Written ~ 09-03-2023
1 Samuel 17:45-47
“David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – the God of the armies of Israel, whom you defied. Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues His people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and He will give it to us!”
In these few verses, so many awesome things are happening. First, we have David stepping up to the enemy with only his trust in the LORD. Next, we show him fearlessly confronting the enemy and letting him know exactly what was going to happen to him. Then we see David announcing the Name of the LORD for all to hear and proclaiming that He is GOD.
1 Samuel 17:32-51 tell the story of “David and Goliath.” For most of us it’s a familiar story, you may have heard it as a kid in Sunday School.
David was serving from time to time in King Saul’s court at this point, he had grown up as a shepherd and trusted in the LORD for everything. David usually did not go down to where the King’s Army was stationed, most of the time he stayed with his father tending the sheep. But on this particular day, Jesse, David’s father asked him to bring a basket of bread and cheese to his brothers who were serving in King Saul’s army. It was then that he saw this huge giant, the enemy that was taunting the Israelites, striking fear throughout the entire land. King Saul had offered a huge reward for the one who would go and kill Goliath. And this is where our story begins and how it brings us to our verses for today.
When David addressed King Saul with the idea of him going out to fight Goliath, it was met with laughter and the King thought the whole idea was ridiculous. But David persisted. When the King finally agreed, he probably felt he was sending this young boy to his death and didn’t want that on his conscious. As King Saul loaded all of his heavy armor onto David’s shoulders it became quite clear that it was not going to work. So, with just a sling, some smooth rocks, his shepherd’s staff and the LORD by his side, David walked across the battlefield to confront the enemy. One stone, one hurling of a sling shot, brought down the most feared enemy.
How do we apply this story to our own lives? Most of us may feel we aren’t equipped enough to fend off a great enemy. As we study Scripture, we know we have a devious enemy and along with his horde of demons, they wreak havoc on the world.
John 10:10a says,
“…the thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy…”
1 Peter 5:8 says,
‘Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”
In today’s verses we find David confronting a great enemy with confidence. How is that possible? Look at verse 17:45, David says to Goliath,
“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the Name of the LORD…”
The enemy can come against us with his full arsenal of taunts, lies, confusion, anger, stress, and every other negative emotion. We may find the appearance of the enemy in our own lives intimidating, but we need to remember who we have on our side! The Name of the Lord should not be taken lightly! When we confront the enemy in whatever situation he is trying to control with the Name of Jesus, the Name of the Almighty God, he must flee. In the New Testament, there are too many instances to note here, but by using the Name of Jesus, people were healed, demons would flee. We are baptized in the Name of Jesus. Every living thing will bow to the Name of Jesus.
James 4:7 says,
“Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Acts 16:18 says,
“This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, ‘I command you in the Name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And instantly it left her.”
Acts 19:5 says,
“As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus.”
Philippians 2:9-10 says,
“Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the Name above all names, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”
There is Power in the Name of the LORD. That’s why David, this young shepherd boy, confronted the enemy in the Name of the LORD. He did the unthinkable! Crowds of people stood and watched, probably holding their breath to see what was going to happen. In 1 Samuel 17:46 David says,
“Today the LORD will conquer you…”
David didn’t go into this situation with great knowledge of fighting in a war, he didn’t suit up in protective armor, but what he did bring was his full trust in the LORD. As he stood there shouting at Goliath, this great enemy, with the armies of both sides watching, with confidence in the LORD he said in verse 17:47b.
“This is the LORD’s battle, and He will give you to us!”
As believers, we will experience the attack of the enemy. He does not want us to live in victory. If he can keep us in a holding pattern, where we don’t know what to do or where to turn, he will continue pacing back and forth, continue with his taunting, he will try anything to destroy us. We can allow the enemy to continue his crippling affect on our lives, or we can turn from our cowering and proclaim in the Name of Jesus, “ENOUGH!” The battle is the Lord’s, He will prevail! Learning to walk in confidence and with the Name of the LORD as your weapon, you can be victorious!
David went on to receive the reward King Saul had promised to whoever killed Goliath, but our reward comes from the King above all kings! We have the greatest reward waiting for us in Heaven. Our reward is seated at the right hand of Almighty God. His Name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
~AMEN~