We’ve all sung the song. We’ve all heard the story. We’ve all been inspired by a little guy taking on the big
guy and winning. Ok Pastor Don, we know the story. Why look at it again?
Why waste the time? Sure,
we know the story, but have we gotten the point of the story? Have we applied it to our lives as we
struggle against the giants in our lives? Go back and re-read the story in 1Sam. 17. Go ahead. I'll wait.
What an amazing story!
David, sent out by his father to take supplies to his brothers, is
simply going about his daily life when he meets the giant. Goliath was huge. The bible says that he was a cubit and
a span tall. A cubit is 18 inches
and a span is 9 inches, so that would make Goliath 9’9” tall. And check out his
equipment. Look at Verse 5 He had a bronze
helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five
thousand shekels; (about 126 lbs) V.6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on
his back. 7 His spear shaft
was like a weaver's rod, (between 30-50 lbs) and its iron point weighed six
hundred shekels. (about 15 lbs)
Goliath is wearing or carrying over 200 lbs of armor and weaponry. And he has a guy with him who’s only job is to
carry his shield.
Not only was Goliath huge, but he had an attitude! And I’ve met people today that still
carry the same attitude. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel,
"Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and
are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to
me. 9 If he is able to fight
and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him,
you will become our subjects and serve us." 10 Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the
ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other."
It’s the bully syndrome. I’m bigger and might makes right. Come and see if you can do anything about it. It’s one of the first lessons we learn
in the schoolyard. If you’re a
runt, watch out. And the Israelites
had the same reaction that I had whenever the schoolyard bullies came
around. I would try to run and
hide. At the very least, I grew
afraid and uncomfortable.
David is going about his duties and greeting his brothers,
when the giant enters his life. He
didn’t get up that morning and say, “Hey, think I’ll go kill a giant today.” His only thought was to do what his
father had asked him to do. But when
he gets there, here’s Goliath. And
Goliath has an attitude. It’s a Yo
Mama attitude. Or closer, a Yo Daddy attitude. Yo Daddy, yo God,
is so weak he can’t even stand up against me. Yo Daddy is a loser.
If ya’ll are so tough, somebody come on out and do the deed! Come on, let’s see what you got! And the
attitude didn’t sit well with David.
So here he is, just seeking to be faithful to his father’s
calling, and now there’s a giant with an attitude. Ever had one of those days? When you’re just trying to be faithful and do what your
Father asks you to do, and before you know it, you’re smack up against a giant with
an attitude.
Pretty intimidating, isn’t it? Before you know what’s happening, some big, giant, hairy problem
is all over you with attitude. And
your first reaction is just like the armies of Israel. Run, hide and tremble in fear. Sit there behind your tent and wish
that someone would do something to take care of this thing. Just make it go away.
Why is it when we can’t figure out a solution ourselves,
that we just sit and hope the problem goes away? How is it that we can sit and pine over the problem for days
and weeks, anxious and worried about it, but stuck, unable to do anything about
it? It looms large and we feel
overwhelmed. No blows have been
exchanged—only words, or ideas.
It’s in times like that when faith gives way to fear, and
fear has its way with us. We let
it run rampant in our souls, a giant that keeps us intimidated and paralyzed in
our spiritual walk. We cower in the
corner listening to the taunts of giant fear inside our souls as the icy fingers of dread wrap themselves
around the core of our being and begin to choke the life and even the will to
live right out of us. Ahhh, Maybe that’s
why we need this story.
We’re the little guy.
Problems, fears, anxieties, issues…those are the giants. What would God have us do with the
giants. Go back in the story and
look at David. 44 "Come
here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and
the beasts of the field!"
There’s the giant talking.
It’s enough to intimidate any of us. Come here and I’ll rip you up! Come here and I’ll finish you. And while the rest of the army hides, David has a
response.
Check out v. 45 David said to the Philistine, "You come
against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name
of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have
defied. 46 This day the LORD
will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today
I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and
the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in
Israel. 47 All those
gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for
the battle is the LORD's, and he will give all of you into our
hands."
Do you see the response? Turn to those fears, those anxieties, those issues and in
the name of Jesus confront them.
Say, “this day the Lord will hand you over to me and I’ll strike you
down. For the battle is the Lord’s
and he will give all of you into our hands.
Notice something.
David relied on the Lord, but he still had to go out to meet the
giant. Some people feel they can’t
do anything unless they are rescued.
You still have to pick up the rocks. You have to put in your time.
David had put in hours practicing with the sling. The sling was considered a weapon of
war. In their conflict with
Israel, the Benjamites, mustered on one occasion, according to Judges 20:16 “seven
hundred chosen men who were left-handed, each of whom could sling a stone at a
hair and not miss.” It was an
instrument of war…but they had to put their time in to be effective. David had spent hours practicing, so
that he knew how to use his weapon.
He trusted God, but he still picked up and used a stone.
God wants us to trust Him, but in order to have the faith
that we need, we have to put in the time.
Our best weapon in spiritual warfare is the word of God. The only way to win is to recognize
that the battle belongs to the Lord, and launch the rock of His promises. His promises can turn fear back to faith,
anxiety to trust, and uncertainty to a calm assurance.
2 Peter 1:3-83 His divine power has given us everything we
need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his
own glory and goodness. 4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption
in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to
your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control,
perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness, love. 8
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you
from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
We can be victorious too, but we have to put in the
time. We have to practice. And as the test come, we can learn to
meet each one with faith. And each
test passed takes us up to a greater challenge. The lion, the bear and then the
giant.
And with that experience under your belt you can begin to
meet whatever challenges you face with a renewed faith and trust. Giants are there to get our attention, but God never
intended that they stop us. He
only wants us to refocus on Him and what He wants to do for us. That’s truly a reality.
Whether it be in our personal lives, or our corporate life
as a church, God wants us to face the giants, recognizing that the battle is
not ours, but the Lord’s. And that’s
reality.
Reality check here my friend. What are you turning back from in discouragement and defeat
that you should be meeting in faith with the promises of God? Where are you
talking discouragement and impossibility when you should be quoting, “For with
God all things are possible.”?
What has you cowering in a corner today?
Stand up. Go
out in faith, and with God’s help, kill the giant.
