Burunche’s Blog

1 Samuel 17:38 -58 “Then Saul clothed David in his own tunic, put a bronze helmet on his head, and dressed him in armor. David strapped his sword over the tunic and tried to walk, but he was not accustomed to them.

“I cannot walk in these,” David said to Saul. “I am not accustomed to them.” So, David took them off. And David took his staff in his hand, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag. And with his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.

Now the Philistine came closer and closer to David, with his shield-bearer before him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome. “Am I a dog,” he said to David, “that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against 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. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, and slung it, striking the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Thus, David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword and pulled it from its sheath and killed him; and he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah charged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. And the bodies of the Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

When the Israelites returned from their pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps. David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent. As Saul had watched David going out to confront the Philistine, he said to Abner the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this young man?”

“As surely as you live, O king,” Abner replied, “I do not know.”

“Find out whose son this young man is!” said the king.

So, when David returned from killing the Philistine, still holding his head in his hand, Abner took him and brought him before Saul.

“Whose son are you, young man?” asked Saul.

“I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem,” David replied.”

Saul had good intentions but little understanding. When David stood before Saul, the only thing Saul could think of was to dress David in his (Saul’s) armor and to give him a sword. But David was about to face a giant whose reach was far greater than David’s. Swords and armor would be worthless under such conditions. Saul was used to fighting men his own size while David had already been killing animals far bigger than he was. David had more experience in such situations than Saul did. Selecting five smooth stones that would work well in a sling, David advanced to the battle.

As David approached, Goliath began cursing him by the Philistine gods. David’s reply is one that echoes down the ages. “But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against 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. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. And all those assembled here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”

Make no mistake! This battle was not merely a physical one. The Philistines had been invoking the names of their gods, but now David came in the Name of the One True Living God. David RAN toward the battle line, setting a stone in his sling as he did so. David needed speed so that he could get in, shoot that stone from his sling, and then retreat beyond the reach of Goliath’s spear. One smooth stone plus the power of the One True Living God and Goliath lay dead on the ground. Not taking any chances, David seized Goliath’s sword and cut off his head!

The Valley of Elah is about 15 miles (23 km.) west of Bethlehem and about 20 miles (32 km.) east of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s located on the western edge of the Judean lower hills and was an important travel route from the coastal cities up to the center of the land of Judah and its main cities of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and Hebron. The distance between the point at which David killed Goliath and the city of Gath is roughly six miles. Ekron was eleven miles north of Gath.

Make no mistake! The defeat of Goliath was not merely a physical one, but also a spiritual one as well. It is possible that as long as Goliath was roaring out his challenges and invoking the Philistine gods, those same demons may have deceived the Israelites, causing them to believe that the entire Philistine battle line was full of giants. Once Goliath was no longer a threat, the Israelites realized they were facing normal – sized men and charged on the Philistines, killing many of them and chasing the remnant as far as the cities of Gath and Ekron.

APPLICATION: It’s amazing how easy it is to create giants in our own imagination! Challenges that are not dealt with promptly may come to assume gigantic proportions in our minds. But if we will face these challenges and begin to take action against them, we may find that they shrink rapidly. Paul Assaiante and James Zug have written a book entitled “Run to the Roar: Coaching to Overcome Fear.” The book description is as follows: ““Run to the Roar” is the story of a coach who succeeds in recruiting young men from around the world, getting them to work as a team, managing personalities, calming egos, and encouraging daily effort and focus under pressure.” The book is based on the experiences of the coach of the Trinity men’s squash team. “For 244 consecutive dual matches over the past twelve years, the Trinity men’s squash team has gone unbeaten. No other team in any collegiate sport has achieved the same sustained level of greatness.” (Strand Publisher’s description)

As long as the Israelites sat in their camps, they were safe but defeated. It was only when David moved in the power of the Holy Spirit to kill Goliath that the Israelites were able to go forward. What giants are you facing today? Perhaps it is something as simple as needing to declutter your home. You may feel that you are facing towering piles of books or papers. Pray and ask God for guidance and strength and then make a small start. Remember, it only took David one smooth stone to kill Goliath. Your giants may fall more easily than you think if you face them.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are facing giants of various kinds. Help us to look to You for Your Holy Spirit power and then to begin dealing with the giants. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

This entry was posted on April 12, 2022 at 12:01 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.