What story captured your imagination as a child? Was it Beatrix Potter and the tales of Peter Rabbit

Goosebumps by RL Stine?  May Gibbs Snugglepot and Cuddlepie?  Roald Dahl and his often quirky The Twits, George’s Marvellous Medicine? Matilda? The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling? AA Milne Winne The Pooh? Dr Zeuss Green Eggs and Ham[1]?      The list goes on and on…What was your favourite story?  What story captures your imagination from the Bible.  Of the Bible accounts none capture our imaginations like David’s take down of Goliath.

 @ Tamworth Community Presbyterian Church 21/2/16

1 Samuel 17  (vs1-11, 32-47)

I know as a boy David & Goliath is one of those adventure stories with all the messy bits thrown in

In the Church I grew up in I remember the Children addresses about the slaying of this big giant with nothing more than a smooth stone shot out of a shepherds sling or David standing between the two armies facing of this giant of a man and his shield bearer racing before him the jeers and slants hurled at David dressed in nothing more than his simple shepherds apparel against the heavily armored Philistine or even the scene of the now toppled Goliath with David standing over him using his sword to finish him off

This story from David’s life is probably one of the best known, even people who have never read the Bible know the story of David & Goliath.  Today we come looking at David & Goliath reminded that in our imaginations we are to see God dominate our view with that of no ordinary crown for God’s one and only Son.  As we read in 1 Samuel 17: 1-10:

1  Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.  3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4  A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels;  6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.  7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.  9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”  10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”

The people of God faced a problem that was gigantic.  It wasn't just a problem with a man who stood tall. Israel under the leadership of King Saul was faced with the occupation of the world power of its day in Philistine. In a way on the field where the two armies lined up against each other there were 2 giants.  Do you remember why King Saul stood out? We’re told back when he was made king, Saul stood head and shoulders above any other of his country men.  But we get it here that Goliath dominates the scene, standing at over 9 foot 6 inches tall wore armor weighing 57 kg a 7kg spear who spewed invective.  Goliath was a man who made every other man a coward.  He was the focus of everyone around him.  Goliath with his size, his brutality and his cruelty centered the world.  So it’s here we can’t help see David.

When David arrives with the bread and cheese sent from home, Goliath is the defining and most significant person controlling the events; while David is insignificant.   In the army of Saul, even David’s own brothers treat Goliath as important while treating David as their baby brother as insignificant.  These guys had their imaginations so ruined by watching Goliath they can’t see a simple act of friendship from their brother bringing a slice of comfort from home.  Look at verses 26-28 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”  27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”  As someone put it this way: Just like us “the moment we permit evil to control our imaginations, dictate the way we think and shape our responses we at the same time become incapable of seeing the good and the true and the beautiful.”[2]

Please drill down here with me as we see David speak to power in dealing with Goliath and the threat he posed to everyone’s future.

David was prepared to let God fill his imagination and we get an insight into that, with how David went about a shepherd with his family flock.  The family might have thought of it as the job to get the baby brother out of their hair, instead God was using that to teach David about developing a view of life which held God at its centre.  David develops a view of God that helps him grow as David's concern is just like it is for us,  in the way we see our faith lived out through testing; so David also got to face the real tests of life and death against bears and lions, Verses 37-40  The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.  39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Our fear goes somewhere, like worry always has its own inner logic.   With fear, or the worries of life, we act in ways like we’ve forgotten God, who or what has edged Him out of my mind and started to rule in His place?   We seek the things of Jesus and not Jesus himself and so often we fear loosing the things we crave getting.  We have to get to identifying the object if our affections[3]  I think we get Saul’s attempt at giving David his best chance by getting him into his armor and giving him his sword.  We get how simply unworkable it all is for him. Can you imagine the courage it would have taken for David to take off that armor and sword and just go into battle with a simple shepherds sling with 5 chosen stones?  We even the inside track of David’s heart as he goes out to face this giant.  Listen in to verse 42- 46 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.  43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” 45 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 Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  We know the result, it might feel like an anticlimax the combat was short, one stone was all it took to slay Goliath.  Goliath’s death is met with the faith of David, just as we get a lesson in on God speaking.  David reaches us something about humility and grace: it’s in the thousand every day little things that we show where faith impacts on our lives.  As also David gives us a lesson in on listening to God, as it is also where we get met by Jesus speaking into the daily realities of the things of ordinary life in Luke 12:22-3122 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Can we see like with David about keeping God at the centre of all the stuff going on in our lives looking to honour God and for letting Jesus be the one changing us in that hard place more with his grace?

Let’s pray… 

Our Father, we stand before You because of mercy. You are full of mercy. We are the recipients of a most spectacular mercy. We thank You that You forgive us, You rewire us, You work with us from exactly wherever each one of us starts. You are the great awakener of our lives, the One who gives purpose and who makes life shine brightly. Make these things true in our lives this very week, that not one of us would fall prey to the kinds of things that would rob us from seeing the good things You have spoken to us, Jesus. It is in Jesus’ name, our Father, that we pray Amen.[4]

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