Transcript

The most famous battle described in the Old Testament was not fought between two armies, but instead between two people: David and Goliath. It’s an amazing story of faith and the greatness of God, with many principles for us, the Body of Christ, under grace.

A missionary once wrote, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they lived in light of God being with them.” Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, wrote those words and he lived them.

David was a teenager when he faced the giant. He was weak and young, but he knew and trusted that the Lord was with him, and as a result, he did something great for God.

First Samuel 16:7 says that “the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

Goliath had all the things that would normally impress and intimidate. But David was not impressed or intimidated by his outward appearance and he looked at him from God’s perspective.

No matter how big he was, David knew God was greater. No matter how powerful he might’ve been, David knew that God was all-powerful.

1 Samuel 17:1-3: “Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.

“And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

“And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.”

A couple chapters earlier and not long before this account, the Hebrew ragtag army had defeated the Philistines at the Battle of Michmash. It had been a stinging and humiliating defeat for the Philistines and they intended to pay Israel back.

Thus, they mustered and gathered their armies together for battle near the valley of Elah.

The Valley of Elah is an east-west vally about 15 miles west of David’s hometown of Bethlehem. It is a vast valley about a mile wide.

The Philistines were camped between the towns of Azekah and Sochoh, on a hill south of the valley. The additional information, “which belongs to Judah” in verse 1, reminds us that the Philistines were encroaching on Judean land.

The valley led from the lowlands of the Philistines to the hill country of Judah.

The goal of this strategically important battle was to secure this Valley of Elah, which was the natural point of entry from the Philistine homeland into the hill country of Judah. The battle, therefore, was crucial.

At the valley of Elah, the Israelite army were on one slope, and on the other side of the valley opposite them, the Philistine army was on another slope.

In between was a valley, in the valley was a ravine; in the ravine was a wadi, a dry creek bed, where David would later find his stones for his sling.

That’s the setting. Next, we learn about the main characters.

1 Samuel 17:4-11: “And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

“And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

“And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

“And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

“And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

“If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

“And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.”

Verse 4 states that “a champion” went out of the camp of the Philistines. The term “champion” literally means “a man who is a go-between.” A champion fought as a representative of his army; he was a warrior who would fight in single combat as a stand-in for the entire army.

Sometimes a champion from each army would fight and the war’s outcome would be decided by which champion won the fight. This approach would thus minimize bloodshed.

The champion of the Philistines was Goliath, and he was from Gath. Gath wasn’t far from the valley of Elah. Gath was 7 miles to the west and was the closest Philistine town.

The height of Goliath “was six cubits and a span.” From biblical times, the measure of a cubit was the length of a man’s forearm from his elbow to the tip of his middle finger. This is about eighteen inches. A span equaled half that measurement, or 9 inches.

Doing the math according to our measurements, six cubits equals 108 inches or 9 feet. And then a span adds 9 inches. Thus, we find that Goliath was 9 foot, 9 inches tall.

And the NBA would’ve absolutely loved him. He was nearly as tall as the rim on a basketball hoop. It’s thought that Goliath’s name may mean “Conspicuous One.” That makes a lot of sense to me, because he would be very conspicuous!

Goliath was an enormous, formidable and imposing man. And not only was he imposing because of his height and size, but also because of his armor and weapons. He had armor and weapons to match his size.

Ordinary troops had leather helmets, but being the champion of the Philistines, Goliath wore a bronze helmet.

His “coat of mail” or scale armor was made of overlapping bronze plates sewn on leather. It was a long vest which went from his shoulder to his knee. And the weight of just this armor was “five thousand shekels of brass,” or around 125 pounds.

He also wore bronze “greaves” or leggings to protect his legs and shins.

Goliath had a “target of brass between his shoulders” verse 6 says, or literally a bronze javelin on his back slung between his shoulders. A javelin was like a spear but was lighter and designed for hurling.

And he also carried a thick, heavy spear designed for hand-to-hand combat, which was used for thrusting. The staff, or wooden shaft of the spear, “was like a weaver’s beam,” or the part on which the cloth was rolled in weaving. This teaches that the shaft of his spear was thick, like a small log.

The spear’s head of iron “weighed six hundred shekels,” or around 15 pounds, and about the weight of a standard shot-put.

Not mentioned here, but later in the chapter, we learn that, in addition, Goliath carried a large sword, which was sheathed.

Verse 7 tells us that Goliath also had “one bearing a shield,” or a shield carrier. So even in addition to his armor from head to toe, Goliath had a soldier in front of him carrying a shield as double protection.

There are two different Hebrew words for “shield” in the Bible. One refers to a small round shield usually worn on the left arm. The other, used here, refers to a much larger, oblong shield, often carried by the shield-bearer as the soldier moved into battle.

It was the size of a normal, full-grown man, and was used to hide behind to protect against the arrows of the enemy.

In human terms alone, Goliath, looked and seemed invincible. He was a veritable war machine.

This long, detailed description of Goliath is meant by the Holy Spirit to impress upon the mind of the reader of Goliath’s daunting size, great strength and seeming invulnerability, so that we would all the more appreciate David’s courage and faith.

As Israel was gathered for battle against the Philistine army, early one morning, a sight unfolds before them, the likes of which they had never seen before. Something is moving down the slope across from them. Something big, something huge.

It was a man. The biggest man any in Israel had ever seen. And he is covered with glittering bronze in the morning sun. This man of gigantic stature moves to the middle of the valley, near the ravine, and he calls out to the Israelite army and he taunts and defies them, and a shudder runs through the Israelites, as Goliath cries out,

“Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

On the battlefield in the Valley of Elah, Goliath would daily present himself to the army of Israel and taunt and defy them with these words.

The champion of the Philistines was suggesting a duel, a representative battle. A little game of one-on-one, you could say, winner take all.

He would represent the Philistines, and whoever Israel chose would represent them. And the outcome of this fight would then settle the battle for both sides.

Goliath would yell out to them, “Why are you here? Why have you arrayed yourself and come out to line up for battle? In other words, if you’re man enough to array yourself for a fight, then show me what you’re made of.”

Goliath challenged them, “Am I not a Philistine?” in verse 8, which actually means, “Am I not THE Philistine?” What he meant by this question was, “Am I not the greatest, toughest Philistine warrior there has ever been?” His arrogance drips from this question.

He taunted Israel that he was THE ultimate Philistine, the greatest of them all, and they were just the measly, weak servants and slaves of Saul.

Then he dared them to choose a man, choose anyone from their army to come down off their high hiding place on their mountain and to take him on down in the valley.

The champion of the Philistines gave the terms of the representative fight that if one of the Israelites were able to fight and kill him, then the Philistines would become their servants; but if he prevailed, then the Israelites would become their servants and serve them.”

Goliath would say, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” The word “defy” means to put under reproach.

And as we go along in this account we learn how Goliath’s defiant taunts were as much against the God of Israel as against the army of Israel.

And Goliath cried out, “Give me a man, that we may fight together.” And I have always thought that this sounds to me like a marriage prayer from a young single lady. Give me a man that we may fight together!

In verse 11, we learn that when Saul and all the men of Israel heard these words from Goliath, “they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

God had given the Israelites victory in battle in times past. But they had forgotten, and they failed to trust God. And their forgetfulness of God’s past deliverance diminished their confidence in the face of this present conflict.

As we remember that we are in a spiritual battle, the devil and the course of this world, which is under his sway, taunts and defies the Church and our God with threats of intimidation. This too can cause dismay and fear in our ranks.

But we are taught in this account by David to remember whose side we are on, that the Lord is with us and He is more than able to deliver us from our fears and worries.

As a result of Israel’s fear and dismay here, there were no volunteers to go down and meet Goliath on the battlefield, and importantly, this included King Saul.

When Saul was chosen as King over Israel, in 1 Samuel 9:2 it was noted that “from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.” Saul stood head and shoulders over his countrymen. He was not 9 foot tall, but taller than all other Israelites.

And the people believed Saul’s job as a king was to “go out before us, and fight our battles” 1 Samuel 8:20 says. Though he was king and larger than any of the Israelites and the most likely person who should have gone out to meet Goliath on the battlefield, King Saul made no move and was frozen in fear.

Though Goliath was shaming and bringing reproach on God’s people of Israel, Saul was filled with fear and dismay like the rest of the army of Israel.

Thus, Goliath’s challenge went unmet and he went back to his camp on the other side of the valley. However, verse 16 tells us that “the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.”

Goliath did not issue this challenge just once and then leave, but for 40 days straight, twice a day, every morning and evening, he would march out there flaunting his greatness and strength, daring anyone to take him on.

And each day the response was the same from the Israelites: fear and dismay and no one would answer the challenge. God’s people were losing the battle before it started.

The battle was a standoff for 40 days. The number 40 often represents a period of testing in the Bible. And this was a test for Israel. The question was: Would the nation trust in themselves to be delivered or in God, for Him to deliver them?

1 Samuel 17 continues: “Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons…

“And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

“And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul…

“And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy brethren;

“And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge…

“And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.

“For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.

“And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.”

About 15 miles away from the battle, in “a little town of Bethlehem,” a teenager was keeping his father’s sheep. David was the son of Jesse. Jesse had 8 sons. David was the youngest, and too young to be fighting in the army.

The three eldest sons of Jesse, however, were in the army and were with Saul at the Valley of Elah.

David’s father, Jesse, was concerned about his three eldest sons, Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah, and sent his youngest son, David, on an errand to bring them food supplies.

And according to verse 17, it was a hefty load of supplies that David brought them, including 6 gallons of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread.

Jesse also sent David with ten blocks of cheeses to give to his sons’ commander. And this makes me think that Jesse may have lived in Wisconsin for a time because of his esteem for cheese.

In verse 18 we learn how Jesse also wanted a report from the battlefield. He was concerned about his eldest sons, and David was sent to collect news to bring back to his father.

In obedience to his father, David rose early the next morning to travel to the valley of Elah. But before he left, there is a small detail added here that shows the heart of David.

Before he left to go to the battlefield, in verse 20 we read how David “left the sheep with a keeper.” This little observation shows the shepherd’s heart of David.

David first made sure his father’s sheep would be looked after and He left them in the care of another shepherd.

This shows something of the heart of David and why he did what he did with Goliath. Like he cared for and protected his father’s sheep, he also cared for and protected God’s sheep, the flock of Israel.

David made his way to the valley of Elah “and he came to the trench” or the encampment. He arrived as the Israelites moved forward out to the battle line, but they only went there to shout “for the battle,” or only to shout their taunts.

This gives the picture of what happened over a course of 40 days. The armies lined up each morning and shouted at each other across the valley. Then Goliath came out to issue his challenge, and then the Israelites all pulled back in fear.

David arrived to hear the war cry of Israel’s army. Then he “left his carriage” or the food supplies he brought with him, in the hand of the supply keeper.

Following this, David ran into the midst of the soldiers who were in battle formation and he found and greeted his brethren.

1 Samuel 17:23-27: “And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.

“And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

“And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.

“And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

“And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.”

After David found his 3 brothers and greeted them, he heard a loud cry from the valley: “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves. I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

For 40 days Goliath had issued this same challenge. And like they had done for all 40 days, Israel’s warriors then began shaking in their sandals and they backed up and fell back from the line of battle.

After the men fell back they would talk first about Goliath: “Have you seen the size of this giant that keeps coming up to defy Israel? The words “come up” teaches us something about what took place over the 40 days.

When Goliath first issued his challenge verse 8 says “Choose you a man for you, and let him COME DOWN to me.” Here in verse 25, on the day David arrives, the soldiers said “Have ye seen this man that is COME UP.”

In his brazen arrogance, Goliath was now crossing the valley, and coming up on Israel’s slope to issue his challenge. This is why the Israelites fled, because he was close by!

After they talked about Goliath, they discussed King Saul’s generous incentive plan for killing this giant, trying to psyche themselves up. The soldiers focused on the danger of facing Goliath and the material rewards to be won.

Out of his cowardice because he didn’t want to face Goliath, Saul had promised the man who killed Goliath 3 things: first, great riches and a cash reward; second, the hand of the king’s daughter in marriage; and third, a perpetual tax exemption plan.

They wouldn’t have to pay taxes for the rest of their life! Regarding taxes it’s been said, “Our flag is symbolic of our taxes. We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bills, blue after we pay them, and then we see stars!”

Not even Saul’s generous incentive plan could prompt a volunteer. David, however, didn’t need incentive to go face Goliath.

He incredulously observed the army’s fear after he heard this giant of a man encased in armor shouting out threats and defying God, and he said, “No one talks that way about the God of Israel or His people.”

David becomes livid and disgusted by the arrogance of Goliath’s speech. And he asked the soldiers around him, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

The Israelites took Goliath’s challenge as defying Israel, but David correctly interpreted it that he was defying the living God, the only true God.

To David, Goliath’s defiant attitude was a reproach to all of Israel. And David was alarmed that no one had accepted the challenge of this loud-mouth.

Did they forget who they were? Did they forget whose side they were on? They shouldn’t be fearful or backing up before Goliath! He was only a man.

While they were the armies of the living God. They were on the Lord’s side, and thus there was no enemy, no matter how large, they could not overcome.

The Apostle Paul reminds us that we are “the church of the living God” (1 Tim. 3:15).

And in the spiritual battle, we should not back up, or be dismayed of fearful before our enemy, the devil in the spiritual battle. We should trust the Lord, and be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

The giant Goliath had presented himself and challenged the Israelites to a one-on-one fight. God had brought young David to the camp for “such a time as this,” and by faith in the living God, David was ready to accept Goliath’s challenge.