They say that familiarity breeds contempt. If that is true, then we face an obstacle this morning. In our walk through 1st Samuel we come today to what is without a doubt the best known story of the Old Testament: the story of David, the shepherd boy, facing off against the Philistine giant, Goliath.
It is a story we are well acquainted with. We have heard it countless times. We have heard the lessons from the story: that if God is on our side we don’t have to be afraid, that God helps us defeat the ‘giants’ in our lives (like fear, sin, and so on).
Some years ago I was at children’s ministry clinic. The instructor told this story as an example of how to tell stories for kids, with props and characters. But when the story was over, the presenter made his point for the children. He said, ‘This same God who helped David defeat Goliath is the same God who walks with you onto the school playground tomorrow!’ Sounds good.
But I thought: What if one of these children gets beat up on the playground tomorrow? ‘So I guess God helped David but he’s not interested in me…’
Even just as a story it doesn’t grip us any more. The tension of the encounter doesn’t mean much because we know how it ends: David wins.
We know the story so well that we’ve lost our ability to let it speak to us, assuming that it has nothing new to say to us.
Kellogg’s Corn Flakes used an advertising slogan some years ago, and invited us to ‘Taste them again for the first time’. I’d like to invite us to hear this story again for the first time, to enter into it again and let God speak to us.
I said last time that the whole Old Testament points to God’s Grand Narrative that is centered in Jesus Christ. Jesus himself said that. So 1 Samuel is part of that narrative, and this story is part of the narrative and, somehow, points us to Jesus. How does it do that?
Here’s the story. Let’s zoom out:
The Israelites have been in the land for some three hundred years. As a nation they had been freed from slavery in Egypt, and had been led by Moses to the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give to them. Under Joshua they began the process of conquest, and soon they were fairly well established.
But they had the habit of turning their backs on God and worshiping the pagan gods they saw around them. Naturally, when they did this they no longer experienced God’s presence and protection, and so they would be attacked and overrun by enemy nations. Then the people would cry out to God, and he would raise up a hero in whatever region needed one – people like Gideon, Jephthah, Samson – who would lead them to victory and then govern, and things would be stable and at peace for a while.
During this period Israel was somewhat fragmented. The tribes in the south would be worrying about the Moabites or the Philistines, while in the north they had troubles of their own with the Midianites and in the east the Ammonites. Each area had to take care of itself.
Over time one nation rose to prominence in the land, and became Israel’s biggest threat: the Philistines. The Philistines were a feared and hated enemy.
The leader in Israel at this time was the judge and prophet, Samuel. He was getting old, and there was uncertainty about what would happen after he died. So the people came to him, ‘We want a king. Other nations have kings. We want one.’
See, they still didn’t understand that it wasn’t the absence of a king that was their problem. It was the fact that they kept ignoring God. God was their king, and if they could just get that, they’d be fine. But they thought having a king would solve their problems, give them security, strengthen their national identity and unity, and so on.
So God gave them what they thought they wanted.
Enter Saul. Saul was the complete package. The Bible describes Saul as an impressive young man without equal among all the Israelites. Samuel said of him, ‘There is no one else like him.’ Twice, the Bible makes a point of saying that he was a head taller than anyone else. He was more handsome than anyone in all Israel.
The first thing Saul does is pull together an ad-hoc army and stage a dramatic rescue of an Israelite city besieged by an Ammonite army. The people go crazy. The polls put his approval rating at 100%. He is tall, impressive looking, with leadership ability and military know-how. He is the ideal king (from all outward appearances).
But it’s not all about outward appearances, and Saul is not the complete package he seems to be. Because in his heart there is a problem. Saul has a deficit of character. Inside, where it matters most, Saul is more concerned with himself than with God or his people.
Saul disobeys God, leads unwisely, and is a self-absorbed man who becomes paranoid, violent, and ends up committing suicide. He has not the heart of a king, a heart that pleases God.
But someone else does.
In the town of Bethlehem lived a man named Jesse with his sons. God told Samuel, ‘Go see Jesse, for I have chosen one of his sons to be king.’ So, Samuel does what the LORD commanded and goes to Bethlehem.
When he arrives there, the elders of the town trembled and asked him, ‘Do you come in peace?’
Now, understand that for Samuel to come to your town was a big deal. Everyone knew he was God’s man, recognized as having authority even over the king. He was the most revered man in Israel. If he makes a special trip, that means God is on the move.
‘Do you come in peace?’ they ask him.
And Samuel reassures them, ‘Yes, in peace. I’ve come to sacrifice to the LORD, and I want you to join me.’ And he makes a point of inviting Jesse and his sons.
Now, I think they knew what Samuel is here to do, because Jesse has his sons parade before Samuel, and Samuel keeps commenting, ‘The LORD hasn’t chosen this one.’ So, it is pretty obvious he is there to ‘choose’ one of Jesse’s sons, and it’s clear that they know it. And it wouldn’t take any imagination to figure out that maybe he’s anointing the next king.
So, Jesse’s sons probably feel like they’re on a reality TV show: seven contestants, one of whom will be chosen to be the next king.
One by one they come and stand before Samuel, starting with the oldest, Eliab.
Eliab is a good looking guy. He carries himself well, confidently. He’s the kind of guy that makes an immediate impression. He looks every inch the king. And Samuel’s first thought is, ‘This has got to be the guy!’
But Samuel hears the unmistakable voice of God, which Samuel knew so well. And God’s voice checks Samuel and said, “’Do not consider his appearance or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not see as man sees. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’
Why is that a lesson we have such a hard time learning! We even judge ourselves by external things: our job, our family. We are good Christians because we are busy in the church, and we don’t pay attention to our hearts, our character, our inner life. And yet God is far more interested in our hearts, than our outward appearances. God is far more concerned with who you are, than what you do, and we should be interested in that, too. If you are too busy to pay attention to your heart, to cultivate your inner life, you’re too busy. God looks at the heart, and we should too.
So, Eliab gets voted off the island and steps away, and Jesse’s next son steps forward. Then the third son. And Samuel shakes his head. Seven sons of Jesse, and Samuel says of them all, ‘I don’t get it. The LORD hasn’t chosen these. These are all of your sons, right?’
‘Well… I mean… there’s the youngest one, but he’s tending the sheep.’
‘Get him,’ says Samuel.
So the youngest is sent for. He, too, is a good looking kid, with a fine appearance and handsome features. And God says to Samuel, ‘Rise and anoint him; he is the one.’ Samuel takes the horn of oil and anoints him in the presence of his brothers. The young man’s name was David.
So here we have one man, Saul, King of Israel, who is rejected as king by God. And we have another, David, who is chosen by God, to be king. And the difference between the two, is that when God looks at David’s heart, he sees something that pleased him. Using Samuel’s words from earlier, David was a better man than Saul; he was a man after God’s own heart.
What was it that God saw? What kind of heart pleases God? Because since God is primarily concerned with the heart, then he is concerned with my heart, and your heart, and so we want to know what God looks for in the heart. When God looked at David’s heart, he saw something that made him choose David to rule over God’s people, the nation of Israel.
We’ve seen Saul’s heart, how it grieved God, how it rendered Saul unfit to lead God’s people. Now we get to see David’s heart, the heart of a man God can call on to lead his people.
The war with the Philistines is still on, and right now both sides are geared up for battle. The Philistines have gained the upper hand, because we read they’ve set up their army in Judah, on Israelite soil. They’ve camped on a hill. Below them lies a valley, and on the hill across from them the Israelite army, led by Saul, have drawn up their battle lines. Among the soldiers are David’s three oldest brothers.
The Israelites have suffered from a general lack of courage against the Philistines for some time. But today, what little courage they managed to cling to would vanish like a morning mist, because today, they see Goliath.
It takes a few moments for it to register, what they’re seeing. A commotion erupts in the Philistine camp, and one of their soldiers emerges and strides down the hill into the valley. As he gets closer and closer, the jaws of the Israelites sag lower and lower. This guy is immense! It’s Goliath, the Philistine champion, and he’s picking a fight.
This guy is over nine feet tall, fifty percent taller than any Israelite. On his head he’s got a bronze helmet. He’s wearing a bronze coat of armor that weighs 125 pounds. He’s got bronze greaves on his legs, so this guy is covered in metal. (If any Israelite soldier could have been transported to our time, and was shown a military tank, he’d probably say, ‘I’ve seen one of those before. His name was Goliath.’)
Goliath carried a spear and the spear tip alone weighed 15 pounds!
As he moves toward the Israelites, the Israelite camp grows deathly silent.
And then Goliath bellows a challenge that booms across the valley:
‘Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.’ And the Philistine said, ‘I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.’
Behind him the Philistine army lets out a cheer. Then, when no one of the Israelite army stepped forward, laughter and cat-calls rippled through the Philistine ranks.
The effect Goliath had on Israel is absolutely demoralizing. They don’t merely display a collective hesitation, the Bible tells us that when they hear Goliath’s words, Saul and all the Israelites are ‘dismayed and terrified.’ No one volunteers, not even Saul, who, you remember, is a head taller than all the Israelites himself.
A cloud of depression settles over the Israelite camp.
That evening Goliath again steps forward and issues his challenge. Then again the next morning. . . . and the next evening. Twice a day for a week. . . two weeks. . . three weeks. . . four. . . five. . . almost six weeks! Twice a day, for forty days, the Israelite army is defied by Goliath. Eighty times, their hope takes a body blow. Every day for six weeks they deflate just a little more. They cower in their tents. The Philistines almost get used to this daily ritual and even they stop laughing as they prepare for war.
Saul tries to coax a hero out of the ranks by offering incentive: whoever kills Goliath gets to marry the king’s daughter, and his whole family is exempt from taxes.
But – no takers and every day the Israelites hunch their shoulders a little more and try to shut out the voice of Goliath.
On the fortieth day, though, someone hears and sees Goliath for the first time. It’s David. The shepherd boy from Bethlehem has come to bring his three brothers a care package from home, and to find out how the battle is going. It’s not going well. David finds his brothers and as he’s talking to them, Goliath comes and does his thing, and returns to his camp.
David’s temperature starts to rise, and more so when he sees that no one is willing to fight Goliath. He starts asking around, ‘What will be done for the guy who kills Goliath and removes this disgrace from Israel? I mean, who is this pagan, that he should defy the armies of the living God?’
His heart is a heart that is concerned for the honor of God. David starts dropping hints that if no one else will do it, then he’s thinking about fighting Goliath himself.
Word about David comes to Saul, and David is sent for. And I love what David says to Saul: ‘Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine. I’ll go fight him.’
This young man says, ‘Tell your trained fighters not to worry. I’ll fight.’
Here, too, is David’s heart: a heart of courage. Courage to stand for what is right when no one else will. Willing to put his life on the line. See, God had sworn to give the land to Israel, but the Philistines were starting to take the land and David was the only one willing to plant his foot firmly on the ground and say, ‘No! In the name of God I will stand against you, alone if need be.’
David showed a heart of incredible courage.
Saul says, ‘You can’t take Goliath. You’re only a boy!’
David answers, ‘As a shepherd I’ve had to kill a lion and a bear when the sheep were threatened. The LORD who helped me then can certainly give me victory over this Philistine.’
David’s heart is a heart of trust. He doesn’t trust in his armor, but in God. ‘God will (not can, but will) give me the victory.’
Saul tries to lend David his armor, and David tries it on but rejects it. We serve God least effectively when we’re trying to copy someone else, rather than be ourselves. Some are ten talent Christians. Some are five talent. And some of us are one-talent Christians. We need to serve with our one-talent and be content with that. You don’t need to be one of the twelve apostles or Paul. You don’t have to act like anyone else in this or any other church. God made you you. He wants to use you: where you are, who you are. Other peoples’ armor does not fit.
So, unarmed, David takes his sling, grabs five stones, and goes to face Goliath.
When Goliath sees him, he is incensed. ‘You little punk’, he yells, ‘Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks! This is your best man? Come here and I’ll tear you apart!’ He curses David in the name of his gods. Even the Philistines come out to watch this new development.
I don’t think there’s any doubt in the mind of anyone watching from either side that David’s best option is to scurry back up the hill to the relative safety of the Israelite tents.
But he doesn’t.
Instead, with the passion of one who loves God, and the assurance of one who knows God, he answers Goliath. And his words have power. (I love this speech!)
Then David said to the Philistine, ‘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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.’
See David’s heart! A young boy, armed with a sling, facing a metal-bound warrior. He doesn’t lose sight of what this is about: It is not about the Israelite army; it’s about God and his honor.
When Goliath and David close for combat, it isn’t the giant warrior who is victorious. David sets a stone in his sling, and he spins the sling over his head and releases it, with deadly precision. The stone is like a bullet; straight, fast, the rock strikes Goliath on the forehead, crushing it, sinking into it.
As the Philistines watch in disbelief, Goliath sinks to his knees, and falls forward onto his face, dead. David runs forward and with Goliath’s own sword, cuts off Goliath’s head and holds it up.
There’s a deathly silent pause, and then the Philistine army starts to scatter in retreat. It takes a second for Israel to realize what is happening, but when they do, they grab their weapons with a shout and pursue the Philistines. Israel won a crushing victory that day.
They won, because David’s heart was passionate about God’s honor above all. He had courage to stand for God. He trusted that God, not he and his sling, but God, would give the victory.
Later, as king, David would say, ‘Some trust in chariots, some in horses. But we trust in the name of the LORD our God’ (Psalm 20:7).
David was a man after God’s own heart. David had the kind of heart God looks for in his people.
Now fast forward about three thousand years. Because this is not just a cool Old Testament story with no real relevance. There’s truth here that means something to us in our day. Is it that, just as David was able to kill Goliath with God’s help, we too can face the ‘giants’ in our life – giants of fear or temptation or unhealthy self esteem – and slay them with God’s help?
Or is it the truth that we must have hearts like David, hearts concerned with the honor of God? But aren’t those things just exhortations to try harder?
Job trusted God in suffering. So you should trust God in suffering, too.
Joseph was patient. So you should be patient, too.
Jesus prayed, and if Jesus needed to pray, how much more should you pray?
And you should have a heart like David. ‘Face your giants.’
But isn’t this just the Bible’s way of saying, ‘Why can’t you be more like your brother?’
It’s hard to trust God in suffering, hard to be like Job.
Unlike Joseph, we’re often impatient.
We really struggle in prayer.
So I guess we are not good Christians. We will never measure up to our brothers.
To many people that’s what the Bible is: one long exhortation to measure up. And since we can’t measure up – after all, we fall short of the glory of God so when are we good enough? – then to read through the Bible in a year is to take a 12-month course in depression. Is that what the Bible is for?
But wait a second.
Didn’t Jesus say the whole OT pointed to him? Every part of the Bible points to God’s redemption of a lost humanity, a humanity that can’t possibly measure up, a redemption story that has Jesus at the center, in whichJesus as the main character.
How does that work out in this story?
It’s been said that one way to enter into a Bible story is to put yourself into the story, to identify with a character and to experience the event from his or her perspective.
Ok. Fair enough. So who are we to identify with?
With David? Can we be like David? Are we the hero of this story?
Are we Goliath? Heaven forbid!
But could it be that we are more like the soldier, part of the army of Israel: Facing an enemy they couldn’t possibly overcome. Fearful. Impotent. Dismayed. Needing a champion to face him on their behalf, a champion who would be their only hope.
Doesn’t that sound more like us? And isn’t the role David plays less like us and more like Jesus?
When faced with our greatest enemy, with sin and death and hell, maybe instead of rushing to face him in battle, we find ourselves dismayed and terrified. And understandably so! We’re impotent against such an enemy.
And they certainly are enemies!
Sin is an enemy. It always seems to get the upper hand, doesn’t it? ‘Cancer’ is a scary word. Cancer has a way of coming back, maybe years later. Sin is like cancer. It has a way of coming back. It’s an enemy.
Death is an enemy. They say there are two things that are inevitable: death and taxes. Well, despite what it sometimes feels like, only one is inevitable.
Apparently when he saw his army of about a million pass by him, Xerxes King of Persia wept. When asked why, he said:
‘There came upon me a sudden pity, when I thought of the shortness of man’s life, and considered that of all this host, so numerous as it is, not one will be alive when a hundred years are gone by.’
Death is an enemy.
Hell is an enemy. Because we all sin, hell is everyone’s destiny. A just God punishes sin. If he didn’t he would not be just, and if he is not just, he is not perfect. Hell is down the road for all of us because we all die, and after death comes judgment.
Sin, death, hell. Enemies.
We need a champion, someone after God’s own heart, someone who can put their foot down and say to the enemy, ‘Your power ends here.’
See, this Bible story does not point to us at all, but to Jesus. He is the hero also born in Bethlehem. After being challenged for 40-days, he became the giant-killer.
He conquered sin’s power by bearing God’s judgment of sin for us by dying on the cross.
He conquered death’s power over us by rising from the dead, never to die again, and he promises to take all those who are in Christ into life with him.
He conquered hell by rescuing us from sin and therefore from the punishment for sin.
And just as David became king of the army that he fought for, so Jesus has become king of those he rescued: you and me.
This story of David and Goliath plays out in miniature the story of God’s great plan of redemption in Jesus.
It’s a story about a people doomed to defeat, who get rescued by a man after God’s own heart, concerned with the honor of God. Jesus is our champion.
It’s a story not dependent on the condition of our hearts, but on the sufficiency of Jesus and the grace of God. It’s the story of your redemption, and mine.
It’s a story we all know. But hear it again for the first time. It’s a story worth telling and re-telling until it becomes the best known story of them all.
Amen.