Tag Archives: David

People in Old Testament

David and Goliath

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Text: 1 Samuel 17:4-54

Prop: small flat stones and a sling

Summary: David trusted God to fight the battle for him. We must trust God to defend us.

David and Goliath
David and Goliath by Keith Newton provided courtesy of Christ-Centered Art.

The story of David and Goliath is one of my favorites. Have you ever been made fun of by a big bully? I have. It doesn’t feel good to be taunted. Goliath was a huge man. He was a giant that stood about 9 feet 9 inches. That’s taller than Shaquil Oneal. He cursed at the Israelites and said bad things about their God. He was a Philistine and wanted to settle the battle in a one-on-one contest so that many soldiers did not have to die. He was asking for one man among the Israelites to come out to fight for them. Everyone was afraid because he was such a terrifying giant.

David was just a teenage mutant ninja shepherd. No, not really. He was young, but he was brave. He knew that God protected him from the bears and lions that tried to steal the sheep he was guarding. One time he killed a lion and a bear with his bare hands. Although Goliath had a suit of armor, all David had was a slingshot and five smooth stones and his shepherd staff. King Saul tried to get David to wear armor to protect him, but it was very heavy and David had never tried to fight with it on before. So he left it behind and trusted God: he will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine.

When Goliath saw that the Israelites sent a boy to fight, he made fun of them some more. Then he told David he was going to rip him apart and feed him to the birds and beasts. David answered bravely and told him God would get the glory. Wow! David gave a testimony right on the battlefield in front of everybody. In 1 Samuel 17:47 it says

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.

Now David didn’t have a slingshot like you may think. It wasn’t a Y-shaped stick with a rubber band between it. It was a rope with a small pouch on the end and you would wave it around in a circle to get the speed you needed to release the stone. When Goliath came at David, he didn’t get scared and run away. He went straight at Goliath. He took out a smooth stone from his shepherd’s bag and placed it in the sling. Then he slung it at the giant and hit him squarely in the forehead. The stone had been a mighty weapon after all. It went into his skull and killed Goliath. Then David went and took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. That scared the Philistines so badly that they ran away in fear and were chased by the Israelites out of the land.

We all have our fears and enemies. We don’t have to be afraid. Jesus is always with us to protect us and give us courage. We only have to remember that the battle is the Lord’s. When Jesus gives us the victory, let’s be sure to thank him and praise him for what he has done.

©1997 by Jim Kerlin. All rights reserved.

People in Old Testament

Look Inside

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A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. – Matthew 12:35

Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Prop: a cantaloupe or melon

Summary: The Lord does not judge by outward appearance, but by the character and thoughts of a person.

Some things are hard to figure out until you take a look inside. Most car buyers look under the hood to see the condition of the engine and parts before buying a car. But what if you cannot see what is inside? Take a look at this melon. (Show the cantaloupe or melon.) I would not be allowed to cut it in half before I buy it. How can I tell if it is ripe and ready to eat? There is an old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.” That means the content of a book may be better than the book cover suggests. You would have to take a look inside and read some of it to find out. All of these things remind me of a story in the Bible about the young boy David.

Do you remember the story of David and Goliath? Well, before that story in the Bible we find out that God chose David to be the next king of God’s people. God told the prophet Samuel that it was time to select the next king. He told Samuel to stop being sad that King Saul would not be the king much longer. God sent Samuel to the home of a man named Jesse in the little town of Bethlehem. (Yes, the same town where Jesus was born many years later.)

Then Samuel prepared a sacrifice to God and invited Jesse and his sons. Jesse had eight sons. David, being the youngest, was left in the field to tend the sheep. Then Samuel began to look at the sons of Jesse, beginning with Eliab. Samuel thought that Eliab was the one God would choose to be king.

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart. – 1 Samuel 16:7

Jesse called his sons one at a time, until Samuel had seen seven sons, but the one the Lord had chosen to be king was not among them. Then Samuel asked if this was all, and Jesse told him that the youngest son was watching over the sheep. David was brought in from the field to stand before Samuel. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he. (verse 12) So it was that the last of Jesse’s sons was to be the next king of Israel. God looked at David’s heart, his inward thoughts and his character, and judged him to be fit to rule the people.

We are unable to look inside a person like God and to know what to think of them. So we should not judge them at all. We can tell what sort of person someone is by their actions. The Lord Jesus says the tree is known by his fruit. (Matthew 12:33) Jesus says a good person with good thoughts will do good things, but a bad person with bad thoughts will do bad things. (verse 35) Let’s decide today that we will be like Jesus and do good things.

Let us pray. Dear Lord Jesus, help me to have good thoughts and teach me to do good things. Amen.

©2005 by Jim Kerlin. All rights reserved.