1 Samuel 17:1-11
The battle lines were drawn across this valley; the Philistine army on one side and the Saul with the Israelites on the other. Goliath came out of the camp. Imagine seeing this man coming at you. He was 9' 9" tall or so (depending on the interpretation of cubit length). He wore armor with a helmet that some estimates say weighed 150 pounds. Goliath was not just big but he was also strong. The mammoth man carried a spear and javelin. Goliath was a descendant of the Anakim. See Numbers 13:32-33 and Deuteronomy 3:11 for more on giants. Other writings say that Goliath was the one that slaughtered Hophne and Phinieas and was the one who carried the ark to Dagon. Goliath apparently had a reputation that Saul and the Israelites knew of.
Goliath taunted and mocked the Israelites. This was a standoff across the valley. Whoever made the first move would have to cross the valley and up the other side putting them at a distinct disadvantage. Goliath called for Israel to send him a man to fight and determine who would serve the other. These two men could fight as representatives of the people to determine an outcome so as to avoid much bloodshed. Saul and his army were terrified. We can imagine these soldiers looking for courage to follow; a leader to lead. Instead they had Saul; once a great warrior. Now, since the Lord's Spirit departed he was weak and afraid. Saul stood a head taller than most men, he was the logical choice to fight Goliath.
1 Samuel 17:12-16.
This scene must have been repeated daily for forty days; each day the armies faced off while Goliath taunted them. Both wishing the other would enter the valley. Meanwhile David was keeping his flocks as a shepherd. He apparently only went to Saul when he was summoned. David's three older brothers were in the army with Saul.
1 Samuel 17:17-19
Jesse sends David with some provisions and instruction to bring back news of the war. However, the news wasn't good; not yet anyway.
1 Samuel 17:20-27
We can imagine the army once again facing off only to see Goliath step out of the ranks and makes his taunt. The Israelites run in fear. David came to the camp about this time and dropped off the food and went to the front to see his brothers and find out what was going on. It's then that David heard the threat from Goliath.
Saul was offering a reward for the one who could kill Goliath. David stepped up and said, "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" The rest of the army saw a giant, David saw a man defying the army of God. Perspective is important when we face our enemies. Fear can drastically affect our perspective.
1 Samuel 17:28-38
The resentment of the older brother is similar to what is seen with Joseph and his older brothers. What was the source of this resentment?
- He felt David was a shepherd and that he should leave battle to the soldiers.
- He thought David was motivated by pride and arrogance - a wrong assessment of the heart.
- Eliab was also a tall man and he may have been feeling as though David were pressuring him to go fight Goliath.
- Maybe most of all; David was right! This man wasn't defying soldiers, he was defying and mocking God's people.
David turned to the King and volunteered to fight Goliath. Imagine the reaction of all the other soldiers along with Saul. They had to be ashamed that David had more faith and courage than all of them together. Imagine the embarrassment when they realized how serious he was. Saul told David he couldn't fight because he didn't know how. But, David assured them that he'd fought bears and lions to save the sheep. David's faith that God would deliver him just like he delivered him from the lion and bear. His faith in earlier tests brought him to a point of a public test and testimony to the living God.
1 Samuel 17:39-47
Saul dresses David in his armor. We know that Saul was a big and strong warrior type from previous descriptions; we can imagine what David might look like in that oversized armor. David threw off the armor because he wasn't used to it. He got 5 stones from the brook put them in his bag and approached Goliath who was probably over 3' taller than him.
The Benjamites were famous (as detailed in Judges) for the use of slings. David grew up near this area of the Benjamites and may have learned this from them. In 2 Samuel we see that Goliath had 4 brothers and this may explain why he took 5 stones. After the 1st stone, David would have been open to attack, so it's fair speculation that he was prepared to take on all 5. The "giants" have several different names. They were sons of Anak, known as Nephilim and Rephihim. See Isaiah 26 for more.
Goliath didn't take David seriously and made fun of him. Goliaths laughter and mockery was a form of terrorism that didn't work on David who fearlessly approached the giant. David's response to Goliath is incredible. David came in the name of the Lord. He talked to Goliath like no one else had ever done. He didn't just trash talk him but told him exactly what was going to happen. This wasn't for Goliath's benefit; it was for all the other Philistines to see that what David spoke came about.
1 Samuel 17:48-58
David ran at Goliath, pulled one stone out and sunk it into the forehead of the giant; and just that quick it was over. Goliath fell face down and David stood over him. This was a scene no Philistine ever thought they'd see. David used Goliath's sword to kill him and cut off his head. The Philistines were panic stricken and ran.
The Israelite army sees them run and gives chase. This army was starving for a show of courage and bravery; they needed a leader to follow. This little shepherd with a sling provided what they needed.
David takes Goliath's head back to Jerusalem (gross). He is called before Saul and presents himself to the king still holding the head. Saul wants to know more about David since he will become his son in law. Apparently Saul didn't pay much attention to him playing the harp previously.
©2015 Doug Ford
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