1 Samuel 17

1 Samuel 17

Morgan - Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of the Loud of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied.—1 Sam. 17.45. The contrast in these words is between the equipment of the two men. Looking at them apart from this equipment, the contrast between them proved the inequality of the combat. Goliath stood somewhere in the neighbourhood of ten feet high, and was massive in proportion. David was by comparison a stripling. On that level of observation an onlooker would say that this was not war, it was murder. The youth could have no chance. This was not his own conception of things, as these words show; and the reason was, that he took account of the equipment of each. The man came armed with offensive weapons, all in the realm of the physical. The youth had also material weapons of a simple, primitive nature, but he did not name them. He was armed with the pro-found sense of the righteousness of his cause. The armies defied, were the armies of Jehovah of hosts. In His name then, he went forth to conflict. The sequel we know. The material weapons of David were needed, and on that level, they were superior to those of the giant, for they operated ere the- sword, the spear, or the javelin could be brought into use. But it was the- sense of the righteousness of his cause which gave inerrancy and strength to the slinging of David. The truth is of abiding application. (Borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible) Charles Stanley - TRUTH IN ACTION SCRIPTURE READING: 1 SAMUEL 17:34–51 KEY VERSE: 1 SAMUEL 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, 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.” At some point during our relationship with Christ, we have to plunge into the unknown with some measure of faith. The circumstances could vary—a new job, a new relationship, a battle with an illness—and we have no idea what the outcome will be. Yet we put our faith to the test, trusting that God will bring about the best for our lives. As He works, transforming us into the image of Christ, our faith builds. Faith isn’t merely a concept anymore. It is truth in action. Conquering faith develops from faith that has been tested and has seen the faithfulness of God. And conquering faith never forgets past victories won by the Lord. When David approached King Saul about fighting Goliath, he went with great confidence. While Goliath was large and intimidating, David remembered from where he derived his strength: God. During his days as a shepherd, David battled a lion and a bear, defeating them both through the strength of the Lord. He knew that it had nothing to do with his own strength, just his faith. He believed God would deliver him again in a battle against Goliath. In our desire to have a conquering faith, we must never forget where we have been with the Lord. It is necessary to get where we are going. Lord, give me conquering faith. Help me remember where I have been with You in the past so that I may arrive at my future destiny. (Pathways to His Presence: A Daily Devotional) Chuck Smith Sermon Notes for 1 Samuel 17:45-47 "GOD'S SALVATION" I. DAVID'S CONFIDENCE IN THE LORD'S DELIVERANCE. "THIS DAY WILL THE LORD DELIVER THEE INTO MY HANDS." A. Where did he get such confidence? 1. He knew it was the Lord's, "the battle is the Lord's." a. The giant had not defiled David's name. b. He had defiled the name of Jehovah. c. David knew the Lord would defend His name 2. There is a vast difference between fighting the Lord's battles and letting the Lord fight his battles through you. 3. He had experienced the Lord's deliverance in the past. (verse 37...) a. God's deliverance in the past is always an assurance of His deliverance in the future. 1. Paul -- "Who hath delivered me..." 4. Here I am. How did I make it this far? By the help of the Lord. a. Samuel set up a stone and called it Ebenezer. b. God has not brought me this far to dump me here. c. If He brought me this far, He will take me all the way. "The Lord will perfect that which concerneth you." d. Many times I thought I was through. I could see no way out. B. The importance of putting our trust in God. 1. "Some men put their trust in chariots and horses, but we will trust in the name of Jehovah, our God." 2. Friends can turn, banks can fail, guns can jam, computers can go off line, but the Lord is always there. He will never fail. II. THE PURPOSE OF THE LORD'S DELIVERANCE. A. "That the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." 1. God wants the whole earth to know of His power to deliver. 2. God desires to bless all men. a. "God is not willing that any should perish." B. "And that all the assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword or spear." III. METHOD OF GOD'S DELIVERANCE. A. He wants to teach us His methods. B. They are usually unconventional. 1. Goliath was affitted with conventional armor. a. Helmet of brass, coat of mail, brass greaves on his legs, brass chest protector, sword, spear, shield. 2. David came in unconventional war garb. a. No Sword or spear. b. No armor plate or shield. c. In the name of Jehovah and his sling. d. Goliath was outraged. 3. God wants to teach us not to rely on conventional methods. a. We usually try to figure ways and means. b. I know how God can do it. c. If there is no conventional way we panic. d. Mary and Martha had it all figured out how their brother could be healed. e. God has ways and resources of which we know nothing at all. 4. He enjoys using the unconventional. a. He is recognized more readily. God Looms Larger You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. 1 Samuel 17:45 Today's Scripture & Insight: 1 Samuel 17:41–50 Giles Kelmanson, a South African game ranger, described the incredible scene: two honey badgers battling a pride of six lions. Although outnumbered, the honey badgers refused to back down from ferocious predators ten times their size. The lions thought the kill would be simple, but video footage shows the badgers walking away with something like a swagger. David and Goliath offer an even more improbable story. Young, inexperienced David confronted the fierce Philistine Goliath. Towering above his young combatant, Goliath possessed brute strength and unrivaled weaponry—bronze armor and a lethal, razor-edged javelin (1 Samuel 17:5–6). David, a fledgling shepherd, carried only a slingshot when he arrived at the battlefield with bread and cheeses for his brothers (vv. 17–18). Goliath challenged Israel to engage in battle, but no one was willing to fight. King Saul and “all the Israelites were . . . terrified” (v. 11). Imagine the shock when David stepped into the fray. What gave him the courage none of Israel’s hardened warriors possessed? For most, Goliath dominated their vision. David, however, saw God. “The Lord will deliver [Goliath] into my hands,” he insisted (v. 46). While everyone else believed Goliath controlled the story, he believed God loomed larger. And, with a single stone to the giant’s forehead, David’s faith proved true. What concerns threaten to overwhelm you these days? How does God’s reality, the fact that He’s larger, transform your perspective? GIANT KILLERS You come to me with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts. —1 Samuel 17:45 One of the more disheartening Football World Cup statistics belongs to Ernst Willimowski of Poland. He managed to score four goals against Brazil in the 1938 tournament, yet his team still lost 5-6! Willimowski, even though he excelled, could not help Poland beat the giants of football. Poland just wasn’t good enough, no matter what their star did. The story of David and Goliath could have easily turned out this way! Goliath was a huge man with a huge spear, who challenged Israel on behalf of his nation, the Philistines. No matter how hard David trained or how well he performed in the battle, he could never be a match for the giant. The reason that David beat this man-mountain is explained in his exclamation to his fellow Israelites: “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26). David recognised that his God was the living God who is active, mighty and able to do all things. In serving God, David knew no one could defeat him. ALL CIRCUMSTANCES BELONG TO GOD! E-Mail Challenge I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts . . . whom you have defied. —1 Samuel 17:45 Today's Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:31-58 It came to me as a two-sentence e-mail from Norway: “I think that Jesus Christ never existed, and I believe we are from monkeys! You are stupid to believe in Jesus.” I believe this anonymous scoffer represents a growing number of people who not only reject Christ but are closed to the facts that support belief in God and creation. They are unwilling to consider the evidence. How do we witness to such a person? How do we present Christ to someone who won’t even listen to us? In his book Foolishness to the Greeks, Lesslie Newbigin suggests that we need to have the courage to “hold and proclaim a belief that cannot be proved to be true” by the world’s standards. That’s what David was doing when he said that with God’s help he could defeat Goliath (1 Sam. 17:45-47). He believed what could not be proven at that moment. He may have sounded foolish to the skeptics around him, but he knew that the One he served would show Himself to be the true and living God. The skeptic questions, doubts, and scoffs, Protesting truths we hold so dear; But God's Word stands, its truth remains, Proclaiming what we need to hear. —K. De Haan The evidence for God is clear to the one who is looking for Him. 1 Samuel 17:46 "This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, BGT 1 Samuel 17:46 καὶ ἀποκλείσει σε κύριος σήμερον εἰς τὴν χεῖρά μου καὶ ἀποκτενῶ σε καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν κεφαλήν σου ἀπὸ σοῦ καὶ δώσω τὰ κῶλά σου καὶ τὰ κῶλα παρεμβολῆς ἀλλοφύλων ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τοῖς θηρίοις τῆς γῆς καὶ γνώσεται πᾶσα ἡ γῆ ὅτι ἔστιν θεὸς ἐν Ισραηλ LXE 1 Samuel 17:46 this day. And the Lord shall deliver thee this day into my hand; and I will slay thee, and take away thy head from off thee, and will give thy limbs and the limbs of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky, and to the wild beasts of the earth; and all the earth shall know that there is a God in Israel. KJV 1 Samuel 17:46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. NET 1 Samuel 17:46 This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand! I will strike you down and cut off your head. This day I will give the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land. Then all the land will realize that Israel has a God CSB 1 Samuel 17:46 Today, the LORD will hand you over to me. Today, I'll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, ESV 1 Samuel 17:46 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, NIV 1 Samuel 17:46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. NLT 1 Samuel 17:46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! NRS 1 Samuel 17:46 This very 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 Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, NJB 1 Samuel 17:46 Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand; I shall kill you, I shall cut off your head; today, I shall give your corpse and the corpses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the wild beasts, so that the whole world may know that there is a God in Israel, NAB 1 Samuel 17:46 Today the LORD shall deliver you into my hand; I will strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will leave your corpse and the corpses of the Philistine army for the birds of the air and the beasts of the field; thus the whole land shall learn that Israel has a God. YLT 1 Samuel 17:46 This day doth Jehovah shut thee up into my hand -- and I have smitten thee, and turned aside thy head from off thee, and given the carcase of the camp of the Philistines this day to the fowl of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth, and all the earth do know that God is for Israel. will the Lord: De 7:2,23 9:2,3 Jos 10:8 deliver thee: Heb. shut thee up, Ps 31:8 take thine: 1Sa 17:51 carcases: 1Sa 17:44 De 28:26 Isa 56:9 Mt 24:28 Rev 19:17,18 all the earth: Ex 9:16 15:14,15 Jos 4:24 1Ki 8:43 18:36,37 2Ki 19:19 Ps 46:10 Isa 52:10 Da 2:47 3:29 6:26,27 1 Samuel 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HATH MADE This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel - Note David's eye is on Yahweh and His faithfulness, not the giant and his words. David effectively gives 3 prophecies (identified by "will") that will prove him to be a true prophet in contrast to Goliath's false prophecy! And notice that David's prophecies have a high and holy purpose - to exalt the Name over all the earth (and there are few of whatever religion they are who have not heard the story of David and Goliath) and that this God was the God of Israel. Imagine what is going through Saul's mind as he hears David's "short sermon" exalting Yahweh, Whom he had rejected! Notice also how David turns the tables on the giant's prophecy about who would be fodder for the birds and beasts! Every victory we experience should point others to the LORD and His victory at Calvary! THOUGHT - Do the spiritual victories in our life point others to the LORD? They should always point to God, for Jesus commanded us to "Let your light shine (aorist imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ." (Mt 5:16+). 1 Samuel 17:47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands." BGT 1 Samuel 17:47 καὶ γνώσεται πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία αὕτη ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ δόρατι σῴζει κύριος ὅτι τοῦ κυρίου ὁ πόλεμος καὶ παραδώσει κύριος ὑμᾶς εἰς χεῖρας ἡμῶν LXE 1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord delivers not by sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and the Lord will deliver you into our hands. KJV 1 Samuel 17:47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands. NET 1 Samuel 17:47 and all this assembly will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves! For the battle is the LORD's, and he will deliver you into our hand." CSB 1 Samuel 17:47 and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD's. He will hand you over to us." ESV 1 Samuel 17:47 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." NIV 1 Samuel 17:47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our hands." NLT 1 Samuel 17:47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD's battle, and he will give you to us!" NRS 1 Samuel 17:47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hand." NJB 1 Samuel 17:47 and this whole assembly know that Yahweh does not give victory by means of sword and spear -- for Yahweh is lord of the battle and he will deliver you into our power.' NAB 1 Samuel 17:47 All this multitude, too, shall learn that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves. For the battle is the LORD'S, and he shall deliver you into our hands." YLT 1 Samuel 17:47 and all this assembly do know that not by sword and by spear doth Jehovah save, that the battle is Jehovah's, and He hath given you into our hand.' saveth not: Ps 33:16,17 44:6,7 Pr 21:30,31 Ho 1:7 the battle: 1Sa 14:6 2Ch 20:15-17 Ps 46:11 Isa 9:7 Zec 4:6 Ro 8:31,37 1 Samuel 17 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver (yasha'; Lxx = sozo) by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands = David brings his "sermonette" to a resounding conclusion that while yes he would fight, ultimately it was Yahweh Who enabled him and would give deliverance. One is reminded of the words of Zechariah 4:6 " ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts." David, speaking on behalf of the LORD, reminds the giant that the battle is the LORD'S! The Hebrew for deliver is yasha' which Lxx translates with " sozo" which conveys the basic meaning of to rescue from peril, protect, keep alive, save a suffering one from perishing or preserve one who is in danger of destruction. Give (Heb - nathan) is translated in the Septuagint with paradidomi meaning to give over into the power of another as when God gives men over to power of "the lusts of their hearts to impurity" (Ro 1:24+)! THOUGHT - Oh, how we all need to take David's word's to heart when (not "if," but "when") we encounter the "Goliaths" in our life. We need to declare in faith that while we may need to sling the stone at our "Goliath" (slinging especially by prayer to the LORD of hosts, standing on the promises in His Word, praising His Name, etc), THE BATTLE IS THE LORD'S! Thanks be to God, Who always gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And all God's children cry "Amen" (1Co 15:57+). Deliver (save, help) (03467) yasha' (See also yeshua from which we get our word "Jesus") is an important Hebrew verb which means to help, to save, to deliver. The root in Arabic is "make wide" which underscores the main thought of yasha' as to bring to a place of safety or broad pasture in contrast to a narrow strait which symbolizes distress or danger. TWOT adds that the concept of "wide" "connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. To move from distress to safety requires deliverance. Generally the deliverance must come from somewhere outside the party oppressed. In the OT the kinds of distress, both national and individual, include enemies, natural catastrophies, such as plague or famine, and sickness. The one who brings deliverance is known as the “savior.” Thus yasha' connotes protection that produces freedom from a present danger (2Sa 22:3, Job 5:4), salvation or deliverance in a religious sense (Ps 51:12), a title of God (Savior - 2Sa 22:47; 1Chr 16:35; Ps 18:46; Ps 24:5; Ps 25:5; Ps 27:9; Ps 65:5; Ps 79:9; Ps 85:4; Isa 17:10; 62:11; Mic 7:7 Hab 3:18), victory as an act or a result of conquering (2Sa 22:36; Ps 18:35) It is notable that almost 20% of the uses of yasha' are found during the dark days of Judges (dominated by the heart attitude of Jdg 21:25), which surely speaks of the undeserved lovingkindness of God!