1 Samuel 17:32 (NKJV) Then David said to Saul, Let no man s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

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1 Introduction In our last study we talked about facing the giants. This study we speak of slaying the giants. The Challenge Met (vv.31-37) 1 Samuel 17:31 (NKJV) Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. Saul is troubled by his doubts, his fears, his insecurities. 1 Samuel 17:32 (NKJV) Then David said to Saul, Let no man s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:33 (NKJV) And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 1 Samuel 17:34 (NKJV) But David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep his father s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 1 Samuel 17:35 (NKJV) I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 1 Samuel 17:36 (NKJV) Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. 1 Samuel 17:37 (NKJV) Moreover David said, 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 this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you! 1

2 Clearly David has a secret weapon; one he carries in his shepherd s heart. David is the true shepherd of Israel. The man who risked his life to rescue a lamb; the man who will fight for the defenseless sheep; the man who will meet the lion and the bear can meet Goliath and he shall be as one of them (v.36). Saul s statement Go, and the Lord be with you carries a twinge of sadness. The assurance of God s help in his own life is now only a distant memory. The Combatants (vv.38-47) 1 Samuel 17:38 (NKJV) So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 1 Samuel 17:39 (NKJV) David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them. So David took them off. Saul s armor is a sorry substitute for the armor of faith. The armor of the flesh does not suit the man of faith; they are unproven; but the Lord has been proved. We can trust God. 1 Samuel 17:40 (NKJV) Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine Combat requires the right equipment. Goliath had his armor. Saul has his armor. David had his equipment. Goliath has the power of Satan. Saul the power of the flesh. But David s power lies in David s faith. The equipment of Saul would have looked very much like the equipment of Goliath. 2

3 For David his equipment is the equipment of a shepherd. David has his staff; his shepherd s bag and a sling. Clearly the equipment of a shepherd seems like no match for the armor of a warrior. In the Bible a shepherd s staff was the tool he uses to guide the flock. A shepherd s staff becomes the symbol of the shepherd s authority; in this case divine authority. The smooth stones are a type and a picture of the those things that seem weak, seem small, that seem insignificant, the foolish things that God uses to confound the wise. The shepherds bag is that thing which contains sufficient faith found in the Lord. And the sling is the instrument of trust, of dependence upon the Lord; our faith is in the Lord. 1 Samuel 17:41 (NKJV) So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 1 Samuel 17:42 (NKJV) And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 1 Samuel 17:43 (NKJV) So the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. Goliath understood the weapons of war. The giant had no idea what to make of that sling nor will he understand the stone until it finds itself embedded in his skull. 1 Samuel 17:44 (NKJV) And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field! The shepherd boy is disdained (v.42); cursed (v.43) defied (v.44). 3

4 1 Samuel 17:45 (NKJV) 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. David will meet the giant; the strong man in his armor. Goliath comes at David with sword, spear and javelin. Goliath seems to possess everything necessary--at least in terms of war. Goliath s weapons are carnal; David s are spiritual. Goliath s weapons are calculated to kill at long distance; and also to kill in close quarters. 1 Samuel 17:46 (NKJV) 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. 1 Samuel 17:47 (NKJV) 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. The Conquest (vv.48-53) 1 Samuel 17:48 (NKJV) So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:49 (NKJV) Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 1 Samuel 17:50 (NKJV) 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 4

5 1 Samuel 17:51 (NKJV) Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The Lord allows David to place the giant s sword in his own hand and uses it to cut the giant s head off! Goliath s own sword in the hand of the shepherd becomes the undoing of the Giant. Death s sword is placed in the Shepherd s hand for the purpose of death s destruction. 1 Samuel 17:52 (NKJV) Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. The whole nation of Israel benefits from David s victory. The whole nation of born again believers benefit from Christ s victory. The victory of Jesus is our victory. The Conqueror s Return (v.54) 1 Samuel 17:54 (NKJV) And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent. Conclusion Facing giants is an intimidating experience. Doing Battle is a lonely experience. Trusting God is a stabilizing experience. Winning victories is a memorable experience. We need to know our enemy. We need to know our armor. What is your giant? Do you have a plan to bring about his defeat? Do you remember waging a fight a winning? 5