DEFEATING YOUR GIANT
Text: 1 Samuel 17:40-51
40 And he 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.
41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
45 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, 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.
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
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.
1. The Prominence Of Goliath
Tony Evans: A giant is something that looms large in your life. It’s huge. It’s intimidating because it is so big. A giant is any noun (person, place, thing, or thought) that looms too big to conquer in your world.
1) Giants
2) Giants are discouraging (v. 11)
3) Giants cause
4) Giants don’t go away (v. 16)
- Giants come in different shapes and forms. Your giant will probably not be a 10’ tall person, but it could be a relational problem, perhaps financial, emotional, medical, circumstantial, etc. Giants want to own your world, shape your emotions, and dictate your will being.
2. The Perspective Of David
- The day David showed up was the 41st day that Goliath stepped out to issue his daily challenge.
- So David faced the very same problem that the entire army of Israel had faced, but he did so with a different perspective.
David saw something (he recognized something) that nobody else recognized: Goliath was
Tony Evans: If all you see is what you see, then you don’t see all that there is to be seen.
David understood the spiritual aspect of his fight. David was in covenant relationship with God. He was under the covering of that relationship.
In connection to every giant you face in life will be a spiritual or supernatural component. A giant may manifest itself physically and visibly, but attached to it, behind it, or in conjunction with it is a spiritual component. (cf. Eph. 6:12)
David fought a physical giant, but he saw a spiritual component that allowed him to know his victory was in
- David did his part, but he did it in reliance and recognition that the battle belongs to the Lord.
3. The Principles For Victory
1) The principle of the past
We must remember God’s
Charles Swindoll: So often, when facing our own giants, we forget what we ought to remember and remember what we ought to forget. We remember our defeats and forget the victories.
2) The principle of prayer
Max Lucado: Before David went high to fight, He went low to prepare.
We need to go low (on our knees in prayer) to prepare for battle.
3) The principle of priority
- God was David’s utmost priority. He mentioned God four times as much as his giant. If our focus is on God, we won’t struggle to have a perspective that allows us to see our connection to God and His covenant.
- If God be for us, then who can be against us?
4) The principle of passion (1 Sam. 17:48)
- David ran to meet Goliath in battle.
David had a passion for the fight. He didn’t shrink from it. He didn’t just stand still, and he certainly didn’t run away.
Sometimes
5) The principle of persistence
- Be persistent in the battle. Keeping slinging stones until your giant comes tumbling down.
6) The principle of
- When you see the spiritual elements in your battle with your giant, then you know that the battle belongs to the Lord.
7) The principle of publicity (1 Sam. 17:46-47)
- When we go public in our victorious battles, our victory encourages others that are in covenant relationship with God. And, other potential enemies will flee.