David Defeats the Giant
1
Samuel 17:40
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out
of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip;
and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
1
Samuel 17:40
Fivefold
Armor of David:
1.His shepherd's staff or club
2.Five smooth stones out of the brook
3.His shepherd's bag to hold stones
4.His sling in his hand
5.Faith in God (1
Samuel 17:36-37)
Contrast
this with Goliath's armor (1 Samuel 17:4-7,51) and that of Saul (1 Samuel
17:38-39).
Four Pieces of a Shepherd's Equipment
1.A club. Usually made of
oak two to three feet long with a knob on one end about the size of an orange
and a loop attached to the other end which enabled him to carry it over his arm
or on his girdle. Hebrew: shebet,
a rod or club.
2.A staff or crook about six feet long and generally made of a peeled
vine branch. It was used for
climbing, walking, slashing twigs and leaves, rescuing sheep fallen into a pit,
and for strafing lingering or fighting goats.
3.A bag or scrip made of leather and thrown over the shoulder to carry
provisions
4.A sling.
It was made of leather, plaited work of wool, rushes, hair, or sinews
with a wider middle piece (about two inches wide) to hold the stone. Stones were
collected
from dry riverbeds or brooks and kept in the shepherd's bag.
In one end of the sling there was a loop, which was placed over the thumb
in order to hold it when the stone was thrown.
The sling was used by the shepherds to keep wild beasts away from the
flock and to keep the sheep from straying.
Stones could be thrown with such velocity they could pierce a helmet or a
shield. Men of the tribe of Benjamin could sling stones "at an
hair breadth, and not miss" (Judges 20:16).
1 Samuel 17:41
And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
[Philistine
came on and drew near unto David]
Boast of Goliath
The
Philistine drew near to David, hiding behind the large shield carried by a man
before him, not knowing what he was to face.
When he looked from behind the protecting shield he was full of wrath a
mere boy should be sent against him. He
hurled slander at David and cursed him by his gods, promising to give his flesh
to the birds and beasts (1 Samuel 17:41-44). Such a boy without armor and
weapons of warfare made the vain giant careless in his defense, so he came at
the opponent to tear him in pieces with his hands.
Two-fold
Boast of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:43-44):
1. Am I a dog, that you come
to me with staves? There could be
no stronger statement of contempt (2 Kings 8:13; Matthew 15:26); and since David
was coming against him with a club, which was used on dogs, it made him blind
with rage that helped cause his own downfall.
2.
Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air, and the
beasts of the field.
1 Samuel 17:45
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
1. You come to me with a
sword, a spear, and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of
hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom you have defied
2. This day will the Lord
deliver you into my hand
3. I will smite you and take
your head off
4. I will give the bodies of
your army to the birds and beasts of the earth, this day
5. All the earth shall know
that there is a God in Israel
6. All this assembly shall
know that the Lord does not save by a sword and spear
7.
The battle is the Lord's and He will give you into our hands
The sword
was one of the earliest weapons. It
was short and straight, about three feet long and double-edged. The handle was plain and hollow in the center to give one a
better grasp.
1 Samuel 17:46
This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
The
10th prophecy in 1 Samuel (1 Samuel 17:46-47, fulfilled).
Next, §1 Samuel 23:11.
Six prophesies of
David:
1. This day God will deliver
you into my hand
2. I will smite you
3. I will take your head off
4. I will give the bodies of
the Philistines to the birds and beasts, this day
5. This entire assembly shall
know that God does not save by carnal means (1 Samuel 17:47)
6.
He will give you into my hands
These
are David's first prophecies. He
became one of the greatest of prophets in Israel, with 327 verses of prophecy
(in 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 1 Chron., and Psalms) to his credit.
He could be classed with the major prophets in number of verses of
prophecy, having 188 more than Daniel, and many more verses than any of the
minor prophets. See Over
Seventy-eight Prophets and Prophetesses in Introduction to Prophecy.
[that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel]
Note the chief end of David's acts of faith—that all the earth and all this
assembly may know:
1. That there is no god in
all the earth like the God of Israel (1 Samuel 17:46)
2.
That God does not save by carnal weapons (1 Samuel 17:47)
1 Samuel 17:48
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
[arose]
This indicates that he was sitting down, resting.
He was carrying at least 278 lbs. of armor besides his own big body,
which could have weighed 400-600 lbs., being nearly ten feet tall.
[hasted]
Hebrew: mahar, to be liquid or flow
easily; to hurry; act promptly; go swiftly like a charging lion. Before Goliath knew what was happening he had a stone in his
forehead and was dead (1 Samuel 17:48-49).
1 Samuel 17:54
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
Jerusalem, west of Moriah, had been taken and occupied by the
tribe of Judah who still lived there. The
Jebusites were yet holding Jebus or Zion, the mount immediately south of Moriah
(cp. Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:7-8). Zion
was not taken by Israel until David came to the throne (2 Samuel 5:7).
[he put his
armour in his tent] David owned Goliath's armor by virtue of his victory, so
he put it in his own tent. What
later became of it is uncertain. Perhaps
all of it was put in care of the priests in Nob where David later got the sword
of Goliath to use for himself (1 Samuel 21:1-9).
1.
David spoke with boldness
2.
Peter, in Acts, spoke with boldness
3.
David spoke with authority
4.
Peter spoke with authority
5.
What did David have that the whole army of Israel didn’t have?
a.
A heart full of God’s word
b.
Eyes that looked into the spirit—the supernatural—he walked not after
the flesh but after the spirit.
6.
David believed in the word so much that he knew he could not be defeated.
David
used what he had to defeat the giant.
Are
you waiting for God to give you something better than you have so you can fight
your giant?
Use
what you have and God will give you victory.