day.

Goliath’s bronze helmet protected his head (but not, we might note, his face). His upper body was covered with ‘a coat of scale’ weighing about 9 Stone! Clearly, he would not be susceptible to any weapon aimed at his chest. His legs were also protected by bronze armour. In other words, he stood there like a one-man, indestructible fortress.

Goliath was not just massively protected; he was equipped with fearful offensive weapons. A javelin was carried across his shoulders. And his spear was so big the average person couldn’t even get their hands around it.

The description is rounded off by reference to the fact that he also had a shield so big that he had a servant to carry it for him. It was probably a large, rectangular, standing shield providing complete protection to the huge Philistine- it was like the equivalent of a bedroom door, but much heavier.

The detail given in this description is very unusual in Biblical narratives. The narrator wants us behold this colossal, apparently indestructible, figure that stands menacingly before us. In the previous chapter God had said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature….’. We might well wonder whether those words could possibly apply now.

So what we have is the description of an impenetrable fortress on two legs. And not only is he described for us so that we can get a picture of him, but then he speaks for us, and we have the record of… The Enemy’s Defiance

In verse 8 we listen to the voice of this Philistine thundering across the Valley of Elah as         Goliath taunts Israel. He effectively says: ‘Why have you actually come out here to draw up for battle?’.

That was the question that some of the soldiers in the camp of Israel must have been asking themselves. We can imagine them thinking to themselves: Every morning, we get up, get kitted out and then just stand here. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday… for the last month. If we’re not planning on fighting, why do we even show up?’.

Why indeed had they assembled for battle? Although the answer to the question might seem obvious (they had drawn up for battle because the Philistines had drawn up for battle), the asking of it would be unsettling for the leaderless, directionless Israelites.

We can pause here and ponder once again.

I wonder if many of us see the Church, at times, like this group of soldiers standing around wondering what’s going to happen next. And perhaps, as we talk with neighbours or friends or colleagues, we feel like the world is thinking: ‘Why does the Church exist? What is the point of your faith? What cause do you fight for? Where is your King?’.

Across the valley the Israelite army hear enemy’s defiant taunts: ‘I am the embodiment of those who oppose you. Look at me: ready for battle. And look at you: leaderless, lifeless.’ He despises them and their inability to do anything. So, he lays down a challenge in verses 8 and 9: What you need is a man who will be the man in the between- if he comes down, then we’ll settle the matter once and for all.

If we have been paying attention we will realise that there is something oddly familiar about that phrase in verse 8, ‘Choose a man…’. Indeed, we could imagine among the ranks of the army, there would have been at least one man who would have murmured to himself, ‘We tried that! And it didn’t go to plan!’.

Remember, they had chosen a man to be king. They had chosen Saul, who stood head and shoulders above all the other people, to fight for them. But, just like when he was lost in the baggage at his coronation, he was once again conspicuous by his absence.

When he should have been leading from the front he is sitting back. There was no fight left in him for the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul. So, once again in God’s Word, we are reminded that God is not in need of the powerful and outwardly impressive.

As the Church today we to remember that we are not to look to what the world considers impressive. Remember, the weakness of the Cross is ‘foolishness’ to the world and yet it is the means of redemption and God’s ultimate victory.

We are not to be ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. God’s ‘weakness’ triumphs over the enemy’s strength.

That is what we see in the battle lines, in the emergence of the Philistine, and in his cries of defiance. This went on for forty days. Forty days! And then in verse 10 we read Goliath effectively says: ‘I defy you! I mock you! Every day I stand here proves how utterly useless you all are!’.

The Philistine was as powerful and threatening in his words as he was in his presence. Here was a truly terrifying enemy.

We are almost at the end of our first instalment. Before we leave it, I want to step back and consider the significance of this astonishing figure in the Valley of Elah.

Why has the inspired author given us such a full and detailed picture of Goliath? What effect should this opening scene in the Valley of Elah have on us?

Simply put, Goliath represents for us spiritual opposition to God and His People. A. W. Pink writes: ‘Goliath pictures to us the great enemy of God and man, the devil, seeking to terrify, and bring into captivity those who bear the name of the Lord.’.

In his size Goliath reflects the great power of Satan. In Goliath’s defiant taunts we see Satan’s hatred of God and His People.

So, in the Valley of Elah we witness a vivid picture of an important Biblical theme: the enemies of God and His People. The clear teaching of the Bible is that, if we are a Believer, then we face a terrifying and powerful enemy, an army of enemies, as real, powerful, and terrifying as Goliath. Satan seeks whom he may devour. Death and Sin threaten to destroy us.

That day in the Valley of Elah the people of Israel saw and heard the enemy. They faced the reality of what it means to be in a spiritual war.

In verse 11 we hear of their response; we hear of… The Israelite Dismay

Our first instalment of this famous story closes, in verse 11, with the reaction of Saul and all Israel:

On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

That day only a fool would pretend things were not desperately serious.

But remember what God had said of Saul back in Chapter 9: ‘He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines…’. In the Valley of Elah we see no sign of any such thing. Instead, both ‘Saul’ and ‘all Israel’ heard Goliath’s defiant taunts and were equally dismayed.

This is not what it was meant to be like. Remember Hannah and her prayer at the beginning of this book:

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces [or dismayed]; against them he will thunder in heaven. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the power of his anointed.

It is the Philistines who should have been shattered, not Israel and their king! It is the Lord’s anointed one who should have been given strength and power, not this enormous Philistine!

We may be tempted to fast forward to the end of the story- we know the words of Hannah proved to be amazingly true. However, at this point we are to appreciate how unlikely that outcome seemed to be- the giant Israel faced was truly terrifying. It would be amazing if anyone could deliver Israel from this monstrous threat.

And today, as we look out at the world around us, we need to understand that we face terrifying threats. This is true of human life generally, but it is particularly true for God’s People- as we live in enemy territory and fight in a Spiritual war.

Yet we know that the words of Hannah have proven true- not in Saul, not even fully in David. Most wonderfully, because of Jesus we can look at whatever we face and say:

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

In Christ, the One who stood in between for us, we face all that this life would throw at us with humble confidence- nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As God’s People, both as individual Believers and as the Church, we do not give way to fear or hopelessness. Instead, we remember our Warrior-King who has fought and defeated our enemies of sin and death and Satan. We face the realities of this world- sin and suffering, illness and death, ideologies and philosophies- in the knowledge that in Christ we have a powerful King who reigns and rules and a gracious Saviour who provides all we need. We look to Him, and Him alone.

Conclusion

We began by asking:

How do we respond to the state of the world at the moment?

 

If, as God’s People, we look around- as our schools and society, our nation and our world, defy God on multiple levels- we could well feel overwhelmed by the giants we face. And looking inwardly at our own resources, we may be tempted give in to hopelessness and do nothing.

Yet, the message of 1 Samuel Chapter 17 is that God triumphs and saves in His perfect way over all our enemies. In other words, David and Goliath calls us to look up and see the Lord Jesus.

Goliath stood opposed to God’s People and God’s plans. But we will see God triumph through the apparent weakness of David. God will accomplish His purposes in His way, in His world.

Next time we will see that as the army, in verse 11, finds itself ‘…dismayed and greatly afraid…’ David appears, and the story takes a turn for the better. David will be Heaven’s champion- the man in between- in the Valley of Elah. And David will point us to Heaven’s True Champion- the One who stood in between for His People in the Valley of Sin and Death and rose victorious.

The Lord Jesus, has stood in our place at the Cross, has defeated our ultimate enemies, and has delivered us to true freedom in Christ. In Christ we share His triumph over death and hell and sin. In Christ we can live with humble confidence as we put our trust in Him and Him alone.