Boy Wonder Gains Giant Victory

“…Man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart...”
1 Samuel 16:7

“…The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart….”
1 Samuel 13:14

Israel wanted to be normal. They were not a wimpy tribe anymore. Now they were a nation. Nations back then had kings and Israel demanded they get a king. So they appointed Saul, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. By chapter 13 in 1 Samuel Saul has already blown it. Saul wanted war against the Philistines and went against what the Lord’s prophet, Samuel had told him to do. He was supposed to wait for Samuel for 7 days before fighting the Philistines. Samuel did not show in the 7 days so his men began to leave because of the fear they had of the Philistines.

See, the Philistines had 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore (a lot of soldiers). Israel did not even have chariots and a lot less soldiers, so it was understandable how they were scared to fight such a well equipped Philistine army.

Saul proved he could not be a good king so years later enter David, a handsome young man; the youngest of eight brothers. (Saul was king for 42 years!) David was a boy forgotten by his father, ignored by his siblings, but chosen by God. He was destined to lead the nation of Israel.
God loves to do that! Choose the wrong people. He chooses leaders from unexpected sources. He chooses people with common outsides and uncommon insides.

In this series, we will see what the kind of heart God can do. Five major incidents in the life of David show the kind of courage, love, worship, forgiveness, and repentance that show why he was destined to lead the county of Israel.

In 1980, play-by-play announcer Al Michaels made a call that even non-sportsfans recognized. He cried into his microphone, “Do you believe in miracles!?” The occasion was the United States hockey team victory over the Soviet Union; one of the greatest sporting upsets of all time. David had killed Goliath in this hockey game.

In 1968 Joe Namath guaranteed that his Jets would defeat the powerhouse Baltimore Colts to win the Super Bowl. Again David delivered and had beaten the unbeatable.
A couple of decades later an unknown boxer named James “Buster” Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson to win the heavyweight championship of the world. David struck again. How the mighty have fallen!

B.C. beat Notre Dame, who was unbeatable at the time….Versailles beat Muncie Central to become the smallest high school team in history to win a state title; the movie Hoosiers was made off this game....Clinton beat Bush who was thought to win in a landslide....Ford cars bested General Motors in sales.... a not so well known man called Tiger won the Masters, and the tortoise outran the hare.

All of these stories have something in common. The little guy beat the big guy. The underdog beat the favorite. It is funny how things like this happen. Have any of you ever experienced anything like this?

In this session we want to look at godly courage in its elemental form by observing David in action. Only by working on the individual components of courage can we develop this godly character trait ourselves. We want to see that real courage is the by-product of some deeper disciplines and convictions. When we develop those we can fight as confidently as David did.

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,
but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” - 1 Samuel 17:45

The Israelite/Philistine standoff lasted weeks because the armies were encamped on opposite sides of a steep valley and neither wanted to make the first move and attack uphill. Goliath proposed another solution, calling for two champions to settle the conflict with minimal bloodshed.

The natural choice for Goliath’s opponent was King Saul, who himself stood a head taller than anyone in Israel. But he was fascinated by the seemingly unbeatable giant, who stood over nine feet tall, comfortably wore 125 pounds of armor, and carried a spear with a 15-pound warhead. Saul refused to fight, reinforcing the fear he had shown before, (see 1 Sam. 13 and 15).

David, on the other hand, had proven his courage before. He had killed a lion and had killed a bear. As a lowly shepherd boy, David was intrigued by the promised reward of wealth, tax exemption, and the princess’ hand in marriage to the one who could defeat Goliath. Naturally, David stepped forward. The rest, after one throw of a rock, as they say, is history! David defeated Goliath. He beat the unbeatable.

Historical background of the story: (Saul looked like a chump!) Why?

First, Goliath called for a man, but Saul sent a boy. Worse still, the boy was his own armor-bearer. So as Goliath’s armor-bearer assisted him, Saul’s fought in his place.

Second, Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, whose warriors were legendary slingers (Judges 20:16). The sling was perfect for this battle, enabling the fighter to keep his distance from the giant. David showed up Saul with a weapon the king probably could handle pretty well himself.

Drawing on David’s sources of courage
1. We draw courage from the smaller, past victories God has given us.
Experience with lions and bears gave David courage against Goliath (v. 34-35). In the same way, our past victories can carry us into future battles. Faithfulness in small things makes us ready for big things.

2. We draw courage from the spiritual perspective God has given us.
In Goliath, David saw a spiritual challenge not a physical one. He knew God would give the victory to a man of faith (v. 36-37). We, too, need to see the spiritual realities behind our physical circumstances.

3. We draw courage from the skills God has given us.
David used a sling rather than conventional weapons. We’re all gifted by God in unique ways. When we walk in those gifts and are true to who God made us to be, we have courage (v. 39-40).

4. We draw courage from the supernatural resources God has given us.
Goliath attacked with iron weapons. David attacked with an iron-hard faith in God. Our weapons are the authority of his name, the promises of his Word, and the assurance of his presence (v. 45-47).

QUESTIONS:
1. What is the most courageous thing you have ever done?
2. How would you define courage?
3. How is godly courage different from pride or arrogance?

Courage is a defining mark of those who have God’s heart. Jesus showed us God’s fearlessness, which we should follow. In fact, as Christians we’re to fear God alone (Luke 12:4-5). Fearlessness is a function of true faith, which believes in God’s presence and promises (Heb. 11:6). In the incident we’re studying today, courage changed the entire course of David’s life. His future turned on one fearless act. It moved him from sheep-shepherd to people-shepherd and King of Israel.

Read and discuss 1 Samuel 17.
· If you had heard Goliath’s taunts and challenges, how would you have felt?

· How did David’s response to Goliath differ from everyone else’s?

· Compare and contrast David, Goliath, and Saul. How would you summarize each?

· Both David and Goliath had courage, but of two different kinds. What was the difference?

· What are some areas of your life, no matter how small, that call for courage today? If you have it, what might the future pay-off be?

What are your current life-battles that we can pray about?