Thy Servant will Go Grace Baptist Church of Second Life 10 November 2013 ========================== 1 Samuel 17:12-40 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) 12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, 14 and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, 15 but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem. 16 Every morning and evening for 40 days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. 17 One day Jesse had told his son David: “Take this half-bushel of roasted grain along with these 10 loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. 18 Also take these 10 portions of cheese to the field commander. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring a confirmation from them. 19 They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” 20 So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had instructed him. He arrived at the perimeter of the camp as the army was marching out to its battle formation shouting their battle cry. 21 Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other. 22 David left his supplies in the care of the quartermaster and ran to the battle line. When he arrived, he asked his brothers how they were. 23 While he was speaking with them, suddenly the champion named Goliath, the Philistine from Gath, came forward from the Philistine battle line and shouted his usual words, which David heard. 24 When all the Israelite men saw Goliath, they retreated from him terrified. 25 Previously, an Israelite man had declared: “Do you see this man who keeps coming out? He comes to defy Israel. The king will make the man who kills him very rich and will give him his daughter. The king will also make the household of that man’s father exempt from paying taxes in Israel.” 26 David spoke to the men who were standing with him: “What will be done for the man who kills that Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Just who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 The people told him about the offer, concluding, “That is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 David’s oldest brother Eliab listened as he spoke to the men, and became angry with him. “Why did you come down here?” he asked. “Who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your arrogance and your evil heart—you came down to see the battle!” 29 “What have I done now?” protested David. “It was just a question.” 30 Then he turned from those beside him to others in front of him and asked about the offer. The people gave him the same answer as before. 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, so he had David brought to him. 32 David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!” 33 But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.” 34 David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 Then David said, “The 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 may the Lord be with you.” 38 Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. 39 David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. 40 Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine. ========================== 1 Samuel 17:32 “And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with his Philistine.” You could be sitting next to a hero and not even know it. That’s one of the strange things about heroes—usually they are as surprised as everyone else is at their display of courage. They will tell you that they just happened to be in the right place at the right time and they did what anyone else would have done. In May of 1862, a small battle took place in the Shenandoah Valley. General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson had engaged Union troops at the little town of McDowell. Jackson’s troops had gained the high ground and were pressing their advantage. At one end was the 12th Georgia, lined up across the crest of a small hill. They were responsible for holding that position. Throughout the day, the battle raged. Then the sun began to set behind the hill—behine the Rebel soldiers. As this happened, the 12th Georgia soldiers were silhouetted against the skyline, creating an easy target for their enemy. The unit began to suffer heavy casualties. Realizing this, the order was given for the Georgia regiment to withdraw. But some of the Georgians refused to give up their ground! Soon, those who had been lead to safety returned to their former positions and resumed the battle. When the battle ended, the unit had lost 40 men killed and 135 wounded. A commanding officer asked one young recruit why the soldiers continued to fight in spite of the hazard of their position. The proud soldier replied, “Sir, we did not come all the way from Georgia to run from Yankees!” You don’t have to agree with his cause, but you have to admire that young man’s courage. He and a few others decided to stand and fight when others were content to withdraw. We witness the same kind of heroism in the story of David and Goliath. While the entire Israeli army cowered in their trenches, intimindated by the taunts of the giant, David stood apart and asked, “Is there not a cause?” Think of those two words, “A Cause.” They mean that something is a life or death, all or nothing issue. A cause is something that directs our lives and molds our behavior. It is something that stand for, to live for . . . and sometimes to die for. Join a cause with a crisis, and you’ll generally produce a hero. That’s what happened in the life of David. When he saw the enemy of God walking between the camps uncontested, he was provoked to action. Cause and crisis met, and a hero was born. There is general agreement today that Christianity is in a crisis. And there is a cause. The circumstances are ideal for producing heroes. Let’s see what David has to teach us about a hero in the making. Heros are found in the most unlikely of places (vv 12-19): To me, these verses emphasize David’s insignificance. Look at the details God has chosen to record for eternity about David. - He was from a little town – Bethlehem. The prophet Micah would later write that the town was “little among the thousands of Judah.” - He was the littlest son of a large family. He had seven older brothers, each of them big enough to persuade the prophet Samuel that they could fill the role of a king. - He had just a little job to do. While his big brothers were enlisted in the army, David was relegated to the role of an errand boy. He was to deliver a lunch and bring back a report. Perhaps to you and I, David didn’t have much to commend him for the job that had to be done. But understand these two things: - David was chosen for his character, not his credentials. - David was chosen for his faith, not his physique. Heros have an uncommon perspective (vv. 20-27): David arrived at the battlefield just as the two armies prepared for their daily sparring match. This had been going on for 40 days. This tells me that neither army was really trying very hard. Both sides were interested in an easy victory. I believe that all these “battles” amounted to was a little trash talking and spear waving. You know, “Your mother wears combat boots!” “Oh yea, well, your daddy was a weightlifter. He raised a bunch of dumbbells!” or something like that. About that time, Goliath begins to strut his stuff. He repeats the challenge that he’s been rehearsing for the last 40 days. And he gets the exact same results. - Read verse 11, the Israelite response to his initial challenge. “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.” - Read verse 24. And all the men of Israel, when they SAW the man, fled from him, and they were sore afraid. David’s words in verse 26 let us know that David had a different perspective of Goliath than did the average Israeli soldier. There is no trace in him of the fear that gripped the army. - In David’s eyes, Goliath was a reproach against Israel. He was saying that Israel ought to be ashamed for allowing the giant’s challenge to go unanswered. - David didn’t see a giant Philistine, but an uncircumcised Philistine. As Paul would later write, Goliath was a stranger from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. Israel had the promises of God. They were the people of God. Yet, they were behaving as if God had abdicated the throne of Heaven and was incapable of taking care of His people. - David realized that Goliath wasn’t challenging just any army, but the armies of the Living God. Heros often have to overcome opposition (vv. 28-39): Look at the obstacles he had to overcome before he could face Goliath. - The scorn of his brother. (Verse 28) As a teenager might put it, David was “dissed” by Eliab. His response to David’s faith was anger and ridicule. - The skepticism of his king. (Verses 30-33) When Saul compares David and Goliath, David fails to measure up. In Saul’s opinion, David is too young and too inexperienced. - The status quo. (Verses 38-39) To me, that is what Saul’s armor represents. It’s tradition, formalism, “The way we’ve always done things.” There was nothing “wrong” with a brass helmet, a coat of mail, and a steel sword. David would make use of all those things later. But they were wrong for David at that moment. God’s people had forgotten what kind of God they served. They were underestimating His abilities. They had come to trust in armed and arrayed armies instead of the Living God. They needed to be reminded of the power of God and the potential of faith. Heros are often unknown by others (vv. 55-58): 1 Samuel 17:55-58 (Holman Christian Standard Bible) 55 When Saul had seen David going out to confront the Philistine, he asked Abner the commander of the army, Whose son is this youth, Abner? [My] king, as surely as you live, I dont know, Abner replied. 56 The king said, Find out whose son this young man is! 57 When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistines head still in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem, David answered. Located in our National Cemetery in Arlington, VA is the tomb that is dedicated to the lost and missing American soldiers from all wars. The tomb was established on November 11, 1921 with the interment of an unknown soldier who died in World War 1. He was laid to rest directly beneath the flat-sided marble monument that is inscribed with these words: HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY AN AMERICAN SOLDIER KNOWN BUT TO GOD. So in closing, what does it take to be a hero of the faith? It only takes three qualities—three traits that any of us can possess. 1. A sense of purpose: If you are going to attempt “the impossible” for God, you have to know your purpose and stick to it. If you listen to the scorn and skepticism of those around you, you are likely to get your feelings hurt, your vision obscured, and your resolve weakened. 2. An attitude of expectation: 3. You have to know what you can expect God to do. - Because of His past performance - Because of His unchanging person - Because of His sure promises - A preparedness to act on faith alone. David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. (1 Samuel 17:39) Sometimes, you have to step out on a limb and put God to the test. You have to realize what works for others will not work for you. You have to be willing to put yourself squarely in the hands of God and face a giant with nothing in your hands but a sling and five little stones.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 01:26:44 +0000
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