David and Goliath -
the battle is the LORD's
1 Samuel 17: 1-11
"Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were
gathered together at Shochoh...and Saul and the men of Israel were gathered
together and pitched by the valley of Elah...and the Philistines stood on a
mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and
there was a valley between them. And
there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of
Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.......and he stood and cried unto
the armies of Israel, and said unto them, why are ye come out to set your
battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come
down to me. If he be able to fight with
me and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him,
and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of
Israel this day: give me a man that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of
the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid."
What is the meaning
and focus for this passage? God. The
bible is the Word of God, its God's revelation of himself to his people. When you focus on God and what Goliath is here
doing: reproaching, defying, mocking,
deriding, we see the primary teaching of
the passage. Goliath dishoners Israel's
God. The passage teaches that direct
challenges to God through pagans challenging God's people, is an insult to God
and do not go unanswered. The modern
church needs to learn this. The mockers
of the world laugh when the modern church offers forgiveness to unrepentant
blaspheming people who do not want forgiveness.
We need to preach judgment and sin.
You keep mocking God and God will wipe you out.
1. Situation
2. David's reaction
3. The men and their
equipment
4. The battle
5. The application
