IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Key Verse 17:45

I. DAVID, THE CHALLENGER  (1-40)

1.   Where did the Israelites and Philistines pitch their camps? (1-3) Who came out from   

      the Philistines’ camp? (4) Describe his appearance (5-7).

2.   How did Goliath defy the army of the Israelites? (8-10,16) Describe Saul and all 

      the Israelites before Goliath. (11,24)

3.   What did David do while his brothers went out to war? (12-15) Why did David go to   

       the battle field? (17-22)

4.   What did David hear from Goliath and the Israelites? (23-27) How did David see 

  Goliath and the army of the Israelites? (26b) Think about his anger against Goliath. 

  Why did Eliab burn with anger at David? (28-30)

5.   How did David comfort Saul? (31-32) Describe David’s courage as a shepherd. (33-

      35) What confidence could David gain through his experiences as a shepherd? (36-37)

6.   Why didn’t David take Saul’s armor? (38-39) What did David take for the battle? (40)

7.   What can we learn from David who challenged Goliath? What is our Goliath?

II. DAVID, THE VICTOR (41-58)

8.   Why did Goliath despise David? (41-42) How did Goliath curse David? (43-44)

9.   What did Goliath and David each depend on as they went out for the battle? (45) Who 

       is the LORD whom David depended on?

10.  How could David cut off Goliath’s head? (46a) What would the whole world know 

       through this event? (46b) What did all those who gathered there know? (47a)

11.  To whom did the battle belong? (47b) Why did Goliath fall facedown on the ground? 

       (48-49) Describe the victor, David, who cut off Goliath’s head (50-58).

IN THE NAME OF THE LORD ALMIGHTY

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Key Verse 17:45

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’” 

Today’s passage teaches us a secret of victory in a war. The secret is to fight the Lord’s battle under the leadership of the Lord. David shows a good example in today’s passage. He knew that the battle is the Lord’s; and the Lord used David for his battle. David was used by God because God was in his heart. 

God gives us victory when we follow him under his leadership. The Lord can use us in his victory when we fight for his honor by depending on him. 

Today’s passage shows who God is. First, God is the LORD ALMIGHTY. Second, God defends the honor of his name. He is able to defeat his enemy who defies him because his name is the LORD ALMIGHTY. If Saul and Jonathon were not able to defend the honor of God, he will find someone else like David. If there were is no one, he would still be able to find someone or someway to defend his honor. It is because the battle is the Lord’s. 

I. DAVID, THE CHALLENGER (1-40)

Where did the Israelites and Philistines pitch their camps? (1-3)

* The Philistines camped at Ephes Dammim, and the Israelites in the Valley of Elah. The Valley of Elah was a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. Each of them occupied one hill, and the valley was between them. Since they camped on the hills, and the valley was between them, each of them could see what the other was doing pretty well. They could see their enemies eating breakfast or taking showers, etc.

It is an interesting war. Sometimes war is like hide and seek, and there is something called a surprise attack. As one military strategist defines it, “War is deception.” But in today’s passage their battle is a very traditional one. Apparently intimidated by each other, they decided that the outcome should be determined by a contest of champions who would engage each other in combat.

Who came out from the Philistines’ camp? (4) 

* A champion named Goliath who was from Gath. He was a champion, meaning a champion of battles. He was nine feet tall. Shaq is about over seven feet. But he is nine feet tall. 

Describe his appearance (5-7).

* Goliath wore a bronze helmet and a coat of scale armor weighing 5,000 shekels, that is, about 125 pounds, and bronze greaves. He was armed with a bronze javelin, and a long spear with a 15-pound iron tip! (six hundred shekels)

How did Goliath defy the army of the Israelites? (8-10,16) 

* "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." (v.8b-9) "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." (v.10b) “For forty days Goliath came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.” (v.16)

The result of the battle would determine who would be slaves of the other.

Describe Saul and all the Israelites before Goliath. (11,24)

* “On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.” (v.11) “When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.” (v.24) 

They were terrified. They lost all their courage slowly for 40 days. They were almost ready to run away even before fighting. They barely kept their positions as soldiers. Not even Jonathan who attacked the Philistines and won a great victory (1Sa 14:1-23), could not challenge Goliath. Goliath wanted to win the war even without fighting by planting fear.

Satan works by planting fear in the heart of man. When man is fearful about his future he loses his strength to do God’s work and become Satan’s slave.

What did David do while his brothers went out to war? (12-15) 

* He took care of his father’s sheep. David’s three oldest brothers (Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah) went to war with Saul. But David was not in the war probably because the war could break out while he stayed at his home. David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem (1Sa 17:15) because David played a harp for Saul. (1Sa 16:18-23)

Why did David go to the battle field? (17-22)

* It was because of his father’s errand concerning his brothers. His father wanted to send something to eat for his sons and have assurance of their safety. At that time probably some soldiers could be volunteers gathered for the national crisis and their provision could be helped by their friends or family members. When David arrived at the battle field, Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. So David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. (v.21-22)

What did David hear from Goliath and the Israelites? (23-27) 

* David heard Goliath’s defiance. He also heard the king’s reward for the one who would kill Goliath. The king’s reward was for great wealth and to become the king’s son-in-law, it was also to be exempted from taxes for one’s father’s family. David heard about the reward twice. (v.27,30) Saul must have proclaimed the reward in advance, and that was why the soldiers all knew about it. David also wanted to know who Goliath. (v.26)

How did David see Goliath and the army of the Israelites? (26b) 

* Uncircumcised Philistine; the armies of the living God. To man’s eyes, Goliath was like indestructible power, and the armies of Israel were like the armies of grasshoppers. (Nu 13:33) But in David’s eyes, Goliath was nothing but an uncircumcised Philistine (which means an object of God’s judgment), and the armies of Israel was the armies of the living God. David could see them in this way because God was in his heart. God was in his heart because David was seeking God with all his heart. David’s whole heart and mind and thoughts were focused on God. 

Think about his anger against Goliath. 

* David’s anger against Goliath is a spiritual one. David could not bear Goliath’s defiance because Goliath was defying the armies of the living God. In this way Goliath defied the living God.  

Why did Eliab burn with anger at David? (28-30)

* He was angry probably because he was embarrassed and jealous. Eliab was present when Samuel anointed David as king (1Sa 16:6-13). When the fear and humility of his army was exposed to David, Eliab could not bear it. So he falsely accused David of conceit and wickedness. But David avoided quarrels with Eliab because his enemy was not Eliab but Goliath. He simply went to another person and confirmed the fact once more. He did not argue with his brother, saying “Do you know how much you are falsely accusing me now? You, not I, are indeed conceited and a wicked man.”

In our spiritual battle, it is important not to fight against our fellow soldiers. We need to make sure to know that who our enemy us and to fight against him. To create fighting among fellow soldiers is one of Satan’s strategies. If we fight with our fellow soldiers we lose morale and lose battles. 

How did David comfort Saul? (31-32) 

* David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." (v.32)   

David was called to Saul because what David had asked was known to Saul (v.31). This was brought to Saul because no one was even considering challenging Goliath. 

Describe David’s courage as a shepherd. (33-35) 

* No one can win against a lion or a bear with his bare hands. But David won battles against a lion or a bear. The victory came from David’s love and sense of responsibility for his sheep. God gave him such strength when he depended on God to protect his sheep. So although David did not have experience in actual battles, he was experienced in battles as a shepherd. 

What confidence could David gain through his experiences as a shepherd? (36-37)

* David killed both a lion and bear with his bare hands. He believed Goliath would be killed in the same way because he defied the armies of the living God. In his eyes, Saul and his armies were like trembling sheep before a lion or bear, and Goliath was like a lion or a bear. David expressed his faith in the Lord who saved him from the paw of lion and bear.

Why didn’t David take Saul’s armor? (38-39) 

* Because David was not used to them.

What did David take for the battle? (40)

* His staff, sling, and five smooth stones. These were his usual weapons. He took five smooth stones because he might have seen another four giants in the Philistines’ camp, although we are not sure. According to 2 Samuel 22:16-22, there were four more giants from Gath. 

It is important for us to develop our own sling shots, something that we can use at such a critical moment without fail. They can be the word of God or prayer or something else. David mastered the art of throwing stones until he could hit any place at any time. 

What can we learn from David who challenged Goliath? 

* David challenged Goliath for God’s honor. God is pleased with anyone who challenge God’s enemy for God’s honor.

What is our Goliath?

* Mainly, Satan the devil. But the devil appears in many forms. He can work in three worlds. They can be a physical world, a cyber world, or a media world.

II. DAVID, THE VICTOR  (41-58)

Why did Goliath despise David? (41-42) 

* Because David was only a boy.    

How did Goliath curse David? (43-44)

* When he saw David’s staff he was humiliated because it was a mere stick like ones to keep dogs away from sheep. Then Goliath cursed David by his gods. He was a mere instrument of the devil because the devil was behind his idols. 

What did Goliath and David each depend on as they went out for the battle? (45) 

* “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.’” (v.45)

Goliath: sword and spear and javelin

   David: in the name of the Lord Almighty.  

This is the key difference. It shows what they had been seeking for. Goliath had sought physical strength. David had sought God. Goliath wanted to know the power of his sword, spear and javelin whereas David wanted to know God and his power. 

Goliath was coming to David in the strength of sword, spear and javelin. But David went against him in the name of the Lord Almighty.

Who is the LORD whom David depended on?

* Almighty. That is what David knew for the Lord. So he said, “But I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.” The Lord whom David found and knew for his battle was ‘the LORD ALMIGHTY’. The Lord blessed David by revealing himself as ‘the LORD ALMIGHTY’ when David had sought the Lord with all his heart.

Why could David cut off Goliath’s head? (46a) 

* The Lord would hand Goliath to David. Although David himself was in the battle, and he would fight physically, his whole heart and mind and soul were concentrated in the Lord Almighty. He was fighting the Lord’s battle for the Lord’s honor. 

What did the whole world know through this? (46b) 

* There is a God in Israel. When they saw the impossible outcome they would recognize God because there would be no other way to interpret the outcome. 

What did all those who gathered there know? (47a)

* “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves” (v.47a). 

The soldiers of Saul and the Philistines would know that the Lord did not depend on the power of sword or spear to save men. He can save any man anytime because his power is not limited like the strength of sword or spear.

To whom did the battle belong? (47b) 

* “For the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (v.47b)

David could see that the battle is the Lord’s. The Lord himself will fight for his honor because Goliath defied the living God. God can defend the honor of his name. But God could use David in the course of exalting him over the gods of Goliath because David sought the Lord and was willing to fight for the honor of the Lord. 

Why did Goliath fall facedown on the ground? (48-49) 

* Because David’s stone sank into his forehead.  

Describe the victor, David, who cut off Goliath’s head (50-58).

* “So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.” (v.50) It is because it is not the sword or spear that the Lord saves.

“David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.” (v.51) 

The end.

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 David and Goliath

1 Samuel 17:1-58

Key Verse 17:47

All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands."

Today we would like to think about how David defeated Goliath, and saved the flock of God from the grip of their enemies. 

First, the Philistines gathered their forces for war (1-25) 

In the Book entitled "The Art of War" the ancient Chinese military strategist named Sun Tsu said, "Know your enemies and yourself, and then you will fight a hundred times and yet will never lose even once." So knowing your enemies is one of the keys to win victories. In a spiritual battle, the same principle applies: we need to know who our enemies are and what they are after. 

In the passage the Philistines came out to war against the Israelites. In what respect were the Philistines "enemies" of God and God's children? The Bible has plenty of episodes answering the question. But two episodes are prominent: the story of Samson and Delilah (Judges 16); and the story of the ark of covenant in the territory of the Philistines (1Sa 5-6). 

We remember the story of Samson and Delilah. Samson was a believer but Delilah was an unbeliever. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" But Samson had second thoughts. He married a Philistine woman named Delilah – Miss Philistine - for her physical beauty. She worshiped the idol god called Dagon. She regularly worshiped at Dagon's temple. God hates idols such as Dagon. Yet, out of lust, Samson married Delilah. What was the result? The marriage ended in a disaster. Samson got his two eyes poked out, and he died in Dagon's temple as he pushed the two pillars of Dagon's temple over, causing the temple to collapse. 

The episodes recorded in 1 Samuel 5-6 also tell us what God thought of the Philistines. The strange miracle that took place inside of Dagon's temple is mysterious. Would someone rise and read 1 Samuel 5:1-4? Another amazing miracle is recorded in 1 Samuel 6:7-12. Let us open the Bible and read this passage. The two cows carrying the ark of the Lord's covenant moving straight to the Israelite’s territory indicates that when it comes down to honoring and serving the Lord, even the unintelligent looking cows did a far better job than average humans, for the cows denied their natural instincts (to be with the calves). The two cows worked together to carry the ark. This miracle indicates that even the cows knew that the God of Israel is truly the God of the living. Yet, the Philistines came out to defy the living God.  

There is another reason why the Philistines operated as the enemies of God. Look at verses 4-7. "A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him." This passage says the Philistines relied upon the flesh. The expression 'He was over nine feet tall' is symbolic of human pride. The word 'bronze' which is repeated four times, and the word 'iron' in the javelin's "iron" point, as well as the massive amount of bronze used to equip Goliath point to the glory of man-made products. The word "champion" suggests that Goliath is the embodiment of humanism and materialism. It refers to the people and society glorifying what is fleshly rather than God the Creator. 

What then was Goliath after? Look at verses 8-11. "Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified."

On many occasions, we can learn God's truths the best from what our enemies are saying. And the message the Lord God desires to convey to us through the mouth of Goliath is this: “Flesh cannot persuade flesh to obey God." With human efforts alone, it is impossible for one to fully obey the Lord. 

Goliath said, "Am I not Philistine"? "...are you not the servants of Saul?" Who was Saul? 1 Samuel 9:2 answers the question: "Saul [was] an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites." Here the expression "without equal among the Israelites" screams out a message demanding attention. That is, although Saul was the "best citizen" of all, still without God’s spirit, he was a no match for Goliath (1Sa 16:14). No wonder that when Goliath asked Saul and Saul's [not the Lord's] servants to produce a man to fight and kill him, no one could dare to come out and meet the challenge.       

Second, who is this uncircumcised Philistine? (12-58)

Who then could defeat Goliath and establish the rule of God and thereby build a sane society where God's flock could enjoy life to the full? 

Let us read responsively verses 12-24. Here what verse 14 says has a very important message: "David was the youngest." In the Hebrew language, the word "David" consists of three letters, "dalet, vav, and dalet." Unlike the English alphabet, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has meanings. One of the meanings of the letter dalet is pauper. And David has in his name two of them. The letter vav which is the sixth letter has 6 as its numerical value. The number 7 is God’s number, but the number 6 is man's number. Six is seven minus one, and man is short of God's perfection. This indicates that the name David means the one who is poor and needy. No wonder that all the days of his life, David learned to cry out to God and gained strength from the Lord. 

David was the youngest, indicating that he was the least of all. Yet, the Lord trained him to rely on God so he would become more than a conqueror despite his weaknesses. 

Let us read verses 25-27 altogether. "Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel." David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."" This passage says that the Lord God chose David to remove "disgrace" from Israel. 

When David volunteered to go out and fight with Goliath, Eliab his oldest brother severely rebuked him saying, "How dare you?!?" In addition, even king Saul discouraged him from going out to fight. But David overcome the jeerers inside, and successfully persuaded King Saul to allow him to go out and fight. Look at verses 34-37. "But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." This passage tells us how he successfully overcame the jeerers inside, and stood up for the challenge. 

Yesterday on behalf of Dr. John Jun I had the honor of meeting Dr. Tim Park who is the department chair of the graduate division of the Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. In my conversation with him, he made a remark on where the Christian churches in the U.S. might be heading. He said that very rapidly American churches are losing spiritual power, and that sooner or later, they would no longer function as God's instrument. What he said is quite alarming. It made me ask questions like: "Will the U.S. be able to function as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation?" “Will God be able to use us as a shepherd nation?" The Goliaths of humanism and materialism are rising up against the causes for which this nation stands - In God We Trust. But what young David said to Saul gives us a clear direction on how we should stand up against the Goliaths of our generation. Let us think about David's words in detail. 

First, David's statement teaches us to live with a clear sense of identity as shepherds for God’s flock. 

"Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep." This statement reminds us of our Lord Jesus’ call to Simon Peter saying, “Feed my lambs.” When Jesus said to Peter, “Take care of my sheep”, Jesus gave the call not just to Peter, but also to all Christians. So, we must regard ourselves as shepherds called to keep our Heavenly Father's sheep.  

Second, an absolute sense of responsibility as a shepherd for God's flock

David said, "When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God." Here in keeping his father's sheep, David went through seven steps: No 1, he stood vigil in tending and protecting his father’s sheep; No. 2, while he fell asleep even for a few seconds at night, ferocious animals like a lion or bear broke into the sheep pen and took away the sheep. Then the sheep cried out saying "Baa!” The minute he heard the cry, David woke up, and went after the lion or bear. No. 3. He ran until he caught it. Then he struck it. No. 4. Because he struck it hard, the animal fell flat. So, he was able to rescue the sheep from the beasts’ mouth. On some occasions, the sheep went half way down the throat of the bear or lion but still he pulled the bloody sheep out and bound up its wounds. No. 5. On some occasions, the lion turned on David trying to strike him with its paws. Then what did he do? Did he get scared and run away? No. He "seized it by its hair and pulled it hard. Then the lion cried out saying, "Ouch!" and the sheep fell from the mouth. Then No. 6. David struck the lion. The lion fell flat. But the lion did not die yet. It only played dead. So, step no. 7 was necessary. "David killed it", so it would never come back. This is what we mean by an absolute sense of responsibility. In praying for our children and Bible students, we must shepherd over them with the same sense of responsibility.   

Third, absolute faith in the Lord

How then was David able to discharge his duty as the shepherd? Was it because of his super human efforts? No. Look at verse 37. "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you." The expression "The Lord who delivered me..." shows us that David had a personal faith in the Lord. His faith was not a theoretical faith but a practical faith which he acquired through his personal experience in keeping his father's sheep in the field. In my conversation with Dr. Tim Park he made a surprising comment: "Christians cannot learn "faith" in a seminary school; they learn faith only from meeting challenges in practical lives, especially in mission fields." I fully agree with him. So if anyone wants to learn faith in God, by all means try to feed one sheep and shepherd over him or her.   

Practically then how did David fight Goliath? Look at verses 38-40. "Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine." David fought Goliath not with the "conventional weapon" such as "guns and knives" but with “his personalized weapon”. What was his personalized weapon? It consisted of four different tools: his staff, five smooth stones, the pouch of his shepherd's bag, and a sling. 

The remainder of today's Bible passage says that David had too use only "one" sling shot to cut down Goliath. But just in case he carried a staff and not just one or two but "five" smooth stones. Why? The answer is obvious. Just in case he missed the first shot, he wanted to launch the second, the third, and even the fifth. In case Goliath falls apart, only half dead, he wanted to use the staff to finish him. In this way, David knew that Goliath was not a joke; he knew that Goliath was not a push over; so he was "fully prepared for the challenge." 

A careful observation of the tools David employed, the method David used, and the way in which he actually came in contact with the enemy shows us that David had a "practical" faith, not a "fortune seeking" faith. Let us read verses 41-49 responsively. We can divide this passage into two parts: what David said to Goliath in verses 45-47; and what David did in verses 48-49. Look at verses 45-47 again. The messages are three fold: the means of the battle, and the cause for the battle, and the absolute conviction of the victory for the battle. These three are the absolute things one “must have” for an absolute victory. These three make a solider of Christ to act decisively, landing a deadly blow on God's enemy with deep conviction. 

Look at verses 48-49 again. "As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground." Observe the three action parts: No. 1, as the Philistines moved closer to David to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line..." This is the first and foremost important step. As the enemy advanced, David advanced faster. No. 2, David ran quickly to do what? Yes. To "meet" his enemy! A lot of people are afraid of facing the enemy "face to face" or "eye to eye". But we must remember: escaping from a problem is never the solution to the problem, for the problem will never go away until it is resolved. No. 3, the finishing part: Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground."   

The rest of the battle recorded in the passage is just a follow up of what David accomplished. But let us read verse 58, “Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him. David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem." Here the expression "the son of...Jesse of Bethlehem" reminds us of Jesus who is our true hero of heroes in whom absolute victories over the all kinds of enemies are guaranteed all the time. 

In conclusion, let us read verse 47. “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands." Today we learned that the Lord God enabled David to defeat Goliath to teach us that by faith in the Lord God, we can win victories over our enemies, especially materialism and humanism. Then we can lead ourselves and the flock of God to green pastures where our Lord Jesus can make our cups overflow. In this increasingly wicked generation, like David, may the Lord bless us to lead the flock of God and raise them as powerful soldiers of Christ. 

One word: the battle is the Lord's

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