Wheelersburg
1
Samuel 17 “The Contrast Between
Fear and Faith” [1]
Series:
“Learning to Wait on God: The Life of David Before He Became King”
1 Samuel 16-31
This evening, we are treading on familiar ground.
Not a person in this room hasn't heard the story of David and Goliath, I
would guess. But what's the purpose
of the story? Why did God include it
in 1 Samuel?
Challenge: We all love
stories of the underdog beating the bully. But
if we reduce 1 Samuel 17 to being merely a story about triumphing against great
odds, we've missed God's intent.
Purpose:
Three levels of meaning in I Samuel 17 (often the case in narrative)
1.
Universal Level -- reveals God's
Sovereignty, authority, and power
2.
Israelites Level -- reveals a
Leadership Transition, showing Saul's inadequacy and David's adequacy to lead
God's people
3.
Individual Level -- reveals the personal need to
trust in the Lord, not in man
Context:
Ch
15--Samuel informs Saul that God has rejected him as King.
Ch
16--Samuel anoints David.
Ch
17--Contrast between Saul's fear, and David's faith
Outline
of I Samuel 17--The Story of David & Goliath
I.
Scene 1--The Threat to
A. By the Philistines (1-3)
B. By Goliath (4-11)
1. His defiance: "I
defy..." (10)
2.
II.
Scene 2--David's Family (12-18)
A. The Older Brothers in the
Army (12-13)
B. David was an unknown.
1. Caring for the sheep
(14-15)
2. Taking sack lunched to his
brothers (17-18)
III.
Scene 3--David at the Battlefront (19-39)
A. David learns about Goliath
(23).
B. David grasps the real
problem:
1. "Who is this
Philistine that he should defy the... Living God?" (26)
2. "Is there not a
cause?" (29)
C. David brought before Saul
(31).
1. Reports what God has done
for him in the past (34-35, 37)
2. Realizes that God's
Reputation is at stake (36)
3. Refuses the armor (39)
IV.
Scene 4--The Showdown (40-54)
V.
Scene 5--The Results (55-58)
A. David is honored.
B. God is glorified.
Lessons:
1.
Little is much when God is in it!
2.
The mark of a true leader is not physical appearance, nor personality
charm, but conviction--the type of conviction that above all desires to see God
honored, and His will accomplished.
3.
A man of faith takes action when God's reputation is slandered.
4.
Courage is linked to having a Big view of God.
Let's walk through the story, making a few observations.
Then, at the end, let's zero in on several important lessons.
I.
Scene 1--The Threat to
A. By the Philistines
(1-3)
Q: What threat did the
Philistines offer?
B. By Goliath (4-11)
Q: What was Goliath's threat?
Key: This story has to do
with a conflict between 2 types of people. One
is Goliath (self-seeking, self-relying, self-made, and self-destructing!).
The other is David (one who seeks God, relies on God).
Q: What kind of armor was
Goliath wearing? Vv 5-7
Q: What was the essence of
Goliath's threat?
1. His defiance:
"I defy..." (10)
Key word in story: "defy"
Q: What effect did this have
on
2.
Q: How long did it last?
V 16 "40 days" =
time of testing
Then
the narrative shifts, like a commercial break on TV, to scene 2...
II.
Scene 2--David's Family (12-18)
V
12 "Now David was..."
We were introduced to David in ch 16.
What did we learn about him?
A. The Older Brothers in
the Army (12-13)
Q: How many of the brothers
were in the army? V 13
In
stark contrast to the older brothers...
B. David was an unknown.
Q: What was David doing?
1. Caring for the sheep
(14-15)
2. Taking sack lunched to his
brothers (17-18)
I Sam 17 is full of irony. David
is the youngest (14), yet he will be the hero.
Though his brothers are soldiers, David, the shepherd (15), is the
military hero. David is not
experienced in battle techniques, warfare dress, or the "way it's supposed
to be done." On the other hand,
Goliath was a professional. He's
more than qualified to be a victor in battle (notice the elaborate details about
his dress in vv 4-7).
In other words, David is an UNKNOWN.
Yet David knew one thing. What
was it? He knew God!
Discuss: Implications?
III.
Scene 3--David at the Battlefront (19-39)
Note: At what time did David
leave? V 20 "early"
Think
about how many "big" events in the Bible took place early!
When David arrived with the lunches...
A. David learns about
Goliath (23).
B. David grasps the real
problem:
Q: What was it, according to
the following verses?
1. "Who is this
Philistine that he should defy the... Living God?" (26)
2. "Is there not a
cause?" (29)
David grasped the problem. God
was being blasphemed.
Q: What did David's brother
think of David's involvement? V 28
Note: A person who takes God
seriously is a threat to the "status quo."
C. David brought before
Saul (31).
Q: What did David do before
Saul?
1. Reports what God has done
for him in the past (34-35, 37)
2. Realizes that God's
Reputation is at stake (36)
3. Refuses the armor (39)
Q: Why did he refuse the
armor?
Wow! David was a man of great
faith! His faith grew out of his
conviction of what God had done for Him in the past.
IV.
Scene 4--The Showdown (40-54)
He went into battle with merely a sling, and 5 smooth stones.
Q: Was David being
presumptuous? After all, Goliath was
heavily armed, and David had only a sling.
I read that such slings usually weighed a pound or more, and the stone
could be hurled at 90-100 miles an hour. We
need not view David's faith as reckless. He
was a man of faith, but he was not foolhardy.
Here's what Robert Vannoy observed, "David was not irresponsible,
but he did arm himself in a way that left room for God's help.
This calls our attention to the important distinction between faith and
presumption. Although this
distinction involves a line that is difficult to draw, we should be aware of the
difference. God calls us to faith,
but He does not call us to act in presumptuous and foolish ways.
We don't step in front of a Mack truck in the belief that God will
protect us from its impact. But God
does call us to step out in faith..."
He also said, "Our natural human tendancy is to want certainty of
result before committing ourselves to some endeavor for the Lord.
But this is not the way a true believer in the Lord should live."
(article by Robert Vannoy, "Biblical Bulletin," Fall 1993).
Discuss: Summarize the
difference between faith and presumption?
Q: What happened in the
showdown?
Q: To whom did David
acknowledge dependence? Vv 45-46
Q: Which way did Goliath
fall? V 49
"on his face"
Is
that significant? Yes.
Q: What other enemy of God
fell on his face in I Samuel? 5:4
Dagon!
God's enemies always eventually fall on their faces!
V.
Scene 5--The Results (55-58)
The outcome was a thorough rout of God's enemy!
The result was...
A. David is honored.
B. God is glorified.
Lessons:
1.
Little is much when God is in it!
2.
The mark of a true leader is not physical appearance, nor personality
charm, but conviction--the type of conviction that above all desires to see God
honored, and His will accomplished.
3.
A man of faith takes action when God's reputation is slandered.
4.
Courage is linked to having a Big view of God.
[1]
These are unedited
teaching notes used initially for a Wednesday evening Bible study at