Bible 203:  David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17

 

CATCHING UP

Seeking a King

We’ve been tracing our faith history through the Writings of the “Older Testament”           

      Children of Israel tired of having judges govern them > wanted king like all other nations

God picked Saul for them

      God picked Saul for them because he looked like the other kings > tall; good looking

      But Saul was outwardly pious and inwardly manipulative

            Last week we heard God say “I shouldn’t ‘a done THAT!”

            “I wish I had never pointed Saul out to them.  He’s not doing what kings should do.”

God picked David

            So God picked out somebody who did not look like a king, but had all the right stuff

                        Good heart > good mind > someone who went to God for strength

                        That someone was David

                                    Youngest of eight sons of Jesse

                                    A shepherd boy tending the flocks

                                    Samuel anointed him right on the spot > in full view of his brothers

                                    “And the Spirit of God came mightily upon David from that moment on”

Time passed

A bit of time has passed since last week

      During that time text says “Spirit of God left Saul; evil spirit took it’s place > tormented him

            Saul’s servants looked for a way to make him feel better

                        Found young shepherd boy who could play the harp

                        Last part of Chapter 16 “ Whenever .  . . feel better as moodiness lifted.”

David and Goliath

Chapter 17 begins with a total change in scenery > sets stage for story of David and Goliath

      Has anybody here NOT heard the David and Goliath story?

            I’m going to read it from Peterson’s The Message > Listen with new ears

            If this story had been on the news last night

            It would have a warning statement

            “This story is graphic and may not be appropriate for young children.”

            i.e., the version we learned as children was the abridged version!

                        Read selected parts of 1 Sam 17

 

WHAT TO TAKE HOME WITH US

Two things we can take home with us

1.      Uncertainty

            Life is not always smooth > bad things do happen

      Giants” can come in several forms > this story speaks to each of them

a.      evil powers sometimes seem bent on destroying good people

b.      life can present us with more than we can handle

            Life is often uncertain

2.      Certainty

      We do not need “state of the art armor” to meet the “giants” of our lives

All we really need is what we have > and the strength of God

                        Brueggemann points out that Goliath has on the whole armor

                        But not the “whole armor of God” as Paul details in Ephesians

                        David DID have “whole armor of God” > God was with him, and the rest is history

            Even though life is often uncertain, in God there is sure and certain hope

How “David and Goliath” works today

Let me tell you how this works today

I witnessed a David and Goliath story on Friday

      The foundation of this huge building has been sinking slowly

      So Property Team contracted with Metro Structural Systems

            Anybody heard of them?  I sure hadn’t > they weren’t much to look at

            But they said they could stabilize Sanctuary.  They’d been doing it for years > 30

                        Twelve days ago they began their preparations

                        Mostly they just dug holes in the ground

                        This building looked down on them > as if it were daring them

            Finally about noon on Friday they were ready

                        They positioned hydraulic lifts in each hole > not big > not pretty

                        Then they began pumping hydraulic fluid into each lift > not much, not impressive

                        In no time at all > building began to reverse its downward tilt

                        Without much sound > this huge structure succumbed to a little hydraulic fluid

 

CONCLUSION

The challenges in our lives can loom as big as this building

And we can feel small and insignificant beside them

      When that happens to you > remember David against Goliath >

            and remember the Good News of the Gospel

            If (or since) God is for us, who can be against us?

            And nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus.