Who Can Stand Before the Armies of the LORD? (Pt. 1)

After a needed break for recovery and our Easter look at the Lord Supper. We pick up again following the golden thread through the Old Testament. To night we will being a two part sermon on David and Goliath.

So, if you are willing, open your bibles to 1 Samuel 17 and we will look at verse 1 - 27 this evening. That’s 1 Samuel 17:1-27.

Back on the 30th of march we talk about the profile of a tyrant.

As we look at this story we will see the difference between a God appointed King and a man appointed.

Saul has at this point already lost favor with the Lord.

David was chosen by God when Samuel was to anoint the next King because Saul had disobeyed, 6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Sa 16:6–7, ESV)

So tonight we get to see what a King that rules under God’s calling looks like.

Hopefully you can already see how this being to point to Christ

David is an example of what the prefect King of God’s people will look like.

Lets Pray

Transition

Thought the story of redemptive history, that just another name for the Bible, we have these moments of good clashing with evil. God sovereignly by His chosen means putting evil in its place. Some time he does it with great signs, like the the plagues of Egypt and parting the red sea some times its through a person call for an occasion. Some times both. Evil on the other had is a cancer, it creeps in and grows and festers until God comes a long and rights the wrong. In the end Battle likes are always draw up. And that is exactly where we are in the story this evening. Lets take a look at 1 Samuel 17:1-11

The Biggest Foe

1 Samuel 17:1–11 ESV

1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered, and encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. 4 And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. 7 The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. 8 He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Verse 3 “valley between them”

High Ground neither wants to give it up.

Verse 4 “six cubits and a span”

A cubit is about 18 inches and a span is about 9 inches.

6*18/12 + 9 About 9 feet nine inches tall.

Verse 5 - 7 Goliath Armor

We are given the weight of is chest armor at 121 pound.

To put that in perceptive, 120 was about what my total gear weighed when I was int he army.

And I did my best to lighten that.

His spear is 12 foot ling with a 17 pound spear head on it.

We are not given the weight of all of the stuff he is carrying, it well could have been over 400 pounds. And he an still fight. This is one serious opponent.

Verse 8 “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?”

Worldly out look from Goliath

Wordily outlook from Israel.

Verse 11“ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

The boasting of sin, if we know ourselves there is great fear.

Transition

Verse 11 end with “they were dismayed and greatly afraid” this is meant to point us to David in verse 12.

40 Days?

1 Samuel 17:12–16 ESV

12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

Verse 12, the contrast between David and Saul.

Verse 13, the proof of what God said about Eliab

“6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.” 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Sa 16:6–7, ESV)

Verse 16, 40 days the.

Noah (Genesis 8:6 )

Moses (Exodus 24:18 )

The Spies in Canaan (Numbers 13:25 )

Elijah (1 Kings 19:8 )

Jonah (Jonah 3:4)

Jesus (Matthew 4:2)

The battle goes on for a while before the champion comes.

Jesus is in the wilderness forty days and then the battle begging.

Transition

We have now in the story defined the villain, contrasted the two possible hero. If we are to take the meaning of the story in redemptive history we have seen sin enter as played by Goliath, humanity is played by Saul and the Israelites who are helpless with fear, and David and plays the God appointed King Jesus who will slay the giant sin. So, we now proceed to a deeper examination of this fearless hero. Finally, lets look at verse 17-27 this evening.

Who is this uncircumcised Philistine?

1 Samuel 17:17–27 ESV

17 And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. 18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.” 19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”

Verse 17-22, David tasked with provision.

he does ride in as the hero, he the guys bringing the bread.

Verse 23, “And David heard him”

Davids reaction on hearing him is totally different.

Verse 25, “And the king will enrich the man who kills him”

The worldly offering not enough to over come the fear of Goliath.

What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

This brothers is where we can be like David and as we being like Christ.

We does not fear because Christ has won the battle already.

What are the battles?

Flesh

The world

Precipitates in High places,

Every thought the exalts itself again’t the knowledge of God in Christ Jesus.

Where are these Battles?

With ourselves,

remember the manliness of Boaz was first being a worthy in actions.

Spiritual disciplines are for the believer

The culture

Boys are not Girls and Girls are not boys

Abortion is the murder of a living image of God

Marriage is between one man and one woman

Marriage is to be complementary

The man’s roll is leadership

The woman's role is submission biblically

We proclaim the death of these Giants not because we slew them but because we follow the one that did.

We say, who are these Godless uncircumcised Philistine worldviews to exalt themselves against the revealed word of the live God.

Conclusion

Next week we will see how the men of God equip themselves with prepared readiness to do battle with armor that is tried and true, the armor of our King the giant slayer, Christ the Lord.

Benediction

“5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Ro 15:5–7, ESV)

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