TEXT: I Samuel 17

SUBJECT: David and Goliath

The story of David and Goliath is a preacher's dream. And his nightmare. His dream because the figures are so compelling and the end so unexpected. No matter how often one reads the story, he is still gripped by its drama. A preacher dreams of this kind of sermon.

But he must beware lest it turn into a nightmare. How? Because David is so valiant in the story, he often becomes the preacher's focus. The sermon becomes "David-centered" rather than Christ-centered. Thus, we must look beyond the young man's daring to the true story that lies behind it. May God help us do so, for Christ's sake. Amen.

The conflict between David and Goliath involves more than two men or two armies or two nations. It is a war between evil and good, between darkness and light--between Christ and Satan. What looks like an ordinary battle is a cosmic struggle. The winner of this battle must take the world.

The Lord Jesus is the Redeemer of Israel; it is He who is in David, moving the young man to his incredible feat of courage. And it is Satan behind the Philistine. His "god" is Dagon. But who is he? He's an idol, of course, a god who can be seen and touched--and controlled. But Dagon is more than an idol. He is a visible manifestation of the devil. And so, we see David and Goliath, but the true battle is between the Lord Jesus and Satan. Martin Luther is often accused of superstition; he saw the devil in every nook and cranny. But we go to the opposite extreme; we rarely see him behind the evils of the world. Yet he is there. Paul was no fool, yet he said "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against wickedness in heavenly places". Has the man lost his mind? His whole life was spent "wrestling against flesh and blood"! Persecuting Jews hounded him every step of the way; the Greeks mocked him; the Romans killed him. Yet he saw--behind these men--someone else: "The prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now energizes the children of disobedience" "Satan hindered us" is the understatement of his life.

Having identified the warring parties, let's look at each in turn. Starting with Goliath. What does he say to us?

He says: Evil is Real. Plato defined evil as "the lack of good". It is, therefore, nothing in itself. What he meant was this: the only reason that a man is bad is because he doesn't know good. If a vicious man is taught virtues, therefore, virtuous he will become. But is this true? The Philistines are not a non-entity; they are as real as you and I. Thus, they're more than "non-good"; they're positively evil. Goliath's profession indicates as much. What is he? He is "a man of war from his youth". What's wrong with this? Soldiering is an honest profession. And so it is--if they fight in just wars. And a just war--Augustine tells us--must always be defensive and aim to restore justice.

Is this why Goliath waged war? It is not. He was not fighting in defense of his nation, but to conquer another. And he was not fighting for justice, but to strip a nation of its wealth and dignity.

Behind this very real evil is Satan who is equally real. He is not a creature lacking in knowledge and holiness, but a Fallen Angel. Made in "true knowledge and holiness", He chose to rebel against them and to defy their source: Christ. Thus, the word "Satan" is not defined as "one lacking in goodness"--but as "adversary", someone in opposition.

Goliath also tells us: Evil is Huge. Some are quick to affirm the goodness of man. The more sensible see him as flawed. Yet his flaws--they say--are correctable. "Progress" is sure to save us from the ghastly evils of the past. "The Spanish Inquisition" can never be repeated. Yet Hitler killed more in 13 years than the Church could in 1,000! Slavery could never be revived in the Southern States, yet hundreds of millions are enslaved in China as we speak! Medical science will prolong life, but it will also abort millions of babies each year. Thus, evil is not the piddling thing some imagine. It is both deep and wide.

This shouldn't surprise us: look at Goliath. He is nine feet-six inches tall. He's wearing a coat of mail that weighs 150 pounds. His spear is several inches in diameter; its head is 16 pounds. He's unlike anything we've ever seen. Two feet taller than the tallest basketball player; maybe 200 pounds heavier than the heaviest football player. And he's not clumsy. This man is a monster.

What should we expect from the devil's champion? He is himself "the god of this world". The root meaning of "god" is "strong one". And "strong" he is. He moves men to act against their nature, against conscience, and against their own interests. It is he who is behind the self-destructive behavior we see all around us. And not only now; he was able to do this while Man was yet unfallen.

The Giant also informs us: Evil is Proud. We live in an age that cannot blush. Men "glory in their shame"--are proud of the things that should embarrass them. Paul described his world--and ours: "...they not only do the same, but approve of those who do them". This word, "approve" (or "take pleasure") is much too tame. It means: "they cheer them on". Sin has a battery of lawyers to plead its case and a squad of cheerleaders to root it to victory.

Why is this so? Because Satan is arrogant. He's not like the businessman who prefers to direct his company from the penthouse office. He's more like the dictator who revels in the adulation of his people. Think of Hitler's mass meetings: a solitary figure on a platform engulfed by myriads of adoring fans. This is how Satan is. He doesn't always use his own name. But, by whatever name he goes, it is he who receives the glory.

Goliath was animated by this spirit. He is a Giant...with an attitude. He's not content fighting the Israelites, he must taunt them and mock their God. No curse is too ugly; no blasphemy too brazen. He's "in your face; if you don't like it, do something about it".

The Philistine teaches us: Evil is Terrifying. If it is as real, pervasive, and brazen as the Bible teaches, it must be terrifying. Remember, anything you've seen in a movie has been thought of--and is, therefore, possible.

Goliath must have been a terror beyond words to the men who saw him. The Hebrew soldiers were not cowards; by law, they could stay home. They had already fought the Philistines--and won. Their king was "a mighty man of valor"; because of his stature, he must have cut an inspiring figure. But, alas, both he and his people are paralyzed at the sight of the towering Goliath. Who wouldn't be?

Finally, the Giant teaches us: What Evil Is. Many think "evil is doing bad things". Nonsense. Evil is "enmity against God" as Romans 8:7 puts it. It doesn't matter how you oppose God, but only whether you oppose God. Whether you're a publican or a Pharisee is irrelevant. If you are not "for Christ, you are against Him". And to be "against Christ"--quietly or loudly, brazenly or subtly--is to be evil.

David understood the issue. "I come to you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied". It is was not the armies Goliath defied--or David or Saul--but Jesus Christ.

On one side is Goliath and all he represents, evil, darkness, and Satan. Who's on the other side?

The Lord Jesus Christ. "The battle is the LORD's" David said. We must keep this in mind if we're to "play the man" in our struggles. Yes, we do "wrestle against powers"--but this is only half the equation. These "powers" seem mighty powerful, till we recall Who they're fighting. "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ".

"Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing;

Were not the Right Man on our side,

The Man of God's own choosing;

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus, it is He,

Lord Sabaoth His name,

From age to age the same,

And He must win the battle".

How does the Lord fight this battle? He does so in the strangest way imaginable: with David. He doesn't use Saul, though he the tallest man in Israel; He doesn't call Abner to the job, though he's the commander of the army; He doesn't employ Jonathan, though he had just cut down 20 men single-handedly.

He chooses a shepherd. He's young man without military training and with no idea how to wear armor or swing a sword. Why would He make such a bizarre choice? Because He wants "no flesh to glory in His sight". By choosing David, He makes sure no one could possibly credit anyone but the LORD.

He does the same "in the fulness of time". In sending His Son to vanquish Satan, He does not place Him in a wealthy home or among an heroic people. Why not? So that no one can attribute His work to breeding or to social status. No it must be "the Lord's doing and marvelous in our eyes". If a carpenter can destroy the devil, he must be Emmanuel--"God with us".

The shepherd-soldier is remarkably aggressive. David charges the Giant, eager to take him on. Why? Because God doesn't react--He acts. It is He who takes the initiative. He sends His Son. And He comes "to seek and to save that which is lost". The Lord is taking the offensive; it is He who is plundering the strong man's house; it is He who "sets His face to go to Jerusalem". Satan is fearsome, but the Lord Jesus runs to the battle unafraid.

The shepherd cuts down the Giant in an unexpected way. Goliath was "a man of war from his youth". This means he was prepared for conventional warfare. He knew how to shield himself against a spear, how to block a sword, and how to duck an arrow. But he's unprepared for a boy's slingshot. Who could have prepared him for such an eventuality? Who ever thought of taking on a Giant with a slingshot? Goliath has no defense; the rock sinks into his skull; the Philistine hero is no more.

The Lord Jesus acted in the same way. He did not gather an army to take on Satan; He didn't rally the public to oppose Satan; He didn't picket Satan; He didn't write editorials against Satan. What did He do? He died at Satan's hands! What a surprise attack this was! He would destroy Satan by being destroyed. John Owen has written a book on the subject with this alluring title: "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ".

He has given His people the same strategy. We don't overcome evil in the usual way: "with evil". We "overcome evil with good". We confront "hate" with "love". We answer "cursing" with "blessing". We "pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us".

Satan has no answer for these tactics. Never did. Never will. As "soldiers of the cross", let's use the arms our Captain has given us. And on others.

If "the battle is the LORD's"--"Let's get ready to rumble!"