The Battle is the Lord’s
David, Part 7
By Pastor Matt Black
26
March 2008
Midweek Prayer Meeting
1 Samuel 17:47-58
Scripture and Theme: If you are God’s child, then the spiritual struggles and trials we face are the Lord’s. Yes we must fight and love the Lord with all our strength, but it is not us! It is Christ within us. As Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
The battle may seem as gigantic as Goliath, but what every you are facing, it is ultimately not your power, your wisdom, your winning personality that is going to bring peace to your life. The battle is the Lord’s! It’s not yours.
I. First I want you to see a clear ROAD to spiritual defeat. Some are like Saul. They don’t understand all the failure and all the defeat. They live in fear. They lead others to live in fear. Saul lived and operated WITHOUT the power of God and didn’t even know it!
David comes into the conversation among the men of Israel, and the conversation is about the impossibility of the task. And people say, don’t expect to have a breakthrough—this is a graveyard. What they are saying is: “Have you seen this man?”
David heard and harkened to Goliath’s threat: “give me a man, that we may fight together” (verse 10). All the men were terrified. Verse 11, “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.”
This is the road to spiritual defeat!! People were afraid! They saw the layers of spiritual darkness, like many layers of paint, but they had no answer for it. So they operated without the power of God, they operated in conflict with God-ordained authority, and they operated in the power of the flesh.
A. So the first path to spiritual defeat is: Operate without the Power of God.
One of the first things we find once Saul is off the seen is a request from the people of Israel in 1 Chronicles 13:3, “let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul.” Saul had no qualms of just continuing on without the Ark of God!! Saul reigned 40 years. It was forty years without the presence of God in their midst! He was just fine operating without the presence of God for 40 years!! He sought many other sources of power including a spiritual medium.
What’s your source of power? What are you leaning on to get you through your days? They are hard. Think now. Are you leaning on the power and Word and Spirit of God?
What are you leaning on to raise your children? Good old prime time television? Ipods and laptops? Is Facebook raising your children? Are the influences and powers in your children’s life going to lead them “in the way everlasting”?
B. Operate in Conflict with your God-ordained authority. Saul had broken from his God-ordained authority. Saul did not wait for Samuel and went ahead on his own at Gilgal. He did not wait for God’s prophet. He treated authority lightly. He did not take holy things seriously.
Saul was good with word games and acting like he loved the Lord, but he was in rebellion with God’s authority in his life. In 1 Samuel 15:24, we read that “Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.” Samuel had already delivered God’s verdict (verse 23, “Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king”.
The moment that you break with your God-ordained authority, you are in cahoots with the enemy. You are saying, Satan, I agree with you. You are saying God’s way is not the best way. You might say, “I can do a better job than my husband, I can do a better job than my pastor, I can do a better job than my father or mother, or than my boss.”
C. Operate in the Power of the flesh. Verse 8—the enemy will get us to see who we are in the natural “am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul?” Satan wants you to see yourself as a servant of Saul, but if you are a child of God, you are a servant of the Lord of hosts!
Goliath was out testing the armies of Israel for 40 days (verse 16). Forty is the number of testing in the Bible. The children of Israel walked in the wilderness for 40 years. The Lord was tested in the wilderness for 40 days. The enemy was taunting the men of Israel—verse 10, “I defy the armies of Israel this day”. Verse 11 says that “When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.” Servants of Saul should be afraid of the enemy’s taunts and games, but not servants of God!!
And I believe the enemy is playing with the church today. We have no power. We are in spiritual defeat across our world.
The enemy has blinded us today with fear.
1. He’s bound us personally. He’ll convince you…
· The Christian life is impossible!
· I’ll never get victory in this area anyway!
· I’ve got to pay the bills! We are afraid of being uncomfortably poor.
2. He’s bound our families.
The enemy has us bound. It is hard to raise children. It takes the grace of God to raise them. But ignoring their spiritual condition is a sure way to spiritual embarrassment. Are you operating in the power of the flesh? Are you ignoring your own spiritual condition?
· Where is the power?
· Where is the holiness in the home?
· The answered prayer?
· Are we more concerned for our careers and our comfort than the conviction of the Word of God?
· Where is the second generation of Christians in our churches? We are losing! We are afraid! We are in defeat!!
You can see yourself in the natural—“I’m just a servant of Saul”—I’m not very well educated, I’m not very articulate, unable or…
We can see ourselves as rightly related to God—“If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). I’m part of an army, and the captain of that army is the LORD of hosts!
Transition: We’ve seen the clear ROAD to spiritual defeat. Operate without the power of God, operate in conflict with God-ordained authority, and operate in the power of the flesh.
II. Now I want you to see the clear REQUIREMENTS of Spiritual Victory.
A. Total Surrender to the Lord. Even though he’s got five stones, he says “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts” (verse 45).
B. Skillful use of the Weapons that God has given us. Verse 40, David “took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine”
And let me say that David had great faith. He had five stones. Why five stones? Beside Goliath we learn that there were four other giants like him, all related. And 2 Samuel 21:21 tells us that they all died by David and his men. There were five stones for five giants. They all “fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.” He had Great Faith!!
1 John 5:4, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”
David is interested in one thing. He wants all the earth to know there is a God in Israel. David’s motivation was the glory of God and His Name. Not that all the earth may know my name and how great I am. He didn’t go out and write a book. He wasn’t on the cover of the Jerusalem Times holding Goliath’s head. His sole motivation was that God’s Name was being defied. Who is this lost man that he should taunt the armies of the living God? (verse 26). We must live for the Name of Jesus! Stand up for the Name of Jesus. If you deny the Name of Jesus, the Father will deny you! If you proclaim the Name of Jesus, the Father will receive you.
Matthew 10:32-33, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven”.
Matthew 5:11, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
Look at Psalm 149. Here we are going to see that our praise is a form of warfare. It gives us confidence. It is a declaration of intent for our enemies. We intend to lift up the Name of the Lord no matter what it takes.
Look at Psalm 149, “Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints…let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.” Verse 5, “Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. 6 ¶ Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” But remember when you sing that “whatsoever is not of faith is sin”. We can sing because we like to sing, or we can sing because we like the song, but if our singing is not a real declaration to God but it is also a declaration that our enemy hears. Sing with all your heart to God!!
David says in verse 45, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.” What is he doing? He’s quoting the Bible!
David remembered that God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants that He would fight on their behalf. As long as they trusted God and were obedient, they should not fear anyone.
Deuteronomy 20:1-4, “When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God is with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 2 And it shall be, when ye are come nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people, 3 And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; 4 For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”
Psalm 121, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.”
The same is true for us! 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ”. How do you cast down imaginations? With the Word of God. Satan says, Bow down and worship me! Jesus said, “It is written”! Cast down the imaginations that come from the wicked one.
C. Swift obedience to do God’s will. David went right in and slew the giant with the smooth stone and rushed in and cut off his head!
1. David was not distracted by anybody. Look at Eliab in verse 29. It’s amazing how one of your own will distract you. You will find that when you get serious about serving God, Those who claim to be God’s own people will tell you you’ve gone too far. They’ll pour cold water on your faith. They’ll test you. “Who do you think you are? You are way too radical! Don’t go that far! You’re really not that bad of a person. Why do you need to live like that?”
2. David also was not distracted by false accusations. Eliab says, And beside, what about your earthly responsibilities—“You’ve left those few sheep in the wilderness” (verse 29).
Verse 20—David left the flock with the keeper. He watched his life meticulously so that the enemy would have nothing to accuse him with. We must be faithful in the littlest things, and then we will be given responsibility over much.
Don’t be distracted! David went in and cut off the giant’s head with his own sword!
3. David is determined to obey the Lord with all his heart! David said in verse 47, “all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.” Why wait? The battle is the Lord’s! Once the battle field is set, he makes no excuses. He goes right to the battle. David advances with ALL his might!
Verse 50, “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
To complete the execution, David drew Goliath’s own sword, a two handed weapon for David, and with it HE CUT OFF GOLIATH’S HEAD! (verse 51). David had no need to use his own sword!
III. Finally I want you to see the clear RESULTS of Spiritual Victory.
A. A Pattern of Overcoming! Verse 52, “And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
Those who were once paralyzed with fear are now overtaking the enemy. They were facing powers of spiritual darkness and trying to kill them with sword and spear. They had the power and courage and strength to utterly destroy the Philistines.
Do you have a Pattern of overcoming?
1 John 5:4-5 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
B. There is a Power over the enemy. Verse 53, “And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they despoiled their tents.” There were obvious spoils of the war!
God wages war on our behalf, and gives us the benefits of grace for free. Salvation is a free gift of God. The blessings that we have do not come through our own strength. They come from what Jesus Christ has done!! In the strength of the Lord, there is no foe that God will not conquer. It’s not your battle. It’s not David’s battle. The battle is the Lord’s!
Do you have fruit in your life? Do you have the Spirit’s anointing? That is the only power that will overtake the enemy. The enemy laughs at many attempts we make to fight him.
“I’ll do better”
“I really want to serve the Lord”
“Maybe next year I’ll grow and be strong enough”
We give the enemy too much credit.
“I can do that—my father was this or that”
No, you are a new creature in Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:17).
C. There is the Progress of the battle! Verse 54, “And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.”
1. David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem which was still under the control of the Jebusites. David sees a city that is overrun by those who know not God. He’s setting his sites on the next battle.
2. He brought the armour to his own tent. He had trophies that others could see. Do you have the mementos of spiritual victories in your tent?
3. The sword was brought to the Tabernacle and put in the Ark. Are you an example to others? Can people look at the sword of Goliath in your life and say, “Look at what is possible when someone is fully surrendered to God”? Are you mentoring others?
David took the head of Goliath and hung it in Jerusalem. At that time, Jerusalem was a stronghold of the Jebusites, Canaanites whom the Jews were supposed to have exterminated but never could. David eventually made Jerusalem his city, his capital, the center of the worship system. He united the tribes of Israel there, and it became known as "the city of David." I believe he nailed that head right outside the gate of the stronghold of Jerusalem as a way of saying, “Jebusites, I am going to get you. Look at Goliath and remember I will be back.” And he was. He took the city. He took the stronghold. He conquered the Jebusites. Nobody beats the army of the living God.
D. There begins to be a Prominence, but watch out!!
David was forgotten by King Saul. He had played music for Saul. He had been promoted to be his armour bearer. But now God was moving him up! Verse 55, “And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell. 56 And the king said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. 57 And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Conclusion: Do you want to see the greatest victory? Total submission to the will of God? Look to the Cross. See Jesus Christ hanging there submitting to the will of God. We love this life too much to bear the cross and hang on the cross. But on that cross, Jesus “spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).