Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / David and Goliath - The Book of 1 Samuel
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then David said to the Philistine, Thou
- 0:05Speaker 1: comest to me with a sword, and with a spear,
- 0:08Speaker 1: and with a shield. But I come to thee in
- 0:12Speaker 1: the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of
- 0:15Speaker 1: the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defiled. 1 Samuel
- 0:20Speaker 1: 17.45 Dear Lord, when the problems and challenges in my
- 0:26Speaker 1: life seem as big as Goliath, I will mimic the
- 0:30Speaker 1: thoughts and actions of David. I will declare, What is
- 0:35Speaker 1: this problem in front of me that thinks it's bigger
- 0:37Speaker 1: than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Who are
- 0:40Speaker 1: these individuals that think they can stop the plans of
- 0:43Speaker 1: God for my life? No, I will not back down. Lord,
- 0:50Speaker 1: I thank you like David and his sling. You too
- 0:53Speaker 1: have given me my unique and special gifting to overcome
- 0:57Speaker 1: any challenges I face. I will not force myself to
- 1:02Speaker 1: put on strategies and beliefs that have not been tested
- 1:05Speaker 1: in my faith walk. When the problem approaches me like
- 1:09Speaker 1: Goliath in the field of battle, I will work with
- 1:12Speaker 1: what I know has been proven time and time again,
- 1:16Speaker 1: my faith and trust in you, God. With my feet
- 1:22Speaker 1: planted and my eyes fixed on my target, I will
- 1:25Speaker 1: give it all I have and let my faith and
- 1:28Speaker 1: works fly. as they collide with the enemy in front
- 1:33Speaker 1: of me, I will let out a hallelujah because it
- 1:36Speaker 1: has no choice but to fall. I decree that all
- 1:41Speaker 1: giants must fall at the feet of my Heavenly Father.
- 1:46Speaker 1: This is my truth. This is my declaration. In Jesus' name.
- 1:54Speaker 2: Amen.
- 1:57Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
- 2:00Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
- 2:04Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
- 2:17Speaker 3: David and Goliath. In our last story, we learned about
- 2:22Speaker 3: God's plan to choose a new king. A king with
- 2:25Speaker 3: a pure heart that seeks after Him. David, a young
- 2:29Speaker 3: shepherd boy, no older than 17, was anointed king over
- 2:33Speaker 3: Israel by Samuel. David did not know that he was
- 2:36Speaker 3: anointed king, for only Samuel and God knew. However, from
- 2:41Speaker 3: that day forward, everything else would change. Now we will
- 2:44Speaker 3: learn about the giant Goliath posing a challenge to the
- 2:48Speaker 3: people of Israel. No one would step up to his challenge,
- 2:52Speaker 3: nobody except David, inspired by the book of 1 Samuel.
- 3:00Speaker 2: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
- 3:03Speaker 2: Bible in a Year podcast. In our previous episode, we
- 3:06Speaker 2: heard how Samuel went to the home of Jesse, and
- 3:09Speaker 2: after passing every one of Jesse's older, stronger sons, God
- 3:13Speaker 2: told Samuel that David was the young shepherd boy who
- 3:17Speaker 2: would be the king. Samuel anointed David, and God's Spirit
- 3:21Speaker 2: filled this young man. Soon David ended up in the
- 3:24Speaker 2: king's palace, King Saul's palace. And he was called upon
- 3:28Speaker 2: to play the harp for Saul to soothe the king,
- 3:30Speaker 2: to calm his soul that was tormented by the departure
- 3:33Speaker 2: of God's presence in his life. Today, we'll see how
- 3:37Speaker 2: David steps up to boldly face and defeat a Philistine giant.
- 3:41Speaker 2: David's confidence isn't in his own strength, but in God's
- 3:45Speaker 2: victory and in the promise that the battle is the Lord's. Now,
- 3:50Speaker 2: let's listen to today's reading.
- 3:53Speaker 3: The Israelites and the Philistines stood poised for battle on
- 3:57Speaker 3: two hills facing each other with a valley in between them.
- 4:01Speaker 3: The dark clouds hid the sun and hovered closely over
- 4:04Speaker 3: the battlefield below. Israel stood ready for battle with the
- 4:08Speaker 3: city of Judah behind them. The Philistines had camped close,
- 4:12Speaker 3: and this was Israel's last stand to ward off the
- 4:16Speaker 3: Philistines before they invaded Israel. Neither army desired to continue fighting,
- 4:22Speaker 3: Too many men had been lost on both sides, yet
- 4:25Speaker 3: peace was not an option. The Philistines desired to enslave
- 4:29Speaker 3: the Israelite people. Saul stood with his men behind him.
- 4:34Speaker 3: He was weary from battle and the disturbing images of
- 4:37Speaker 3: his nightmares. Saul peered at the army on the other side.
- 4:42Speaker 3: The Philistine men began to part to make room for
- 4:45Speaker 3: a figure making its way to the front. The earth
- 4:48Speaker 3: began to shake slightly, and Saul could hear gasps from
- 4:52Speaker 3: his men as the figure made its way into view.
- 4:56Speaker 3: A soldier from the Philistine army emerged. He loomed over
- 4:59Speaker 3: the other Philistines. His legs were planted firmly into the
- 5:03Speaker 3: ground like tree trunks covered with bronze armor. He had
- 5:07Speaker 3: a coat of bronze mail draped over his chiseled and
- 5:10Speaker 3: monstrous chest. His arms were like beams of stone holding
- 5:14Speaker 3: up his spear and shield. He stood as six feet
- 5:18Speaker 3: and nine inches of raw power. His name was Goliath,
- 5:23Speaker 3: and he was the Philistines' champion. His smile could be
- 5:27Speaker 3: seen through his helmet, and he raised his voice to
- 5:30Speaker 3: the Israelites. He spoke with the bellowings of a god.
- 5:34Speaker 3: His voice seemed as though it could crack the earth.'
- 5:37Speaker 3: Why have you come up to battle?' Do I not
- 5:41Speaker 3: represent all Philistines? Choose for yourself a champion to fight me.
- 5:47Speaker 3: If he slays me, the Philistines shall be your servants.
- 5:51Speaker 3: But if I crush him and every bone in his body,
- 5:55Speaker 3: the Israelites shall bow at our feet. The men behind
- 6:00Speaker 3: Saul trembled in fear behind him, and he could hear
- 6:03Speaker 3: the rattling of shaking armor. Saul stood there silent and
- 6:07Speaker 3: unable to answer. Goliath smiled at their fear, and the
- 6:12Speaker 3: Philistine army laughed as Saul stood there paralyzed and speechless.
- 6:17Speaker 3: Goliath raised his spear into the air and pointed it
- 6:21Speaker 3: towards Saul and his army. I defy you and your armies,
- 6:27Speaker 3: he said as he spat on the ground towards them.
- 6:30Speaker 3: Give me a man to fight, he shouted. Saul could
- 6:35Speaker 3: see the bloodlust in Goliath's eyes. He was truly a
- 6:38Speaker 3: monster designed for destruction. The Philistines chanted behind Goliath and
- 6:44Speaker 3: banged on their shields. All of Israel was dismayed, and
- 6:48Speaker 3: beads of sweat fell from Saul's forehead. For forty days
- 6:53Speaker 3: Goliath stood at the edge of the canyon and challenged
- 6:56Speaker 3: the Israelites. Morning and night, Goliath's challenge would echo through
- 7:01Speaker 3: the Israelite camp. His bloodthirsty voice hovered over the bed
- 7:05Speaker 3: of Saul like a demon. Every soldier was paralyzed with fear.
- 7:11Speaker 3: A few weeks had passed, and David was preparing food
- 7:14Speaker 3: to bring back to his brothers, who served under Saul.
- 7:17Speaker 3: David would go to and from Israel's camp often. He
- 7:21Speaker 3: would tend to his father's sheep, and then travel to
- 7:23Speaker 3: camp to play music for Saul. Upon his father's request...
- 7:28Speaker 3: he packed grains and cheeses for his brothers and their commander.
- 7:32Speaker 3: Early in the morning, David loaded up his donkey and
- 7:35Speaker 3: ventured back to Israel's camp. As David approached to the camp,
- 7:39Speaker 3: he could hear battle cries coming from the edge of
- 7:41Speaker 3: the canyon. He ran towards the sound and made his
- 7:44Speaker 3: way up a rock to observe the battle. The two
- 7:47Speaker 3: armies were poised as they were before, yelling at one
- 7:50Speaker 3: another and goading each other into battle. However, Israel's army
- 7:54Speaker 3: grew silent when Goliath emerged again. David looked at Goliath closely,
- 8:00Speaker 3: studying his movement and mannerisms. He listened as Goliath defied
- 8:04Speaker 3: the armies of Israel, God, and their entire nation. He
- 8:08Speaker 3: watched as the men of Israel, his brothers included, cowered
- 8:12Speaker 3: in fear at the sight of Goliath. David climbed down
- 8:16Speaker 3: and walked among the men at camp.' Have you seen
- 8:18Speaker 3: that Philistine giant?' a man said to him.' The king
- 8:22Speaker 3: has promised riches and his daughter to whoever kills him
- 8:25Speaker 3: in battle.' David clenched his jaw. The words of the
- 8:29Speaker 3: giant resonated in his brain. The spirit of God inside
- 8:33Speaker 3: him was stirring.' Who is this Philistine that he should
- 8:36Speaker 3: defy the armies of Israel and the living God?' David said.
- 8:41Speaker 3: David crossed his arms and thought deeply. His brother Eliab
- 8:45Speaker 3: saw him from the other side of camp. He stormed
- 8:48Speaker 3: towards David and turned him around. What are you doing here?
- 8:52Speaker 3: Eliab shouted. Who have you left the sheep with this time?
- 8:56Speaker 3: I know why you are here, David. You just want
- 8:58Speaker 3: to look at the battle. David paid no attention to
- 9:02Speaker 3: his brother. He had just seen him run away from
- 9:04Speaker 3: Goliath in fear. Instead, David turned and walked toward Saul's tent.
- 9:09Speaker 3: Without permission to enter, David burst through the tent and
- 9:12Speaker 3: knelt at the foot of Saul. David, looking down at
- 9:16Speaker 3: the floor, said, Do not let anyone's heart fail because
- 9:19Speaker 3: of the giant. I will go up against him. Saul
- 9:23Speaker 3: and the others in his tent held in chuckles. Saul
- 9:26Speaker 3: helped David up on his feet and said, You are
- 9:29Speaker 3: not able to go up against him. You are a boy,
- 9:33Speaker 3: and he has been killing since he was a boy.
- 9:36Speaker 3: David gave a slight grin. His eyes were gleaming with
- 9:39Speaker 3: intensity and hope. David looked up and said, As you know,
- 9:43Speaker 3: I keep the sheep for my father. Any time there
- 9:46Speaker 3: was a lion or bear that stole away a lamb
- 9:49Speaker 3: from the flock, I would go after it and strike
- 9:51Speaker 3: it down. I have delivered sheep from the jaws of lions.
- 9:55Speaker 3: I have struck them down. This Philistine shall be like
- 9:59Speaker 3: one of them. for he has threatened the sheep of God.
- 10:03Speaker 3: Saul and the others gritted their teeth and looked at
- 10:05Speaker 3: one another with concerned faces. David continued, saying, The Lord
- 10:10Speaker 3: has delivered me from the paw of the lion and
- 10:12Speaker 3: the claw of the bear. He will deliver me from
- 10:15Speaker 3: the hand of this giant. Saul looked down at David.
- 10:19Speaker 3: He stroked his beard and let out a sigh. He
- 10:22Speaker 3: was old and unable to fight Goliath, but perhaps this
- 10:25Speaker 3: boy had the anointing of God. David held his breath,
- 10:29Speaker 3: waiting for Saul's answer. He looked again at David and said, Go,
- 10:35Speaker 3: may the Lord be with you. Then Saul immediately went
- 10:38Speaker 3: to the chest laying at the foot of his throne.
- 10:41Speaker 3: You will need these, Saul said as he took out
- 10:44Speaker 3: his armor and began to dress David in it. He
- 10:47Speaker 3: put a helmet of bronze on his head and draped
- 10:49Speaker 3: a coat of mail over his body. He strapped his
- 10:53Speaker 3: sword over his shoulder and tightened his belt to keep
- 10:56Speaker 3: the armor together. David waddled in place, almost unable to
- 11:00Speaker 3: move under the sheer weight of Saul's armor. David gave
- 11:03Speaker 3: Saul a concerned look and said, My king, I cannot
- 11:07Speaker 3: go out and battle with these. So David took off
- 11:10Speaker 3: the armor. David nodded to Saul, picked up his shepherd's staff,
- 11:15Speaker 3: and walked out of the tent. David passed by a
- 11:18Speaker 3: creek bed to choose five smooth stones. He put them
- 11:22Speaker 3: in his shepherd's pouch as he prayed to God for strength.
- 11:26Speaker 3: Without armor, having only his staff and sling, David ran
- 11:29Speaker 3: towards the battlefield. David came into the middle of the valley.
- 11:33Speaker 3: The mumbles of Israelite soldiers could be heard from above.
- 11:37Speaker 3: They watched David as he approached Goliath. The two stood
- 11:40Speaker 3: about fifty yards away from one another. The giant looked
- 11:44Speaker 3: down and saw David. Goliath laughed and spat towards him, saying,
- 11:49Speaker 3: Am I a dog that you come to me with
- 11:51Speaker 3: a stick? He pounded his spear against his shield and
- 11:54Speaker 3: cursed David by his guards. Goliath's smile turned into a scowl.
- 12:00Speaker 3: He spoke only to David now. He did not yell
- 12:03Speaker 3: or raise his voice for others to hear. He simply
- 12:06Speaker 3: looked at David intensely and said, Come to me, boy.
- 12:10Speaker 3: I will give your flesh for the birds and beasts
- 12:12Speaker 3: to feast on. David met Goliath's hateful gaze and said,''
- 12:17Speaker 3: You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but
- 12:21Speaker 3: I come to you in the name of the Lord
- 12:23Speaker 3: of heaven and earth. It is he you have defied.''
- 12:27Speaker 3: David pointed his staff to Goliath and raised his voice
- 12:30Speaker 3: for all to hear, saying,'' Today the Lord will deliver
- 12:34Speaker 3: you into my hand. I will strike you down, and
- 12:38Speaker 3: your head will roll off your body.'' The birds and
- 12:41Speaker 3: beasts will feast on your corpse, and all the world
- 12:44Speaker 3: shall know that there is a God in Israel who
- 12:47Speaker 3: fights for us. At that moment, Goliath ran towards David
- 12:52Speaker 3: in a fury. The giant shook the earth below him
- 12:55Speaker 3: as he mounted an attack. David planted his feet firmly
- 12:58Speaker 3: into the ground. He drew a stone from his bag
- 13:01Speaker 3: and placed it in the leather cradle of his sling.
- 13:04Speaker 3: All was silent, and David could only hear the sound
- 13:07Speaker 3: of his breathing. David had one chance to hit the giant.
- 13:11Speaker 3: If he missed, there would be no second shot. David
- 13:14Speaker 3: wore no helmet. It would only cast a shadow on
- 13:17Speaker 3: his vision, and his aim must be precise. David wore
- 13:22Speaker 3: no breastplate. It was heavy on his chest, and his
- 13:25Speaker 3: breathing must be unhindered. His sling swung in place behind
- 13:28Speaker 3: him as Goliath narrowed the gap between them. The giant's
- 13:32Speaker 3: legs burst with power, ready to launch towards him. David
- 13:36Speaker 3: swung his hips and released the stone into the air.
- 13:40Speaker 3: It released with precision, whistling through the air towards Goliath.
- 13:44Speaker 3: A direct hit. The stone sank into his forehead and
- 13:48Speaker 3: cracked his skull. The giant's leap was interrupted as he
- 13:52Speaker 3: fell to the floor. The earth quaked as his massive
- 13:55Speaker 3: body hit the dirt. The giant lay there motionless. David
- 14:00Speaker 3: wasted no time. He ran toward the Philistine, took his
- 14:03Speaker 3: sword from his hand and drove it straight through his neck.
- 14:06Speaker 3: David held the head of Goliath in his hand for
- 14:09Speaker 3: all the Philistines to see. David could hear a roar
- 14:13Speaker 3: of men storming behind him as the armies of Israel
- 14:16Speaker 3: crossed the valley towards the Philistines. They passed David and
- 14:20Speaker 3: ran towards the enemy. The Philistines ran as the children
- 14:24Speaker 3: of Israel stormed their camp. David pursued the Philistines alongside
- 14:29Speaker 3: them and began to fight alongside his brothers. As the
- 14:33Speaker 3: battle raged on, Saul saw David from a distance fighting
- 14:37Speaker 3: with fury, tact and skill. Who is that warrior? Saul
- 14:41Speaker 3: asked his commander. That is David, the commander replied. So
- 14:46Speaker 3: all of Israel was liberated at the hands of David.
- 14:50Speaker 3: David brought back the armor of Goliath and the entire
- 14:53Speaker 3: nation shouted in victory and praise over him. David's heart
- 14:57Speaker 3: of courage spoke of a greater story happening in Israel.
- 15:01Speaker 3: a story of a shepherd who would lay down his
- 15:03Speaker 3: life to save his sheep, a shepherd who would fight lions, giants,
- 15:07Speaker 3: and armies to restore his sheep to green pastures and
- 15:10Speaker 3: still waters. David's bravery mirrored the shepherding heart of God
- 15:15Speaker 3: over Israel. God would use David in years to come
- 15:19Speaker 3: to shepherd and guide his sheep into prosperity, safety, and refreshment.
- 15:24Speaker 3: One day, God would send another shepherd that would rise
- 15:28Speaker 3: from Bethlehem, a shepherd who that would slay the biggest
- 15:31Speaker 3: giant of all, sin and death.
- 15:40Speaker 2: Today's story begins with two enemies poised, ready for battle.
- 15:45Speaker 2: The Philistines and Israelites each camped on hills facing each other.
- 15:49Speaker 2: For now there is only the threat of imminent war,
- 15:52Speaker 2: but the Philistines have a secret weapon. A ferocious, terrifying
- 15:57Speaker 2: giant by the name of Goliath. a man more powerful
- 16:00Speaker 2: than anyone on either side of the fight. This giant
- 16:04Speaker 2: struck fear in the hearts of his own people, let
- 16:06Speaker 2: alone the Israelites who watched him from a distance. Goliath
- 16:10Speaker 2: was not only a giant, powerful and strong, he was
- 16:13Speaker 2: also brash and confident, unafraid of any man who would
- 16:17Speaker 2: come against him. So Goliath shouted his challenge to Saul's army.
- 16:22Speaker 2: Rather than send armies against each other, they would settle
- 16:25Speaker 2: this one on one. Goliath would stand for the Philistines
- 16:30Speaker 2: and Israel would send out their best hope, their best fighter.
- 16:34Speaker 2: Should the Israelite challenger win, the Philistines would serve them. Otherwise,
- 16:38Speaker 2: Israel would be slaves to the Philistines. Saul and his
- 16:43Speaker 2: men were unwilling to take this challenge. They were all
- 16:47Speaker 2: terrorized by this giant. No one stepped forward. But Goliath
- 16:53Speaker 2: kept issuing the challenge. For 40 days, he taunted and
- 16:57Speaker 2: terrified Saul's army, showing nothing but contempt and anger. He
- 17:02Speaker 2: ridiculed not just them, but their God as well, blaspheming
- 17:06Speaker 2: the God of heaven. Goliath respected no man or God.
- 17:11Speaker 2: When David went to the battlefield to take food to
- 17:13Speaker 2: his brothers, he heard Goliath's threats and insults. The giant
- 17:18Speaker 2: was disrespecting Almighty God, and David was full of faith.
- 17:22Speaker 2: and zealous and mighty in the power of God. So
- 17:24Speaker 2: he told Saul that he would face the terrible giant.
- 17:28Speaker 2: This seemed like a ridiculous proposition, of course. Saul told
- 17:32Speaker 2: David as much and said that he couldn't send him
- 17:35Speaker 2: into a fight destined for death. But David told Saul
- 17:39Speaker 2: of the beast that he had faced, and as a shepherd,
- 17:42Speaker 2: how he had defeated lions and bears. Then in 1
- 17:45Speaker 2: Samuel 17, verse 37, David says this, The Lord who
- 17:51Speaker 2: delivered me from the paw of the lion and from
- 17:53Speaker 2: the paw of the bear will deliver me from the
- 17:55Speaker 2: hand of this Philistine. David understood that all he needed
- 18:00Speaker 2: was the power and the promise of God. The size
- 18:04Speaker 2: of the enemy is unimportant when the Lord is on
- 18:06Speaker 2: your side. And yes, the battle is the Lord's. So
- 18:10Speaker 2: David faced off against the giant. He refused to wear
- 18:15Speaker 2: the king's armor, which was heavy and weighing him down.
- 18:18Speaker 2: and he faced him like a shepherd with a sling
- 18:20Speaker 2: and some stones and the power of God. Goliath mocked
- 18:25Speaker 2: David and blasphemed God. But David told Goliath that it
- 18:30Speaker 2: was not him that he was facing but the Lord
- 18:32Speaker 2: of heaven and earth, and God would deliver Goliath into
- 18:35Speaker 2: his hands. David hurled his stone that sunk deep into
- 18:39Speaker 2: Goliath's forehead, and the fearsome warrior fell. David ran to
- 18:43Speaker 2: him and removed his head, holding it high for the
- 18:46Speaker 2: terrified Philistines to see their champion now dead on the battlefield.
- 18:51Speaker 2: This story is certainly about bravery, David's courage and bravery
- 18:55Speaker 2: to face the enemy. But it is also, most importantly,
- 19:00Speaker 2: about God's power to defeat every enemy that opposes him.
- 19:04Speaker 2: God will not be mocked. And he mightily used David
- 19:08Speaker 2: to show just how powerful he is to accomplish his purposes.
- 19:13Speaker 2: And it points to the ultimate good shepherd, the Lord
- 19:15Speaker 2: Jesus Christ, who would one day slay the greatest giant
- 19:19Speaker 2: of all, the giant of sin and death. David was now,
- 19:23Speaker 2: of course, a hero to the people, and his legend
- 19:26Speaker 2: would only grow. We'll hear more of his journey, its
- 19:30Speaker 2: highs and lows, in tomorrow's episodes. God, help us always
- 19:34Speaker 2: to remember that the battle is your battle, that we
- 19:38Speaker 2: fight from a position of strength and power when we
- 19:41Speaker 2: trust in you. Thank you for the victory that we
- 19:44Speaker 2: have in the Lord Jesus Christ. May we also, like David,
- 19:48Speaker 2: have a heart for you and to be full of
- 19:51Speaker 2: faith to defeat every enemy in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank
- 19:56Speaker 2: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
- 20:00Speaker 2: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app
- 20:03Speaker 2: and make prayer and Bible study a priority in your life.
- 20:08Speaker 2: If you enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you
- 20:10Speaker 2: love or know, and by sharing this podcast, we can
- 20:13Speaker 2: get the Word of God to the world. And if
- 20:16Speaker 2: you want more resources on how to tap into God's
- 20:19Speaker 2: power for Christian living, be sure to visit jackgram.org. God
- 20:24Speaker 2: bless you.