“Standing Up to Giants”- 1 Samuel 17 скачать в хорошем качестве

“Standing Up to Giants”- 1 Samuel 17

By: Rev. Robin A. Riggs, PhD 6/15/1997 First Church of God, Allegan Mich. Adapted from C. Swindoll THE PRINCIPLE See what God said to Samuel in 1 Sam 16:7. He is telling Samuel to NOT judge based on outward appearance who should be the next king. -We tend to be impressed (or not) by surface appearances. We look at the outside and form opinions that are often inaccurate. That is certainly the case in the battle between David & Goliath. Goliath was intimidating & impressive. But in this case, David was given the ability to see as God always sees. He was not intimidated or impressed. NO MATTER HOW BIG THE GIANT MIGHT BE, GOD IS GREATER THE BATTLEGROUND 1 Samuel 17:1-3 The Valley of Elah- A vast canyon, about 1 mile wide where the battle took place. At the bottom of the valley was a stream bed, where David found the stones or his sling. Each side had a slope approx 1/2 mile across. Israel was camped on 1 side, the philistines on the other. GOLIATH 1 Sam 17:4 somewhere around 9’9” tall. His armor… A Coat of mail covering shoulder to knee. Probably weighed 175-200 pounds. A bronze helmet, bronze leggings & bronze javelin. He also had a shield bearer. Goliath challenged Israel twice a day for 40 days! (17:6) He flaunted his size, boasted of his strength, & dared anyone to fight him. Typical of giants, even the ones we face, that’s the way with fears & worries. They don’t just come once; they come morning and evening , day after day, trying to intimidate us. They6 come in the form of -a person -pressure -a worry. They wear away at you, eroding your resistance. Our fears & worries are persistent & intimidating. Especially IF WE FACE THEM ALONE IN OUR OWN STRENGTH. DAVID A shepherd 10-15 miles from the battle. Tending his father’s sheep. Sent to check on the battle and on his brothers (17:17-18) That morning began as every other morning did for David. Life usually doesn’t warn us about what is coming up, David didn’t know he would be fighting a giant. But Goliath also didn’t know, this 41st day of his challenge- would be his last! David had never encountered this giant before or heard his challenge. Have you ever faced a giant in your life, and then a few days later you look back and say, “why didn’t I do such & such?” That’s hindsight. It is usually more accurate than foresight. When you look back you always now a better way. But at the time something is happening, you find yourself improvising quickly. Except for David. Right on the spot, David was unimpressed. He was not intimidated. 1 Sam. 17:25-27 King Saul’s plan- whoever fights the giant- will not pay taxes and will get his daughter as their wife. Saul wasn’t waking with God. Walking with God is what gives us our age to resist & battle giants. Goliath had to cross then ravine and go near Israel to be heard. As he made his challenge, he got bolder & bolder. If you tolerate a giant, he’ll take over your territory. He’ll move into your camp. He’ll take over your thoughts, thoughts that ought to be on God, and he’ll make you think just of him. You can’t afford to tolerate giants. David’s brother accuses David of showing up with ulterior motives and said things to humiliate him. Then he got ugly with David. 17:28-31. David just basically ignore him. David knew who the real enemy was, and he was more intent on that. He know who to fight & who to leave alone. If we’re not careful, all of our battles can be fought among fellow members of the family of God. Meanwhile the real enemy of our souls roams around in our territory winning victories. THE SCENE CHANGES. King Saul judged David by his appearance. But David was thinking Goliath wasn’t the real giant. Compared to David’s God, Goliath wasn’t big at all. With God on his side he knew he couldn’t lose. 17:34-37 When facing giants, Our mind recalls our defeats, they drown out the victories God has given us. But David remembered. 17:38-40 David couldn’t fight with Saul’s armor. What works well for one may not work for another. The way to do battle is not to copy someone else’s methods, but trust in God. David’s weapons- sling, staff & 5 smooth stones. See how God operates. He magnifies his name through our weakness. Paul said we are just jars of lay, filled with God’s Spirit. Thus our faulty as earthen vessels remains visible, so that when God does something through us, it is obvious that it is God, not us so He gets the glory. Intimidation. That’s the worse part of the battle. We don’t know what to say. We get confused. We forget to pray. We focus on the giant’s power. We forget to whom we belong & who we represent. Take your cue rom David. He didn’t fixate on the giant. He kept his eyes on God. 17:47 Are you trying to fight on your own? Alone you can’t win. But God say’s “Do things my way & I’ll honor you.” David’s simple principle: Nothing to prove, nothing to lose. He wasn’t impressed. He just ran to meet the giant. Sometimes the way God operates seems silly. His faithful people can appear reckless.