Faith Over Fear

Introduction: The King of Kings

Welcome to the Well Community Church. If you’re a guest here with us, you’ve caught us mid-series. We are in a series called Monarchy, walking through the lives of the kings: Saul, David, and Solomon. Throughout this, we are drawing attention to that fourth King—the King of Kings, Jesus our Christ.

I am so glad you’re hanging out with us. If you have a Bible, we’re going to be in 1 Samuel chapter 17. Welcome, of course, to those here in the auditorium and to all of our campuses, gatherings, and venues. We just love having this time to share God’s word together. If you don’t have a Bible, I highly recommend getting one. If you have a phone and the discipline to stay on task, you can Google it: 1 Samuel 17. We cover the Bible every single week, and it’s just good to have the book in front of you to take notes and have things to talk about later as a family or with your life group.

Last week, we talked about King David being raised up from obscurity to the king’s palace. If you glance at chapter 16, verse 18, you’ll see a description of him. Fellas, if you’ve ever wondered what some good life goals are for us as men, here is a list you might want to consider. It says, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” Now, that’s not a bad list. All he needs is a puppy and he’s the total package. These are the qualities of who David is.

1 Samuel 16:18 (NASB)

Then one of the young men said, ‘Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him.’

What we’re going to see this week is David’s faith put on full display. We’re going to cover the story of David and Goliath—probably the most recognizable and yet most misapplied story in all of our Bibles.

The Geography of the Battle

As we get into chapter 17, there is war with the Philistines. We need to understand a little bit of geography to set the stage. When you think of the land of Israel moving from the Mediterranean Sea to the center of the land, it starts with the coastal plain, moves to the low hills (the Shephelah), and then moves to the Judah Mountains. In those mountains is the city where God said His name would dwell forever: Jerusalem.

There were four valleys that connected the coastline to the city of Jerusalem. One of those was the Valley of Elah. Each of these valleys had fortified cities to protect Jerusalem from invaders coming off the coast. In the Elah Valley was a city called Azekah, guarding the road from the Philistine city of Gath.

1 Samuel 17:1-3 (NASB)

Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; and they were gathered at Socoh which belongs to Judah, and they camped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. Saul and the men of Israel were gathered and camped in the valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array to encounter the Philistines. The Philistines stood on the mountain on one side while Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with the valley between them.

So, you have this theater—a coliseum of sorts—with the Israeli armies on one side of the mountain and the Philistine armies on the other, with the Valley of Elah in between them. That is where the battle is going to go down.

The Champion of Gath

In verse four, the champion shows up. His name is Goliath, he’s from Gath, and he is over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet, scale armor that weighed 125 pounds, and a spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. I’m sure most of you did the math in your head, but even if you didn’t, the point is that this is an imposing force.

1 Samuel 17:4-7 (NASB)

Then a champion came out from the armies of the Philistines named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. [He had] a bronze helmet on his head, and he was clothed with scale-armor which weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. [He] also [had] bronze greaves on his legs and a bronze javelin [slung] between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the head of his spear [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron; his shield-carrier also walked before him.

When this guy showed up, everybody paused. They had never seen anything like this. He was massive, and he was ready to fight. He shouted at the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and draw up in battle array? Let’s make this easy. You choose a man, and if he kills me, we will become your servants. If I kill him, you become ours.”

The response from the people of God was crickets. Nothing. Nobody said a word. Here is the irony: the king at the time was Saul. If you recall, Saul was appointed specifically so that he would fight their battles. So, everyone is looking at Saul like, “Is our guy getting suited up? No? Nothing?” And if the king isn’t going, nobody else is going either.

1 Samuel 17:10-11 (NASB)

Again the Philistine said, ‘I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together.’ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

For forty days, morning and evening, Goliath came forward. If a guy picks a fight once, you might overlook it. If he does it twice a day for forty days and you do nothing, it is clear who has courage and who does not.

David’s Uber Eats Delivery

While this is happening, David’s brothers are at the front lines. David, being the runt of the litter, is back and forth delivering food. Jesse, David’s dad, is basically sending Uber Eats orders to the front line. David gets in his Prius and drives back and forth to deliver groceries.

1 Samuel 17:20 (NASB)

So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took [the supplies] and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry.

David shows up right as the army is shouting their war cry, but then he watches them do what they’ve done for forty days: assemble, look at Goliath, get scared, and go back home. But this time, David hears the giant.

One of the things you’ll find about David is that he had what we call chutzpah. It’s passion, courage, tenacity, and fight. When he’s provoked, he’s coming. David is confused. He asks, “Has this been going on for a while? Forty days? And nobody has done anything? Where is our king?”

1 Samuel 17:26 (NASB)

Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, ‘What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?’

David asks what the reward is for the man who kills this Philistine. They tell him the king will give him great riches, his daughter in marriage, and his family will live tax-free. David says, “Wait, tell me again? This sounds amazing!” But notice what David is actually provoked by. It’s not just the money or the tax-free living. He says, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine who taunts the armies of the living God?”

The Deeper Provocation

Why does he mention “uncircumcised”? In Genesis, God gave Abraham a covenant of land, descendants, and blessing. Circumcision was the sign of that covenant—a sign that from Abraham’s line would come a blessing for the entire earth. It was a foreshadowing of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

David is saying, “This guy isn’t even a believer. He doesn’t know our God. He has no idea what he’s popping off about.” This introduces what I call the “double story.” We often misapply this story by thinking it’s just about David’s courage. We think, “I should be more like David! I should have chutzpah!” But we’ve misunderstood it. The fight isn’t really about David and Goliath; it’s about the credibility and honor of David’s God versus the god of the Philistines.

Meanwhile, David’s brothers overhear him. For forty days, it’s been crickets, and now this 15-year-old kid is murmuring about fighting. His brother Eliab gets angry. He accuses David of being arrogant and wicked, suggesting David just wanted to watch the battle or even watch the king get killed so he could take over.

1 Samuel 17:28 (NASB)

Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David and he said, ‘Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle.’

David just says, “What have I done now? Was it not just a question?” Word eventually reaches King Saul, and David is brought before him. David tells Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail on account of him. Your servant will go and fight.”

Prepared in Obscurity

I wonder if David was pondering his anointing in that moment. He knew he was anointed to be king, but he wasn’t on the throne yet. He might have been thinking, “If I’m the future king, this giant can’t kill me. Is this my opportunity?”

Saul looks at him and says, “Bro, you’re 15. You’re a boy. He’s been a warrior since before you were born.” But listen to how David views his life journey up to this point. He tells Saul about the lion and the bear.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 (NASB)

But David said to Saul, ’Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued [it] from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized [him] by his beard and struck him and killed him. ‘Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God.’ And David said, ‘The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the LORD be with you.’

Isn’t it interesting how we start to panic if we’re uncomfortable for thirty minutes? We ask, “God, where are you?” David spent years in obscurity shepherding sheep, killing bears and lions with no idea how God would use it. In this moment, he realizes, “Oh, that makes sense. God raised me up for such a time as this.”

Saul tries to give David his armor. This could be practical, or it could be Saul trying to manage his image—if David wins in Saul’s armor, Saul gets some of the glory. But David takes it off. He says, “I haven’t tested these.”

1 Samuel 17:39 (NASB)

David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested [them]. So David said to Saul, ‘I cannot go with these, for I have not tested [them].’ And David took them off.

There is a great principle here: Know who you are, like who you are, and be who you are. You’re great at being you, but you’re terrible at trying to be someone else. David goes out with a stick, five smooth stones, and a sling.

People ask, “Why five stones?” Some say it represents the five Philistine cities or the five books of the Torah. Others note that Goliath had four brothers. But it might just be practical—he wanted to be able to reload! David didn’t pick up five stones because he doubted God; he did it because he trusted God, and trust never cancels out preparation and participation.

The Battle is the Lord’s

Goliath sees David and is deeply insulted. He scoffs, “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?” He curses David by his gods and threatens to give his flesh to the birds. David’s response is legendary.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 (NASB)

Then David said to the Philistine, ’You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. ‘This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.’

David runs toward the battle line. He isn’t just a kid with a toy; he’s a specialist. He’s dialed in his accuracy over years. He swings that sling—which could launch a stone at over 100 miles per hour—and hits Goliath in the forehead. The giant falls on his face.

1 Samuel 17:49 (NASB)

And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung [it], and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.

Usually, if you get hit with a rock at that speed, you fall backward. Why did he fall on his face? It might be a callback to chapter five, when the Philistines put the Ark of God in the temple of their god, Dagon. They woke up the next morning and found Dagon fallen on his face before the Ark. The story is telling us that the giant fell in worship before the one true God.

David then takes Goliath’s own sword and beheads him. That is next-level savagery right there. The Philistines see their champion is dead, and they flee.

The Fourth Monarch

David’s rise was meteoric. People started singing that Saul killed thousands, but David killed ten thousands. Saul, being an image manager, started getting nervous. But David was a man of integrity and skill.

Psalms 78:70-72 (NASB)

He also chose David His servant And took him from the sheepfolds; From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him To shepherd Jacob His people, And Israel His inheritance. So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, And guided them with his skillful hands.

So why is this text here? Practically, David demonstrated faith over fear. But his courage was less about his personality and more about his faith in God.

Are there giants in your life? Is there something bringing you fear or anxiety? If your first move is to try to summon more courage, you’ve missed the point. David’s first move was to say, “God, I need You. This is too big for me.”

But the second reason this story is here is the Gospel implication. God provides an unlikely deliverer. Goliath was unbeatable, and everyone was afraid until a boy from Bethlehem came from obscurity to do what no one else could do.

We have a giant in our life called Sin. There is nothing we can do to deal with it. But God, in His grace, raised up an unlikely hero from Bethlehem. Jesus went to the cross for us. He took the debt that was hostile to us and nailed it to the cross. He delivered us from an enemy we could never handle on our own.

Every story in the Old Testament whispers His name. David and Goliath were real people in a real valley, but their story points to the work of Jesus Christ. If you’ve never placed your faith in Him, today is the day to embrace the real King. Not Saul, not David, but the King of Kings who defeated the giant called Sin.

Lord, we are grateful for the Gospel. Thank you for the privilege of being in Christ. I pray for those whose hearts are being stirred today to embrace the One who died for them. Help us see the deeper story of Your movement in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.