STUDY T HEME: SEEKING GOD'S HEART: LESSONS FROM DAVID'S LIFE.
"COURAGE TO STAND." 1 SAMUEL 17: 8-11, 32-33, 37, 45-47, 50.   5-7-2000
PLEASE OPEN  YOUR BIBLE TO 1 SAMUEL 17. 

Today's lesson is based upon the famous story of David and Goliath. It is
hoped and intended by the lesson writer to encourage Christians to stand
up for what they know to be right, to do it in love, but to do it with
courage. As our nation has become increasingly secular and pluralistice,
with man world religions coming into our nation, there has been more and
more pressure against Christians taking a bold stand for their faith. The
trend in our society today seems to be for Christians to simply accept
that Christianity is one of many religions and to stand up and claim
uniqueneness for it is to be guilty of bigotry.

So now I am called a bigot because I refuse to accept the fact that there
is no absolute truth or that one value is equal to another value. I am
called a bigot because I believe the Bible is true and the Koran is
false. Because I believe Jesus is the ONLY Savior, all others are false. 

Some who today would be classed as Major League Bigots, who were too
narrow in their teachings,  would be Jesus who said in John 10: 7-8, "I
am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and
Robbers " and in John 14:6  "I am the way, the truth and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me." 

And Simon Peter who said in Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any
other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby
we must be saved.

And the Apostle Paul who said in Gal. 1:9 "As we said before, so say I
now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than we have
preached, let him be accursed." Would you like to join the Bigot Club?
You will be in some very good company. 

Today the lesson writer hopes that this lesson will encourage all of us,
will strengthen all of us to have more courage to stand, in love, for
what we know to be right and true. Obviously, Christians should not be
tackless and rude in their courageous stand. But far too often we are
intimidated by others who are domineering and outspoken. 

The suggested "Lesson Bible Truth" is000000 that standing courageously
for God honore Him and provides a powerful testimony of biblical faith.
The suggested "Life Outcome" is to help us stand courageously for God
when others oppose God's way. 

It was pointed out last Sunday that although young David had been
anointed as next King of Israel he will not be the chief actor in the
events that follow. His was a supporting role. The writer, director and
leading actor is God. It was He who made things happen. 

1. PLEASE READ 1 SAMUEL 17: 8-11.

As you read the book of 1 Samuel you find that Saul fought with the
Philistines most of his life as King.  The Philistines had come from the
Island of Crete in the Mediterranean in the 13th century BC. The
Egyptians about 1190 BC under Rameses 3rd defeated these sea people and
permitted them to settle in the southern plains of Palestine along the
sea coast. The controlled the manufacture of iron and weapons and thus
gained economic and military advantage.

Since the time of the judges, the Philistines had threatened Israel,
trying to take the land God gave to His people. The Philistines even had
prevented the tribe of Dan from claiming its territory. Later in Ch. 4
they captured the ark of the covenant during Eli's time as priest. In Ch
7 Samuel faought the Philistines and defeated them. So by Saul's time
Israel already had a history of conflict with the Philistines. Saul
constantly battled them, and they finally killed him and his sons. 

The Philistines often invaded Israel. In the invasion in today's lesson
the Philistines were moving westward on a route that would take them to
Bethlehem or to Hebron. Saul had called out Israel's Army to protect
Judah, but the two armies were at a stand-off. Separated by a valley,
they watched each orther for "40 days". Throughout that time, Israel's
army was afraid as Goliath repeatedly, morning and evening, challenged
Israel to send out a champion to fight him. 

The Elan Valley was in southwest Israel, within walking distance of
Behtlehem. Goliath came each day into the valley and shouted to the
Israelites, "Why are you lining up for battle?" His point was that the
Philistines and the Israelites did not need to send both armies out to
fight. Goliath proposed an option for setting who would be the victor. 

Vs. 9 makes clear that the outcome of this one-on-one fight would
determine which army won the battle. If the Israelite won, the
Philistines would be the servants of the Israelites. If Goliath won, the
Israelites would serve the Philistines. Goliath is called a "champion.'
"One who represented his natin's army." Each side should send their
champion in to do battle with the champion from the other side. The
problem was Israel had no champion.

The Biblical writer used the Philistine giant's name several times but
predominantly referred to him simply as the "Philistine." Probably the
writer wanted to underline repeatedly that this confrontation was more
than a battle between two armies or two persons. The contest was between
God's people and their enemies. The champion who represetned the enemies
was a giant more than nine feet tall who wore armor that weigned too much
for an ordinary man to wear. The armor covered him completely and weighed
about 125 pounds. His weapons were massive. He carried a javelin, a
spear, and a sword. Whenever he came out to challenge Israel another
soldier carried Goliath's shield. Everything about this huge man made him
a seemingly invincible opponent. A walking tank. Even Saul, who was
larger than most of his men, was unwilling to face this formidable foe.
How much time would pass before the Israelite soliders quietly returned
to their homes, leaving the nation undefended? 

So each morning and evening for 40 days Goliath continued to challenge
the Israelite army to send a champion against him in a one-on-one,
winner-take-all fight to the death. This challenge continued to terrify
Saul and his army. If the champion was defeated, his army was captured or
killed. Goliath implied that his combat with Israel's champion would
determine Israel's and the Philistines' fate. If Israel's champion won,
the Philistines would be Israel's "subjects." If Goliath won, Israel
wouold "serve" the Philistines. In Vs. 10 Goliath openly defied "the
ranks of Israel." Goliath is like a "bully" who is so sure of himself
that he becomes reckless in what he says and does. He was willing to risk
the fate of his nation on his ability to defeat any Israelite who might
challenge him. 

In Vs. 11 we find Saul and all the Israelits were dismayed and terrified.
Their fear made them helpless. Before he sinned and God rejected him,
Saul could rely on God's power to defeat Israel's enemies; but that no
longer was true. Saul had disobeyed God, and God had chosen another
champion to lead His people. Saul discovered that the anointed king was
powereless iwthout God's favor and power. So Saul and his army were doing
what God had said in 1 Sam. 16:7 humans would do--looking at outward
appearances. Thus the Israelites saw a foe they could not hope to defeat.
They had forgotten they were God's people. They had forgotten God's past
victories. Did they not understand the Philistine challenge was a
challenge to God's character and power?  

They had even forgotten that the antidote for fear and dismay is faith
and courage. 1 Tim. 1:9 says "God hath not give us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. I hope you are reading
those parts of 1 Samuel that are not recorded in your quarterly. Back in
Ch. 16 we find that David's fame as a musician brought him to the notice
of King Saul who at that time did not know that he had been anointed to
be his successor. He became Saul's armor-bearer. This threw David into
association with the king and his counselors.

It seems that David's first residence at the court was only temporary:
that he returned to Bethelehem, that some years passed: and that, in the
meantime, the boy David had so changed in appearance that, in Ch. 17:
55-58, Saul did not recognize him. He had to ask who David was. 

2. PLEASE READ 1 SAMUEL 17: 31-33. 

The emphasis in our lesson now turns from the fear and dismay of Saul and
Israel's army o David and his unshakable faith in God. Jesse sent David
to the Valley of Elah to see how his three sons were doing in Saul's army
and to carry them some food. When David arrived at the camp, he saw the
situation between Israel and Goliath. He heard some of the soldiers
discussing how Saul would reward anyone who would fight Goliath. 

In Vs. 28 Eliab, David's oldest brother, criticized him for coming to the
camp by questioning his motives for doing so. When Saul heard about
David's discussion of a reward for defeating Goliath, he sent for David
to come and talk with him. This is when he questioned who David was. 

David's first words of encouragement to King Saul were: "Let no one lose
heart on account of this Philistine." That it exactly the condition in
which David found Saul and the Israelite army.  In Deut 20:3 Moses had
taught Israel about how to approach warfare: "Do not be fainthearted or
afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before the enemy!" In
Joshua 1:9 Joshua had spoken similar words to Israel when they were
preparing to cross the Jordan into Canaan: He said " "Be strong and
courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your
God will be with you wherever you go."  

David said to Saul, "Your servant will go and fight him." David had
already been chosen and anointed as Israel's next king, he still
considered Saul his king and himself Saul's servant, Saul needed help to
be victorious over the Philistines. So David volunteered to serve under
Saul's authority. The source of David's submisison to others came from
his basic commitment to God and to God's will. David could be submissive
to others because he was submissive to God. 

When David told Saul that he would fight Goliath, Saul told him that he
wasn't able to defeat the giant. Though Saul had decided to accept
Goliath's challenge to a fight and had offered a huge reward to anyone
who would defeat him, Saul thought David was not the person for the job. 

The reasons Saul gave were all true. Saul reminded David that Goliath was
a man and David was only a boy.  David at this time would have been still
in his teens. How could a boy do what Saul and his men believed could not
be done? Goliath was called a "champion." Evidently, he had fought in
such battles before and had always won. David had never fought like this.
Therefore, Goliath ws very experienced and David was very inexperienced.

David was not discouraged by Saul's words. David was not experienced in
battle strategy where Saul was was experienced, but David was experienced
in a vital area where Saul was inexperienced--having the Lord deliver him
from life-threatening situations. David told Saul how, as a shepherd, God
had helped him face and kill both a lion and a bear. When one of the
predators attacked a sheep and began to drag it off to kill and eat it,
David ran after the attacker, struck it, and rescued his sheep. When the
lion or the bear turned to attack him, David "seized it by its hair,
struck it, and killed it.  In tought times, God had taught David to trust
Him. David was ready to show his trust.  

Then David sid that "this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of
them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. To David the
issue was God Vs. Goliath, not David Vs. Goliath. I wonder just how often
we depend on God's help? We may call on Him after we have exhausted all
our resources. That is not depending on God; that is acting out of
desperation. Before we assume God will give us the same kind of victory
He gave David, we have to recognize two cautions. God gave David victory
when he fought God's enemies. When we face God's opponents, we must fce
them depending on God's strength. The enemies and the conflicts we create
for ourselves, however, are not necessarily God' opponents. 

The second caution in expecting the kind of victory David had is to
remember that God does not always deliver His servants from crises. He
can deliver them thru crises. Over the centuries believers have faced
God's opponents and have died for their faith. Whether God delivers His
own from or thru difficulties caused by people who oppose Him, He works
to accomplish His purposes.

David based his prediction of victory on three things: First, Goliath was
an "uncircumcised Philistine." He was not a descendent of Abraham and
therfore, not part of Israel, the covenant people of God. Circumcision
was a sign of that covenant in which Israel would be God's people and God
would be Israel's God.

Second, Goliah had his own gods, which were only idols and had no life or
power in them. Therefore, the battle was Goliath's gods pitted against
Israel's God. Third, Goliath had defied and challenged the armies of the
living God. Based on his previous experience with God when facing the
unimaginable task of defeating his sheep's fiercest enemies, David
belived that the Lord would deliver him from the hand of this Philistine
giant.  

When Saul heard David's reasoning and saw his confidence in God, Saul
said, "Go, and the Lord be with you." All the wishing, hoping and
probable praying about Goliath did not make him go away. Sometimes God
removes the problem; but other times, He does not remove the problem.
When He does not deliver us out of difficulties, He can deliver us thru
them. David later wrote in Ps. 23:4, "Even though I walk thru the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me."
Everyone has to walk into difficulties that are caused by people who
oppose God's ways, but God can help us walk thru them. When Israel was
being led from Egypt to Canaan thru the wilderness, God knew the way. If
Israel had followed faithfully, they could have escaped so many of their
problems. 

Some opposition does not have to be faced acively. When God had set
Israel free from Egypt, the Egyptians pursued them and found them hemmed
in. The Israelites were helpless and cried out to the Lord. The Lord told
Moses to say to His people: "Stand firm and you will see the deliverance
the Lord will bring you today. The Lord will fight for you; you need only
to be still." God took care of the Egyptians by drowning them in the sea.
Israel did not have to fight them. 

Some opposition has to be faced and dealt with openly. Believers can
depend on God's help when such times come. Paul depended on God's help
when he faced the possibility of death in Asia. In 2 Cor. 1:10 ; he told
the Corinthian Christians "He (God) has delivered us from such a deadly
peril, and He will deliver. On Him we have set our hope." 

Each past experience of help from God can encourage us to expect His help
in every crucial experience that we face. Courage doesn't come from
believing that we can defeat our obstacles ourselves. Courage comes from
believing that God can defeat them for us or thru us. Because He has
defeated them in the past, He can and will do it now and in the future.
God can help us stand courageously before those who oppose His way.
Someone has defined courage as "fear that has said its prayers." 

3. PLEASE READ 17: 45-47, 50-51.

One way to stand courageously for God is to act in ways that honor Him,
not self. David faced Goliath in a way that revealed David's trust in God
and brought honor to his Lord. After Saul agreed for David to fight
Goliath, David prepared himself for battle. Saul dressed David in the
King's own tunic, coat of armor, bronze helmet, and sword. David could
not use Saul's armor because he was s not used to them. He took off
Saul's armor and used His own---a staff, sling, and five smooth stones.
Israel used soldiers to sling stones at their enemies. At one time the
tribe of Benjamin had 700 left-handed soldiers who could sling a stone at
a hair and not miss. The stones could ahve been the size of a man's fist.
They could be hurled at 90 to l00 mph. With this armor and a firm faith
in God for victory, David approached Goliath. 

As Goliath and David came closer to each other, Goliath began to ridicule
David. David was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and Goliath despised
him. He chided David, saying  "Am I a dog, that you come at me with
sticks?" Goliath probably was referring to David's staff which was the
largest weapon in sight. Then cursing David in the names of his gods,
Goliath promised to feed David to the birds and the beasts."

David's response magnified the place the Lord had in that battle. David
said to Goliath: "You come against me with the sword and spear and
javelin." Those were Goliath's weapons
, the weapons of human warfare. Then David said "I come against you in
the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you
have defied. Goliath had three weapons. David had only one, the name of
the Lord.   

Then David prophesied the outcome of the battle: "the Lord will hand you
over to me." Goliath would not win the contest. Neither would David win
in his own strength. The Lord would defeat His and Israel's enemy. David
added: "I'll strike you down and cut off your head." David had a sling
with which to strike Goliath down, but he had no sword to cut off his
head. Evidently, David already had figured out his battle plan. He would
use his sling first and then Goliath's sword. After the battle, David not
only would give Goliath's body  but also the carcasses of the Philistine
army to the birds and the beasts. These gory words were a form of
psycholotical warfare meant to scare an opponent. Yet David did what he
said he would do. He also said the victory would be a testimony to God.

David's last word had to do with the honor God would receive. David was
not just interested in the fact that he would win or that Goliath would
lose, but that the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
Goliath fought for the honor of his gods; David fought for the honor of
his God. David's victory would bring honor to the God of Israel.

Another outcome of the battle would be that both Philistines and
Israelites will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord
saves. The weapon is the Lord Himself: for the battle is the Lord's. The
Philistines did not know this. Israel should have known it but didn't.
They wanted a king to lead them and fight their battles. The Philistines
needed to learn that to fight against God's people, is to fight against
God. The Israelites needed to know that God would fight His people's
battles.   

Goliath and David moved in on each other. At the right moment David put a
stone in his sling, slung it, and struck Goliath in the forehead,
knocking him face down on the ground. Thus, David triumphed over the
Philistine. He did so with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his
hand. The usual weapons of war did not prevail; God prevailed. Thru the
victory, God delivered Israel once more from overwhelming odds. To show
everyone that Goliath was dead, David cut off Goliath's head with the
giant's own sword. Then the Philistines ran.

Vs 57-58 says "When David returned to camp after killing Goliath, Abner
took him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath's head. Saul asked
him, "Young man, whose son are you?" "I am the son of your servant Jesse
from Bethlehem," David answered. So Saul discoverd that David--the part
time musician in his court--was also the fearless son of a faithful
citizen named Jesse. 

We frequently tell our youth to resist peer pressure and to do what is
right. Probably our youth need to tell us adults the same thing. No
matter what age we are, we face peer pressure. We ususlly dislike being
different. We find that it is often difficult to stand against someone
who opposed God's way or something that is contrary to His will. God
wants us to make a commitment to stand humbly but firmly against anything
that is contrary to God's way.

For example, when the question was asked: "Can an immoral person be
regarded as a true patriot?" The framers of our republic did not think
so. The Father of the American Revolution Sam Adams said, "He who is void
of virtuous attachments in private life is, or very soon will be void of
all regard for his country. There is seldom an instance of a man guilty
of betraying his country, who had not before lost the feeling of moral
obligations in his private connections."  

"Our form of government is totally dependent upon "each and every one of
us to control ourselves according to the Ten Commandements of God,"James
Madison said. John Adams agreed. He said "Our constitution was made only
for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the
government of any other." 

William Penn warned, "If men will not be governed by God, they will be
ruled by tyrants." Patrick Henry said virtually the same thing. He
declared, "It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains."

Freedom loving people must by nature be God-fearing people. But today
such people are being labeled "Bigots" and "Religious Fanatics." Current
events suggest that American has forgotten this fundamental truth; that
"Freedom loving people must by nature be God-fearing people."
>From our Baptist Hymnal we sing "God of Grace and God of Glory" 
Lo! the host of evil round us
Scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways!
Fears and doubts too long have bound us,
Free our hearts to work and praise.
Grant us wisdom, Grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee!
That we fail not man nor Thee!

WE MOVE NEXT SUNDAY TO 2 SAMUEL 11 & 12 TO FOCUS ON DEALING WITH SIN OUR
LIVES. "FOR ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD."  ROM
3:23.
A.V. DAUGHERTY 5-7-2000.