The Faith of David

December 10, 2023 Background Scripture: 1 Samuel 17:1 - 58 Lesson Passage: 1 Samuel 17:31 - 37, 45, 48 - 50 David is one of the heroes of the bible. The story of David's youth is the stuff legends are made of. There are entire books written about it—even some written just for children! There are action figures of David as a boy. The encounter between David and Goliath is the reason for this. The ongoing battles between Israel and the Philistines set the stage for today's lesson. The Philistines were a warrior nation with their own heroes. Goliath and his brothers were giants. The bible describes them as being over nine feet tall. Nations in battle would set their armies in array opposite each other. Sometimes, each side would choose a fighter and allow them to represent the entire army. The fighter who prevailed in that one-on-one competition would determine the outcome of the battle for their entire nation. Because of Goliath and his brothers, this appears to have been the preferred military strategy for the Philistines. Israel's army refused to accept the challenge because of the obvious mismatch in size that gave the Philistines a distinct advantage. Goliath taunted and challenged Israel's army for forty days. King Saul, who was leading the army of Israel, and all his men were afraid of Goliath. One day a Bethlehemite named Jesse sent his youngest son, David, to the front line to carry food to his brothers who were in Israel's army. David was also instructed to bring news back to his daddy as to how Israel's army was faring against the Philistines. As Israel's army retreated from Goliath that day, one of the soldiers talked about the reward the king of Israel would give to any soldier who kills Goliath. That seemed to have gotten David's attention. David asked for clarity concerning the reward for Goliath's killer. David's older brother heard him and became angry with him for being there. Finally, David agreed to fight Goliath on behalf of Israel. David referred to Israel's fighters as the armies of the living God. King Saul attempted to convince David that what he wanted to do was a suicide mission. David responded by giving a testimony of how he had killed a lion and a bear to protect his daddy's flock of sheep. David's older brother had referred to their daddy's flock as a few sheep. David declared that the Lord had protected him from the lion and the bear, and he was confident that the Lord would protect him from Goliath. With that testimony, King Saul agreed to send David out against Goliath on behalf of Israel. Saul dressed David in his battle gear and gave him his sword. David could not walk under the weight of the gear, so he took it off. Then David took his shepherd's staff, five stones, and his sling and approached Goliath. Goliath was insulted when he saw a boy coming to fight him. David declared that the battle would be fought by the Lord and that he would kill Goliath that day. When Goliath came out from the army, David ran to meet him. David used his sling and a stone to knock Goliath out, and then he took Goliath's sword and used it to cut his head off. The Philistine army fled when they saw that Goliath was dead. Israel's army pursued the fleeing Philistines and took the spoils of war from them. King Saul was so impressed with David that he asked whose son this was. David was brought before the king, and he said that the king's servant, Jesse, was his father. David made no claim of any special abilities or anointing. David's testimony was based on what he believed about the living God of Israel, David's confidence in God was not human courage but rather unwavering faith in God's divine protection. David believed that God would protect Israel from anyone who defied her. David didn't even attribute his success in protecting his daddy's sheep to his abilities. David gave God the glory for the outcome of both situations. It should be little wonder that God called David a man after His own heart. David had an unshakable faith in God, and God was pleased with David's faith. Robert C. Hudson November 25, 2023