Title: That All the Earth May Know God
Text: I Samuel 17
Introduction
The story of David and Goliath is a classic. David is one our favorite Old Testament characters. We admire how he seemingly came from nothing to make a name for himself. He even became king. We can identify with him as someone whom others did not expect much from. He had big dreams.
The most common story about the most common character in the Old Testament is the story of David and Goliath. As children, we imagined that we were David and that Goliath was the bully down the street. We knew that, even though we were small and he was big, God would allow us to defeat him. Soon all the children in the sub-division that had been terrorized by this bully would be singing our praises.
When an adult hears, “Turn in your Bibles to I Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath,” they immediately flip the switch off in their minds. “It must be for children, not for adults,” they say. Adults believe they have gleaned every truth that this story has to offer.
I fear that we make this story say what we want it to say. What is this story teaching? What is the author intending to say? If we find the author’s intent then we find God’s intent. We enjoy saying memorable phrases like “Some say Goliath is too big to kill. David said he is too big to miss”—spoken by a preacher who loves clichés. Is one memorable statement all we can gather from this story, even if it is a creative one like “Do not bring a sword to a rock fight”? Is that what the text is really teaching? Is it all about us?
There are two common errors that plague people as they attempt to teach this story. The first is moralizing the story, and the second is allegorizing the story.
Moralizing the David and Goliath story
Moralizing the David and Goliath story is very common. In an attempt to make the Old Testament actually apply to our lives some people moralize it. They lift a principle from the text and drop it in the pew. It could look something like this: “David obeyed his father and went to check on his brothers. David conquered the little giant of obedience. If you want to conquer the big giants in your life you will first need to conquer the little giant of obedience to authority.” While the application is not wrong, it tends to have a “be like David” overtone.
Some people view the Old Testament as a bucket full of promises that are fulfilled in Jesus. Now that Jesus is here, what is the need for the Old Testament? The inevitable cycle will find us drawing an attractive characteristic in a person’s life and challenging people to have that in their life.
In moralizing this story, we become David and the giant becomes whatever problem we are dealing with. The giant could be the problem of depression, looking for a job, bashfulness in our witness, or starting a business. We say you need to get your five stones and go after your giant. Well, it sounds good, but what if you do not slay the giant? What if you throw all of your stones and none of them kill your giant? What if you tried to cut off the head of your giant, but it gets up and laughs at you? Was the purpose of this story to imitate David?
We do not read the Old Testament like a Jewish Rabbi. We must not limit the Old Testament narratives to moral examples, whether they be positive or negative.
Allegorizing the David and Goliath Story
It is also possible to avoid moralizing the text and walk into allegorizing the text. This is often done out of a sincere desire to preach Christ from every text. Allegory is a method that sees events and images as largely unimportant in themselves. They may have some significance, but the real task was to get behind them to the deeper spiritual meaning.
For example, men, when you are traveling with your wife on a road trip and things happen to get quiet, if you are the one who gets quiet, then she will ask, “Is there anything wrong?” You respond “no.” Well, you can take it to the bank—nothing is wrong. If she is the one who is quiet and you ask her what is wrong and she responds, “Nothing,” then you can take it to the bank that something is wrong. It does not matter that she said nothing was wrong. The words do not matter. You have to get behind the words to the real meaning. That is what allegory is. You get behind the events and words (because they really do not mean anything) and discover the hidden meaning behind them.
This method may say that Jesus is David and the giant is your sin. The stone that David threw was the sinless life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It defeated the giant of your sin. This preaching sounds very creative. We may give it ten points for creativity, but we must give it zero for integrity. We must have integrity in how we deal with the text. The text does not say that. The original author has a purpose in mind, and we must find it.
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Notice the phrase found in verse 46: “That all they earth may know.” Who is the hero of this story? In every sermon, someone will swoop in and save the day. Is David the hero? Is the purpose for all the earth to know David? Did God cement this story in the pages of history so David could be praised? Was the purpose for us to give David adoration? Maybe this story is not about David. Maybe it is about something bigger—much bigger. Maybe this is not a battle between David and Goliath, but a battle between God and Satan. God wanted all the earth to know that He was in Israel. God is a global God. He desires worship from every nation, kindred, and tribe. It has never been God’s desire to stay in Israel. He worked through Israel in order to be in all nations. This fight determined if all the earth would know.
Let us not look at this story asking how can we be like David. Let us look at this story understanding God’s work in this world. Advice has been given to preachers through the ages to tell the audience what you are going to say, say it, then tell them what you have said. I am going to break the pattern. I am going to give you the subject now, but once I get to the end I am going to change it. I am going to speak to you on this subject: “That all the Earth may Know God.” When I get to the end I am going to re-title the subject, so do not worry when I give the new subject; I am winding down.
Transition: Let us sit in the grandstands and watch this fight that has gone down in history.
1.Satan’s Unending Attempts to Keep the Earth from Knowing (v. 1-11)
I Samuel 17: 2-10
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. 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.
The Philistine army mustered together their troops on one mountain while the Israelite army countered on another mountain. Three football fields in length separated the two.
While glaring at one another, trying to make the right strategic move, a man from the Philistine army plowed through the other soldiers, pushing them to the side. He made his way to the front and stood confidently before the Israelite army. They called him Goliath. Goliath hit the genetic jackpot at birth. The NBA would have longed to have him in the paint. He stood over nine feet tall.
He had a helmet of brass and his armor was impenetrable. It weighed 125 pounds. David would not have weighed much more. Goliath quickly pulled out the javelin located on his back in-between his shoulder blades and said, “Are we going to stare at one another all day or are we going to fight?” To save the inevitable massacre and bloodshed, this mammoth of a man suggested that the Israelites send their top warrior to do battle with him. If Goliath lost, the Philistines would be slaves to Israel, but, if the Israelite warrior lost, they would be slaves to the Philistines. One fight, to the death.
I Samuel 17:11 – When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
The Israelite army was terrified and greatly shaken. They knew this was a big battle, but they could never conceive how important it was. Forty days came and past while they stood in the shadows of this giant as he taunted them.
There have always been events through history that struck fear in the hearts of God’s people. These are Satan’s unending attempts to keep the earth from knowing God. The god of this world is always opposing the God of Israel—our God. This is not a personal fight in the backyard between David and Goliath. Satan planned this battle after his fall from heaven.
Satan is always attempting to keep the earth from knowing. It may come in the form Goliath or it may come in the form of…
Persecution – Christians die everyday because they worship the God of the Bible. Preaching Jesus can get you killed.
Distraction – Satan will attempt to get our eyes off of the nations and onto a distraction. He will dazzle you with love of money, the possibility of advancement, or the desire to be admired. They sparkle so brightly that it is hard to keep your eyes of them.
Competition – Denominations and pastors spend so much effort competing to see who can reach the ends of the earth quicker that no one even reaches the end of their street. Satan attempts to keep the earth from knowing, not to keep you from talking about the earth knowing. Talk is cheap. Satan knows this.
Transition: One man stands intimating an entire army. Jesse had three sons in that army and worried about their safety. He sends David to check on them and bring a report back on how they were doing. David left his sheep in the care of another and scurried to the battle. He carried roasted grain and ten loaves of bread for the brethren along with ten cuts of cheese for the captains.
2. Man’s continual struggle to understand God’s work in this world (v. 12-39)
When David arrived, the battle was on the brink. The armies were facing one another, giving their battle cries. David left the gifts with the supply manager and frantically ran to the front lines to greet his brothers. While he spoke with them, the giant made another appearance. The Israelite soldiers started to run like whipped puppies. They were saying, “Have you seen this big giant? He does not even look human. The king has offered an enormous reward for whoever kills him. This person will receive riches, one of the king’s daughters to wife, along with his entire family exempted from paying taxes.”
David was shocked at no man’s willingness to fight this behemoth of a man. He enquired more about the situation until his older brother overheard the conversation.
I Samuel 17:28 – And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
David faced opposition from his brother and later he would face it from Saul. This is a prime example of what happens when good men stand in the way of all the earth knowing who God is. Eliab wanted to win the battle. He wanted the world to know that the God of Israel was the true God, but he rejected God’s vessel to make that dream come to fruition. Eliab could not see how this curiosity from David could be from the Lord. He questioned David’s motives. Was David attempting to make a name for himself? Was he full of pride? Eliab really believed that he was better prepared. He should be the one God is using.
Not only did he believe it, but Samuel thought the same thing when he went to Jesse’s house to anoint the next king. He picked Eliab first, but God told him otherwise. Eliab thought to himself, “I have lived with David. He is nothing special. He will make so many mistakes.” Do not question Eliab’s motive as he questions David’s motive. Eliab knew his brother was young and wanted to save him from making the mistake of his life. He wanted to protect him. David was not ready to go out to battle. In essence, Eliab refused to believe that David was God’s means of deliverance. Eliab never sleeps. He sits in the pew on Sunday, works with you on Monday, and goes out to eat with you on Tuesday. He is a critic. He believes that his spiritual gift is criticism, and he exercises it whenever possible.
Eliab was not the only good man who stood in the way of God’s plan. Saul questioned David’s ability, just as Eliab questioned David’s motive.
I Samuel 17:33 – And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
Saul was not against David—after all, they were on the same team—but even Saul thought this was ridiculous. Saul was more qualified. He stood head and shoulders above the others. David did not have the resources and capabilities that Saul had. Even though Saul thought he would be more effective, he finally consented and allowed David to go. Saul gave David his armor and helped him put it on. David strapped it on and attempted to walk, but it hindered his movement. He was not comfortable in that armor. David told Saul, “I am not used to working in your armor.” Saul may have thought, “Well, it worked for me. Are you going to try to accomplish God’s work in different armor? You think you will succeed in God’s work even though you are not doing it exactly like me. You had better think again.” David was just as intense about defeating Goliath as Saul. They had the same goal but went about the work a little differently.
Saul must have realized that God was speaking to David. Just because David did not go about the work as Saul would did not mean that it was wrong. David will do God’s work but it may look differently. He may not wear all the armor. The armor brought comfort to Saul, but to David it brought restriction. It brought bondage. They could have spent all day arguing about what to wear while accomplishing God’s work, or they could just accomplish the work.
We do not understand why God uses some people and not others. Man continually struggles to understand God’s work to reach all the earth. This frustration may be evident in certain questions that you have found yourself asking.
Why is God using him? He has obvious character flaws.
Why is God using her? She thinks highly of herself.
Why use them? They do not agree with me on the finer points of preferences and opinions.
Man’s continual struggle to understand God’s work to reach all the earth may be evident in the frustrations we like to sweep under the rug. We all have these frustrations, but like to pretend that they are not there.
The older generation may think that if the younger generation departs from their armor so will the power of the Holy Spirit. The younger generation may see an imbalance or neglect of a truth in the former generation and determine that it will not be neglected in their generation. The inevitable cycle follows: “Sin isn’t talked about much in one generation…so a preacher in the next generation is tempted to talk about nothing else but sin. The preacher intends this for good but the overemphasis on sin actually hinders the next generation” (99). The next generation will come along and attempt to compensate, but will often over compensate.
Movements and counter-movements evolve in competition with one another. It is often said that what one generation does in moderation the next will do in excess. This is sometimes true but not always. The next generation will likely swing the pendulum in the opposite direction. Instead of both generations evaluating what doctrinal imbalances they are in danger of creating, they criticize one another.
We may tell the Lord, “I know you are using them so that all the earth may know you, but, truthfully, I do not like it. They are overemphasizing something here and neglecting something there.”
Why would God use David? “God mercifully uses his erring children. He has no other kind. As J.I. Packer says, ‘God often honors the needle of truth in a haystack of error’. All of us see through a glass darkly for now. Perfection is not required of us for God's favor either in life or in doctrine. Wrong teaching hurts the church. Some wrong teaching can destroy the church. But there is no perfect church. And therefore the only Christian movement in the world is an imperfect one. And if we are going to celebrate at all, we are going to celebrate the work of God in imperfect people with imperfect ideas.” – John Piper
Transition: David had to spend some time convincing Saul that he could do it. David did not trust in another man’s armor: his confidence was born out of the previous experiences. He had killed a bear and a lion with his hands. David took the armor off, picked up sticks and stones, and headed straight for Goliath.
3. God’s unwavering acts to make sure all the earth will know (40-54)
Goliath stepped down the mountain, breathing out fire in the form of trash talk. He talked a big talk and walked a big walk. He said, “I will tear you to shreds like a piece of bread and feed you to the birds.”
I Samuel 17:45-46 – 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. 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.
David, in the ready position, pulled a stone out of his shepherd’s bag and hurled it with his sling. It hit Goliath between the eyes and the stone sunk into his forehead. He stumbled a bit, then fell face down to the earth. The Israelites stood awestruck. David ran to the giant, picked up his sword, and cut off his head.
The Philistines saw their champion die, and ran for fear. The Israelites chased them, strewing dead bodies from the Valley of Elah to Gath. Beasts feasted on the dead bodies and the birds cleaned the plate.
You may be saying, “That is a great story, but I do not have any dogs in the fight. I did not care if David won or if Goliath won but I have enjoyed watching the fight.” You actually have a lot more than a dog in the fight. You have a soul in the fight. What would have happened if David lost that day? Would he have lost some self-confidence, or trust in his sling? He would have lost more—a lot more. This battle was not about David; it was about you. If David lost that day, you would have lost.
We should not only look at David in I Samuel 17, but also throughout the Bible. You will find him in the genealogy in Matthew and Luke.
Matthew 1:1 – The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:6 – And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
Matthew 1:17 – So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
So let us follow the genealogy. If David had been killed by Goliath, there would have been no David. If there were no David, there would be no Solomon. If there were no Solomon, there would be no Jesus. In Luke’s genealogy, Jesus’ genealogy is traced through David’s son Nathan. If there were no David, there would be no Nathan, and if there were no Nathan, there would be no Jesus. If there were no Jesus, then you would be lost for eternity. This battle was not just about David. It was about you. God was fighting for you. God was fulfilling His purpose for mankind.
God’s purposes depended on the result of this battle. The Scripture says of Jesus,
Luke 1:32-33 – He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
If David had been killed that day, then God’s plan throughout the ages would have failed. You could have ripped out every page in your Bible and burned it because God’s purposes had failed. This fight was not about bragging rights. It was about the purposes of God. This victory was a promise to you that God’s purposes will never fail.
God has a plan that He is working in this earth. Jesus is the center of it. No giant can thwart the purposes of God. No politician, no nuclear warfare, no bad day at work, no sickness, no disaster in the family—nothing can stop the purposes of God from moving forward.
Conclusion
This story is not about David. It is about Jesus. Why did David win? He did not win because he spent hours practicing with the sling. He did not win because he was an obedient boy. The author is not intending for you to imitate David. He is pointing out the reality of how God used history to accomplish His purpose.
There are many historical accounts of God’s redemptive acts in Scripture.
The exodus out of Egypt was necessary for Jesus to come.
The deliverance through the Red Sea was a necessity.
The tyrant Pharaoh ordering the death of the male babies was another historical account of God’s redemptive acts in Scripture.
All of God’s redemptive acts through history point to the climatic redemptive event when Jesus faced the cross, the grave, and death, coming up victorious in resurrected form.
Do not see yourself overcoming the giant; see God overcoming the giant. In the David and Goliath story, we find Satan’s failed attempt to stop the leak before the flood of Jesus’ grace overtakes humanity. Satan’s endeavor to eliminate the chosen seed failed. The story of David and Goliath is not about David or Goliath; it is about Jesus and all the victories He accomplished to redeem you unto Himself.
This story is not about all the earth knowing David; it is about all the earth knowing Jesus. I Samuel 17 is God’s work in this world, “That all the earth may know Jesus.”