David and Goliath (Week 25, Part 5/6) 1 Samuel 8-18 | June 13-19 – powered by Happy Scribe
Long ago in the Valley of Elah, the Israelites stood face to face with their enemies, the Philistines.
But before the armies engaged each other in battle, there was a challenge from the Philistines to have a single warrior from the Israelites engage their greatest champion, Goliath.
The description of Goliath given in First Samuel makes him an intimidating figure, to say the least. According to the description given in the Scriptures, Goliath’s height was six qubits in a spam converted into modern measurements. That would mean that Goliath was nine and a half feet tall. The record also goes on at length to describe Goliath’s equipment.
He wore a bronze helmet that weighed.
About ยฃ30, wore a coat of armor.
That weighed about ยฃ150, and was armed.
With a spear whose shaft weighed ยฃ15, and a spear point that weighed another ยฃ15.
He also had a sword whose dimensions.
Are not given, but that David later described by saying, There is none like it.
So not only was Goliath big, but.
To carry all that equipment into battle, he must have been overwhelmingly strong as well. This wasn’t a tall, skinny guy. This was a giant. Some scholars believe that Goliath may have been descended from the Giants described earlier in the Book of Genesis, or the.
Giants that frightened the Israelites when they.
First came into the promised Land. All this combines to make Goliath an overwhelmingly intimidating figure on the battlefield. So who would challenge Goliath?
The natural choice would have been Saul.
The King of the Israelites, who, the record says, stood taller than any of the people.
But Saul showed no desire to confront Goliath, and instead he stayed in his tent for 40 days while Goliath came.
Onto the field regularly to mock the Israelites for their cowardice. Entering into this picture came David, a young shepherd.
David wasn’t even part of the Israelite.
Army at this point.
He was just taking some food to.
His three older brothers, who were in the army.
During his visit, David witnessed one of the daily mocking sessions Goliath engaged in with the Israelites.
David’s first response to Goliath Tanning tells.
Us a lot about his faith.
Rather than marveling at the size, strength.
Or armaments of Goliath, David instead said.
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?
That he should defy the armies of the living God? To David, the deciding factor in a battle with Goliath was not his height, his strength or his weapons. It was his Covenant. David believed that he had made covenants.
With the living God, so there was.
No way an Israelite could fall in combat to a Philistine who hadn’t made the same covenants.
David was so furious that anyone would.
Even allow a Philistine to mock God that he went directly to King Saul and volunteered to fight Eliath. Saul tried to persuade David not to fight, but David was set on his course and showed his trust in God.
Telling Saul, The Lord delivered me out.
Of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear.
And he will deliver me out of.
The hand of this philistine.
And Saul said unto David, Go and.
The Lord be with you. You and I know the end of the story. Goliath wasn’t as invisible as he first appeared. Some scholars have even speculated that Goliath’s.
Size was the result of an overactive.
Pituitary gland that would have given Goliath a defect in the skeletal structure that might have made him particularly vulnerable to.
A rock thrown from a sling.
From our perspective, the outcome seems inevitable. For David too, the outcome seemed inevitable but not because of any of the.
Reasons we cite today.
He just believed that if God was on his side there was no way he could fail. In our lives. We often face insurmountable problems challenges that seem as intimidating as Goliath must have.
Seemed to the Israelites. But if we have faith, the way through these problems can become clear. The stage was already set for Goliath’s defeat.
All that was needed was an Israelite.
Willing to step onto the stage and play the role God intended. David had the courage to go into.
Combat with Goliath knowing the Lord was by his side.
It can take courage in the battles.
Of our own life to step onto the stage and play the role the.
Lord needs us to play.
But if we have faith like David.
The way for our success has already been prepared. David had courage that came from his Covenant.
If we can find the same kind of courage from our covenants, we can find the courage courage and the faith.
To face the Goliaths that confront us in our own lives.