1 Samuel 17:41-58 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 1 Samuel 17:41-58. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
1 Samuel 17:41-43 (NIV)
41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.
42 He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him.
43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
On verses 41-43a: Goliath made fun of the weapons David brought to the battle. A similar thing happens when people of the world see God’s people praying, reading God’s Word and taking church seriously. They think, “What good will that do?” Little do they know that our weapons have power that the things they trust in do not have: power to demolish strongholds, power to bring the most significant changes to people’s lives. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.”
1 Samuel 17:43-44 (NIV)
43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
On verses 43b-44: When Goliath cursed David, David did not curse back. He didn’t need to. In Genesis 12:3, God promises Abraham that “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse“. This promise is also for all of Abraham’s faith descendants, including David, you and me. So whenever anyone curses you, remember that God will defend you.
1 Samuel 17:45 (NIV)
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.
On verse 45: David trusted in the name of the Lord Almighty more than in any sword, spear or javelin. That’s because David knew that the name of the Lord saves in ways that a sword, spear or javelin cannot. As David would later say in verse 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.” Elsewhere David would write in Psalm 20:7-8: “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.”
1 Samuel 17:46 (NIV)
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.
On verse 46: Goliath said he would feed David’s corpse to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field (v43). David uses similar language, but notice that his focus is different:
– David doesn’t just say he will feed Goliath’s body, but the entire Philistine army, to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth; and
– David says that it is God, not David, who will get the glory and the credit for the victory (v46-47).
In other words, Goliath’s vision was self-centered and therefore smaller, while David’s vision was God-centered and therefore bigger. What is your vision? Is it to see yourself glorified or is it to see God glorified? In this battle, the one with the God-centered vision won. Have a God-centered vision for your life, one that is about seeing God glorified, not yourself.
1 Samuel 17:48 (NIV)
48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
On verse 48: For the first time, when Goliath approaches, an Israelite runs toward him in faith instead of running away from him in fear. Don’t fearfully run away from your problems, procrastinating and delaying what you need to do. Confront your problems head on with faith. God is with you.
1 Samuel 17:49-51 (NIV)
49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
On verses 49-50: God honoured the faith with which David confronted the giant problem in his life. Likewise, God will honour you when you face your challenges with an attitude of faith. Arm yourself with faith and giants will fall before you.
1 Samuel 17:51 (NIV)
51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
On verse 51: As the ultimate demonstration of David’s triumph over Goliath, David takes Goliath’s own sword and cuts off his head. Just as David used Goliath’s own weapon against him, Jesus took the cross — the tool that Satan wanted to use to destroy Jesus — and used it against Satan. Jesus took a tool that was meant for his own execution and turned into a tool by which he would triumph over our greatest enemy. As Colossians 2:15 says, “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
1 Samuel 17:52-53 (NIV)
52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.
On verses 52-53: When David stepped out in faith, it gave the rest of the Israelite army courage to step out in faith too. It shows that when you’re courageous, it’s contagious. Fear can be contagious too. How are you going to affect those closest to you today: with giant-slaying faith or with debilitating fear?
1 Samuel 17:54 (NIV)
54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.
On verse 54: Why did David take Goliath’s head to Jerusalem and bring Goliath’s weapons into his own tent? As reminders of the victories God let them experience and of God’s power that had delivered them. Likewise, whenever God allows you to experience a faith victory, take a reminder of that victory home with you. Just like Joshua took stones from the Jordan River that God had parted, just as Miriam, Hannah, Moses and David would all write songs about how God had rescued them, put up reminders of how God has been faithful to you (maybe a photograph, a drawing, a song, a verse). Those reminders will strengthen your faith when you are discouraged and help you overcome the challenges you are facing today.
1 Samuel 17:55-58 (NIV)
55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, O king, I don’t know.”
56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”
57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.
58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him. David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
On verses 55-58: Saul does not recognize David. He has to ask three times, “Whose son is that?” David replies, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.” Just as Jesse’s entire family would be blessed and set free because of their blood connection to David, all of us are blessed and set free because of our blood connection to Jesus — the fact that Jesus’ blood has paid for all of our sins.
Lord Jesus, thank You that because You are with me, I don’t need to procrastinate or delay. You are greater than every challenge I face today. Thank You that because of my blood connection to You, I am blessed, set free, empowered and able to do all things through Christ who gives me strength. May I move forward today with faith and watch giants fall at my feet in Jesus’ name. AMEN!
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