September 24, 2022
DAVID AND GOLIATH
September 24, 2022
Charles Billingsley
Do you have a giant in your life right now, one that is causing you stress or anxiety? If you can share, perhaps others may have some suggestions!
Almost every child who has come up through the ranks of Sunday School knows the story of David and Goliath. Today, as we continue our series “David: Chasing the Heart of God,” we will look for lessons to be learned from his early life. He is the only person in the Scriptures who has God’s testimony that he had a heart like God’s. Join us as Charles Billingsley brings David alive in movie fashion, reinventing the scenes of the battleground. We will see that our mental, physical, or spiritual giants are very similar to David’s confrontation with—and victory over—Goliath.
Focal Passage: 1 Samuel 17:1-54.
Scene 1: The Battlefield
Can someone set the stage for us, as to what was happening on the battlefield in Socoh? Can someone describe Goliath? Why were the seasoned soldiers of King Saul so fearful?
Scene 2: Bethlehem
Does anyone remember what had taken place in last week’s sermon, when Samuel went to Jesse’s home in Bethlehem? Which of Jesse’s sons came to stand before Samuel as he waited word from the Lord as to which one to anoint as king? What had he asked Jesse when God rejected the seven brothers of David? How had Jesse reacted when asked if all his sons were there? What occurred next?
David was faithful in the mundane
· Read 1 Sam. 17: 12-15. After Samuel had anointed David and left Bethlehem, where had the three eldest sons gone? Where did Jesse send David?
· What do we know—from other Scriptures—of some of the situations that David faced while tending the sheep? What else do we know he did while by himself?
· How can you know that David was faithful as he obeyed his father?
· How can we stay faithful in the day of small things?
Scene 3: Back to the Battlefield
While David was tending the sheep, what was happening on the battlefield where his three eldest brothers were? How long had Goliath’s taunting gone on? Had Saul’s army gotten braver as the days passed? What happened when David was sent to take food to his brothers at the army camp?
David was focused on the right things
· Read 1 Sam. 17:31-32,36-37. Why could Saul not understand where David’s fearlessness came from (16:14)? Why was he willing to allow David to go fight Goliath? Do you believe Saul thought David would triumph over the giant?
· What were some reasons David had no qualms about confronting Goliath?
· Read Luke 1:37, Psalm 1, and Psalm 23. Do you think these passages reflect the heart of David?
· How can a proper perspective help us serve God with courage?
David was fine just being himself
· Where did David’s courage come from? How did he realize that there was a greater cause than he could see?
· How can we learn to be fine with the qualities God has given us?
Scene 4: The Battle
Can someone tell what they remember of “Slingers—those who fought in historical times by means of slings and stones”?
David was fearless in the face of the giant
· Read 1 Sam. 17:40-47 and I John 4:18. Do you think David’s love for God enabled him to face the giant? How?
· How can we learn to face our giants head on, as they come into our lives?
Scene 5: The Victory
Once David had killed Goliath, what did the battle scene look like? Were the soldiers frightened any longer?
David firmly held on to his trophies
· Read verse 54. What all did David take back to Jerusalem with him?
· What are some things we can keep as trophies as we slay our giants?
Close:
Most of us are aware of the analogy of many people’s character when it is said of them “They always see the glass half full, rather than half empty”? Have you ever thought of the spiritual application of such a personality? They would tend to have wonderful traits that perhaps those of us who might be more pessimistic would overlook. For instance, to focus on what they have, instead of what they lack, would incite gratefulness; it would foster a spirit of contentment such as Paul had when he wrote, “In whatever state I am, I have learned to be content!” Somehow, one has an instinct that those traits were found in the heart of David.
David didn’t see Goliath as a giant that may have been almost twice his teen-age height. He didn’t see the arrogant man as someone to be feared. Even with Goliath’s armor, weapons, bluster, bullying, and more, David saw someone who was ridiculing the one true, powerful, living God of Israel—who eventually unveiled His mysterious plan to include Gentile believers in His gift of salvation. David’s blood must have boiled at the words of Goliath! He would face the giant just as he had faced the wild animals who were after his precious sheep, becoming a symbol to us of Christ’s standing in the gap with us as we face our giants in today’s world. We don’t have to be afraid; we only have to be clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ by repenting of our sins and accepting
His free gift of salvation. May we have the courage to fight our giants on our knees, with our hands lifted high, knowing the battle is the Lord’s!