PerryDox – BeJustAChristian

Let’s begin with a game. “Who Am I?”

• I was born in Bethlehem.
• I will become famous for a battle in which I will be victorious.
• The number 40 will have significance.
• Before the battle ever began, I was chosen among my brothers, although not because of my appearance.
• I was sent by my father
• My brothers ridiculed me and accused me falsely.
• I ended up fighting a battle against the enemy that no one else could defeat, and winning.
• Before fighting the ultimate battle, I had already proved myself victorious against lesser enemies.
• I chose to fight out of love for my people and my God.
• I came in the name of the Lord.
• I did not win the battle with conventional means, but I won anyway.
• I bruised the enemy on the head.
• I even used the enemy’s weapon to defeat and win the battle.
• Taxes are part of the story.
• One man won the battle for all.
• My victory led to me being given a bride.
• My victory led to me becoming king.

If you said, David you are correct. If you said, Jesus, you are correct. If you said both David and Jesus, you are very correct. Playing the game “Who Am I?” helps with another question, which is, “Why are we told the story of David and Goliath?”

Asking why anything in the Bible is written is asking the question of the intent of the author. Sometimes an author has an immediate purpose of which he is obviously aware. Sometimes “The Author” behind the author, because of inspiration, had intentions far beyond the imagination of the writer. An example of such is dual fulfillments of prophecies.

The author of this sermon has an intent beyond the story itself also. First, I want to encourage enthusiastic study. The Bible is not meant to be a boring book. Second, I want to equip you with tools needed to make studying the Bible enthusiastic. Third, to increase the impact of such study on your spiritual life.

Let’s consider three purposes of the David and Goliath narrative.

• Immediate Intent – to explain and support the Davidic Dynasty.
• Moral Intent – David represents Israel and Goliath the Canaanites.
• Messianic Intent – Jesus is David (type and antitype); Jesus is the son of David and the therefore the rightful heir.

I. Immediate Intent

How does the story of David and Goliath legitimize the Davidic Dynasty? The answer is found in how Divinity chose to reveal the details, or even providentially arrange the details so that they match another story.

The story of David and Goliath is not just about the success of David. It is also about the failure of Saul. Can you think of another time within the history of the Israelites involving giants, 40 days, a foreign people, fear, and a lack of trust in God? If you said, “Israel’s failure to enter the Promised Land under Moses,” you would be correct (Numbers 13:23-33). Israel failed to enter Canaan out of fear of giants, and Saul feared to fight the giant Goliath. Saul represents failed Israel wandering in the wilderness for 40 years as he wanders back and forth cowering before Goliath for 40 days.

The failed monarchy of Saul will be replaced by David, much as the failed Israelites died in the wilderness replaced by a new generation that would succeed.

Because of Saul’s failure even before this, with reference to the Amalekites, David is anointed as king by Samuel. Anointed, but not yet officially recognized. David as king is the head of Israel. Being the head of Israel, he is in a representative sense, Israel. This time, the anointed one, before officially becoming king, will defeat the giant, Goliath.

Let’s narrow the focus from the right to possess the Promised Land, to the right to rule the Promised People.

Further evidence that the narrative of David and Goliath is designed to solidify and authenticate the Davidic throne is found by looking at how the story of David and Goliath ends:

1 Samuel 17:51-54 HCSB  David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran. (52) The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. (53) When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps. (54) David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

Now compare, or contrast, that triumphant end to the ignoble end of Saul’s reign:

1 Samuel 31:8-10 HCSB  The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa.  (9)  They cut off Saul’s head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among the people. (10) Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and hung his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

Under David the Philistines are routed. Under Saul, the Philistines rout the Israelites. What the Philistines will do to Saul is what David did to Goliath. If the Philistines defeated Saul; and if David defeated the Philistines; then David is greater than Saul.

Also, in the reign of David as king of Israel, you find him repeatedly reenacting his victory over the Philistines. David’s reign is filled with wars and blood. But David’s reign is also filled with victories.

After his reign, the Philistines are rarely a problem for Israel. David’s son Solomon, “… ruled over all the kings from the Euphrates River to the land of the Philistines and as far as the border of Egypt” (2 Chronicles 9:26 HCSB). In both 1 and 2 Kings, the Philistines are not again embattling Israel until when Hezekiah is said to defeat the Philistines (2 Kings 18:8). Maybe such reckoning is to remind the Southern Tribe of Judah that Hezekiah is like David.

David, and David’s descendants are the rightful heirs to the throne of Israel. There will be a future son of David that will reclaim that right. But that is getting to another intent and purpose of “The Author.”

II. Moral Intent

The stories in the Bible are not just stories. Calling them “stories” is not implying they are fables or simply morality tales. Having said that, it is imperative to understand that they do teach morals and that is one of their purposes. In fact, to not make applications is missing a main impact of the story. In fact again, that may be one of the main purposes in recording and retaining the stories. The way that cultures hand down values is often by stories. This is especially true in a society where the written word is rare. Cultures use fiction, fables, and facts.

For example, did George Washington really cut down a cherry tree and confess to his father, “I cannot lie”? Modernists would confess the historicity of the event is not nearly as important as the moral lesson being taught. Which, incidentally, I find ironic. They are basically saying it is OK to tell a lie about George Washington not telling a lie in order to teach people not to lie. Of course if this is a lie, then someone lied about George Washington in order to teach the moral lesson not to lie.

“(T)he story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree was apparently a lie concocted by an acquaintance of Washington, Mason Locke Weems, to teach a lesson about truthfulness.” (Kenneth L. Chumbley, The Gospel Argument for God, p.61)

But these biblical stories are not fiction or fables. They are facts, first and foremost, before they are morality tales. The reality teaches the morality. Behind the moral lessons are real, historical events. In a way, stories such as David and Goliath, and so many others, are both “historical parables” and “parabolic histories.”

If everything I have said above is true, then we learn a valuable lesson. Teaching morals is accomplished by more than reiterating and repeating rules. Teaching morals is more than just remembering a list of “thou shalt nots” and “thou shalts.” Teaching morals sometimes means teaching stories. Stories are how we remember, whether as children or adults. We should never get too old for good stories, especially God’s stories.

That is why I love to teach using the 3 R’s.

So what lessons were to be learned and taught to and by the Israelites? They are basically the same lessons we need today, because people are people, and people do not change. These lessons can multiplied, but let us narrow them down to two basic ones.

• First, most of our problems in the present are because we did not make the right decisions in the past.
• Second, even when we didn’t make the right decisions in the past, when confronting our present problems we can be victorious with, and only with, the power of God.

Let’s look at the first lesson – Present problems exist because past problems were not handled properly.

The story of David and Goliath actually begins before it begins. Normally we start this story in 1 Samuel 17. We need to back up a few chapters, and even a few centuries. Other events precede the collision course of David and Goliath helping to mold the scene. There is a valuable lesson here for us. None of our life happens in a vacuum. Almost everything, if not everything, is interrelated. Decisions we made years ago, affect us today. Decisions we make today, will affect us in many years. That is why it is so important to make the right decisions. Let’s look at the history that preceded this monumental event.

1. The Conquest of Canaan

(Josh.23:13; Judg.2:1-5)

The Philistines had not been originally conquered during Joshua’s time due to a lack of time (Joshua 13:1ff). But it was ultimately a lack of fidelity on the part of Israel which led to the Philistines not being later subdued (Josh.23:13; Judg.2:1-5). In other words, Present problems exist because past problems were not handled properly.

2. The Conquest of Amalekites

(1 Samuel 15)

Looking at history closer to the time of David and Goliath, makes us wonder why Saul did not march out to fight Goliath. Think, why did Israel want a king? One reason was to be like the nations around them (1 Samuel 8:5,20). But more applicable to this narrative is another reason – to “fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). And who was chosen? Someone who “stood a head taller than anyone else” (1 Samuel 9:2; 10:23). The tallest man in Israel who was chosen to fight their battles, cowered in his tent. Why?

In 1 Samuel 10, Saul becomes like one of the prophets. In chapter 11 he defeats the Ammonites.  Chapter 13, Jonathan, Saul’s son, defeats the Philistines and Saul gathers Israel for battle. But fear grips the Israelites, and Saul sins by usurping the priestly office and offering a sacrifice (vv.8-9). Samuel announces God’s decision “now your reign will not endure” (1 Sam.13:14). Saul again fails, this time by not annihilating the Amalekites, and their king, Agag (1 Sam.15). Samuel again announces Saul’s rejection.

What’s important is how this account of Saul’s rise and fall begins and ends. It begins by saying, “When Saul turned around to leave Samuel, God changed his heart” (1 Samuel 10:9). “Then  the Spirit of God took control of him and he prophesied along with them” (1 Samuel 10:10). It ends right before the story of David and Goliath with, “Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord began to torment him” (1 Samuel 16:14). This is the last scene before the story of David and Goliath. No wonder when Saul heard the defiant boasts of Goliath, “Saul and all Israel…lost their courage and were terrified” (1 Samuel 17:11). Saul’s present problems exist because past problems were not handled properly.

Now let’s look at the second moral lesson: Present problems from the past can be handled if we rely on the Lord.

1. The Bad Report Of The Spies

(Num.13:25-33)

The moral lesson is that apparently Israel of David’s time was not willing to learn from its history, and therefore was doomed to repeat it. This is not the first time in the history of the Israelites involving giants, a valley, 40 days, fear, and a lack of trust in God. How often do we let fear rule and fear ruin?

After the wilderness wanderings, when God granted Caleb the right, along with Joshua, to finally enter the land of Canaan, do you remember what happened? Do you remember what Caleb did? This righteous Israelite, “Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak” (Joshua 15:14 HCSB ).

Who were the descendants of Anak? Giants. What was Goliath? A giant. Giants caused fear in Israel before entering Canaan, and a giant caused fear in Israel after receiving their promised land. Both Caleb and David defeated giants because God was with them. God was pleased with both Caleb and David, and rewarded them both for their trust. Both are given the right to possess Canaan. Both are heroes.

David and Goliath, as a story, is in many ways a repeat with a difference, a profound difference which teaches a moral lesson. Compare Caleb’s and Joshua’s confidence with David’s:

• Numbers 14:8-9 HCSB  If the LORD is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us.  (9)  Only don’t rebel against the LORD, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!”
• 1 Samuel 17:45 HCSB  David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies–you have defied Him.

The moral lesson is simple and profound. “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31). “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

III. Messianic Intent

Let’s go back to our game. “Who Am I?”

• I was born in Bethlehem (1 Sam.16:1; 17:12; Micah 5:2; Matt.2:1; John 7:42).
• I will become famous for a battle in which I will be victorious (1 Sam.17; Col.2:15).
• The number 40 will have significance (1 Sam.17:16; Matt.4:2; Acts 1:3).
• Before the battle ever began, I was chosen among my brothers, although not because of my appearance (1 Sam.16:7; Isa.52:14; 53:2).
• I was sent by my father (1 Sam.17:17-19; John 6:44)
• My brothers ridiculed me and accused me falsely (1 Sam.17:28-29; Mt.26:59-68).
• I ended up fighting a battle against the enemy that no one else could defeat, and winning (1 Sam.17:11; John 3:16).
• Before fighting the ultimate battle, I had already proved myself victorious against lesser enemies (1 Sam.17:34-37; Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15).
• I chose to fight out of love for my people and my God (1 Sam.17:45-47; John 13:1).
• I came in the name of the Lord (1 Sam.17:45; Matt.21:19).
• I did not win the battle with conventional means, but I won anyway (1 Sam.17:38-46; Rom.5:10).
• I bruised the enemy on the head (1 Sam.17:49; Gen.3:15).
• I even used the enemy’s weapon to defeat and win the battle (1 Sam.17:50-51; Heb.2:14).
• Taxes are part of the story (1 Sam.17:25 ; Matt.17:24-27).
• One man won the battle for all (1 Sam.17:8-11; Rom.5:18-19).
• My victory led to me being given a bride (1 Sam.17:25; 18:27; Rev.21:9).
• My victory led to me becoming king (2 Sam.2:4; Acts 2:32-36).

I believe one of the purposes and intents of many of the stories in the Old Testament was to help the Jewish people identify their Messiah. When they saw Jesus, they should have thought, “Hmmm, this seems familiar….”

IV. The Story of David and Goliath

I hope after all the above study, we will be able to appreciate the story of David and Goliath more fully. So for now, read the story of David and Goliath again, for the very first time.

Tags: Apologetics, Hermeneutics, Sermon

This entry was posted by PHall on Thursday, November 11th, 2010 at 11:55 pm and is filed under I Samuel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.