Today on the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Moses used his staff in the parting of the Red Sea. David uses a sling. And a stone. The fake life.
David faces Goliath, this huge man. seemingly impossible to defeat. And under the power of God with that little stone. David kills life. Welcome to The Verdict, featuring the Bible teaching of Pastor John Monroe.
No matter your background, you've probably heard the exciting story of David and Goliath. David was the ultimate underdog. But why is this story in the Bible? And why is it such a significant event in David's spiritual life?
Well, today on the verdict, we're taking a closer look at this famous story as we continue our new study on the life of David.
Now, here's Pastor John Monroe. What do you know about King David in the Bible? Probably the first thing that comes to mind is that he killed the giant Goliath. When our son Christopher was a little boy, he loved the story of David and Glythe. We had it on tape.
And he loved To hear it over and over again. He never seemed to get tired of David killing Goliath. This story is not just for little boys who want an exciting story. We begin to understand how David is called a man after God's own heart. As we meet David, Saul is the first king of Israel.
And we can't help but note the contrast between these two men. The life of David shows that people in their teens can indeed be mightily used by God. By looking at the life of David, this remarkable man. Israel's greatest king, who's called a man After God's And here in 1 Samuel Uh seventeen. We have one of the most famous stories in all of the Old Testament.
Even if you. Don't know your Bible very well. I think you're familiar with this story. You may never have read it. But uh It is probably.
One of the main stories we teach our children. I wonder how many of you grew up in Sunday school with the Sunday school song, Only a Lad Called David, Only a Little Sling. Only a lad called David, only a brickling. Brooke. Blank faces.
Obviously, it never made its way over the Atlantic. And we have got some people, thank you. The golden Aldies, there we are. Even in our circles, we occasionally were allowed to use hand motions, Nathaniel. And when it came to the sling, it went round and round and round and round and round and round and round.
One little stone went through the air and the giant fell to the ground. And there's one occasion where we could pound on the floor and make a lot of noise, because after all, Gliath did get stoned out of his mind, didn't he?
Well, the title of today's message is David the Giant Killer. Uh I've heard uh quite a number of preaching on this message. And it almost invariably Involved in killing the giants of our life, giants like fear and greed and suffering and addictions and unforgiveness. And as I listen to it, I think it's amazing how. When we read the scriptures, how much we become the focus?
And I wonder When a writer was writing 1 Samuel 17, Was he thinking about you and me fighting? The giants in our life.
Now I think that is a legitimate application. But we want to focus on what the text says and to ask ourselves: why is this chapter in the Bible? Because it's much, much more than a story of a young boy killing. A giant. I remember one Message I heard when I was a student at Dallas Seminary, and the preacher who was not a Dallas graduate, I'm glad to say, he spent most of this message wondering why David only chose five stones.
Why Did he have five stones? After all, he only used one. And I thought, I've never had that question at all. I presume he had a little pouch and he went to the brook and he picked up five stones. If you've got a gun, you don't put just one bullet in it.
I don't have a gun. But those of you who have, you don't just put in one bullet. But this man made a tremendously long-winded message. Goodney remembers it well about David and his five stones. The other possibility is at the end of 2 Samuel chapter 21, we read that there were four other giants in Gath.
who later In David's story, they are also going to be killed by David and his mighty men. In fact, David's nephew, Jonathan. The son of one of his brothers is going to kill one of the giants. Do you remember reading about them? They had six fingers and six toes?
And that they were killed.
So maybe David was thinking of these, some of the. the other giants, uh we don't know. We want to focus on what the text says. All of 1 Samuel Chapter 17. It's a long chapter.
I don't want you to fall asleep. This is the most important part. This is a story, a remarkable story, of David. Colouring. A giant.
If you've got your Bible, follow it with me. I'm reading it from the English Standard Version.
Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Sucko, which belongs to Judah, and the camp between uh Succo and Azekar in Ephes Damim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered. And encamped in the valley of Elah and drew up in line of battle against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion. named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. Over nine feet. Great quarterback. He had a helmet of bronze on his head.
and he was armed with a coat of mail. And the weight of the court was 5,000 shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam. and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.
and his shield bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel. Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me.
If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. And the Philistine said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. When Saul And all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Now, David. Was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul, the man was already old and advanced in years. The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn.
And next to him, Abin Adab. And the third Shema. David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. For forty days The Philistine came forward and took his stand morning and evening.
And Jesse said to David his son, Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. And also take these five cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well and bring some token from them. No soul. And they and all the men of Israel went in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.
David rose early in the morning and left his sheep with the keeper, took the provisions and went as Jesse had commanded him. and he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line shouting the war cry. And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers. And as he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before.
And David heard him. All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who's come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
No taxes. Verse 26. David said to the man who stood by him, What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him in the same way: so shall it be done to the man who kills him.
Now Eliab, his eldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men, and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left these few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart. For you've come down to see the battle. And David said, What have I done now?
Was it not but a word? And he turned away from him toward another and spoke in the same way. And the people answered him as before. Verse thirty-one When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him.
Your servant will go up and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, You're not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you're but a youth, and he's been a man of war from his youth. But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from his flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he rose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
Your servant has struck down both lions and bears. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them. For he has defied the armies of the living God. And David said, The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go.
And the Lord be with you. Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He took a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. And David strapped his sword over his army. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them.
Then David said to Saul, I can't go with these, for I've not tested them.
So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook. Put them in a shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand. and he approached the Philistine.
And the Philistine moved toward him. and came near to David with his shield bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome. In appearance. And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?
And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistines said to David, Come to me, and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field. Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know. That there is a God in Israel. And that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hand. Verse 48: When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead.
The stone sank into his forehead and he fell on his face to the ground.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of his sheath, and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Sharaim as far as Gath and Ekron. And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem. but he put his armour in his tent. As soon as Saul Saw David go out against the Philistine.
He said to Abner, the commander of the army, Abner, whose son is this youth? Abner said, as your soul lives, oh Okay, I don't know. And the king said, Inquire whose son the boy is. And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Paul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man?
And David answered, I'm the son of your servant Jesse. the Bethlehem. Isn't that a quite a story? 1 Samuel chapter 6. 17.
Here, David's leadership as the future king of Israel is demonstrated.
Now the writer of 1 Samuel Wants us to understand throughout 1 Samuel the marked contrast between Saul and David. Saul is a man of the flesh. Living according to the flesh. David is a man filled with the Spirit. Look back at chapter 16.
1 Samuel 16. We saw a couple of weeks ago the anointing of David by Samuel. 1 Samuel 16. Verse thirteen, then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward.
And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord. tormented him. And that contrast between these two important men, Saul the first king and David the greatest king of Israel, continues throughout 1 Samuel. From a human perspective, Saul is a very impressive individual, head and shoulders above everyone else. He is the people's choice, but he's not God's choice.
Remember the Lord said to Samuel, 1 Samuel 16, verse 7: Man looks on the outward appearance, but God searches the heart. And because of Saul's disobedience, his arrogant disobedience, God rejects him as king of Israel, and David is anointed by Samuel as the future king of Israel.
Now it wasn't wrong. For Israel to have a king. You can look back at Deuteronomy seventeen, verses fourteen through twenty. uh to see that. But here is the point.
The Lord was to choose the King, not the people. Israel insisted they wanted a king. Look back to 1 Samuel chapter 8. First Samuel Chapter 8. Here are the people.
And they're complaining, and they're not at all happy. And Samuel, the godly prophet, is very frustrated with them. 1 Samuel 8 verse 19. But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, no.
but there shall be a king over us. But notice the reasoning for it. Verse 20, that we also may be like all the nations. Does that sound familiar? The people of God wanting to be like the pagan.
Nations, instead of being distinct, instead of being alight, instead of being salt as our Lord Jesus, isn't there a tendency in our flesh to be like other people, to adopt the mindset and the fashions and the thinking of the world? That's Israel. They want a king. But the Lord should have chosen a king. But the reason they want a king is to be like the nations, verse 20, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our Battles.
So you get your king.
So And now there is a battle to be fought. And what about this great king that you have chosen? This large man who's head and shoulders above everyone else, a very impressive individual, very strong, very capable, I'm sure. But where is he? If anyone is going to tackle Goliath, it is to be the king.
You appoint the king so that he will go out and fight your battles. But as we read, when the challenge comes, when this monster of a man Goliath stands before the people, What is happening to Paul? To solve rather? We read it in verse 11 of 1 Samuel 17. When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
That's all. When it comes to the point He doesn't act. According to his responsibility as king and being the commander, the Israeli army, even to this day, they lead, their commanders lead right up front. They are the first into battle. They lead.
And that's what Saul should have done. But his lack of leadership, his lack of moral authority, It's shown. He had 40 days. Did you notice how often the Philistines shouted morning and evening? For 40 days, he challenged.
the Israelites to put their best man and we will fight. Forty days Saul had. To ask God for guidance, for strength, for victory. 40 in the Bible is the number of testing, and Saul. Failed.
the test. How long was our Lord Jesus in the wilderness facing another giant, the devil? How long was he in the wilderness? Forty And Saul tries to delegate the responsibility and even is prepared to bribe the man who volunteers to fight against Goliath, something he himself should have done. If you go to fight, you can marry my daughter.
And uh No taxes, you'll be a free man. He is afraid. But David, the young David, we don't know exactly how he was. He wasn't a novice. He tells Saul that.
Don't forget, I know. About tests. I've passed the tests all, David. has faith. Goliath is nine feet six.
Inches. Saul is tall. But Glythe is a monster. And when it comes to the point, So Black Blackstone.
Now did you notice Saul, when David comes to Saul, And says he's prepared to go into battle against Goliath. Saul first tries to dissuade him by saying, Well, you're just a youth, and Goliath has been a man of war from his youth. Goliath is a seasoned warrior, he's a veteran, he's been in many, many wars. You're just a novice, you're a youth, you can't handle it. And David says, No.
I can go. This is something I'm going to do. And then Saul tries to clothe David with his armor so that he'll be like Goliath. Saul's armor, of course, doesn't fit. David is not as tall.
A soul. And David's reliance is not on his armor, but on God. Saul was looking at Gliad's outward appearance. Which was large, which was scary. which seemed An insuperable enemy, David's eyes were not so much on Goliath, but was on his.
Got. Paul tells us that we're not to wage war according to the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12. That spiritual warfare requires spiritual weapons. What are the spiritual weapons? What is the armor of the Christian?
Read it in Ephesians 6. It's the shield of faith, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation. This is the sword of the spirit. This is what we go to. When we fight against the enemy, we take these spiritual weapons and prayer.
This is the verdict with Pastor John Monroe. Today's message is titled, Giant Killer. And it's part of our series in the life of David. As we go deeper into this study over the next few weeks, you'll want your own copy of the special listening guide John has crafted to go along with each of these daily lessons. In this insightful and free printable workbook, you'll be able to explore the biblical themes, key takeaways, and real life applications of every lesson we cover on the life of David.
So don't miss out on this helpful free resource. Reach out and download your copy of the Life of David Listening Guide today by visiting us online at theverdict.org. And while you're there, be sure to sign up for our monthly email list to get the latest ministry updates from John. And if these lessons and resources have helped you, would you consider helping other listeners by supporting the Verdict's gospel outreach with a donation of any amount? By helping us cover the cost to produce and distribute these biblical messages, you'll be playing an important part in sharing the gospel with new listeners in communities near and far around the world.
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Now, here's Pastor John Monroe. Well, what's your verdict? Did you notice the difference between Saul and David? Ooh. Saul was bigger than David, but in moral strength and leadership and spiritual vitality, David was always bigger than Saul.
None of us know how God will use us in the future, so we must be faithful in the tasks we're given now. Perhaps God is preparing you. for a surprising opportunity. Keep your focus on the Lord. And whatever you're doing, Do it for the glory of God.
Next time we'll continue to look at David the giant killer. Thanks for joining us today on The Verdict. I'm Michelle Davies. Today's program with Pastor John Monroe was produced and sponsored by Calvary Church in Charlotte, North Carolina.
