Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayer for attention to 1 Samuel chapter 17, and reading
for our text verse 45. Verse 45. Then said David to
the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear,
and with a shield. But I come to thee in the name
of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom
thou hast defined. 1 Samuel chapter 17, verse 45. Here we have a picture of a meeting,
two men meeting together. And they're each coming to that
meeting in a very different way. How often that would be replicated
in many things in our lives. Whether it be in our secular
employment, whether it be in our studies, whether it be in
the Church of God. How often we meet together. We
may be mindful of how the other person is meeting us, what we
are going to be faced with. And it'd be a good thing if we are
mindful as well how we are attending that meeting, how we are coming,
and that we are not tempted to actually think, well, just because
one is coming to the meeting, in this manner that we have to
come to that meeting in the same manner. We don't. And here we
have the situation where one is not one of the Lord's people,
a defier of the people of God, and one is one of the Lord's
people, and we see how differently they come to this meeting. May it always be so. that as
the Lord's people, whenever we meet with the world, whenever
we meet with those who fear not God, we still come, as dear David
did, in the name of the Lord our God. Well, we took up with
the account here, when David was first brought before Saul,
and he says that he will go against the Philistine. Beforehand, we
have the whole setting, the picture of what is happening. We have the valley of Elam, we
have Mount Oneside, one side we have Israel, the other side
we have the Philistines. And we have this giant, nine
and a half, feet tall, I think perhaps as tall as this pulpit,
and must have been a very imposing sight, not on his own, he's got
the armour bearer with him as well, and he comes before Israel
and he sets the terms of this battle. He lays it out that he
doesn't need that all of the armies fight together let there
just be one found. And if the one that is chosen
from Israel can defeat him, Goliath, the giant, then the Philistines
would be Israel's servants. But if Goliath was to prevail
against the Israelite, then the Israelites would be the Philistines'
servants. And that was the terms and for
a whole 40 days this man came out into the midst between these
armies and he defied the armies of Israel. He defied them. He said, give me a man. But there
was no man found at all in Israel, not even Saul was game enough
to go against this man. And we might think, well, why
is it? Why should it be prolonged so
long that there was this defying Israel and challenging them and
no help found? 40, in the word of God, is always
set forth as a test, an approving time. Rain was upon the earth
40 days, 40 nights. In Noah's day, we have the children
of Israel that were to be 40 years in the wilderness. And
we're told in Deuteronomy it was to try them, to prove them,
to know what was in their hearts, whether they would serve the
Lord or no. The Ninevites that were told
that in 40 days their city would be destroyed. And in that 40
days really was the only ray of hope in Jonah's message. You might say, where is a gospel
message? Where is the ray of hope given
to these Ninevites that should encourage them to repent? The
hope was in the time that they were given. While there is life,
there is hope. May we always remember that.
Well, we're in the day of grace and those Ninevites, they took
that and they were brought to repentance. God gave them repentance. But that 40 days is a testing
time in that. So with our Lord, 40 days and
40 nights in the desert after he was baptized, tempted of the
devil. And whereas our first parents
fell when they had all the luxury and all the provision of Eden
except the one forbidden fruit, how Lord had fasted those 40
days and then was tempted on the very same thing, command
this stone that it might be made bread. Now, Lord stood that test. It was vital that he was to be
seen. Though he was the second Adam,
he was not like the first Adam that fell, that could fall. that
he was spotless and sinless and Satan had no part in him and
couldn't prevail against him at all. When Satan even took
the word of the Lord and suggested or said to our Lord that he was
to cast himself down from the pinnacle of the temple because
it was written that God would give his angels charge over him,
the Lord said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. and he rebuffed him with the
word of God. We have then many times in scripture,
we might say with our Lord, it was 40 days from when our Lord
rose from the dead to when he ascended up again into heaven. Another 10 days later was the
day of Pentecost. But it is a testing, a proving
time that that which is to be done is really established He
might say what was established here was that there was no one
in Israel that could stand against Goliath. And I believe that that
was very vital, it was vital in this present time, this account
that is before us here, God had a design, a purpose in view here. It wasn't long before this that
Samuel had anointed David to be the next king. over Israel. And this was one of God's ways
of bringing David into the limelight, thrusting him into the presence
of the king. Already he had played music before
him, but it seems the king hadn't taken much notice of that, didn't
know who he was. But this now was going to result
in all Israel singing songs, praising God and acknowledging
the wonderful victory that he was to make over the Philistine. And so God's design was to bring
David out of obscurity, away from feeding his flock, and to
thrust him before all Israel and before Saul. Now when the
Lord is in the matter, he will bring it to pass. He worked not
only on one front, but two fronts. He works with Samuel. He works
here in Providence with Israel. And we may say with his music
as well, David was brought into the palace to learn of the things,
how things went on in the court of the king, the same as with
Moses that had to learn what was went on in Pharaoh's court,
then in the desert. So again, we think of 40, 40
years for Moses in Pharaoh's court, learning all how to govern
a people, and then 40 years in the wilderness, how to survive
and how to carry on in the wilderness. And no doubt many lessons through
the sheep as well. But we have the Lord working
in in several things at once. And with Moses, the Lord appeared
to him, gave him the commission to go back to Israel, and at
the same time told Aaron to come and meet him. And these things
were all happening at once, and we have it here. And so it was
to be proved first. Imagine if there was some other
one found in Israel, there'd be no point in David coming.
The whole thing would have fallen flat. And so it was, essential
that it had to be proved there was none and they were ready
then to have David go forth. We see as well that David's coming
to the camp was on his father's instructions. His father sent
him, he obeyed. How many times we find this? How did Joseph start on his journey
to Egypt? It was obeying his father. He
must have been quite apprehensive of going to brothers that already
hated him. But sometimes the smallest thing,
or it's not really a small thing, obedience to a parent, just to
do an errand, is the start of something very great. If we would
be blessed in great things, we begin in small things. You might
say the commandment, honour thy father and thy mother, both David
and Joseph began in this path in that way. And so David then
is brought into the camp and he hears first hand the giant
and he hears his terms and he hears those conditions and he
sees the fright of the people running away, you know, in a spiritual sense. David
is a beautiful time in this account of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, David's greatest Son that was to come. The terms there
are that the people of God, they stand in Him. It is what our Lord has single-handedly
done and accomplished at Calvary that ensures the people of God
their deliverance, their victory in the Lord Jesus Christ. And
with these, all Israel was to see this victory. We think of
when the children of Israel were going through the wilderness,
when they came to Jordan, there was to be a space between them
and the ark. And the whole reason was that
all Israel Instead of the ark being swallowed up by the people
and you couldn't see for the throng, it was right out in front
of them all. They could all see it, and all
see it going to Jordan. Long way off for many of them,
but when they came to go through Jordan, they'd go right next
to it. And so many times in Scripture, we have, when there is a type
of our Lord, And our Lord himself, when he suffered, was made a
spectacle. And I, if I be lifted up above
the earth, will draw all men unto me. He was to be seen. He was to be seen by the people
of God. And in the church of God today,
he is to be seen in the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. This do
in remembrance of me, as oft as ye do eat this bread and drink
this cup, ye do show forth the Lord's death till he comes. And
our Lord is seen and presented as having paid the debt, as having
suffered and conquered and delivered his people. And we see that with
David, brought forth from obscurity, how they despised the name of
Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth. But our Lord was brought forth,
David was brought forth, and before them all, that he was
to conquer on behalf of his people. He was to deliver his people. And so this proving time had
to prove another thing, and that was that there was no help other
than David. And many times with the people
of God, they must be taken away first. that thought that, well,
we are not so fallen. We can save ourselves. We're
not so depraved. We can exercise our own faith
and we can, of our own ability, save ourselves. And it must be
brought through the work of the law that all the world is brought
in guilty before God and that we cannot save ourselves. When
Boaz was to redeem Ruth, then he said, there is one kinsman
nearer than I. That man had to be eliminated
first. Now, in some ways, I believe
it is a time of ourselves, our own righteousness, our own selves. You know, he could redeem land.
But as soon as it was a person, no, he couldn't. And no man can
redeem his brother. The scriptures are very clear
on that because we need redeeming ourselves and our blood is not
the blood of God. It is that we must be redeemed
ourselves. So if we shed our blood for another,
we would perish and so would he or she. And so with the Israelites
here, what had to be dealt with so that no one could say afterwards,
well, David, if you hadn't have killed the Goliath and the giant,
someone else would have. Just you stepped in too quick.
And you didn't give others an opportunity to do so. No. It had to be proved that there
was no other way. And that is to be seen. The Lord
dealing with his people in that way to cut off every other hope
and every other way, so they're able to testify with the hemorrhoid,
if ever my poor soul be saved, his Christ must be the way. To view that there is none other
name given among men whereby we must be saved. David, he comes and there is
a preparation before we came. And before he comes to the giant,
when he comes to Saul, then we have his previous experience. And he refers to this and how
that he had kept his father's sheen. Saul has objections because
he is so young. He's only experienced in fighting. But David has already had these
experiences. And we must say, this is again
not something just by chance. If this is appointed to bring
him before all Israel, the bear coming, the lion coming, his
previous deliverances, the Lord delivering him, he's able to
translate those. And you might say, well David,
do you really think you can equate this giant with the bear or the
lion? Can you really draw this parallel
that the same God that has helped in one will help you in another? You might be in troubles trials
tonight. You look back, you say, Lord
helped me in that trial. And that was, these were the
details of it. But now I've got this trial that's
before me, and this is so different, so much greater. So many differences
in it. How can I really equate the God
who's helped me before will help me in this one? Well, in this
account we say, yes, you can. David did. The same God, his
God, that helped him with the lion, with the bear, he would
help him against this giant. And he did. What a lesson it
is for us. Don't just brush away past experience. Past hells, don't just think
they were there, just small things. And you come into those greater
things, you think back, the Lord gave that to me for a purpose.
God caused me to have that trial, and it must have been a trial
to have the bear and the lion coming, but he brought those
to prepare me for this time. I believe I can say, in my life
there have been many times when met with trials, with difficulties,
with things that make one's heart sink, it is a good thing to remember
back and feel that the Lord has prepared me for this. He has
given me these trials, he's brought me through them, he's held me
in them, and he that has held me in the two will help me all
my journey through. And it is good theology, it's
a good thing to remember. We're not to forget the Lord's
mercies, not to forget how he has put forth his hand, his mighty
power, on our behalf before. The second thing before he goes
out, before Goliath, is that Saul thinks that he will then
provide him with some armour, some protection, and with a sword,
some weapons of war. those weapons that Saul would
have used. In fact, it is said that it was
actually Saul's armor that he gave him. But David, he puts
these off him. And the reason that he gives,
he says, I cannot go with these, verse 39, for I have not proved
them, and David put them off him. He proved his God in the
lion and the bear, but he hadn't proved these. There's something
new. We know many things in our lives,
really, that we have practices before, we prove them, we make
sure it does work, we don't just go straight in, but we actually
make sure that we can use what we are using and be helped by
and be comfortable with it. And David, he realises this was
not a time to take untested armour and to launch out in a way that
was not consistent at all with what he'd been before. No, he
was to go back to what he had proved. And that may be a lesson
to us as well. your trial, your extremity, those
things before you, not a time now to try something new, a new
method, a new way of deliverance, but to look back as to what the
Lord has already given you and prepared you in. And so David
here, he puts off this armour that was not proved and then
he goes forth and goes forth against Goliath. It goes forth
to this meeting, a meeting really unto death, a meeting in front
of so many witnesses, many times with the people of God. We think
of the martyrs, we think of those maybe today brought before courts
and caters have been brought before the The Christian Institute
has highlighted them where the Lord's people have been brought
before courts or challenged by the land in what they've said
or what they've done. And on one hand is the world
looking on, those that hate the Lord's people, those that would
find occasion against them. Another hand is all the Lord's
people looking on, and we can have this picture with this valley
with David and Goliath. and these two assemblies on each
side, all looking on what the outcome will be. Really, God's
people in this world, they are a spectacle. I often thought
with the children of Israel, when they were going through
the wilderness and in the promised land, that where the Lord dealt
with them, where he chastened them, where he corrected them,
it wasn't done in a corner. Other nations saw. And in fact,
some of the prophets, they spoke of the other nations, spoke against
them, Because they were glad when God chastened his people.
They left it up in pride against them. But the Lord said, no,
you may have done that, but I will deal with you next. And God's
people are walking in the midst of the world. Many see what happens
to them, see their trials, their tribulations. It's not done in
a corner. And maybe remember that what's
at stake is what was at stake here. is the Lord's honour and
glory. But even when the Lord is chasing
his people, it will be for the Lord's honour and glory. We can be sure of that. I want to then look briefly at
three points. Thinking of this meeting, where
they're meeting together. David is very aware, he's very
mindful of both sides of this meeting. So I want to look first
at how Goliath was coming to this meeting, and then secondly,
how David was coming to this same meeting, and then the victory
that was obtained. So how was Goliath coming? David
is very mindful of this. In our text, David said to the
Philistine, thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear
and with a shield. He's not ignorant of how Goliath
is coming. We may not be. When we think
of Satan, when we think of the world, when we think of those
that we're meeting with in our lives, we may be very mindful
of how they're coming, what is on their side, what armour they've
got, what weapons they've got. David, he wasn't in ignorance
of this. at all. It wasn't taking him
by surprise. Really, Goliath's weapons were
weapons of war. Goliath made no bones about it. He was out to destroy David and
to kill him. It was a fight unto death and
the weapons that he had were weapons of war. Now
we read in the scriptures that our weapons are not weapons,
that are carnal weapons, but here with Goliath they could
be seen and could be specified as David said. The other thing
that Goliath came, he came very much professing a strength and
trust in himself. His height, his might, his experience,
his trust was in himself. coming full of pride and self-assurance. Proud, proud man. And he came
defying the God of Israel, defying the people of God openly. I don't
know how many times we might meet with those. It may be a
very important meeting. So many things hang upon it.
And we discern that those coming are full assurance. They fully
know and they make no secret of the matter. They think that
they've got the matter completely in hand and we're destroyed.
And they're proud of it. And they come also, if they know
our faith, defying that and despising that. Open adversaries against
the people of God. I believe that more and more
we should bear in mind this meeting because many, many times there'll
be such meetings between God's children and those that are not.
And they come in very, very different ways. And it's good for us to
just think, this person that we're meeting with, this adversary,
are they speaking against my God? Are they defying Him? Are
they walking in pride? Are they trusting in themselves? Are they trusting in their armour
and specific things? And sometimes, and I believe
it was with David, a real help to think, in all that this man
has, he doesn't have God on his side. And so he specifies what Goliath
And you may say what he didn't have. He didn't have God on his
side, he didn't have faith, he didn't have right. May we consider that too when
we go to meetings with men. But then in the second place,
how was David coming to this meeting? Now if he'd have taken
Saul's armour, and his sword, you might say he'd be coming
in a very similar way. But he didn't. And he says that he comes in
the name of the Lord of Hosts. I think of Psalm 20, which begins,
the Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God
of Jacob defend thee. And then in verse seven, some
trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember
the name of the Lord, our God. This is a Psalm of David. And
I believe this is what he is walking out here. He is remembering
the name of the Lord, his God. But I come to thee in the name
of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom
thou hast defied. What a blessed testimony and
assurance that he had and testimony that he was coming in this name. The name of the God of heaven
and of earth. Good thing for us to remember
that as we're coming before men. The name of the Lord of whom
we serve is the one that made heaven and earth. They may come
in the name of other gods, but we read that the gods that have
not made the heavens and the earth, they shall perish from
under the heavens and the earth. And remember, though the world
says no creation has just happened, it's not any work of God at all. When we come, whatever the meeting
is, Remember, our God did make the heavens and the earth, and
that He is the only true and living God. The trial upon Mount
Carmel with Elijah and the prophets of Baal was a trial where the
God that answered by fire, either Baal or the true God, the God
that answered by fire, was the true God, the living God. Now
Elijah mocked them later on, that they should cry louder,
perhaps he was asleep, or needed to be awakened, or on a journey. And Baal was no god, he was just
a figment of their imagination. David was very clear on this,
that his god was the only true and living god. And it's good
for us to remember that as well, and to testify of that. The Philistine and the things
that he was doing and defying also was making really David
to think of this. He is defying Israel. He is defying
the God of Israel. And so that again, when David
comes in the name of the Lord of hosts, He adds this, the God
of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. That's good
for us to remember that, especially where there are those who are
defying the true and living God, our God, the spiritual Israel,
God's chosen, redeemed, elected people, loved with an everlasting
love, that those that are speaking against him and walking in this
way, they are against the God of Israel, the God of the people
of God. But also he was the one, the
God that was being defiled, defied, ridiculed. He was coming in that
name. Sometimes it's a very sad thing.
When there are those that meet, even church leaders supposed,
with the ungodly and the blasphemers, by what has been said by the
other side, they become ashamed, ashamed of the word of God, ashamed
of God himself, backtrack, undo, and speak contrary to the word
of God. David was not like that. No,
he said very clearly, that Goliath had been defying the very God
that he was coming in the name of. He was not ashamed of the
Lord his God. May we always remember that.
Do not be ashamed of the Lord our God, nor his word, nor his
people. However much the adversary that
we are meeting, he is defying, he is ridiculing, He's speaking
against that very God. But He is coming in the name
of the God of salvation. There's a beautiful word in Psalm
68, the description of our God. Verses 19 and 20, blessed be
the Lord who daily loatheth us with benefits Even the God of
our salvation, Selah. He that is our God is the God
of salvation. And unto God the Lord belong
the issues from death. And here is David, he's coming.
And he's coming in the name of the God of salvation. Temporal
victories were a wonderful Then, nothing to give much thanks for,
for us and for Israel here, but great are those victories that
were accomplished at Calvary and what our Lord and Saviour
did on behalf of his people. And so when David comes in the
name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, then he was most
certainly coming in the God of salvation. that of which he delighted
to set forth and in the Psalms and pointing very clearly to
those sufferings and death of our Lord on behalf of his people. I believe there's many times
in David's life that he saw those glimpses of what his greatest
sin would be when Nathan spoke the word of the Lord to him,
when he wasn't to build the temple of the Lord, but his son Solomon
was. And Nathan, or God through Nathan,
spoke very wonderfully of what that son would be like. But in
such language, it had to be not just of a temporal kingdom, not
just of a mere man, but of the Lord. And so David, he sits before
the Lord, and he says that the Lord has spoken of his house
for a great while to come. O Lord God, is this what Christ
shall be like? Is this going to be his kingdom?
Is this going to be his glory? When we think of our Lord, we're
speaking of the Queen of Sheba coming to see Solomon, a greater
than Solomon is here, he says. I believe David saw that greater
than Solomon. And so here as well, I believe
David saw this. the way that the Lord would save
and deliver his people. And you might say, well, weren't
the terms here even dictated by the adversary? When we think
back to the Garden of Eden and how man was deceived by Satan,
the word, the first word of blessing, the first promise of the Messiah,
came not by word spoken to man, to Adam and to Eve, but to be
spoken to Satan. A man listened on, and he heard
that beautiful promise, the seed of the woman that should bruise
the serpent's head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. And so here, David would have
viewed, was not Goliath, but God set these terms and conditions. God used the adversary, the same
as it was when Balaam went to curse Israel, but Balaam couldn't
curse Israel, and he had to bless Israel in three separate places,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, seven altars, perfect. Was it
dictated by Balaam, by his Rebellion or desire to curse Israel? No,
it was God's blessing. What about Calvary? Was it just
the work of wicked men? Peter says, You have taken and
by wicked hands crucified and slain. Is our salvation dependent
upon wicked men? He was delivered by the determinate
counsel and full knowledge of God. Yes, God uses means, He
uses Goliath, he uses a sling, he uses a stone, he uses Goliath's
own sword to kill him, and uses wicked men to crucify our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. God has his servants everywhere,
but we know in Romans 8 that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them that are the called according
to his purpose. So David here is able to draw,
in the words of our text, a summary of how each one is coming to
this meeting. Well, what is the outcome? That's
the important thing, isn't it? It would be one thing to have
all of this rhetoric, all of these things that have been said,
but what is the outcome? How is it going to turn out? And we should never take this
for granted. You know, we think of the two
on the way to Emmaus. They had seen our Lord suffer
and bleed and die. They had seen the Lord offer
that great sacrifice at Calvary, but they couldn't understand
what was done. We trusted. It should have been
He that should have redeemed Israel. And besides all this,
this is the third day. How vital for the empty tomb. How vital for the victory over
death. How vital that our Lord should
not only die, but rise again from the dead. How vital it was
here that David should prevail over the Philistine, and that
David should be given the victory. And that victory, he was given. And David was very sure, the
faith that God had given him, and we never overlooked this,
that wonderful faith that God gave him, this day will the Lord
deliver thee into mine hand, and I will smite thee and take
thine head from thee, and I will give thee carcasses of the host
of the Philistines this day, and to the fowls of the air and
to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that
there is a God in Israel. All this assembly shall know
that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear, for the battle
is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. A very clear statement of assurance
and of faith given by God, and that which was honoured by God.
As we sung, God gave David the skill, he sent the stone, The
stone did its work and then David used the Philistine's own sword
to slay him. So David prevailed over the Philistine
with a sling with a stone and smote him. What a victory was
obtained, not just for David, but for all Israel. how it encouraged
all Israel, those that were fleeing before, full of fear, now they
were running against the Philistines, now their champion was dead,
then they had strength, then they had power. And what a difference
that makes to have that authority. You think back to the account
of Queen Esther, and when there was the sentence against the
land, against the Jews, a certain day, all would be destroyed. The authority was from the king
on the side of all of those that rise against the Jews. When the
Lord appeared through Hester, Haman was killed and then there
was other letters sent forth. By the law they could not undo
that day. That day was still there. The
command was still there. that all the enemies of the people
of God should rise against them, that there was given a counter
command. There was given authority to
the children of Israel to rise against any that rise against
them. And that turned that day into
joy and into rejoicing and made even their enemies become Jews
or turned over to their side for fear of them. And what was
the difference? They had the authority from the
king. And under the gospel, in what the Lord has accomplished
at Calvary, he now is able to say to his people, fight the
good fight of faith and lay hold upon the eternal life. If the enemy comes in like a
flood, I will lift up a standard against him. Resist the devil
and he shall flee from you. And you say, how can I resist?
I'm poor. I'm weak. But know he is a slain
enemy, and like with David, the Lord shall fight on our behalf. We should remember that authority
that the Lord has given his people, that help that he has given.
Because he has conquered at Calvary, he has delivered his people,
same as David here. And we may then rise against
our adversaries, against our enemies, the enemies of our soul,
those that rise up. and fight, the devil even, that
goeth about roaring as a lion, seeking whom he may devour, or
as an angel of light, to deceive, even if it were possible, the
very elect. But we are encouraged in what
the Lord has done at Calvary, to resist him, to fight, to take
upon us the whole armour of God, to not faint, but to consider
the Lord Jesus Christ. So we have here this meeting,
this coming together of Goliath and of David, and I believe much
instruction, much help for us, and I hope it will be not just
in the way of salvation when we deal against Satan and those
spiritual wickedness in high places, but in our daily lives
when we meet with those who know not the Lord and who defy Him
and maybe be delivered from thinking, well, they are coming to the
meeting with all of these things, so I've got to come the same
way, and I've got to meet them the same way. No, you don't.
You think of this account, and you come in prayer, you come
in trust, and looking to the Lord, and relying upon Him, and
trusting in Him, and remembering what He has done for you in the
past, and how He has appeared, And it is through that way that
the victory is assured. Then said David to the Philistine,
Thou comest to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield,
but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God
of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. May the Lord
art his glory.