We are all familiar with the book of 1 Samuel. One of the most dramatic and poignant books in the Bible, it is filled with stories of triumph and tragedy, great exploits, and the rise and fall of a flawed king, but also an inspirational story of a young man who would grow up to be the greatest king Israel had ever known.
It is not just the stories that stay with us – there are profound lessons we can gain from every one of them. Of all the stories, the fight between David and Goliath is particularly iconic. Imagine the scene: The Philistine army was arrayed for war against Israel in the Valley of Elah. Saul and his army were facing an outright battle, but they were terrified of Goliath, the Philistine’s champion. The man was built like a massive oak tree, gigantic and solid.
Amidst this, David was sent by his father on an ordinary routine to send provisions to his brothers. Arriving at the camp, David could hear from the battlefield Goliath’s taunts that ridiculed God, and he saw the fear in the Israelites. At this vital moment, David chose to make a stand. He took his sling and a few smooth stones and ran to the battle line to meet Goliath. Slinging a stone, he struck the Philistine on the forehead, and Goliath fell face down. David ran over to him and cut off his head with the giant’s own sword. Seeing their champion fall, the Philistine army panicked and ran. The Israelites cheered and pursued the Philistines and annihilated them. Armed with just a sling and a few stones, David had helped his nation to victory.
How did David gain victory over Goliath, who had so many years of battle experience and the gigantic and solid build of a massive oak tree? David was untrained for battle in a war. While his brothers were sent to the battlefield, he stayed home and cared for his father’s sheep. A musician by heart, he was not even old enough to be a soldier in the army. In contrast, Goliath had been a warrior from his youth. Evidently, on outlook, they were not an equal match for a battle.
The Philistine army did not know that David had more than just his sling and stones. They had physical prowess, but David had God beside him. He was a man after God’s own heart, and he went against Goliath in the name of the Lord. David was confident in his faith, and he trusted God to deliver the Philistine and his army into his hands. He knew that the battle was in the hands of the Lord. There are many lessons we can learn from David’s battle with Goliath. Last Sunday, Pr Albert Chong shared an impactful message at DUMC that brought several of these lessons to the forefront.
1. David was faithful in the little things (1 Samuel 16:22, 17:15, 17:20)
Long before Goliath came on the scene, David was a shepherd boy. It was not a prestigious position, and David probably did not know at the time that God had planned a great destiny for him and that he would one day be king. But he labored faithfully in his work.
Pr Adrian pointed out that even when David was serving Saul as a musician, he went back and forth to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. When his father sent him to send provisions to his brothers on the front line, David left his sheep with a keeper. He was faithful in keeping to his responsibility and what he had been called to do, which was tending to the sheep.
Like David, we can be faithful in the small things – our prayers, reading, understanding, and meditating on God’s word. Though they may seem small, we need to do the small things right. Pray, spend time with God, read, and meditate on the Word of God. Be faithful in our fast and prayer and prayer altar. When we are faithful in the small things, God will bring the changes that will lead to the big things in life.
2. God used the little things that David was faithful in, to prepare him for the bigger things that He wanted David to do. (In this instance, kill Goliath). (1 Samuel 17:33-36)
The job as a shepherd boy may seem small, but God was preparing David for the bigger things in his future. While tending to the sheep, David learned about responsibility, duty, and courage. He learned to protect his flock which was crucial training for a king whose people depended on him. By fighting off the wild animals that came for his flock, David gained the knowledge to fight, among this, how to use the sling and stones to kill bears and lions that came for his sheep. To kill with a slingshot takes practice. It not only requires strength, but also dexterity, speed, and a well-honed eye for accuracy. With sufficient practice, David was well-equipped and confident that he was able to use his skills with a sling and some stones to take down Goliath. Likewise, if we are faithful in our small things, God can take us to the next level. Like it was with David, He will give us the courage and confidence to do or face bigger things in life.
3. David’s motive and purpose was selfless. His heart was after God’s own heart, to give Him glory (1 Samuel 17:25, 17:36, 17:46-47, 17:37)
David had his heart in the right place. The Israelites have been saying that the King will give great wealth to the man who kills Goliath. Saul was going to give his daughter in marriage and exempt this man’s family from taxes. But David was not motivated by these promises. His primary motivation was his heart for his God and to give Him glory. He was driven to kill Goliath because Goliath had defied the armies of the living God. In his arrogance, Goliath had mocked and insulted God and His people.
We learn something of immense value from David here; our motive and purpose must also be aligned with God’s heart and glory. David was not interested in fame and glory. His concern was to serve and give glory to God. Let the purpose of what we do flow from God, and all credit and glory flow to Him.
4. David’s unwavering trust and confidence was in the Lord! (1 Samuel 17:47, 17:24, 17:48)
This is the crux of the matter. Because of his unwavering trust and confidence in the Lord, David did not run away from Goliath. Instead, he ran towards Goliath to meet him in the battle line. His deep understanding of God empowered him to trust and have confidence in God to overcome any fear or challenges.
How did David gain this deep understanding of God? It must have come through his experience building up trust and confidence in God while doing the small things. Confidence and trust like this would have come from reminders of God’s faithfulness in David’s life, a deep understanding of God and His will, as well as the anointing of God upon David.
5. God used David extraordinarily on a seemingly ordinary day (1 Samuel 17:17-18, 17:55-58)
It was an extraordinary day for David, but David did not have an inkling of this when he woke up on that day. It seemed an ordinary day until his father sent him on a seemingly mundane task of delivering provisions to his older brothers on the battlefield. But God had great plans for David, and He used David mightily by placing David exactly where God wanted him to be. And because God had David where He wanted him to be, God anointed David and showed the people that God was with David.
Likewise, be encouraged that you may be where God wants you to be and that He has things in store for your future, though it may not be where you want to be. Do the small things well and spend time with God so you know His heart and where He calls you to be. When God places you where He wants you to be, you will gain His favor. You can only be effective where God wants you to be.
Pr Adrian shared that behind the dramatic backdrop, the familiarity of David’s battle against Goliath has an intimate essence at its heart. It’s the narrative of a young man who had triumphed because he was faithful to the little things. In the humbler moments, David knew that God was preparing him in the little things for greater things, and his motivation had always been for God and not men. This had built his trust and confidence in God, that even on an ordinary day, he could do extraordinary things because God placed him exactly where he should be to use him mightily.
The story of David’s victory over Goliath has significance beyond us fighting our own goliaths in life. It is a foreshadowing of Christ’s victory over sin and death. This is important because it reminds us that the main character of the Bible is not us. It is God! It is about our sinful humanity and God’s ultimate redemption plan.
As a testament, David’s battle against Goliath is both a challenge and an encouragement to us. People deal with their goliaths in different ways. Some ignore their goliaths, but this will then cause those goliaths to later consume, torment, and confuse them. Others face their goliaths using their own skills, wisdom, pride, or arrogance, but this will leave them vulnerable and will never lead to a good outcome. As a people of God, we can face our goliaths with His strength and might and an understanding of God that will give us dominion and victory.
Note: This is an adaptation of a sermon shared by Pr Adrian Chong at Damansara Utama Methodist Church on the 10th of September 2023. You may access the full sermon from DUMC’s YouTube page at https://www.youtube.com/live/KmoVxjce21w?feature=shared The sermon is part of an ongoing series on the book 1 Samuel until the end of September 2023.
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