Courage

1 Samuel 17:1-54

Main Idea: Real courage comes from the One in whom we trust: David trusted in Yahweh and experienced victory over his giant to show us that Jesus is the victor and we experience victory as we trust in Him.

1. Enter Goliath, the Champion
2. Enter David, the Runt
3. The Runt Slays the Champion
4. Jesus Is David and You Are Not
5. Two Lessons from David and Goliath
   1. Because Jesus took out the real giant in our lives, we can bravely face all the lesser giants.
   2. Through the story of David and Goliath, God also gives His people a pattern for how they will overcome the giants they face.

Introduction

Courage has never been a gift of ours. That may surprise a lot of people because we put on such a strong show of bravado. But that is mostly a veneer. Underneath it all, we often fear what our peers think, what the congregation thinks, what random strangers think. We struggle to be courageous in sharing the faith or in preaching the Word faithfully. And there have been moments in life where we have caved to the pressures around us and given way to these fears. Those have always been deeply embarrassing moments.

We suspect, however, that we are not alone. Perhaps some of you reading this book can be transparent enough to admit to yourself that you are not courageous. You have mastered the art of looking tough on the outside, but on the inside you are plagued by fears—fear that your marriage will fall apart, that your children will not turn out right, or that you will lose your job. Perhaps you lack the courage to be open about your own mistakes, admitting an addiction or owning up to your fault in a broken relationship. Perhaps you lack the courage to confront someone with a truth you know they need to hear.

So where does real courage come from? In this most famous of Bible stories, we get a glimpse into the answer. But there may be more to David and Goliath than most of us remember from Sunday school.

Enter Goliath, the Champion

First Samuel 17 is not our first encounter with the Philistines. As the reader will recall, the Philistines were a group of people living in the promised land of Canaan. God had given Israel orders to drive all of them out so they could have the land themselves. That was generations ago, and Israel still had not succeeded in driving the Philistines out.

One reason Israel had yet to drive the Philistines out is that, from the perspective of the Israelites, the Philistines were strong. They were technologically advanced. They were one of the first civilizations to work with bronze and iron, and they used those metals to make their weapons—hence the repeated mention of all of Goliath’s bronze weaponry. Because of their military might, they controlled Gezer, Megiddo, and Hazor, three major cities along the most popular trade route in the world, called the “way by the sea” or the via maris. We might compare that to controlling all the commerce in New York, Washington, DC, and Miami.

But from a different perspective—a more appropriate view—the Israelites’ failure to drive the Philistines out was ultimately a result of their disobedience. Had they truly believed God and fought the Philistines as God intended, He would have driven them out. None of the Philistine prowess cowed God in the least. His promise—to drive out all the inhabitants of Canaan so Israel might live in the land in peace (Exod 33:1-2)—was still valid, but Israel never fully believed it. That promise is the backbone of this story.

I (J. D.) have been to the Valley of Socoh mentioned in verse 1. It is a large valley with two mountains facing the center. The valley itself is about a mile wide, and if both armies had camped out as described here, they would have been largely visible to each other. So when Goliath swaggered out to challenge the Israelites, it was quite a scene.

A brief note about Goliath’s height here is probably in order. If Goliath were “six cubits and a span,” that makes him about nine and a half feet tall. Some scholars think this was a scribal error and that it should instead read “four cubits and a span.” Instead of nine feet tall, that would put Goliath’s height at about six feet nine inches.

We may never know for sure which is the original, but it is important to be aware of the discrepancy for two reasons. First, this is one of the parts of the Bible that skeptics like to point to in order to discredit its validity. So when a professor points this out and says, “Look, Goliath wasn’t that big. Your Sunday school teacher was all wrong!” you can just yawn and respond, “I was already aware of this, thank you.”

Second, even if Goliath is “only” six feet nine inches, that is pretty large—especially to David, who, as we pointed out earlier, was described as the runt of his family. Hebrews were not terribly tall as an ethnic group anyway, so to be a short Hebrew probably put him around five feet three inches. In just about any hand-to-hand combat, an eighteen-inch height advantage is substantial.

Verse 16 points out that Goliath came out and taunted the Israelites day after day for 40 days. As the Israelites ate their breakfast, he thundered at them: “Send me a man so we can fight each other!” As they gathered to discuss possible battle tactics: “Send me a man so we can fight each other!” As they sat around their campfires at night, smoking their pipes: “Send me a man so we can fight each other!” And Goliath struck such fear into the entire army that no one even entertained his challenge.

Enter David, the Runt

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Jesse sends David out to visit his brothers on the battlefield. His father does not seem to be terribly impressed with the anointing ceremony that had recently occurred in front of his eyes because David is still tending sheep while his big brothers are off at war. To Jesse, David is still just a teenager suited for food deliveries or watching the livestock. But David is an obedient son, so he packs his bags and heads to the front line.

David walks onto the scene to find a lot of posturing but not much fighting. The Israelites would line up as if they were about to fight and would shout menacingly to the Philistine army. But the fight would never materialize once the Philistines responded with their own war cry: “We’ve got Goliath.” That would send the Israelites scampering back to their tents to change their loincloths and spend the rest of the day shivering in fear.

Apparently news of the standoff had not reached the Jesse ranch because David asks the local Israelite soldiers two questions: First, what is the reward for the man who takes this guy out? And second, who is that big oaf, anyway, mouthing off about our God?

The second question is the more important of the two and is David’s real motivation. But the first question gives us another clue as to the fear Goliath instilled. The reward for taking down Goliath is a serious haul: (1) riches from the king, (2) marriage to the king’s daughter—which would make the victor royalty, and (3) no taxes for that person’s family for life. You might think for that price tag at least one crazy soldier would take the risk. But even this high of an incentive has failed to budge anyone. What good is being rich and royal and tax free if you aren’t alive to enjoy it?

In verse 28 Eliab is hardly out to win “Brother of the Year.” Still bitter about not being chosen king, he lashes out at David and impugns his motives. His question about David’s sheep is less intended to elicit information about the flock than it is to remind David of his rightful role—the young, insignificant servant.

It is a tragic irony that some of the most discouraging opposition Christians face comes from the people who should be on God’s side. Confronting an enemy like Goliath is frightening enough as it is, but often added to that are the supposed believers who do everything in their power to prevent sincere young Christians from stepping out in bold faith. The cowardly people of God are always the biggest obstacle to the mission of God.

Goliath is not really the problem here. A leather strap and a little rock can fix him. The real menacing giant in this story is the unbelief that dominates the hearts of God’s people. The obstacle is not found in God; it is not found in God’s opponents; it is found in God’s own people. I suspect God was more insulted by Israel’s disbelief than He was by Goliath’s blatant, blasphemous defiance. We should expect Goliath to respond the way he does, but the people of God should know better.

The same opposition is at work in our churches today. What should be a bastion for godly ambition becomes a place of cowardly timidity and unbelief. Churches are full of Eliabs who scoff at every grand vision to reach their community and their world. How different would our cities be if, instead of responding with Eliab’s cynical spirit, we assumed with David that God was poised to work powerfully?

Unlike his brothers, unlike the entire Israelite army, David assumes God will bring the victory. He never questions the outcome of the battle but simply wants to know who the blasphemer is and what the spoils will be when he goes down. “Of course whoever fights Goliath will win,” David seems to be saying. “Didn’t God promise us victory over the Philistines? Did you all forget that promise? Why has no one believed it?”

The Runt Slays the Champion

Word gets back to King Saul that someone might be up for the challenge of taking on Goliath (v. 31). But as soon as David arrives, Saul takes up the same tone with him his brothers had: You don’t stand a chance (v. 33). David, however, is unfazed. He had done his real training in the pasture, and compared to a lion or a bear, Goliath was not terribly impressive.

Saul is largely absent from this entire narrative, but he shows up long enough to discourage David and to offer him some poorly fitting armor. Remember, Saul was head and shoulders above the average man, while David was short. It is no wonder David opted out of using the oversized gear. Had Saul possessed the technology of his opponents, he might have had spare armor lying around. But Saul’s armor served as the best shot for David to be protected, at least from Saul’s (earthly) perspective.

The story becomes strikingly similar to most twenty-first-century action movies, complete with trash talking and vivid graphic imagery, in verses 40-54. This is gripping stuff and qualifies as one of the first DVDs I plan to grab off the shelf when I get to heaven. But other than being a fascinating battle story, what exactly is the main lesson to learn in David’s triumph over Goliath? Contemporary audiences love to use this as an analogy about the underdog: No matter the odds, you can do it! Just believe in yourself! Christians are as prone as anyone to fall prey to this sort of interpretation, baptizing it with spiritual language: If you trust God, He will give you victory over all the “giants” in your life—cancer, a lousy job, a broken relationship. Just claim your victory, and God will give it to you!

Sadly this misses the point. God does not want us to read this story and come away with a cocky assurance that, given the right confidence, we can achieve whatever we set our mind to. Yes, David was able to overcome insurmountable odds. The interpretive problem comes not from recognizing the long odd but in identifying ourselves with David. This may strike you as bad news, but in this story you are not David. You and I are the cowering, helpless nation of Israel.

Jesus Is David and You Are Not

The entire scene of David’s conflict with Goliath is cast in the light of representative warfare. When David takes on Goliath, it is not merely one man against another; this is Israel and Philistia, squaring off. What’s more, the battle between Israel and Philistia represents the struggle between their gods, as both David and Goliath mention in their taunting monologues. Thus when David wins, the rout is on: the Philistines (and their god) are on the run, while Israel (and the one true God) pursues.

This helps indicate David’s confidence. When he arrives on the scene, he is immediately enraged with the situation, not because he is being disparaged but because his God is. He goes to the battle line with confidence, not because he finds himself particularly worthy but because he sees the battle for what it is, a struggle between the God of Israel and the gods of the world. And when he wins, the entire nation of Israel shares in his representative victory, even though they had done nothing to earn it themselves.

We stand in a situation similar to Israel, in need of a representative to save us from the menacing giant of sin. Humanity’s most serious and most fundamental problem—the problem behind all our problems—is our alienation from God. And just like Israel versus the giant, there is nothing any of us can do about that. In fact, there is nothing any of us, of our own accord, even desire to do about this. We are the hoards of Israelites hiding in our tents, not dealing with the threat of sin, guilt, and death. God’s judgment looms over us, as terrifying as the giant Goliath, and we are powerless to stop it. What we need, like Israel, is a representative to challenge this giant of judgment on our behalf.

The devastating Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 provides another powerful image of our helpless state before the giant of sin and judgment. I (J. D.) spoke with a friend who had been asleep on the beach the morning that tragedy happened. He and a dozen others woke up when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook their island, but they were unaware of the crushing wave that would follow. They walked out of their tents to see the ocean water rapidly receding half a mile away from the shore.

My friend decided to get on his motorcycle and go home to check on his parents. His friends, however, curious about what was happening, walked out onto the sand where previously there had been ocean. A few minutes later, a 70-foot wave crashed into the shore, killing every single one of them—except my friend, who by that time was on higher ground.

Can you imagine standing on that shore, watching a growing wall of water, as tall as a seven-story building and as wide as your eye can see, barreling toward you at 60 miles an hour? There is nowhere to turn. Death is all but certain. But then imagine that just before the wave swept you away, the ground between you and the wave opened up and the earth swallowed up every bit of the water coming toward you.

That wall of water, that Goliath, is the righteous wrath of God. And the pit that swallows up that water, the hero able to conquer Goliath, is none other than Jesus. Jesus was our unexpected representative, the One who fought the giant on our behalf while we stood on the sidelines and did nothing to help Him. Jesus was opposed by all His brothers, abandoned by all His friends, precisely at the moment of His greatest battle. Jesus was the only One who, like David, really believed the promises of God. And Jesus was the only One to run onto the battlefield with perfect confidence in God, winning a victory on our behalf, despite our disobedience and failure.

Two Lessons from David and Goliath

Until we see Christ’s victory in David’s story, we miss the central thrust of this passage. Yet once we recognize that we are much more like Israel than David, we see two practical lessons for us today.

Because Jesus Took Out the Real Giant in Our Lives, We Can Bravely Face All the Lesser Giants

The real menacing giant in our lives is not our present situation, however tragic. The real giant in our lives is the one that has already been defeated at Golgotha—the giant of sin, death, and separation from God. Because Jesus absorbed the wrath of God in our place, we can have confidence in the face of every other challenge.

In Christ we have no need to be afraid of death. So when cancer threatens to destroy me, there is nothing ultimately to fear. Even if cancer kills me, Jesus has taken away the sting of death. As Paul says, “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Phil 1:21). Christ has freed us from the captivity to the fear of death, so the prospect of the grave simply does not have the same binding power it once did.

In Christ we have no need to be afraid of the future flying out of control. So when I lose my job, I have something more secure than a job. The real fear behind unemployment is not the job, anyway, but the fear of being taken care of. And Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf assures us that we will never lack that tender care and compassion. Thus we can answer with David that even in the darkest valley we fear no evil because God Himself is with us (Ps 23:4).

In Christ we have no need to be afraid of pain in our relationships. So when a spouse dies—or worse, walks out—we can feel the weight of grief without drifting into outright despair. We can engage in close and vulnerable relationships without the fear of getting hurt because the prospect of betrayal would not be the end of the world. Jesus Himself took the “end of the world” into His body for us so that no relational pain would ever threaten to undo us.

In Christ we have no need to be afraid of the disapproval of others. We have the absolute approval of the only One whose opinion matters. The God who created the universe with a word, who rules eternity, with all power in His hand—if that God is for you, if He treasures you and approves of you, who can rightfully be said to stand against you (Rom 8:31)? If we have His smile, we can endure the fiercest frown.

Real courage does not arise from the assurance that we will never encounter trouble. Courage is not the absence of strife or the absence of fear in the midst of strife. Instead, courage comes from having a priceless and secure treasure that strife and fear cannot threaten. That treasure is Jesus Christ Himself.

Through the Story of David and Goliath, God Also Gives His People a Pattern for How They Will Overcome the Giants They Face

David’s story, like all narratives in the Old Testament, primarily points us to the work of Christ (cf. Luke 24:25-27). But as the apostle Paul says, these stories happened to them as an example for us (1 Cor 10:11). So like the people of Israel, when we see Jesus, the true David, conquer death, the true Goliath, we should respond as they did—by triumphantly following Christ in His victory.

There are giants in our lives, huge obstacles, areas in which the kingdom of God is prohibited from going forward in the lives of those whom He loves. For the teenager, that may be her school, where it is laughable to live with faith in Jesus Christ. For the businessman, that may be his workplace, where integrity is consistently sacrificed in the name of growing profit. For the full-time mother, that may be her own home, where her children’s future salvation looms like a giant she cannot overcome.

The kingdom of God is a kingdom of advance. But as in David’s day, so in ours, obstacles from both inside and outside God’s people threaten to hamper what God wants to do in the world. The size of Goliath was no problem to David, nor is the size of whatever giant stands before the church today. The more significant obstacle is the smallness of our confidence in God.

God expects the taunts of those who do not believe in Him, and we should not be overly anxious about those in our culture who deride followers of Christ for their faith. This may insult God, but what grieves Him more than their taunts is the church’s failure to take God at His word. We must take our eyes off the size of the giant, stop listening to unbelieving “believers,” and think instead about the size of the love and power of God. Until we do, we remain fearfully in the tents of Israel—hiding from risk but also from the work of God.

Reflect and Discuss

1. How does this passage help you understand God?
2. How does this passage of Scripture exalt Jesus?
3. This is a famous passage of Scripture. Prior to hearing this chapter on David and Goliath, what have you understood to be the major lesson of the story? Why do you think you thought that?
4. What does it do to your heart to know that Jesus is the champion we need?
5. How does it encourage and inspire you to know that Jesus has faced the giants of sin, death, and hell so we do not have to?
6. In what ways do you need to express gratitude to our champion, Jesus?
7. In what ways does this story highlight the character of David versus the character of Saul?
8. If David is a man after God’s own heart, then what do David’s actions reveal about his heart and his love for Yahweh?
9. What obstacles prevent you from following Jesus now?
10. Do you believe you can overcome the giants in life through Jesus? Why or why not?