Good morning, I hope you have all taken part in your local church today. I know online services are convenient, and we cast our service online, but you get so much more out of being with other believers. Not only what you get, but you grow from what you bring, just be being there for them.
Today, in our Bible study, we will read 1 Samuel 15-17.
We are about to get into the most famous storyline in 1 Samuel, the battle between David and Goliath.
Long before I was a believer, I remember watching a Sunday morning cartoon, The Adventures of Davy and Goliath, and I knew this story. I didn’t understand its significance. But I knew that the youngest son slew the Giant with a stone.
We will get to that in chapter 17. For now, let’s back up and examine what led up to this event.
God remembers
Verse 15:2 recounts the Lord commissioning Saul with a mission. He is to punish the Amalekites for how they oppressed and abused the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. God had not forgotten their transgression.
We all have sins in our past that we have forgotten. When circumstances arise, we recall them and are ashamed, but we push them down and move on. We hope that everyone else, including God, has long since forgotten what happened. God never forgets.
When I was in my early twenties, I attempted to launch a business selling soda to drivers caught in hot traffic. I would see vendors selling newspapers from the medians, and thought, I don’t need a paper; I need a cold drink!
Therefore, my first wife and I went out, filled an ice-chest with soda and ice and tested the idea. We sold out in a couple of hours.
I calculated what the profit margin would be, wrote a business plan and thought through the potential obstacles. One was visibility. We didn’t want our salespeople to be mistaken as newspaper vendors. We also wanted to ensure, for safety reasons, that our salespeople were clearly visible and distinguishable.
This had to be feasible and affordable. A friend owned a tuxedo shop, so we got a deal on some brown vests.
My wife had a background in theater and we tested a few ideas. The winning idea was a set of rabbit ears.
Brown shorts, a white or tan t-shirt, the brown vest and a set of rabbit ears. Drivers seemed to love the idea.
We talked to the Humane Society about donating a percentage of sales and putting mention of that on a sandwich sign.
The idea came to life with the name Dem Cwazy Wabbits. DCW, Inc. formed.
Under-funded, we hired a handful of high school kids and put out on a couple of corners. Sales were surprisingly strong.
The problem was we were not covering the margins as I expected and we needed to grow fast enough to make it up on volume. It never came together.
Those hard working kids had received a couple paychecks, but when we ran out of money their last check was short.
I was so overwhelmed with despair and anguish over the debt that my family feared for my safety.
I never had contact information or even all their names. Though the amounts were small. The problem is I have never had a way to make this right.
They may have forgotten. It was a few weeks in their lives forty years ago. I have never come to peace with it. God has forgiven me of all my sins. This doesn’t mean He forgot what happened.
It was one sin He died for, in my place.
Following orders
God remembered the Amalekites and told Saul to punish them. The punishment they deserved was total annihilation. Saul was told to kill everyone, even all their livestock. (v15:2-3)
Saul’s men wanted to keep some of the plunder, and Saul was not following the Lord, so he feared his men. (v15:24) He let them keep the best of the livestock and killed the rest.
Figuring watching his people perish would be worse than death, Saul captures Agag. He is continuing to make his own rules, which means denying the orders God has given.
Then, when Samuel questions him about this, Saul attempts to justify his reasons. We all do this.
I would have paid those kids if I had the money. If I could have found them, I would have made it right. Since then, I have done many good deeds to atone for that sin.
Sorry Saul, those are all the wrong answers. You also put up a monument to yourself.
In Verse 15:22, Samuel asks if it is better to offer sacrifices or to obey the Lord. He compares rebellion to the sin of divination and arrogance to idolatry.
Saul confesses, but because of his actions, Samuel tells him the kingdom will be taken from him. (V15:24)
This was the last time Samuel ever saw Saul. (v15:35)
Fearing Saul, Samuel was still obedient to go seek one of Jesse’s sons. He assumes, since Saul was tall, that the first son is the right one.
God tells him not to judge by outward appearance. (v16:7) Therefore, cleaning ourselves up on the outside will not impress God. He knows are heart.
When we get to the youngest son, who is out tending the sheep, we meet David and the Lord confirms this is the one (v16:12).
Soothing the soul
Then the spirit leaves Saul, and evil spirits torment him. God puts this in place so that Saul will invite David to come into his presence and play the lyre for him. The music calms him and quiets the torment he is experiencing.
Music has always been my safety zone. As a teen, I experienced all the emotional upheaval of developing relationships and understanding love. I would deal with the heartache by writing songs.
At night, I would play the FM radio stations on my Fisher Stereo system so loud it could wake the dead. It calmed me and helped me sleep like a baby.
Walking into a bar after my accident, with crutches or a cane, people would try to avoid making eye contact. They would avoid the “elephant in the room” and not ask what happened to me. Instead, I felt invisible.
Then I got onstage and played my guitar and sang into the microphone. Through the songs I wrote, they would believe they knew me. As I returned to my table, they would come over and strike up a conversation. Music was my ticket back to normal. It made me human again.
Facing giants
I understand why God would gift David with this talent and use it to get him into the company of Saul.
Which leads up to chapter 17, when this young man brings some provisions to his brothers as they battle the Philistines.
Among them was this obnoxious giant, Goliath, who Barnes(1) lists as nine feet nine inches. He has no fear of the Israelites, but worse, no fear of the Lord.
David has no faith in the army, but complete trust in God.
When we face enormous problems in our lives, we need to remember, it’s not about the size of the problem. It is always about the size of our God.
David knew this and trust in it.
The armor, he felt, would only weigh him down, so he didn’t trust it. Goliath, a mighty warrior, would have prevailed, so a sword wasn’t necessary for him.
Choosing our weapon
Only God receives his faith. His choice of weapon, 5 smooth stones, epitomizes this.
Jesus is the Rock of our salvation. He is the foundation of our faith.
David places his faith, and the fate of Israel, in the Rock. With no hesitation, he hurls the stone into Goliath’s forehead and, as the behemoth lies on the ground, he uses his own weapon against him.
We like to put our faith in things which not only will fail us, but can harm us. I have trusted in wealth, I have trust in alcohol. Love always seemed like the thing which I was missing, so put my faith in women. These things failed me.
God is the only one who will never let you down. Have you placed your trust in Him?
