The Challenger

Pastor Don Carpenter

Five Smooth Stones (Sermon Kit) / 1 Samuel 17:1–11; 1 Peter 5:8

Death was handled differently in the ancient world. An archaeologist was digging in the Negev Desert in Israel and came upon a casket containing a mummy. After examining it, he called the curator of a prestigious natural history museum.

“I’ve just discovered a 3,000 year old mummy of a man who died of heart failure!” the excited scientist exclaimed.

To which the curator replied, “Bring him in. We’ll check it out.”

A week later, the amazed curator called the archaeologist. “You were right about the mummy’s age and cause of death. How in the world did you know?”

“Easy. There was a piece of paper in his hand that said, ‘10,000 Shekels on Goliath’.”

The story of David and Goliath is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It shows that God can do anything with someone who will trust him to do so.

It’s a story about an unlikely hero named David, defeating a mighty giant and enemy named Goliath. But there is so much more to be learned from this story than a simple statement, “God is bigger than my giants.” While this is no doubt true, let’s unpack the whole story to see what we can learn.

As we kick off the series, first, we need to learn about the larger than life challenger, Goliath.

1 Samuel 17:1–3 KJV

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 Ephes-dammim. 

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.

17:2 the valley of Elah This valley was in the Shephelah, the western foothills of Israel. It ran between Philistine territory in the west and Judah in the east. The Philistines were on the north side of the valley, and the Israelites on the south.1

1 Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., Whitehead, M. M., Grigoni, M. R., & Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (1 Sa 17:2). Lexham Press.

I Samuel to Esther Chapter 17

3. [In the middle of the broad open valley (v. 2) is a aeep trench (v. 3) with vertical sides, a valley within a valley: the sides and bed of the trench are strewn with water-worn pebbles. (Conder.)]

1 Samuel 17:4–7 KJV

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.

Goliath’s height is given in the text as about nine and a half feet. It is suspected that he is of the same stock as the Anakim, the giant inhabitants of the land that the Israelite armies were able to defeat in the conquest. The descendants of Anak are generally considered “giants,” though the description “gigantic” may be a more appropriate line of thinking. Champions of this size are not simply a figment of Israelite imagination or the result of embellished legends. The Egyptian letter on Papyrus Anastasi I (thirteenth century b.c.) describes fierce warriors in Canaan who are seven to nine feet tall. Additionally, two female skeletons about seven feet tall from the twelfth century have been found at Tell es-Sa’ideyeh in Transjordan.1

1 Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed., 1 Sa 17:4). InterVarsity Press.

Goliath’s armor. Goliath’s helmet was likely the typical Philistine feathered headdress known from Palestinian and Egyptian art. His body armor (“plaited cuirass”) was probably of a well-known Egyptian style of bronze scale armor that covered the entire body, weighing over 125 pounds. One of the best descriptions of scale armor comes from the Nuzi texts, where a mail coat was comprised of anywhere from seven hundred to over one thousand scales of varying sizes. These scales were sewn onto a jerkin of leather or cloth. The front and back were sewn together at the shoulders (with a space for the head) and probably reached to the knees. His greaves were probably made of molded bronze around the entire calf, padded inside with leather, a type known from Mycenaean Greece. His scimitar (niv: bronze javelin) was probably a heavy, curved, flat sword with a cutting edge on the outer side of the blade (see comment on Josh 8:18). His spear was something like a javelin, with an iron spear point that weighed over fifteen pounds. It may have been equipped with a ring for slinging, a type known both in contemporary Greece and Egypt. Although most of the weapons were made of bronze, the spear point was made of iron. Goliath’s shield was most likely a standing shield, which would have been larger that a round shield.1

1 Matthews, V. H., Chavalas, M. W., & Walton, J. H. (2000). The IVP Bible background commentary: Old Testament (electronic ed., 1 Sa 17:5–7). InterVarsity Press.

So the scene is set. Goliath, a seemingly unbeatable foe has a strategy that we have seen before.

1 Peter 5:8 KJV

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

 The Enemy Will Question – Cause Doubt

1 Samuel 17:8 KJV

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.

You see there are many attributes we could probably name that are behind these words from Goliath. However, there’s one I think is most important in relation to our own battles with the enemy: doubt. And doubt is an age-old tactic used by the evil one in our lives today.

Have you ever struggled with doubt?

Hebrews 11:6 KJV

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

 We believe on evidence. Now the most foolish part of many men’s doubts, is, that they do not doubt on evidence.

 Mr. Fearing Comforted, Volume 5, Sermon #246 – Matthew 14:31

 Charles Spurgeon

The reality is, we all have this natural tendency to doubt from time to time. And the devil, the evil one, is the king of doubts. He is constantly planting doubt in our heads that leads us to question God. Even all the way back in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, this is exactly how he operated.

Genesis 3:1 KJV

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Here, the evil one asks a simple question that causes doubt to slip into the minds of Adam and Eve. He is in the business of distracting folks like you and me from the truth. Therefore, we need to be aware of the questions we may be confronted with.

In the case of Goliath, can’t you just see the Israelite heads dropping after this question? “He’s right, we are wasting our time. We can’t defeat him. We can’t fight against him.” But, do you want to hear something wild? I think the Israelites would be completely accurate in their assumptions. They are right! They can’t defeat Goliath on their own.

However, there will soon be a warrior who rolls up to the scene and doesn’t try to fight his enemy with his own strength. This is something we can’t miss. Some of us have allowed discouragement and doubt to slip in because we have the wrong perspective on our battle. The Bible makes it clear we were never meant to fight the enemy on our own. In fact, if we try to do it all on our own, we will fail.

Joshua 1:9 KJV

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Interestingly enough, right after Goliath asks this question to the Israelite army, he makes a profound statement. He says, “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul.”

The Enemy Will Condemn – Reproach

 1 Samuel 17:8 (KJV)

 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.

Now, it’s clear, at least on paper, Goliath has the advantage. And therefore, he speaks with a tone of condemnation. He’s extremely confident going into this. However, there’s an important statement we can’t miss here, because it shows us a key tactic of the evil one in our lives as well. Goliath, when speaking about the Israelites, says, “you are only the servants of Saul.”

It was ancient custom for the king to allow other capable warriors to fight in his name… but the king was expected to step up if no one else could or would. Goliath was calling Saul out by name.

A few minutes ago, we spoke about doubt. But here, I want us to talk about trust. When we remove everything else, who do we trust? Who do we serve? Who do we look to? You see, it’s clear how prominent division is in our world. In fact, I would argue it is one of the most prominent tactics of the devil among God’s people. He will do whatever it takes to associate you with anyone but God. Some of us have associated ourselves with our denominational affiliation more so than our identity with Christ. Others of us are more inclined to look to a political leader than God Himself for our hope. And when we do, it only creates further division.

 … it cannot be denied that the way of the cross is unpopular and that it brings a measure of reproach upon those who take it.

 A. W. Tozer

The difference between the Israelite army and David, as we will see next week, is perspective on the situation. In our own lives, what kind of perspective do we have when we receive questions? When we hear a voice of condemnation, do we automatically just believe it to be true? If we claim to follow Jesus, that means we serve a risen Savior, One who is all-powerful. It’s important to remember this when we sense a false identity being thrown our way by the voice of condemnation.

The Enemy Will Strike Fear

1 Samuel 17:11 KJV

When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

We already talked about how the devil wants to distract people like you and me from God. He will do whatever it takes to make that happen. One of his most prominent tactics, by using things like questions, doubts, and condemning words, is to strike fear.

1 John 4:17–19 KJV

Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. 

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. 

We love him, because he first loved us.

2 Timothy 1:7 KJV

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Fear will often try to keep us from stepping out in faith.

Matthew 14:24–28 KJV

But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. 

And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 

And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. 

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

This story is one of Peter taking an action step of faith. There are four crucial words spoken by Jesus, however, prior to Peter taking his step: “Do not be afraid.” Peter seemed to have the confidence he needed because of the voice he chose to listen to and trust. That’s the question we must be confronted with today: which voice are we listening to in order to trust?

___

The early American Indians had a unique practice of training young braves.

On the night of a boy’s thirteenth birthday, after learning hunting, scouting, and fishing skills, he was put to one final test.

He was placed in a dense forest to spend the entire night alone.

Until then, he had never been away from the security of the family and tribe.

But on this night, he was blindfolded and taken several miles away.

When he took off the blindfold, he was in the middle of a thick woods, and he was terrified.

Every time a twig snapped, he visualized a wild animal ready to pounce.

After what seemed like an eternity, dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight entered the interior of the forest.

Looking around, the boy saw flowers, trees, and the outline of a path.

Then to his utter astonishment, he beheld the figure of a man standing just a few feet away, armed with bow and arrow.

It was his father.

He had been there all night long.

Conclusion

The word of God shows us consistently what God’s voice actually sounds like. That’s why it is so important to spend time reading and studying it. In fact, I’ve heard it said we must “soak and bathe in the word of God.”

Exported from Logos Bible Software, 10:54 AM November 3, 2022.