May 15, 2025
 
 
Written by Larry Stockstill

 

No greater work of the Lord is recorded in the Bible than David’s slaying of Goliath. More than nine feet tall, Goliath presented the most imposing stature of any human being in history. The image of a little stripling boy walking and then running toward such a giant stirs the courage of all who read the tale. Let’s note three of this story’s many lessons.

The first lesson deals with the boldness of a person who is anointed by God. Saul and all his men were scared to death of Goliath, but the young man who had been anointed by God had no sense of fear. He had no concern or worry because his trust was in the God who had always helped him. He boldly proclaimed, “The Lord who saved me from the claws of the lion and the bear will save me from this Philistine!” (1 Samuel 17:37).

The second lesson concerns the methods of God. David refused Saul’s bulky armor, saying only that he felt more comfortable without it. He was choosing God’s methods over the methods of the world. Trust in the things of this world rather than the things of God will never bring success when facing an overwhelming battle.

The third lesson illustrates the works of the Lord. God can take the smallest human weapons and warriors and demolish the mightiest foes. Who would have thought that five stones in the hand of a boy could bring down the mighty Goliath?

Psalm 111:2 reminds us, “How amazing are the deeds of the Lord! All who delight in him should ponder them.” Run boldly toward your “Goliath.” He must come down in the name of the Lord!

 
 
SCRIPTURES:

 

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4

David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah.2Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.3The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

4A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.5He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels;6on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back.7His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

8Goliath 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.9If 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.”10Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”11On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old.13Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah.14David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul,15but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

16For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

17Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp.18Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them.19They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.”

20Early in the morning David left the flock in the care of a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.21Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other.22David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were.23As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it.24Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.

25Now 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 family from taxes in Israel.”

26David 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?”

27They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”

28When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”

29“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”30He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before.31What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

32David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

33Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”

34But 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,35I 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.36Your 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.37The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you.”

38Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head.39David 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.40Then 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.

41Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.42He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him.43He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.44“Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

45David 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.46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.47All 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.”

48As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.49Reaching 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.

50So 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.

51David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. 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.52Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.53When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

54David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.

55As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”

Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”

56The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”

57As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.

58“Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.

David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Saul’s Growing Fear of David

18 After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.2From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family.3And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.4Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

 

John 8:21-30

Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

21Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.”

22This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

23But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.24I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

25“Who are you?” they asked.

“Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied.26“I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

27They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father.28So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.29The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.”30Even as he spoke, many believed in him.

 

Psalm 111

Psalm 111

111 Praise the LORD.

I will extol the LORD with all my heart
    in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2Great are the works of the LORD;
    they are pondered by all who delight in them.
3Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the LORD is gracious and compassionate.
5He provides food for those who fear him;
    he remembers his covenant forever.

6He has shown his people the power of his works,
    giving them the lands of other nations.
7The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.
8They are established for ever and ever,
    enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
9He provided redemption for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome is his name.

10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.
    To him belongs eternal praise.

 

Proverbs 15:11

11Death and Destruction lie open before the LORD—
    how much more do human hearts!

 
 
 
 
 
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