Defeating our giants!
Reading: 1 Samuel 17:45-47.
“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 and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands.”
Life's giants (Goliaths) come in all shapes and sizes: an unhappy relationship, unemployment, a difficult job, sexual abuse, depression, a pile of debt, a rebellious child, an uncontrollable habit, etc. David faced what appeared to be an impossible problem. Like Him, we can gain victory through God's power, on the battlefield.
Notice that David declared victory over Goliath before the battle even began, 1 Samuel 17:46 “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. The shepherd's confidence was rooted in his past experiences. David ascribed God with protecting and strengthening him when he killed the lion and bear that had threatened his flock.
Furthermore, David believed he would triumph because he was God's servant. The boy had spent hours alone in the wilderness listening to God's quiet voice. Even a giant's discouraging shout could not shake his convictions about who the Lord was and what He could do through His servant.
David had practical faith habits. He spent time with God, which yielded a strong relationship. In turn, he responded to a problem with the certainty that he was a beloved child of God with full access to his Father's storehouses of power, courage, and wisdom.
I often encourage you to practice David's faith habits. Spend time alone with the Lord, and keep a record of His work in your life. Then you can be confident that God is big enough to overcome any giant, no matter how big a problem looms. He gives victory to those who stand in faith and face up to their giants (Goliaths).
Let us look at this passage first with natural eyes a boy faces a giant of a man!
1. THE ODDS ARE AGAINST HIM AND YOU!
A young, inexperienced battle worn boy kneels by the brook. He is searching for rocks, smooth stones, to fit into his shepherd’s sling. Stones that is heavy on the palm, and like a missile in a sling. So that the force can cut into the head of a lion, a bear, or, in this case, a giant.
Goliath towers above them all: nine feet, nine inches tall in his stocking feet, wearing 125 pounds of armour, and snarling like a lion. He is a veteran fighter of many great battles, winning every one; he is a champion of champions!
What odds did Daniel have against his giant? Better odds perhaps than you give yourself against your giants. Your Goliath does not carry sword or shield; he carries your failings before you.
He brings grades you cannot make.
He brings bills you cannot pay.
People you cannot please.
A job you cannot escape.
A past you cannot shake.
A future you cannot face.
How long has your giant been before you? Goliath’s family was a very old foe of the Israelites. Joshua drove them out of the Promised Land three hundred years earlier. Saul’s soldiers saw Goliath and mumbled, “Not again. My dad fought his dad. My granddad fought his granddad.”
Do you say the same thing? I am just like my dad, sickness runs in the family, divorce is a curse on our family, Ect. Is this ever going to stop?” When Saul and his men heard the Philistines’ challenge, they were terrified (1Samuel17:11).
2. DO YOU SEE GOD WHEN FACING YOUR GIANTS?
When you see your giants, do you see anything else? When David saw and heard Goliath, he turned first and spoke to God. “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he defies the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26. David says the same with King Saul: no talk about the battle or questions about the odds. Just a God-birthed announcement: “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of the Philistine” 1 Samuel 17:37.
This is NOT “David versus Goliath,” BUT, “GOD versus Goliath.” David sees what others do not see, all eyes, except David’s, fall on the brutal, hate-breathing champion. David majors on God. He sees the giant; he just sees God more so. Look carefully at David’s battle cry: “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” 1 Samuel 17:45.
The 12 spies ALL saw giants, only TWO, you and me can see God!
3. THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S.
David’s brothers cover their eyes in fear. Saul covers his eyes in shame; Goliath is in laughter (lol), while David runs towards the giant. David spots the target and seizes the moment. The sling is fired, it hits its target, Goliath’s eyes close and his legs buckle. He crumples to the ground and dies. David runs over and yanks Goliath’s sword form its sheath, and cuts off his head.
From defeat to victory in a moment! From all being lost to finding the way through! From standstill to moving on! All, ONLY a “stone throw away.” You might say that “David knew how to get a head of his giant.” When was the last time you did the same? How long since you ran toward your challenge?
We tend to retreat, when we hear Goliath coming. Try a different way. Amplify God and minimize Goliath. Loaded your sling with faith and take a swing at your giant.
4. FOCUS ON GOD AND NOT ON YOUR GIANTS.
David made only two references about Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. Yet, I count nine references to the Lord. God-thoughts outnumber Goliath-thoughts nine to two. How does this ratio compare with yours? Let me give you ONE thought to close. “If God before us, WHO can be against us?”
If you:
Focus on giants – you stumble.
Focus on God – your giants tumble.
CONCLUSION:
Lift your eyes to the Lord. The God who made a miracle out of David stands ready to make one out of you.
