DAVID MEETS GOLIATH

In today’s lesson of the COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY, we learn how David meets Goliath. Early that morning, the Philistines were gathered on one hill. Across the way, the Israelites were on another hill.  I guess you could say they were face-to-face in this battle. There was only a valley between them. 

WELCOME

Thank you for studying with us here at The IN SEASON Lifestyle. Today’s post is the next lesson for our Book of 1 Samuel Bible Study. We are in Chapter 17. Today we are covering the time when David slew Goliath. We present a new lesson every Thursday. One episode builds into the next, yet each lesson is also self-contained.

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ONE TALL PHILISTINE

One Philistine giant, named Goliath, stood about 9 feet and ten inches tall.  He hailed from Gath. This terrible warrior was the champion of the Philistine army.  His bronze armor weighed about 125 pounds, but he carried it as if it were made of feathers.

Goliath was very strong. All of Israel trembled before him.  He carried a heavy javelin and a large spear which looked deadly.  His trusty armor-bearer walked ahead of him carrying a huge shield.  To the men of Saul’s army, these two looked un-approachable.

A GIANT CHALLENGE

From the heights of his tall stature, Goliath shouted down to the men 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, Have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects. However, if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us. “

“This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.”

Saul and his men were terrified when they heard these words.  They had no one who could match this gigantic Philistine warrior.

40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS OF THREATS

Jesse’s three oldest sons were at the battle to fight with Saul.  I’m speaking of Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah.  Jesse was now very old.  The older brothers left David at home in Bethlehem with Jesse. This was so he could tend to the sheep while they were away.

These three oldest sons of Jesse had been fighting with Saul for a while.  They saw the Philistine giant named Goliath and were dismayed.  For 40 days this monster came by every morning and evening looking for someone brave enough to stand up to him.

JESSE SENDS DAVID TO THE CAMP

One day Jesse told David to take an ephah of roasted grain and ten loaves of bread to his brother’s camp.  Jesse also sent along some cheeses (ten of them) as a gift to the commander of the troops.

 Jesse wanted a good report on how David’s brothers were doing.

We don’t hear a lot about Jesse in the scriptures, but his importance as the ancestor of David and eventually Jesus is critical to the telling of the gospel. This link explains Jesse’s role well: https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/who-was-jesse-in-the-bible.html.

Jesse wanted to hear news of his sons. So, David packed up those goods and hauled them to The Valley of Elah. This was where Saul and his men were fighting against the Philistines. 

It was early in the morning when David left his sheep in the care of another shepherd boy to follow his father’s instructions.  About the time David reached the camp, he heard a loud battle cry.  The army had taken its positions.  Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines and facing one another. 

The Keeper of the Supplies kept David’s gifts safe while David ran to the battle lines to see how his brothers were faring.  While David was talking to his brothers, Goliath stepped out from the Philistine’s line and shouted his usual challenge.  David heard the giant shout out his proposal.  The Israelites fled in great fear. 

A REWARD IS OFFERED

Some of the Israelites pointed Goliath out to David. They told him how he had been repeatedly coming out to defy Israel.  They mentioned that Saul had promised to give great wealth to the man who killed him.  Saul had also offered his daughter in marriage, as well as tax exemption for the family of the man who would be brave enough to conquer this giant. 

David wasn’t afraid of Goliath.  His next words were shocking to the ears of those who stood around waiting to see what they would have to do next.  David shouted, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

Eliab heard his younger brother’s bold statement, and it angered him.  He turned to David 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.”

PARALLELS OF STORIES OF DAVID AND JOSEPH

Stop here for just a moment and think of an older story. Remember the story of Joseph? Joseph was an ancestor of David’s. Both men have similar characters, even down to their physical appearances. If you have never heard the story of Joseph, below is a link to our version of part of his story. This is actually one of the Sukkah Stories our family reads annually at The Feast of Tabernacles. My point in linking this story today is simply that Joseph and David have many parallels in their stories. It is interesting to note them before moving on. https://theinseasonlifestyle.com/sukkah-of-joseph/.

We see many similar and comparable stories when we study biblical heroes. In this case, both David and Joseph were young men whom their father sent out to supply their brothers. On the way though something else happened which changed everything from that point forward.

Joseph saved his nation (Israel) from famine. David is going to save his nation (Israel) from defeat in battle by slaying a giant. There is so much more that he will do for Israel, but let’s not get ahead of today’s story.

CONFIRMATION FOR THE REWARDS FROM SAUL

Getting back to the discussion between David and Eliab, now it was David’s time to get angry. Isn’t this just like most sibling rivalries? “What have I done?” David asked Eliab.  “Can’t I even speak?”

So, David turned to some more of the men who were standing by and brought up the same subject again.  These men again told David of the same rewards being offered. 

YOUR SERVANT WILL GO AND FIGHT

Someone reported David’s courageous remarks to Saul. Afterwards Saul sent for David.  When Saul confronted David, David said; “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

I’ve always wished to be able to see the look on Saul’s face at this point of the story.  Saul just looked David in the eye and said, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man. He has been a warrior from his youth.”

David didn’t lose a minute in telling Saul how he had fought off lions and bears while defending his sheep.  He spoke of how both a lion and bear turned on him as he was rescuing the flock. David described how he seized the animal by the hair, struck it and killed it.  After the illustrations of fighting lions and bears, David compared the facts and reasoned that this uncircumcised Philistine would be no harder to kill than those wild animals. 

GOD WILL COME TO THE RESCUE

David was reassured by the fact that Goliath had defied the armies of the living God.  He had confidence that the same God who had rescued him from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, would surely rescue him from the hand of this Philistine.

Saul probably stood and listened with complete amazement.  Not one of the men in Saul’s army had been as brave or as confident as David. 

So, Saul turned to David and said “Go, and the Lord be with you.”  He handed David his own tunic, a coat of armor, and a bronze helmet for his head.  David fastened his sword over the tunic and tried walking around.  He definitely wasn’t used to all of this armor.

A STAFF AND FIVE SMOOTH STONES

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.”  So, David took them off. 

He picked up his staff, then chose five smooth stones from the stream.  David put the stones in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag.

With his sling in his hand, David went out to approach the Philistine.

GOLIATH CURSES DAVID

The shield-bearer stood between David and Goliath, but Goliath kept coming closer and closer to David.  It surprised him to see that David was no more than a young boy.  He was healthy and handsome too. In that moment, this giant of a man despised David. Goliath looked down on David and said, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?”  

And using the names of all his pagan gods, Goliath cursed David. 

“Come here,” the giant of a man screamed, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals.”

DAVID WARNS GOLIATH

Looking up at the tall giant, David screamed right back at him.  “You come against me with the 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.” 

“On this 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. The whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves.”

“For the battle is the Lords, and he will give you into our hands.”

THE BATTLE BELONGS TO THE LORD

As the giant Philistine moved closer to attack David, David ran out to the battle line to meet him.  Reaching into his bag, David took out a stone and slung it from his sling. He struck the Philistine on the forehead. The huge giant of a man fell facedown upon the ground. 

So it was that the young man named David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David slew Goliath without a sword in his hand. 

He had defeated Goliath.

David ran and stood over Goliath’s body and took hold of Goliath’s sword.  He drew it from the sheath and cut off the giant’s head.

THE PHILISTINES RUN AWAY

The Philistine army saw with horror that their hero was dead.  They turned and ran as fast as they could.  The men of Israel and Judah came forward with a shout. 

They pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron.  Dead Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim Road to Gath and Ekron. 

After the Israelites defeated the Philistines, they plundered their camp.

So, David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Jerusalem.  He put the giant’s weapons in front of his own tent.

THE SON OF JESSE OF BETHLEHEM

Abner was the commander of the Israeli army that day.  When Saul saw David going out to meet Goliath, he asked Abner,” whose son is that young man?”  Abner replied that he did not know.  “Find out” said Saul.

So Abner found David and took him before King Saul.  David was still holding the head of the Philistine.

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

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