David and Goliath

Morning Worship given a few years ago.

Psalm 71:05  --  For you are my hope, O Sovereign Lord Jehovah, my confidence from my youth.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen!  I don’t know what I’m going to do!”  “I know what’s going to happen!  I know what I’m going to do!  With Jehovah’s help I can and will make it!”  Two distinct attitudes are seen in these statements.  The first discloses anxiety and fear.  And the second displays solidarity, poise and great confidence in Jehovah God. 

In the 17^th Chapter of 1 Samuel both of those attitudes are found displayed when Goliath confronted the Israelite army.  Saul and his soldiers displayed anxiety and terror when Goliath confronted them.  On the other hand, David displayed the complete opposite attitude with confidence in Jehovah.  The question then arises what attitude do we display when we are confronted with Goliath-like problems.  Do we display anxiety and fear, or do we manifest an attitude of confidence in Jehovah? 

To what problems are we referring?  We can consider how enormous a person Goliath was.  The Bible account at 1 Samuel 17:4-7 discloses that his height was “six cubits and a span.” Insight Volume One states that that was the equivalent of 9.5 feet.  Verse 5 states that that he also wore a “helmet of copper on his head” which may have raised his height to ten feet.  And think of the significance of that in terms of room you live or work in, which likely has a ceiling no higher than 8 feet..  Envision then a man who is two feet taller.  And then, verse 5 states that he wore “a coat of mail, of overlapping scales, and the weight of the coat of mail was five thousand shekels of copper.” Insight Volume One the weight of 5,000 shekels of copper equals 126 pounds.  The wooden shaft of his spear, described at verse 6 was “like the beam of loom workers” or like a wooden beam that might be used in the construction of a house. And the blade of his spear is said to have weighed 600 shekels or 15 pounds, which is the weight of two gallons of water.  So, likely, his armor was heavier than David who was only 17 or 18 years old at the time.

So Goliath was a fierce foe and his intimidating mouth was just as big.  Consider for instance his taunts to the Israelites.  For instance, at verse 8 (“Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me!”), and at verse 10 (“I myself do taunt the battle lines of Israel this day. Give me a man, and let us fight together!”). And what was the reaction of Saul and the others?  We see that at verse 11(“When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Phi·lis´tine, then they became terrified and were greatly afraid.”)  And at verse 16 the account states “And the Phi·lis´tine kept coming forward at early morning and at evening and taking his position for forty days.”  So for 40 days they were cowering in fear.  How many Israelite soldiers were there? 1 Samuel 11:8 supplies the answer saying that in this particular army there may have been as many as 330,000.  One third of a million men were cowering for as long as from now until April 2^nd and for as log as it rained in Noah’s day.  330,000 men.  But why were they afraid?  Consider 1 Samuel 17:24 (“As for all the men of Israel, on their seeing the man, why, they went fleeing on account of him and were very much afraid.”).

They were looking at this situation from a fleshly point of view.  All they could see was hand-to-hand combat with no thought to the true source of strength for them.  As one person put it they had a horizontal view of things, and not a vertical view that would have enabled them to focus on Jehovah and his ability to deliver them.  Undoubtedly, they were influenced by Saul who was cowering in fear also.  1 Samuel 10:23 describes Saul as being substantially taller than all the other Israelites.  But Saul was not willing to trust in Jehovah and face Goliath.  Instead he let the Israelite youth, David go out to face Goliath.   And at verse 38 we have into Saul’s fleshly view of matters.  We see this in the things that Saul put on David (“³⁸ Saul now went clothing David with his garments, and he put a copper helmet upon his head, after which he clothed him with a coat of mail.”)  It shows that Saul’s stronghold was the same as Goliath’s; fleshly strength and physical weaponry. 

But David’s confidence was in Jehovah.  He was sure that Jehovah would help him.  Why?  Because he recalled what Jehovah had done for him in the past.  For instance at verse 37 he reflected on how Jehovah had helped him deliver the sheep from the bear. (“Then David added: ‘Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, he it is who will deliver me from the hand of this Phi·lis´tine.’”)  And at verse 39, the account states that David removed Saul’s armor and armed himself with a sling and five stones and went to meet Goliath, not in his own strength, but in strength from Jehovah, because he was confident about Jehovah’s ability to deliver him.  Emphasizing this, the account provides David’s words to Goliath at verse 45: “You are coming to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I am coming to you with the name of Jehovah of armies, the God of the battle lines of Israel, whom you have taunted.”  And the outcome is found at verse 50 (“So David, with a sling and a stone, proved stronger than the Phi·lis´tine and struck the Phi·lis´tine down and put him to death; and there was no sword in David’s hand.”).  No sword in hand, but there was in David’s hand the power from Jehovah.

So what lesson can we learn when we are faced with Goliath-like problems?  There are four important lessons:  1) Do not panic.  Like David, remain calmly confident in Jehovah; 2) Do not view things from a horizontal, physical view point.  Like David, look at things vertically; 3) Do not place trust in the flesh.  Like David, trust in power beyond what is normal; and 4) Do not forget how Jehovah has helped you in the past.  Think of all the times that he has been there to help and keep in mind that there is no cause to think that he will abandon you now.  So no matter how large and difficult our circumstances may be, with these points firmly in mind, there will be no cause for quivering, but cause for great confidence in Jehovah.  You will be among those who say with confidence in their hearts “I know what to do. I know what’s going to happen.  With Jehovah’s help I can and will make it.”