Introduction

David was one of my dad’s favorite people in scripture.  When I was little, me and my brother used to “play church.”  We would have our own church service in our bedroom; he would sing, I would preach.  We had heard about David and Goliath so much that I could preach his story from memory!  I could even tell you what the stone that hit Goliath represented, which is exactly what I want to do today.

David vs. Goliath

The story of David and Goliath is one of the most known stories in scripture.  In sports, you will always hear about David beating Goliath when an “underdog” beats a “heavy favorite”.  I don’t care much for David typically being associated with the “underdog”. In fact, I would tell you that David was a very heavy favorite in this showdown between him and Goliath.

I cannot tell you today what your Goliath actually is, but I do know that all of us have to deal with them.  As I said in last week’s sermon – Satan Had Me Bound – our Goliath could an addiction, anxiety, depression, or even ourselves. The genuine believer can either cower in fear or step to that giant and defeat him. How was David able to do what no other man could do?  Let’s take a dive into scripture so that we can learn today how to step over our Goliath.

The challenger

Let us begin with the challenger first.  Yes, we know that Goliath was a giant – 6 cubits and a span (over 9 inches tall) according to scripture (1 Samuel 17:4).  He was the champion of the Philistines army – meaning he was their best.  This led Goliath to having a character trait found in many people today – arrogance (overly prideful).  Goliath had gotten big headed.  

You know, we are told in scripture not to think so highly of ourselves but to be meek and humble.  Paul wrote (Ephesians 4:1-2) that we should walk worthy of our calling with all lowliness and gentleness.  You see, when you become overly prideful, you can become blind to what’s standing in front of you.  We all know the proverb well (Proverbs 16:18): “Pride goes before the destruction.”

Let me show you Goliath’s arrogance and pride.  We are told that for forty days he stood before the Israelite army daring them to challenge him (1 Samuel 17:16).  He questioned why they stood on the battlefield before him and the Philistines (1 Samuel 17:8).  Goliath did not think much of the Israelites or their army. In fact, he says plainly to them (1 Samuel 17:10), “I defy the armies of Israel this day”.

We should view such a defiance as not only being defiant to the army but also as defiance of God.  Why? The Israelites were the Lord’s chosen people by way of the covenant that God first made with Abraham.  The Goliaths that we face today will stand against us, the children of God (His army) in the same manner:  filled with pride and fully defiant against the Lord.

Israelite’s great fear

After Goliath’s first challenge of the Israelites, we are told that they were dismayed and greatly afraid (1 Samuel 17:11).  Personally, I believe Goliath knew exactly what he was doing and even knew what the response was likely going to be from the Israelites.  The easiest way to win a battle is to get folks to be afraid of you. Fear, as you may know, can be very paralyzing to a person.

Fear of Goliath certainly paralyzed the Israelites for forty days.  For forty days, they sat around and did nothing while Goliath taunted and mocked them.  Imagine sitting still and not moving on something because you were so afraid.  The Israelites were supposed to have laid claim to the Promised Land and defeat their enemies.  Fear held them back from being able to fully lay claim to their blessing of the Promised Land.

Fear is always a tool of the enemy.  The enemy will often use fear as a means to control what others do.  For example: I have watched in recent weeks as fear has been used in a manner that even calls into question the faith of others.  Some people are using fear right now to try and push people back into the church building and also their places of work when things are simply not safe.  They then ask, “Where is your faith? Why are you being so fearful?”

As I preached a few weeks ago – Foolish Faith is Not Faith.  You see, there is a big difference when we choose to stand still (or firm) in our faith in God or stand paralyzed with great fear.  Now, I want you to watch the faith that David had when he showed up on the scene.

The courage of David

David happened to arrive to the battlefield when Goliath began to taunt, mock, and stand in defiance of the Israelite army.  He watches as the men in the Israelite army cower in great fear (1 Samuel 17:24). David did not stand in fear of Goliath. Now notice that his brother, the other men, including King Saul, tried to influence what David believed in his heart (1 Samuel 17:28-33).  Saul specifically says to him, “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.”

You see, in David’s heart, he knew exactly what he was capable of doing in his faith in God.  In a way, David’s brother, the others, and Saul had become minor Goliaths (enemies) for David.  You see, the enemy will often tell you what you cannot do! Personally, I don’t much care for when people tell me something I cannot do!  How do you know my limits? How do you know what God has brought me through to then be able to tell me what He cannot do for me?

This was the same attitude that David had in his heart.  He, standing still firm in his faith, spoke to Saul about how he, as a shepherd boy, fought and killed both a lion and bear to get back a lamb they had taken out of his flock (1 Samuel 17:34-36).  David then said in our key verse (1 Samuel 17:37):

37 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!”

key verse – 1 samuel 17:37 nkjv

A Firm Faith in God Will Defeat Your Goliath

Now, watch what happened after David said these words to Saul, a man who was paralyzed in fear and filled with doubt.  A man who I also considered to be a small enemy because he was blocking David from moving in faith, switched his tune.  Saul began to get out of the way!  

You see, you have to let your enemies know what God has done for you!  Never be afraid of testifying about all that God has allowed you to do and what He has brought you through!  I am not ashamed to shout out and proclaim that I serve a powerful God and that He is able to do any and all things!  I don’t know about you all, but I walk in the confidence of my God and knowing what He can do.

Saul tried to clothe and arm David for battle (1 Samuel 17:38).  He’s now taking on the role of an ally and friend, but I want you to take note of something else here.  David tells Saul that he could not even walk around in the stuff Saul was giving him; he took off and put aside those tools for battle (1 Samuel 17:39).  Sometimes, your allies can be trying to help you out but actually be of no help to you.  

Saul was trying to help arm David but he could not provide the type of help that David would need in this battle because he did not understand the battle that was being fought.  Sometimes your closest allies – your family or friends – don’t have the kind of heart in them to be able to properly help you fight your battle against your Goliath. They may be in their very own battle in the moment you are in your battle.

God is with us on the battlefield

Sometimes we end up on the battlefield with our Goliath by ourselves, just like David.  On that battlefield, we find that all that worldly armor does absolutely nothing for us but leave us stuck in the mud!  So, how should we go out on this battlefield to defeat the challenger that stands in front of us?  

David took all that worldly armor off and dropped the sword.  He picked up some stones from a nearby brook and went on the battlefield with them and his sling (1 Samuel 17:40).  Now, I don’t want you to think the stones and sling were the only weapons that David took out on that battlefield with Him.  I want you to remember the words that he said to Saul: “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the  bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

So, David took his biggest weapon onto this battlefield with him.  That weapon: his faith in His deliverer – God!  Yes, sometimes we find ourselves on the battlefield with our Goliath by ourselves, but how often do you carry your faith in your deliverer onto that battlefield with you?  You see, I tell you that if you stand firm in your faith in our deliverer – God – that you can overcome whatever your Goliath may be!

The Power to Defeat Goliath

On the battlefield, David said to Goliath (1 Samuel 17:45), “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.”  Our Goliath’s will come at us fully armed with everything to try to defeat us!   David saw this and then said to him, “But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts.”  Confirmation that David stood on the battlefield in the power of God to defeat his enemy.

A lot of times we end up getting in a struggle with trying to defeat our Goliaths because we go about handling them the wrong way.  Some of us end up paralyzed in great fear of being able to defeat our Goliaths. I tell you that it is very hard to win any battles when you’re afraid you’re not going to win!  At the very same time, some of us try to take on our great challenge without carrying God into the battle with us. What can we do by ourselves?

David knocked Goliath out with one stone and then stepped over him and took his head in victory (1 Samuel 17:48-51) – a sign of victory over an enemy.  We have the same power to do the same exact thing to our Goliaths today. I saw a picture the other day of a little boy who had earned a red belt even though he had medical complications.  I said to my friend, “The faith of little children is remarkable; they really do believe they can do anything.”   

It is a shame that we allow the world to drive that sort of faith out of us as we grow older.  David was surrounded by people who told him what he could not do in his faith. If your faith is strong in the Lord, then we ought not ever let somebody else doubt and fear hold us back from what we believe God can do for us!  David said, the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give us the victory (1 Samuel 17:47).  When you come up against your Goliath, walk forward with this type of faith and you will have all the power you need to step over and defeat him.

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