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1 Samuel 17:1-58 · Providence Baptist Church - Sermons

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Nathan said earlier is going to be 1st Samuel chapter 17.
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A very well-known text to us.
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It's the story of David and Goliath.
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We've heard this story taught in our own churches that we've been a part of throughout the years.
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You know, we've all come from different places, walks of life,
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and this is a text that is touched on a lot from a lot of different circles,
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a lot of different people, in a lot of different ways.
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We often hear expressions like conquer your Goliath or throw your stone of faith.
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Those are references to this text, and it's a way for us to kind of conceptualize,
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communicate this idea of overcoming trial, overcoming problems in our life.
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I think it is almost always well-meaning when people say these things,
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but the reality is I think there's so much more going on in this text than just that, as good as that is.
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And so my hope and my prayer is that we'll be able to walk through that today
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and see more of the true glory of this story, the truly good news that we have in Christ in 1st Samuel 17.
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So we're going to walk through this text together and just kind of highlight that ultimate reality,
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that redemptive historical reality that is meant to be displayed throughout this text.
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So again, starting in 1st Samuel 17, verse 1.
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Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle,
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and they were gathered at Soca, which belongs to Judah,
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and encamped between Soca and Ezekiah and Ephesdamun.
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So this is near Bethlehem, about 15 miles from the town.
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In verse 2,
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And Saul, he's currently king, right, King Saul,
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and Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah.
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And they drew up in the line of battle against the Philistines.
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And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side,
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and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side,
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with a valley between them.
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And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath,
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whose height was six cubits and a span.
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He had a helmet of bronze on his head,
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and he was armed with a coat of mail.
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The weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze,
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and he had bronze armor on his legs.
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And a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders,
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and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam.
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And his spear's head,
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this is just the head of the spear, not the whole thing, the head,
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weighed 600 shekels of iron.
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And his shield-bearer went before him.
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So a couple notes here so far.
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This is the only passage in the Bible where the word champion is used.
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It's used twice in this passage, and it's the only time it occurs.
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It literally means the man between two,
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referring to this big man, this Goliath of Gath.
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He's between the two armies on the two mountains.
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He was six cubits in a span.
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Now, most scholars have agreed a cubit is about 18 inches,
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which means Goliath rings in at 9 feet 9 inches.
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This is a big boy, right?
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Pretty big.
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The coat that weighs 5,000 shekels of bronze is 125 pounds.
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Now, I'm not a very big guy to begin with,
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but that's just 15 pounds shy of me.
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So he's essentially wearing me.
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He's got like an adult, smaller male on his back.
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Okay, so this is a real big guy.
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And he wore it.
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I mean, he's running around.
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He's going in battle, wearing 125 pounds.
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Now, most people in this room, even some of the bigger ones,
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would have struggle just carrying 60-pound packs,
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much less fighting with a 60-pound pack.
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And yet, Goliath doubles that, 125 pounds.
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And on top of that, he's carrying the spear that the head of which,
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the end point, and anybody who's ever lifted anything,
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you know a pole, if it's heavier at the end, it's harder to balance.
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And his weight of his spear is at the end.
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It's in the head of the spear.
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And that spear is going to be roughly 15 pounds.
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And so here's this guy running around, 125-pound armor,
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15-pound spearhead, and he's thrusting it out to stab people.
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Again, this is a big man, okay?
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And to have the strength and endurance to fight in war with that armor,
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that spear, I mean, this is insane.
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You know, I like sports.
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In the sporting world, college football, basketball,
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they give athletes these rankings, you know, one through five-star,
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five-star being the best.
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If Goliath was a recruit today, they would create a six-star.
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I mean, he's that big.
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He's a difference maker, right?
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We've never seen anything like this.
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It's picking back up in verse 8.
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So this man, this big man, this nine-foot, nine-inch man,
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he stood, Goliath, and he shouted to the ranks of Israel,
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Why have you come out to draw up for battle?
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Or why have you not come out to draw up for battle?
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Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?
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Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me, right?
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This is taunt.
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This is, hey, you're best against me.
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I'll kill him any day of the week, right?
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And know the distinction Goliath makes right away between Philistine and Israelite.
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This is a huge threat in this, and we're going to pick up on this in a bit.
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Back to the text in verse 9.
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If he is able to fight with me and kill me, meaning the Israelite,
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if your best champion can fight me and kill me, then we will be your servants.
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But if we prevail against him and kill him, then you should be our servants and serve us.
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And the Philistine said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day.
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Give me a man that we may fight together.
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This is bull talk.
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When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
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I would be afraid, nine foot, nine inches.
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Now David was the son of an Ephraite, of Bethlehem and Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons.
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In the days of Saul, the man was already old and advanced in years.
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The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to battle.
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And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eli, the firstborn,
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and next to him, Eben-Nadab, and the third, Shammah.
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But David was the youngest.
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The three eldest followed Saul.
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But David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
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Verse 16,
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For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
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So for forty days and forty nights, this nine foot nine man, this beast of a man,
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he's taunting Israel, saying, send me your best, bring him out, I'll kill him right now.
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For forty days, forty nights, evening and morning.
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He's relentless.
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And I want to say, this is a temptation the Israelites are facing, right?
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It's a taunt, but it is a temptation, right?
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What kind of temptation?
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Temptation to fear, temptation to focus on the things of earth and not the things of God.
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The men of Israel not only failed as they caved to their fear and worldly thinking,
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but even Saul.
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And mind you, Saul, contextually, this is supposed to be Israel's champion.
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You know, he's a pretty big guy.
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He stood head and shoulders above the men of Israel.
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And yet, even he is cowering before Goliath.
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He's scared out of his mind.
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But he, too, had fallen away from God along with the rest of the house of Israel
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by focusing on this Goliath, his armor, his spear, his size, the things of this earth, right?
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Self-preservation is kicking in.
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But in the midst of all these failing men who are not obeying God in faith,
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who are not striking down this Philistine where he stands,
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we see David highlighted as someone who is from Bethlehem, from the tribe of Judah.
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Very important to note.
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So verse 17.
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And Jesse said to David his son,
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Take for your brothers an ephaph of this parched grain and these ten loaves,
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and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
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Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand.
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See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.
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Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the valley of Elah fighting the Philistines.
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And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper,
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and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded them.
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And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.
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And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.
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And David left things in charge of the keeper of the baggage,
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and ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers.
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And he talked with them,
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Behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name,
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came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before.
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And David heard him.
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All the men of Israel, when they saw the man,
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they fled from him and were much afraid.
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And the men of Israel said,
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Have you seen this man who comes up?
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Surely he has come up to defy Israel.
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And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches,
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and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
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I'm going to pause here for a moment.
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It is so significant, I think,
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that the men of Israel are recorded first as seeing Goliath,
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and then fleeing in fear.
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This is a clear indication, as I already alluded to earlier,
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that these men are thinking in worldly terms.
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They're not thinking about God.
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They're thinking about this nine-foot, nine-inch monster, right?
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Their focus was out of place.
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And Israel, like Goliath, like the Philistine,
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they thought it was merely Israel being defied here, right?
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Goliath said, I will defy Israel this day,
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and now Israelite is confirming that and saying he's defying Israel,
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the nation, the people.
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And yet, no mention is made of this Philistine defying God by the men of Israel.
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They had forgotten the lesson of Joshua,
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where Israel feared many giants when they were about to enter the promised land, right?
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Many giants, they came back, 12 spies, two said, let's do it.
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The other 10 said, no, no, those are some big guys.
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And we all know how that story goes.
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Because of their sin, because of their lack of faith in God,
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and trusting the promise to take the land,
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they end up spending 40 years in the wilderness.
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It's similar, right?
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Goliath, for 40 days, morning and night, tempting Israel,
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saying, come out, fight me.
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This is similar to Eve, right?
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The fruit was a delight to her eyes, we know from Genesis,
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because she focused on the fruit.
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She looked at the fruit.
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She was considering the fruit in the words of the serpent,
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and not the words of God, right?
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Which was temptation that led to sin.
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So just as in 1 Samuel 17,
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the men of Israel set their eyes on Goliath,
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a man, and it consumed them.
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But he was just that, a man.
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In fact, Samuel has set the stage for this in chapter 16, verse 7, right?
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The prior chapter, where God says,
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for the Lord sees not as man sees.
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Man looks on the outward appearance, right?
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The 9 foot 9 inch man.
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But the Lord looks on the heart.
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So this is a big theme.
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But picking back up in verse 26,
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And David said to the men who stood by him,
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What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine
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and takes away the reproach from Israel?
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For who is this uncircumcised Philistine
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that he should defy the armies of the living God?
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And the people answered him in the same way,
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So shall it be done to the man who kills him.
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So again, we just saw how Israel reacted to Goliath,
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but now we're seeing how David's reacting to Goliath.
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And what does David do?
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Well, he talks right back.
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He says, this is an uncircumcised Philistine
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who's defying the living God.
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Right?
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Now, this is not mere trash talk.
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This is a serious reminder of the Abrahamic covenant for Israel.
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Right?
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The Israelites, along with the Philistines,
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all believe this is a conflict merely between two countries.
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Right?
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They both said that this is a defilement of Israel.
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But David says it's a defilement of God.
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Right?
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It's a worldly concern for both armies, Philistine and Israelite,
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but a spiritual, God-centered concern for David.
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And this is why he says uncircumcised Philistine relates to the Abrahamic covenant.
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In other words, David is reminding the men of Israel that,
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hey, we are the seed of Abraham.
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We have promises from the God of Abraham, our father,
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who carried us through the wilderness,
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who carried us out of the house of Egypt, out of slavery.
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He helped us cross the Jordan.
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He helped us conquer this land that we're now trying to defend.
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Right?
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Rise up, men.
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Do you not believe in the promises of God?
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It essentially is what he's saying.
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Right?
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But more than that,
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he's also recognizing that Goliath is outside of those promises.
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He's uncircumcised.
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Genesis 17, 8, where this covenant is made with Abraham.
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Right?
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God says to Abraham,
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I will give to you and to your offspring after you
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the land of your sojournings,
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all the land of Canaan,
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for an everlasting possession,
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and I will be their God.
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It's an everlasting possession.
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They don't have to worry about losing it,
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regardless of what giant Philistine comes at them or what.
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Have you?
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And yet the men are cowering,
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but David remembers.
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He remembers.
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This is an uncircumcised Philistine.
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He's outside of those promises.
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Let's take hold of the promise.
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Right?
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So this promise,
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this land,
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it includes Soka,
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it includes Azekah,
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it includes Ephesim,
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where the battle is taking place that we read about in verse 1.
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Further on in the covenant, though,
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with Abraham,
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it's important to note,
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God warns,
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any uncircumcised male
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who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin
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shall be cut off from his people.
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He has broken my covenant.
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That's Genesis 17, verse 14.
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Now, of course,
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Goliath was never in the covenant to begin with,
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as I've already said,
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but the warning stands nonetheless.
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He's outside the covenant.
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So all is to say,
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David is the only one in the narrative,
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not Saul,
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not the men of Israel,
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certainly not any of the Philistines.
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David's the only one
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who's recognizing this
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and who's trusting in the promises of God.
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He's clinging to the covenant.
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Right?
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Not himself,
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nothing,
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but God.
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So he has every reason to obey this.
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He has every reason to have this faith,
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to have this confidence,
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because, again,
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God made the covenant with Abraham.
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He made his promise.
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And up to this point in redemptive history,
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you know,
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David has read the law.
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He knows the stories of Moses
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that he's written down.
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He knows the story of Joshua,
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the judges, right?
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This is just shortly after the period of the judges.
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So David's able to look at all this history
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and see God keep his promises
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time and time again.
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He's got every reason
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to have this sure faith.
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Right?
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God led the Israelites out of slavery.
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Despite the delay of the conquering of the land,
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they see that the world can provide
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to overcome this man,
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this Goliath.
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Right?
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And similar,
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that's what he was looking at
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when he looked at Goliath himself.
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They're both placing trust in the armor,
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the helmet,
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the coat,
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the sword.
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Whereas David is placing his trust in God
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and not these material things.
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Hence,
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he put them off.
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And we'll see this contrast even more
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in the next section.
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But this is all part of a buildup
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leading to the exaltation of David
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and the lowering of Saul.
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So verse 41.
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And the Philistine moved forward
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and came near to David
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with his shield bearer in front of him.
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And when the Philistine looked
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and saw David,
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there it is again,
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he's looking,
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he sees David,
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he disdained him.
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He was but a youth,
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ruddy and handsome in appearance.
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In other words,
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he was small,
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he was a runt.
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He's young,
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inexperienced.
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Verse 43.
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And the Philistine said to David,
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am I a dog
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that you would come to me with sticks?
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Like,
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who is this would-be poser?
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Who's this challenger?
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Right?
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This pretender.
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Right?
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Verse 45.
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Then David said to the Philistine,
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you come to me with a sword
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and with a spear
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and with a javelin.
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But I come to you
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in the name of the Lord of hosts,
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the God of the armies of Israel,
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whom you have defied.
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Third time,
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he's charging him with that.
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You've defied God.
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The author of 1 Samuel
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further sets the stage
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by referencing Goliath's gods.
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Right?
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He swears to strike down David
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by his gods.
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Right?
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He cursed him in verse 43.
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In verse 44,
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he's saying,
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I'm going to kill you
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by my gods.
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And David,
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no, no.
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I've come in the name of my God.
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Right?
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So this is very much
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a spiritual battle.
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Physical, indeed, yes.
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But spiritual, nonetheless.
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So the author's pushing
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harder and harder
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to draw our attention
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to something greater
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than this mere historical account.
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Right?
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There's something
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more important going on
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than poor little shepherd boy
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beating nine foot nine Goliath.
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Right?
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There's something grander
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going on.
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But let's continue
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our reading first.
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So verse 46,
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David's continuing,
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and he says,
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This day the Lord
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will deliver you
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into my hand,
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and I will strike you down
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and cut off your head.
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And I will give
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the dead bodies
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of the hosts
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of the Philistines
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this day
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to the birds of the air
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and to the wild beasts
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of the earth,
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that all the earth
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may know
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that there is a God
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in Israel,
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and that all this assembly
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may know
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that the Lord saves
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not with sword and spear.
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God doesn't save
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with sword and spear
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the things of the world.
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But the battle is the Lord's
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and he will give you
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into our hand.
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Verse 48,
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When the Philistine arose
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and came
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and drew near to meet David,
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David ran quickly,
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right,
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without hesitation.
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David ran quickly
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toward the battle line
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to meet the Philistine.
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And David put his hand
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in his bag,
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took out a stone,
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slung it,
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and struck the Philistine
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on his forehead.
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The stone sank
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into his forehead
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and he fell on his face
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to the ground.
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So David prevailed
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over the Philistine
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with a sling
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and with a stone.
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And he,
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excuse me,
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then David ran
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and stood over the Philistine
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and took his sword
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and drew it out
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of its sheath
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and killed him
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and cut off
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his head with it.
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When the Philistine
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saw that their champion
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was dead,
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that's the second time
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the champion word
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occurred,
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except this time
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he's dead,
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right,
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their champion's dead.
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They fled.
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Philistines fled.
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They were afraid.
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Verse 52,
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And the men of Israel
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and Judah rose
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with a shout
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and pursued the Philistines
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as far as Gath
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and the gates of Ekron
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so that the wounded Philistines
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fell on the way
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from Shirem
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as far as Gath
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and Ekron.
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And the people of Israel
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came back
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from chasing the Philistines
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and they plundered
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their camp.
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And David took
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the head of the Philistine
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and brought it
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to Jerusalem,
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but he put his armor
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in his tent.
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So David won.
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So yes,
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this is a rich story
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of a man of faith
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and we can certainly
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learn from this,
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right?
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David as an individual,
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we can learn
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from his faith.
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We can learn that
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David was not consumed
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with earthly things.
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His mind was set
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on the Lord.
20:02
In the section
20:02
we just read alone,
20:04
just that brief paragraph there,
20:05
I don't mean the whole chapter,
20:06
just that brief paragraph,
20:08
there are five direct
20:09
references to God
20:10
being the source
20:11
of David's strength
20:12
and victory
20:12
and so forth.
20:15
Second,
20:15
we can see
20:16
David's obedience,
20:18
right?
20:18
Multiple times.
20:19
Verse 48 says
20:20
he ran quickly,
20:22
but prior to that
20:22
we've already seen
20:23
he's running
20:23
all over the place.
20:24
There's no hesitation
20:25
with this guy.
20:26
He's moving,
20:28
right?
20:28
And if you're reading
20:29
the whole chapter closely,
20:30
you would notice
20:31
that Samuel mentions this.
20:32
He does it
20:33
in every phase
20:34
of the story.
20:35
David's running
20:36
all over the place.
20:37
No hesitation,
20:38
no doubt,
20:40
no pondering,
20:41
no second guessing.
20:44
But more than David,
20:46
this is a story
20:47
that is also about
20:48
the nation of Israel.
20:50
As we've already mentioned
20:51
the numerous stories
20:52
throughout the Old Testament
20:52
up to this point,
20:54
we have seen
20:56
in this point
20:56
in the Bible's history,
20:59
Israel act either faithfully
21:00
or faithlessly
21:01
and regardless,
21:02
God is faithful
21:03
throughout this entire thing.
21:04
He's always delivering them
21:05
always coming through,
21:06
always upholding
21:07
his promises.
21:10
And so this is very much
21:11
a call to the nation
21:12
of Israel.
21:12
Again, this book
21:13
was written for Israel
21:14
to hear it,
21:15
to read it,
21:16
to know it.
21:17
It's not merely
21:18
so they can know
21:19
who David was,
21:20
but it's a reminder
21:21
of God's commitment
21:22
to the covenant
21:23
that we mentioned
21:25
already with Abraham,
21:26
the covenant with Moses,
21:27
the covenant with David.
21:28
So any Israelite
21:29
reading this
21:30
would recognize,
21:32
hey, this isn't just
21:32
a story about
21:33
shepherd boy David.
21:34
This is a story
21:35
about us.
21:37
You know,
21:37
in a sense,
21:38
this is God's
21:39
salvific story
21:40
for the nation
21:41
of Israel.
21:43
You might ask,
21:44
how so?
21:45
So contextually,
21:47
as I alluded to earlier,
21:48
the events in 1 Samuel
21:49
occur at the end
21:50
of the Judges period,
21:51
right?
21:51
A time of great sin,
21:52
wickedness,
21:53
and judgment.
21:55
But now,
21:57
in 1 Samuel,
21:57
we see God
21:58
begin this work
21:59
of restoration,
22:00
redemption
22:00
for the nation
22:01
of Israel.
22:03
Right?
22:03
And how is he doing this?
22:04
Well,
22:04
Samuel the prophet
22:05
who anoints
22:06
King David,
22:07
right?
22:08
Soon to be King David,
22:09
not yet,
22:09
in this text.
22:10
But that process
22:11
is beginning now
22:12
through this battle
22:13
with Goliath.
22:14
He's raising up David
22:15
to be their king,
22:16
to be a means
22:17
of restoration.
22:20
In fact,
22:21
throughout all of
22:22
1 and 2 Samuel,
22:23
which largely
22:24
focused on David,
22:25
the reader will notice
22:26
that there is
22:27
this progression.
22:28
Now,
22:28
John MacArthur notes,
22:30
as 1 Samuel begins,
22:32
Israel was at a low
22:32
point spiritually,
22:33
right?
22:34
He's referring to
22:34
that end of the
22:36
judges period.
22:37
The priesthood was
22:38
corrupt,
22:39
1 Samuel 2,
22:39
17 through 12.
22:41
The Ark of the
22:42
Covenant was not
22:42
at the tabernacle.
22:43
We know that
22:44
from 1 Samuel 4,
22:45
3 through
22:46
chapter 7,
22:47
verse 2.
22:48
Idolatry was
22:49
practiced,
22:51
1 Samuel 7,
22:52
verse 3 through 4.
22:53
And the judges
22:54
were dishonest,
22:55
1 Samuel 8,
22:57
verses 2 through 3.
22:58
The 2 Samuel
23:00
concludes with
23:01
the anger of the
23:01
Lord being withdrawn
23:02
from Israel.
23:04
That's chapter 24,
23:05
verse 25.
23:06
So why was the
23:07
anger withdrawn?
23:09
What would cause
23:10
that anger to be
23:11
pulled back
23:13
in light of the sin?
23:14
I mean,
23:14
even in 1 Samuel,
23:15
we're still seeing
23:16
Israel's sin.
23:16
It's not as if
23:17
all of a sudden
23:17
they're a glowing nation.
23:19
Why is the anger
23:20
being withdrawn?
23:22
Ultimately,
23:23
for the same reason
23:24
that Goliath
23:25
is defeated.
23:26
Because the Lord
23:27
keeps his covenant
23:28
with Abraham,
23:28
with Moses,
23:29
and with David,
23:30
with his people,
23:31
his covenant people.
23:33
So this would have
23:34
stuck out to the
23:35
Israelites.
23:35
This is a national
23:36
redemptive story
23:38
for them.
23:40
But again,
23:41
there's so much more
23:42
that should pop off
23:42
of the page to us
23:43
with a story
23:44
as New Testament
23:45
readers.
23:46
So let's go ahead
23:47
and start reading
23:48
through the rest again.
23:49
Picking them up
23:50
in verse 55.
23:53
As soon as Saul,
23:54
Saul David,
23:55
go out against
23:56
the Philistine.
23:58
And I love this
23:58
because again,
23:59
it seems to me
24:00
like the author
24:01
is still trying
24:01
to hint at that
24:02
Saul is considering
24:02
David in a worldly
24:03
sense.
24:04
He saw David
24:05
go out against
24:06
the Philistine.
24:07
He said to Abner,
24:08
the commander
24:08
of the army,
24:09
Abner,
24:10
whose son is
24:11
this youth?
24:12
And Abner said,
24:13
As your soul lives,
24:14
O king,
24:14
I do not know.
24:15
And the king said,
24:16
inquires whose son
24:17
the boy is.
24:19
And as soon as
24:20
David turned
24:20
from the striking
24:21
down of the Philistine,
24:23
Abner took him
24:23
and brought him
24:24
before Saul
24:25
with the head
24:25
of the Philistine
24:26
in his hand.
24:28
And Saul said to him,
24:30
Whose son are you,
24:31
young man?
24:32
And David answered,
24:33
I am the son
24:34
of your servant Jesse,
24:36
the Bethlehemite.
24:36
So this means,
24:44
excuse me,
24:44
I got a little
24:45
ahead of myself.
24:46
We,
24:47
as readers of the
24:48
Old Testament,
24:49
that should just
24:49
pop out to us.
24:50
The son of the
24:51
Bethlehemite.
24:52
That's the last word
24:54
of this story,
24:54
right?
24:54
End of the chapter.
24:56
This is the son
24:57
of the Bethlehemite.
24:59
So we understand
25:01
that immediately
25:01
in connection
25:02
with Christ,
25:03
right?
25:04
From Bethlehem.
25:04
We know this
25:06
because the seed
25:07
of David
25:07
described in
25:08
2 Samuel 7,
25:09
verses 12 through 15,
25:11
is Jesus Christ,
25:12
the son of God,
25:13
which is confirmed
25:14
by the author
25:14
of Hebrews
25:15
in the New Testament,
25:16
who quotes
25:17
2 Samuel 7,
25:17
14,
25:18
as well as
25:19
Psalm 2,
25:19
7,
25:20
in Hebrews 1,
25:21
5.
25:22
It says,
25:22
For to which
25:23
of the angels
25:23
did God ever say,
25:25
You are my son,
25:26
today I have
25:26
begotten you?
25:28
Or again,
25:28
I will be to him
25:29
a father,
25:29
and he shall be
25:30
to me a son.
25:32
So the seed
25:32
of David,
25:33
this seed,
25:34
this is the Christ,
25:36
he's the ultimate
25:36
seed,
25:37
Jesus.
25:39
Right?
25:39
And David is listed
25:41
in Jesus' genealogy
25:42
in Luke 3,
25:44
verse 31.
25:45
So this means
25:46
that the Holy Spirit
25:47
himself,
25:48
who inspired
25:48
the scriptures,
25:49
who inspired
25:49
1 Samuel,
25:51
that Holy Spirit,
25:52
right,
25:53
intended David
25:54
to be seen
25:54
as a type
25:55
of Christ.
25:57
Right?
25:57
Nathan talked
25:57
about typology
25:58
a couple weeks back.
25:59
It's a simpler word,
26:00
it could be symbolism,
26:01
right?
26:01
This is a specific
26:02
type of symbolism.
26:04
Right?
26:05
David is symbolic
26:06
of the Christ to come.
26:09
So David,
26:10
you might ask,
26:11
in what ways
26:12
does he symbolize,
26:13
what ways does he
26:14
foreshadow,
26:15
right,
26:15
in what ways
26:15
does he prefiguring
26:17
Christ from an
26:18
earthly standpoint?
26:20
Well,
26:21
one,
26:21
we see that David
26:22
is a shepherd.
26:23
1 Samuel 17,
26:24
15,
26:24
right?
26:24
He was tending
26:25
his father's flocks
26:26
in the midst
26:26
of this battle,
26:27
running back
26:27
to and fro.
26:30
Right?
26:30
So,
26:30
Jesus said,
26:31
I am the good shepherd.
26:33
John 10,
26:33
verse 11,
26:34
right?
26:35
David was from
26:36
the tribe of Judah
26:37
in the town
26:37
of Bethlehem.
26:39
So was Jesus.
26:40
Matthew chapter 2,
26:41
verse 1,
26:42
Jesus was born
26:43
in Bethlehem
26:43
of Judea.
26:45
For 40 days
26:46
and for 40 nights,
26:48
David witnessed
26:49
the taunting
26:50
and temptation
26:51
of Goliath,
26:52
1 Samuel 17,
26:53
16.
26:54
Again,
26:54
this is similar
26:55
to Christ
26:56
who faced
26:57
the temptation
26:57
of Satan
26:58
in the wilderness
26:59
for 40 days
27:00
and 40 nights.
27:00
Matthew 4,
27:01
verse 1 through 2.
27:03
So you might be
27:04
asking yourself,
27:04
does this mean
27:05
that Goliath
27:07
is a type
27:08
of Satan
27:08
in the way
27:09
that David
27:09
is a type
27:10
of Christ,
27:10
right?
27:11
Symbolizing.
27:13
And the answer
27:14
is yes.
27:14
In fact,
27:15
the parallel
27:16
is striking.
27:17
1 Samuel 17,
27:19
49,
27:19
and David
27:19
put his hand
27:20
in his bag
27:21
and took out
27:22
a stone
27:22
and slung it
27:23
and struck
27:24
the Philistine
27:24
on his forehead.
27:26
The stone
27:26
sank into his forehead
27:27
and he fell
27:28
on his face
27:28
to the ground.
27:31
It seems
27:31
really repetitive,
27:32
right?
27:32
It seems kind of,
27:34
why is he mentioning
27:35
this forehead,
27:35
the face,
27:36
I mean,
27:36
three times,
27:37
right,
27:37
in one sentence,
27:38
one breath.
27:40
But I think
27:40
it's intentional.
27:41
I think the author
27:42
is trying to draw
27:42
our mind back
27:43
to what many
27:45
theologians call
27:45
the proto-longelion.
27:47
That's the first gospel,
27:48
so to speak,
27:49
which is back
27:50
in Genesis 3.
27:51
Genesis 3,
27:54
verse 14 through 15,
27:55
the Lord God
27:56
said to the serpent,
27:57
being Satan,
27:58
right,
27:58
God said to the serpent,
28:00
because you have
28:01
done this,
28:02
cursed are you
28:03
above all livestock
28:04
and above all
28:05
beasts of the field.
28:06
On your belly
28:07
you shall go
28:07
and dust you shall eat
28:09
all the days
28:10
of your life.
28:11
I will put enmity
28:11
between you
28:12
and the woman
28:13
and between your offspring
28:14
and her offspring.
28:16
He shall bruise
28:17
your head
28:17
and you shall
28:18
bruise his heel.
28:19
So you see,
28:22
it is the head
28:22
of Satan
28:23
that will be crushed
28:24
by the heel of Christ,
28:26
right?
28:26
We all understand
28:27
that.
28:27
That's what Genesis 3
28:28
is alluding to,
28:29
that ultimate
28:30
decisive moment
28:32
in which Christ
28:33
defeats Satan
28:34
and the power
28:35
of death
28:35
and hell
28:36
and all that,
28:37
right?
28:37
That's what that's
28:38
primarily about.
28:40
But at the same time,
28:42
David,
28:43
Goliath,
28:44
they are a type
28:44
of this.
28:45
They're showing this,
28:47
right?
28:47
David is a seed
28:48
of the woman,
28:49
right?
28:49
Goliath is a seed
28:50
of the serpent
28:51
and the author
28:52
goes out of his way
28:53
to mention that forehead,
28:55
right?
28:55
The serpent will be
28:56
on his belly,
28:57
right?
28:57
Well,
28:57
when you're on your forehead,
28:58
you're also on your belly,
29:00
right?
29:00
And the author goes
29:01
out of his way
29:02
to show this Goliath.
29:04
He's fallen down,
29:04
face down.
29:05
His head gets cut off
29:08
by David,
29:09
right?
29:10
And David,
29:11
David strikes him
29:12
with a stone,
29:13
right?
29:13
Small like a heel.
29:14
So this is imagery
29:17
that they're picking up on.
29:18
There's something
29:19
greater it's pointing to.
29:21
And the final parallel
29:22
that we have time to know
29:23
is that David
29:24
was an anointed king.
29:27
So 1 Samuel,
29:28
the prior chapter,
29:29
verse 16,
29:29
or chapter 16,
29:30
verse 13.
29:32
Samuel,
29:33
the prophet,
29:33
took the horn of oil
29:34
and anointed him,
29:36
referring to David,
29:37
anointed David
29:37
in the midst
29:38
of his brothers.
29:40
And the spirit
29:41
of the Lord
29:41
rushed upon David
29:42
from that day forward.
29:44
Now,
29:45
in the Greek Septuagint,
29:46
which is a Greek translation
29:48
of the Hebrew Old Testament,
29:50
the word for anointed
29:51
in this passage
29:52
is ekrisen,
29:53
right?
29:54
It's a verb,
29:54
which is the verbal form
29:55
of the noun
29:56
that many of us know,
29:57
Christos.
29:58
Now,
29:59
it sounds like the English.
30:00
Christos is Christ,
30:01
as in Jesus Christ,
30:03
Jesu Christu,
30:04
right?
30:05
And so Christos,
30:06
it means anointing.
30:08
David is an anointed king,
30:10
just as Jesus Christ himself,
30:12
an anointed king.
30:13
We see this in John 12,
30:15
verse 1 through 8,
30:16
in his triumphal entry
30:17
to the city of Jerusalem.
30:20
Jesus is anointed as king
30:21
just prior to his crucifixion,
30:23
just prior to crushing
30:25
the forehead of the serpent,
30:27
the head of the serpent,
30:28
and having his heel bruised
30:30
on the cross.
30:32
So this is partly
30:32
why it is so significant
30:34
that Matthew includes David
30:35
and Jesus' genealogy
30:37
in the Gospel account,
30:38
which is primarily focused
30:40
on proving Christ's kingship.
30:43
Right?
30:43
That's what Matthew's all about.
30:44
This is about
30:44
Jesus Christ is king and lord,
30:47
the son of God.
30:48
Right?
30:49
So this is all a buildup
30:50
to pointing to Christ.
30:52
This entire text
30:53
is not merely about David.
30:55
It's not merely about Goliath.
30:57
It's not merely about Israel.
30:58
It's not merely about
30:59
the things of this earth.
31:00
It's about Christ
31:01
and his plan to save
31:02
and his kingship,
31:03
his identity
31:04
as the son of God,
31:05
and his lordship
31:07
and him keeping his promises,
31:09
keeping his covenant.
31:12
So in closing,
31:14
I kind of want to draw this out more,
31:16
but we have noticed
31:18
the individual narrative of David.
31:19
We've noticed
31:20
the national narrative
31:21
for Israel.
31:23
And now we have seen
31:24
the narrative of David
31:25
and Goliath
31:25
is really much more than that.
31:27
It's a picture
31:28
of the overarching
31:29
redemptive plan of God
31:30
for all of mankind.
31:32
Right?
31:32
For all of his church.
31:33
For all of his faithful.
31:35
When we read this story,
31:37
we fail to really,
31:38
truly understand it
31:39
if our eyes do not turn
31:41
to the anointed King Jesus,
31:42
the Son of God.
31:44
Luke 24, 27,
31:46
Jesus is talking
31:47
to his disciples
31:47
and he tells them,
31:48
he says,
31:49
beginning with Moses
31:50
and all the prophets,
31:51
Jesus interpreted to them
31:52
in all the scriptures
31:53
the things concerning himself.
31:56
So if we read this text
31:57
without considering Christ,
31:58
we don't understand it
31:59
as Christ would have taught it.
32:01
Right?
32:01
For Christ,
32:02
this isn't a story about David.
32:03
And so it should not be
32:05
merely a story about David
32:06
for us either.
32:09
So let's not make it a story
32:10
where it's about David
32:11
and about us
32:12
being a hero
32:13
as so often is taught.
32:15
Right?
32:15
This is not merely a story
32:16
in which we learn
32:18
to just have faith
32:18
and overcome difficulties
32:20
as great as that is.
32:21
It's pointing to something
32:22
greater than that.
32:24
And we're so tempted
32:24
to do that by our flesh,
32:25
whether conscious
32:26
or unconscious.
32:28
But this would be
32:29
very bad news
32:29
because we as sinful
32:30
and dead men
32:31
cannot save ourselves.
32:32
Right?
32:33
David didn't save himself.
32:34
David's own trust
32:35
wasn't in himself.
32:36
Why are we constantly
32:37
trying to be like David
32:38
in that sense
32:39
when David himself
32:39
was relying on God?
32:41
That's how we should be
32:42
like David
32:42
by relying on God.
32:45
Right?
32:45
This would be bad news
32:46
if it's merely a story
32:47
of us
32:48
because it would put
32:49
salvation
32:50
and the redemptive narrative
32:51
in our hands.
32:53
But what can a dead hand grasp?
32:54
I mean,
32:54
this is bad news.
32:56
Right?
32:57
This is bad news
32:57
because this news
32:58
would not make
33:00
or announce Christ
33:00
as Savior and Lord.
33:03
And think about that.
33:07
Rather,
33:07
let the story
33:08
encourage us
33:09
to imitate the faith
33:10
of David
33:10
by trusting Christ
33:11
and his promises
33:12
to the point of obedience.
33:14
Right?
33:14
That is good news.
33:15
That is full grace,
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real grace.
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You know,
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the other side
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is what Bonhoeffer
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would have called
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cheap grace.
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It saves you
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from condemnation
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but not your nature.
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But this is a true grace,
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a full grace.
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It saves us
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from the condemnation
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and the nature.
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We are able to obey Christ.
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We are able to look to Christ,
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follow Christ
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and to do it rightly.
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So in that,
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we can cast off
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all of our burdens
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and anxieties
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when we look to Christ.
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We can face
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the hardships
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of this world
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knowing that
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our high priest,
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Jesus,
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has done the same
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and that we will reign
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with him in glory.
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Just as he was raised,
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we will be raised.
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Jesus has defeated
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the greatest Goliath
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in our lives,
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namely sin,
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Satan,
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and death.
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And so we,
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as Christians,
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we can take heart
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knowing the battle
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was won.
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And we,
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by God's grace,
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are victors
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like David.
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We didn't earn it.
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We didn't accomplish it.
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We merely
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received it
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by faith
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in Christ.
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So do not get
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bogged down
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like the men of Israel
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like Saul
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or even the Philistines.
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Do not get bogged down
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on the troubles
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of this world
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considering the things
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of this world
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but rather
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listen to the author
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of Hebrews
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chapter 12
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verse 1.
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Therefore,
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since we are surrounded
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by so great
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a cloud of witnesses,
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let us also lay aside
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every weight
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and sin
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which clings so closely.
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Every Goliath,
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so to speak.
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Every distraction
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and of course
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every sin.
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And let us
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run with endurance,
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the author goes on.
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Let us run with endurance
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the race that is set
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before us.
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Verse 2.
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Looking to Jesus.
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Not looking to Goliath,
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not looking to Saul.
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Looking to Jesus,
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the founder
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and perfecter
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of our faith
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who for the joy
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that was set before him
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endured the cross
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despising the shame
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and is seated
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at the right hand
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of the throne of God.
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Christ is the ultimate
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seed of the woman
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who has defeated Satan.
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But we too
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by faith alone
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through grace alone
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Christ alone
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are the seed
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of the woman.
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No Cain,
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no Goliath,
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no Judas,
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no nobody,
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no nothing
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from the seed
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of the serpent
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will be able
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to overcome Christ.
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O death,
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where is your sting?
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Where grave thy victory?
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Let's pray.
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Let's pray.