David and the Sitting Duck Part 2 (1 Samuel 17)

Have you always heard the story of David and Goliath as a message about overcoming your personal giants? What if that popular reading actually misses the whole point of what happened in the Valley of Blood?

In this episode, Stephen Davey opens 1 Samuel 17 and walks you through one of the most familiar accounts in Scripture with fresh clarity. Israel is not just facing a military crisis. They are facing a spiritual one. The armies are paralyzed by fear because they have forgotten their God. Even King Saul, once head and shoulders above every other man in Israel, cannot answer the taunts of a nine foot nine inch Philistine warrior. Stephen carefully sets the scene, describing Goliath's armor and weapons in vivid detail, then shows how the entire conflict pivots on how the battle is being seen.

The soldiers see a giant. David sees a blasphemer. The soldiers see an insult against Israel. David sees an insult against the living God. Stephen walks you through four scenes in the chapter. The front lines, the fear, the folly of trying to fight Goliath like Goliath, and the faith of a young shepherd who trusted the Lord's power over his own strength. David refused to wear Saul's armor. He refused to fight on the world's terms. He picked up his sling and stones and stepped into the valley with one all consuming passion. The glory of the God of Israel.

This message will realign your perspective on the battles you face. Don't let your faith depend on majority opinion. Don't let your talents be depreciated by conventional wisdom. And don't let your past be diminished by spiritual dementia. Remember what God has done. Whatever slingshot He has placed in your hand, offer it back to Him. The only true Giant is God.

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Transcript

Setting The Scene In Jerusalem

SPEAKER_00 0:51

At this point in our wisdom journey through the Gospels, it's early October in the Lord's ministry, which means it's time for the Feast of Booths, or Tabernacles. That feast is now at hand. This is a festival celebrating both the fall harvest and also God's guidance of Israel through the wilderness following their miraculous escape from the land of Egypt. During this festival season, the city of Jerusalem is going to swell to overflowing with men, women, and children. They're going to be camping out in these little palm branch booths that they construct for seven days.

Feast Of Booths Explained

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Now we're going to take this up at John chapter seven, and Jesus is in Galilee. His half brothers are telling him here in verse three, Go to Judea that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world. Well then John adds this little comment here in verse five, for not even his brothers believed in him. Now, these are Jesus' half-brothers. They were born to Mary and Joseph sometime after the miraculous virgin birth of

Jesus’ Brothers Push For Spotlight

SPEAKER_00 2:08

Jesus. Now keep in mind that Jesus is often referred to in the scriptures as Mary's firstborn son, not her only son. You see, she and Joseph built a family together. Matthew's gospel even gives us the names of Jesus' half-brothers. In fact, two of them are later going to believe in Jesus, and they're going to end up writing two books of the New Testament, the book of James and the Book of Jude. But at this point, his half-brothers think that Jesus is out of his mind, claiming to be the Messiah. So they're telling him here essentially this look, if you really want the spotlight, stop hanging around little insignificant Galilee. You need to head over for the big city of Jerusalem and show your works openly to the world. You see, they actually doubt the credibility of Jesus' miracles. And they they say here, if you do these things, what do you do when your family and friends think you're out of your mind? You're a fanatic, you're mentally weak. You need Jesus as a crutch because you just can't handle life without him. Well, I want you to notice what Jesus does here. First of all, he doesn't retaliate. He doesn't yell back, he doesn't mock them in return. He's going to trust his father's plan, uh timing for his vindication. And eventually, Jesus is going to let the empty tomb do all the talking. Now Jesus does in fact go to the feast in Jerusalem, but not like his half-brothers wanted him to. Instead, Jesus is going to go privately, uh, he's going to go quietly. So now if we pick it up at Luke chapter 9, verse 51 tells us when the days

Jesus Refuses To Retaliate

SPEAKER_00 4:01

drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. Verse 52 tells us that Jesus sent some of his disciples on ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. This Samaritan village, Luke tells us, did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. So even though Jesus had performed some miracles among the Samaritan people,

A Quiet Trip To The Feast

SPEAKER_00 4:26

lovingly healing them, their hatred for the Jewish people sort of splashed over onto Jesus. And James and John are so angry that this village is turning them away that they asked the Lord here in verse 54, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? In other words, let's just burn this place to the ground. How's that for an evangelistic heart? Well, the Lord rebukes

Rejected By A Samaritan Village

SPEAKER_00 4:54

their attitude here in verse 56, simply saying they went on to another village. Let me tell you, the hatred for Christianity and the persecution of believers has not slowed down at all in these modern times. In fact, the history of the church is a history of persecution. It's frankly easy to adopt the attitude of James and John and retaliate. We need to remember that Jesus died on the cross for his enemies. We need to see them like he did, not as enemies, but as our mission field. Now, if we go back to John chapter 7, Jesus and his disciples quietly arrive here in Jerusalem, but I gotta tell you, the city, they're not quiet at all about Jesus. In fact, the Jewish leaders are looking for him because they want to kill him. Now, midway through this

Fire From Heaven And A Rebuke

SPEAKER_00 5:50

festival, Jesus enters the temple and he begins to teach. He's declaring that his words are from God. He's announcing that anybody who desires to do the will of God will recognize and appreciate his words. He says that he has been sent from God, and he even says he's soon going to be going back to God. Now, each day of this festival, there's a ceremony taking place. Water is drawn from the pool of Siloam and taken over to the temple and poured out on the altar. This symbolized God's

Persecution And Loving Enemies

SPEAKER_00 6:27

provision of water for Israel back in the Exodus or their traveling in the wilderness. And on the last day of the feast, water was what was not drawn, so this little ceremony is omitted. And it's on this day, the final day, that Jesus stands up and says here in verse thirty seven, if anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. So you see what's happening here. Jesus is declaring himself to be the one who satisfies spiritual thirst.

Jesus Teaches In The Temple

SPEAKER_00 7:09

The author John adds in verse 39 that this living water will come in the person of the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus will provide. Now by the time he finishes this teaching, the leaders and the crowd are split down the middle, so to speak, they're divided. And you have all these various reactions. Verse 40 tells us that some of the people said, This really is the prophet. Others said, This is the Christ that is the anointed Messiah. But some said, Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Let me tell you, beloved, the same reactions are being verbalized today. Was Jesus just a good man? Was he just a great teacher, a moral example,

The Water Ritual And Its Meaning

SPEAKER_00 7:56

or was he a deceiver, uh a paranoid lunatic, or was he truly God in the flesh? Well, I I gotta tell you, I really don't care about all those opinions out there. My concern is your opinion of Jesus. Who do you think he is today? You know, one of the most common opinions about Jesus that I I continue to hear from many people is that Jesus was just a good man. He wasn't God in the flesh, God incarnate. And let me tell you, that opinion is popular, but is it's impossible. Either Jesus is God, as he claimed, or he was a very bad man. He was an even

If Anyone Thirsts Come To Me

SPEAKER_00 8:41

bigger liar. Let me explain it this way. If Jesus isn't God the Son, then he was an imposter. Why? Well, because he claimed the ability to forgive sins. Back in Luke chapter 7 and verse 48, he says, Your sins are forgiven. In Mark chapter 2, when he said the same thing to a man, the onlookers said in verse 7, he is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God alone? Well, that's precisely the point. If Jesus can forgive sin, he's God. But if he can't forgive sin, well, he's a liar. He's an imposter trying to play God, and therefore he's not a good man at all. In fact, he would be an incredible egotist. In John chapter 10 and verse 9, he said, I am the door. John 14, verse 6, he says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Crowds Divide Over Who Jesus Is

SPEAKER_00 9:38

You can't get into heaven or to the Father without me. Jesus even makes the claim that the Old Testament was written about him. These statements are true only if Jesus is God. Otherwise, he's a really big liar. You know, C. S. Lewis wrote it this way. You can spit at Jesus and kill him, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about him being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God or else a madman. So back to my question. Who is Jesus to you today? Are you like the half brothers of Jesus who thought he was deluded out of his mind? Are you like the Samaritans who refused to host him in their homes? Or will you accept him as God, the Son, the one who gave himself as the sacrifice

Why “Good Man” Doesn’t Work

SPEAKER_00 10:44

for your sins? The choice is yours. But let me encourage you right now to believe in him as your Messiah, the Son of God, the coming King of Kings. Well, until our next journey, beloved, may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.