{"id":786766,"date":"2012-09-28T15:15:32","date_gmt":"2012-09-28T15:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/?p=786766"},"modified":"2012-09-28T15:17:54","modified_gmt":"2012-09-28T15:17:54","slug":"david-and-goliath","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/2012\/09\/28\/david-and-goliath\/","title":{"rendered":"David and Goliath"},"content":{"rendered":"

David and Goliath 1 Samuel 17<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the scene:\u00a0 The Philistine army positioned themselves to battle with Israel.\u00a0 Both armies faced each other across the valley of Elah.<\/p>\n

The Philistine army had a particularly large man named Goliath. The NIV Bible states him as being nine feet.\u00a0 This is definitely tall, but not unheard of.\u00a0 In Hebrew translation, Goliath measured six cubits and a span<\/em>, which is between 8.5 \u2013 9 feet.\u00a0 Ancient Greek and Roman writers have documented men being seven cubits.<\/p>\n

Trivia side note:<\/strong> Per the Guinness Book of World Records, The tallest man living is Sultan K\u00f6sen (b.10 December 1982) who measured 8 ft. 3 in. in Ankara, Turkey, on 08 February 2011.\u00a0 (Did you catch that?\u00a0 He\u2019s in Turkey…<\/em>)<\/p>\n

Goliath was fully decked in army battle gear, with a bronze helmet, armor, and a javelin.\u00a0 It must have been an incredible sight.\u00a0 He yelled to the Israelites, taunting them to choose their best fighter to battle with him.\u00a0 Certainly, this was meant to terrorize and strike fear into the hearts of the Israelites.<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 17: 11<\/strong> \u201cOn hearing the Philistine\u2019s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yep.\u00a0 Told ya.<\/p>\n

Goliath had them where he wanted them; focusing on him and not on God.\u00a0 Making them second-guess their skills and abilities before the battle even started.<\/p>\n

How often to we defeat ourselves before going into our own battles?<\/p>\n

What are our spiritual \u2018Goliaths\u2019?<\/p>\n

In the Life Application Bible, there is a side note that says King Saul was the tallest of the Israelites (1 Samuel 9:2) and that was probably most worried because he would have been the best physical match for Goliath.<\/p>\n

It also notes that a common war strategy was to have just the two strongest warriors battle it out instead of the whole army.\u00a0 The winner of the fight was the winner of the battle.\u00a0 This saved a bunch of bloodshed and other resources.<\/p>\n

Enter David, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse, from Bethlehem.\u00a0 Jesse\u2019s three oldest boys had followed Saul to battle.\u00a0 David shuttled between his palace duties (playing music for Saul) and tending to his father\u2019s sheep.<\/p>\n

1 Samuel 17:16<\/strong> \u201cFor forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forty days? Really?\u00a0 Day after day, Goliath taunted and mocked the Israelites, verbally assaulting their courage and tearing down their resolve.<\/p>\n

Geographically, this location of battle was in a valley.\u00a0 Both camps were located on the surrounding mountains\/hills\/high walls (whatever translation you have\u2026), you get the picture.\u00a0 Battle strategy shows that the first group to rush into the valley to ascend the opposing mountain\/hill\/high wall would be at the disadvantage.\u00a0 So, both sides were waiting for the other to attack.<\/p>\n

Per his father\u2019s request, David brought food to the Israelite army.\u00a0 He went up to the battle lines to see his brothers and witnessed the taunts from Goliath.\u00a0 He also witnessed the fearful response of the Israelite army. (1 Samuel 17:24)<\/strong><\/p>\n

David overheard men in the army say that Saul has made an offer that anyone who kills Goliath will obtain great wealth, the king\u2019s daughter in marriage, and his family will be exempt from future taxes.<\/p>\n

David responded by saying, \u201cWho is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?\u201d<\/p>\n

While others were focusing on the danger of facing a giant, David was angry that some mortal man was defying God and God\u2019s army.<\/p>\n

Same scenario; different perspective.<\/em><\/p>\n

After a few harsh words from one of his brothers, David decides to fight Goliath.\u00a0 Saul questioned his abilities, but David responded how he had killed animals defending his flock.<\/p>\n

David said, \u201cThe Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.\u201d\u00a0<\/em> David felt prepared for the battle ahead.\u00a0 He trusted God to continue to equip him.\u00a0 We need to do the same when we enter our battles.\u00a0 You might have heard the sayings,<\/p>\n

\u201cGod doesn\u2019t call the equipped, He equips the called.\u201d<\/p>\n

and\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cGod never gives more than you can handle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of the criticism he received from others, David had to do what was right and pleasing to God; the only opinion that truly matters.<\/p>\n

Saul gave David his armor\u2026 the KING\u2019S<\/em> armor.\u00a0 The best made!! But David would not wear it.\u00a0 First of all, it did not physically fit, and David was not used to wearing it.\u00a0\u00a0 Saul was still focusing on the matters of man, but David was focused on the matters of God.<\/p>\n

(Oh, I just read a commentary that compared the coat of physical armor to the coat of spiritual armor.\u00a0 It\u2019s good!\u00a0 I want to delve into this deeper some other time, but for now, here it is.\u00a0\u00a0 This is from Blue Letter Bible\/ Commentaries\/ David Guzik):<\/p>\n

———————————-<\/p>\n

David did not face Goliath unarmed. He had much better armor than Saul\u2019s. Saul had a bronze helmet<\/strong>, but David had the helmet of salvation<\/em> (Ephesians 6:17<\/a>). Saul had a coat of mail<\/strong>, but David had a breastplate of righteousness<\/em> (Ephesians 6:14<\/a>). Saul had a sword<\/strong>, but David had the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God<\/em> (Ephesians 6:17<\/a>). David had the whole armor of God<\/em>! (Ephesians 6:11<\/a>).<\/p>\n

That same armor was available to Saul. At one time he had it. But now, Saul only trusted in man\u2019s armor. That\u2019s why David is going out to face Goliath, and Saul is giving advice from the sideline.<\/p>\n

Sadly, many people would say the same about the armor of God: I cannot walk with these, because I have not tested them<\/strong>. Are you more used to the weapons and armor of the flesh, or the weapons and armor of the Spirit? \u201cPress some people to their exercise of prayer, or any other piece of the armour of God, and they must say, if they say truly, as here, I cannot do withal, for I have not been accustomed to it.\u201d (Trapp)<\/p>\n

——————————<\/p>\n

David went to the stream and picked up five smooth stones and placed them in his pouch.<\/p>\n

Adam Clarke<\/strong> (1760 or 1762\u20131832) was a British<\/a> Methodist<\/a> theologian<\/a> and biblical<\/a> scholar<\/a>. He said (regarding the stones):\u00a0 \u201cHad they been rough<\/em> or angular<\/em>, they would not have easily passed through the air, and their asperities would, in the course of their passage, have given them a false direction<\/em>. Had they not been smooth<\/em>, they could not have been readily despatched from the sling<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I was reading a devotional by Susan Gregory (the Daniel Fast). It was through this devotional that led me to delve deeper into 1 Samuel 17.\u00a0 She decided to pick her five smooth stones to help in her battle she was in at the time.\u00a0 These \u201cstones\u201d were Bible scriptures.\u00a0 She proclaimed them her weapons, and memorized them.\u00a0 They focused on faith, God\u2019s provision, and her position with Christ.<\/p>\n

Looking at my current battle, I need to decide, what are my five smooth stones?<\/p>\n

What are yours?<\/p>\n

David joined Goliath on the battlefield.\u00a0 Goliath was ticked off that a boy felt he could come against him.\u00a0 Goliath said,<\/p>\n

\u201cAm I a dog<\/em>, that you come against me with sticks?\u201d<\/p>\n

(Interesting side note from commentary by David Guzik: When Goliath asked, \u201cAm I a dog<\/strong>?\u201d it was worse than it sounds. The Hebrew word for dog<\/strong> (kaleb<\/em>) is used in passages like Deuteronomy 23:18<\/a> for male homosexual prostitutes.)<\/p>\n

David replies, \u201cYou come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord\u2019s, and He will give you into our hands.\u201d1 Samuel 17:45-47<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Just imagine this scene:<\/strong> Goliath and David!\u00a0 Giant warrior versus teenager!\u00a0 The Israelites trembling in fear while the Philistine army probably laughing so hard, they might have wet their armor!<\/p>\n

As both men advanced toward each other, David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.<\/em> 1 Samuel 17:49<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some have a hard time believing this to be accurate.\u00a0 Yet, in today\u2019s world, how much time do we spend honing our craft of slinging stones?\u00a0 Think about it.\u00a0 David, a shepherd<\/em>, spending hours a day, every day, out in the fields.\u00a0 Do you think he just sat idly by watching his sheep graze?\u00a0 What teen do you know wouldn\u2019t love the idea of slinging rocks, or shooting arrows, or practicing with some other weapon of choice?<\/p>\n

When the Philistines witnessed this, they turned and ran.<\/p>\n

Game over.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0The worship song for today:<\/strong> \u00a0This video by ‘7eventh Time Down’ is a bit rockin’ for some personal tastes, but the music and lyrics ‘Alive in You<\/a>‘ captures exactly what I imagine was the way David felt as he entered the battlefield to fight Goliath. \u00a0Can you see this is the battle cry for the modern- day David?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

David and Goliath 1 Samuel 17 Here\u2019s the scene:\u00a0 The Philistine army positioned themselves to battle with Israel.\u00a0 Both armies faced each other across the valley of Elah. The Philistine army had a particularly large man named Goliath. The NIV Bible states him as being nine feet.\u00a0 This is definitely tall, but not unheard of.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-786766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-personal-reflections"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=786766"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":786768,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786766\/revisions\/786768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=786766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=786766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=786766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}