Where to Find a Champion

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Courtney Doctor
Well, good morning is our last day to be together. And it is a joy for me to be here. It is an honor and a privilege to be with you this morning and to open God’s word with you. Raise your hand if you watched the Kentucky Derby this year. Thank you, if you didn’t, it was an amazing race. What happened was there was a horse named rich strike. And the day before the race, he wasn’t even entered to win a horse pulled out they scratched and so he was able to enter. He was the longest odds by far he was an 80 to one long shot. And if you watched the race, he wasn’t even on anybody’s radar screen. He’s way in the back of the pack. And as the race progresses, we’ve watched the reruns and he ends up he weaves his way through this pack of horses, and he ended up finishing almost an entire horse length before in front of the second place horse. It was an amazing race. He was a completely unexpected victory. And don’t you love stories like that stories of these unlikely winners and these unexpected victories? My friends and family laugh at me because I love every single movie as predictable as they are that has ever been made about an athlete or a sports team that defies all odds and yet wins anyway and and so I think of Seabiscuit or I just watched American underdog or, you know, we’re in Indiana, so I need to I need to mention Hoosiers. Right? We go there’s our Indiana girls over there. And sometimes these stories these movies are even promoted as a David and Goliath story. Because we all know what that means. It’s going to be a story about an unexpected victory, and an unlikely hero. David and Goliath is arguably the most well known story in all of Scripture. Why have some bad news for you today? First Samuel 17, where we read the story of David and Goliath, it is not primarily about David and Goliath. It is a story that is primarily about David and Saul.

Or maybe more importantly, or more specifically, it’s about what kind of king is real needed, what kind of king is real wanted, because Israel, one of the king, and they even knew or thought they knew what kind of king they wanted. And First Samuel eight, the people said, there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations and that our King may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. So Israel didn’t want to be the only one without a king. They wanted to have someone to lead them in battle to go before them to defend them to stand up for them. And a few verses later, in First Samuel nine, they got what they wanted. First Samuel nine tells us his name was saw a handsome young man, there was not a man, a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he, from his shoulders upward, he was taller than any of the people meaning the next tallest person in the entire land of Israel came to here on Sol, sol Sol is the tallest and he is the most handsome of them all. And he was picked to go before them into battle to defend them to fight for them to protect them. And it makes sense, because Israel had enemies they have lots of enemies and their enemies surrounded them on all sides and battles for ancient Israel were common, and they were frequent. And as we’re going to see in our text today, they were frightening. So I don’t really blame Israel, do you?

It makes sense. If I were in Israel shoes if we were in Israel shoes. I would argue that most of us would want someone to defend us to no one wants to feel defenseless. No one wants to feel alone or isolated, or at risk? Have you ever felt like that? You and I can feel alone and defenseless and isolated and vulnerable in 1000 different ways, and it is an awful feeling. We can feel alone in our marriage. You and I can feel alone in our singleness. We can feel isolated and caring for an aging parent or a sick child. We can feel completely defenseless against suffering. Maybe you feel alone in your workplace. Maybe you feel alone at school. Maybe you feel alone as you battle a sin that no one else knows about. Or you feel completely defenseless against an addiction. Maybe you feel like no one ever stands up for you. No one sees what’s happening. And some of the deepest wounds you and I can experience are when someone who was supposed to protect us didn’t. And some of the greatest fears that you and I can have revolve around feeling alone and feeling isolated and feeling vulnerable and feeling at risk. And we long for someone to step in and to see us to defend us to to stand up for us to fight for us. Well, Israel wanted that to the problem was not so much that Israel wanted a king. God was actually never opposed to giving Israel a human king. You can go read Deuteronomy 17 If you don’t believe me, the problem was with the type of King Israel one it so Israel did what man does, they looked on the outside and they thought that because Saul was tall and saw was handsome, that he would be the king. He would be the king they needed. But what First Samuel 17 shows us is that Israel did not need a tall and handsome king like Saul, what Israel needed. Was someone like David, because David was someone and this is going to be our outline.

David was someone who realized God’s greatness. And David was someone who remembered God’s faithfulness. And David was someone who represented God’s people. He realized God’s greatness. He remembered God’s faithfulness, and he represented God’s people. So first, David realized God’s greatness. Here’s the situation in First Samuel 17, the Philistines who are the great enemy of God’s people, they had come up from the south and they were encamped on a mountain on the south side of the valley of Isla. Israel had gathered from the north and they were in camped on the on a mountain on the north side of the valley of Isla. And every day, this is what was happening. Read with me starting in verse four. There came out from the camp of the Philistines, a champion named Goliath of gap whose height was six cubits in a span. It’s probably over nine and a half feet tall. He had a helmet of bronze on his head and he was armed with a coat of mail, we’re gonna come back to that. And the weight of the coat was 5000 shekels of bronze, it’s probably 125 pounds that he is carrying on his body, and he had Bronze Armor on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. Now I had to look that one up. That means that it was about two and a half inches in diameter. And the spear head weighed 600 shekels of iron, probably 15 pounds and his shield bearer went before him, he go is stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel. Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine? And are you not servants of Saul? He said, choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us. And the Philistines said, I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. So that’s Goliath.

He was a huge Man, he was a literal giant and his weaponry was massive. And scholars tell us that the armor he wore it wasn’t like those little circles of chainmail that we see in this medieval warfare. But instead it was like plates of bronze layered on top of one another, like scales. So in some ways, Goliath stood there looking like a giant serpent. And he mocked, any taunted. And he created fear, and he was arrogant and he was hungry to kill. That’s who Goliath was. And I can only imagine being in Israel and how terrifying it would have been, it would have been to see him come out and hear him throw down that challenge. Give me a man. Because what Goliath was proposing was a winner takes all battle, he was he was saying, I will fight as the representative of all of the Philistines and Israel, you pick a man for yourself, who is going to stand as the representative of all of Israel, there is going to be one winner, and one loser. But every one they represented either all of the Philistines, or all of Israel, would live with the effects of the victory or the defeat, the winner would literally take all and the losers would lose all they would lose their freedom for sure, and most likely their very lives. But when Goliath bellowed, choose a man for yourselves. We have to remember that Israel already had, right? He was the tallest man from his shoulders upward. He was taller than any other Israelite. He was Saul, Israel’s giant. And he had been chosen to do what? To go out before us and fight our battles. So where was he? Where was saw look in verse 11.

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. So Saul was hiding with all of Israel instead of fighting for them. He was hiding with them. And at the end of verse 11, that’s how this first scene in this story ends. Saul is terrified. He is hiding with all of Israel. But look at verse 12. It begins like this. Now David was the son of Jesse from Bethlehem and Judah. And as the reader, what happens is we look away from the Valley of Isla. And our gaze is shifted about 15 miles to the east to a town of Bethlehem. And as this boy from Bethlehem entered the story, we learned that he’s the youngest of eight brothers. David wasn’t even old enough to go to battle yet he wasn’t even next in line, there are four brothers in front of David before he will be able to go to battle. So David is he’s the littlest brother. He’s the baby of the family and he was kept at home to take care of his father’s sheep. But one day, his brothers had been gone for a little over a month. His dad asked David to take some bread and some cheese to his brothers and to their commanding officers. And it just so happened right and God’s perfect providence that David arrived on the north side of the valley of e la on the 40th consecutive day that Goliath came out and thundered the same challenge. Look in verse 23. As David talked with his brothers, Behold, the champion the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and he spoke the same words. He’s just saying the same thing day after day as before.

And David heard him and David heard him verse 26. And David said to the men who stood by him, what shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, meaning this, this person who does not belong or worship or love your way? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living? God? David is appalled at Goliath audacity to defy God’s peace. equal to the armies that belong to did you see it? Did you hear it the living God, the armies that belong to the living God meaning the God who was with them, the God who defended them, the God who saw them, the God who commands armies of angels and the God who had protected his people over and over and over again. And so Saul was afraid, because he saw Goliath as a man of great strength. David is unafraid, because he knew his God had infinitely greater strength. So all it took Goliath and he saw a giant of a man. But David looks at Goliath, and he saw a man that was just the paled in comparison to the living God, a tiny man, just a microscopic man compared to the living God saw thought the battle was between Goliath and an Israelite. David knew that the battle was between the living God and a mere man. David didn’t fear Goliath because he rightly feared God. David had a right view of God. He not only recognized God’s greatness and his strength and his power, and his mind, he recognized his presence with them. And as a result, David saw the battle rightly. But what about you? What about me? Do you see us man seeds? Do you like Saul look with eyes of flesh? Or do you like David, look, with eyes of faith? Do you focus on what appears to be a great challenge in front of you and absolutely tremble in fear before it? Or do you focus on the infinitely greater greatness of our God? When when fears come, when frightening things come, and let me be clear they do come?

They do come. But when they do, do you realize who God is? Do you realize Do you have a right view of him? Do you know that He is the Living God? That he is the one who sees you? Who knows you because our fears should diminish in light of God’s greatness. Every single time? Do you know how many times in God’s word he tells us not to fear to fear not? Over 325 times, God knows that we face things that scare us, he knows that we can be frightened and and dismayed. And so when God tells us to fear not, almost every time the command is followed with the same thing, you know what it is, don’t you for I am with you. Isaiah 4110, fear not, he says For I am with you says Be not dismayed for I am your God and I will strengthen you and I will help you and I will uphold you with my very own righteous right hand. And the exact same words are used in Isaiah 4110. Or as used in First Samuel 1711. Where it says saw was dismayed and greatly afraid. And God says do not be greatly afraid, and just made. Now God doesn’t say that things won’t be scary. He doesn’t say that things won’t be hard in this life. He never promises that He promises just the opposite. He never promises that there will not be sickness or there will not be suffering or there will not be pain or loss or loneliness or broken relationships or broken bodies. He does not promise us that. We cannot forget that Goliath was what Goliath was huge. Goliath was terrifying. And so what does God say? God says, I am the living God, the living God, I am the one who is with you. I am present with you. Right now. He says, in your very present circumstances. And he says I the living God, I will strengthen you and I will help you and I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

But we’re like Israel, aren’t we? We forget. We look with eyes of flesh instead of eyes of faith and we become greatly afraid and dismayed. David, he realized God was greater he realized and believed God was with him that God would never leave him that God would never forsake Him and David’s competence, his surety rested completely on the nature and the character of his God. So David realized God’s greatness, but he also remembered God’s faithfulness. Look back with me in First Samuel 17, starting in verse 31. Saul heard what David had said, and he called for Him to come into him. So here’s Saul. He’s the tall, handsome, chosen adult, king of Israel, calling in this young shepherd boy who is only there to bring his brothers some cheese and some bread. And here’s what David says to him lips, starting in verse 34, he says, Well, your servant, he’s talking about himself, your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion or a bear and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him, and I struck them, and I delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I love this part.

I caught him by the beard, and I struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God. what David is saying, He’s saying that I, as a good shepherd, I protect my sheep. And God who is our good shepherd, as David will later, right, and Psalm 23, he’s going to protect his sheep, he is going to protect his people. He’s going to fight Boris, he’s going to strike down our enemies. Verse 37, and David said, The Lord who delivered me past tense, from the paw of the lion, and the paw of the bear will today present tense, deliver me from the hand or the paw of the Philistine? So did you see where David’s confidence came from? David had experienced the protection of God before. David remembered God’s past faithfulness. And then he trusted or he reasoned that God, the the same God, the living God, the faithful God, would continue to be faithful in the present. And so David’s confidence, again, was not based on his own strength are his own abilities. It was based on God’s faithfulness, it was based on God’s strength and memory of God’s past faithfulness should cultivate greater faith in the present. But we have to ask, had Saul never experienced the deliverance of the Lord like David had? had Saul never been protected by God before. He had just a few chapters prior in First Samuel 14, it says this, When Saul had taken over the kingship over Israel, he fought against all his enemies, on every side against Moab against the Ammonites, against Edom, against the kings of zuba. And against the Philistines and wherever he turned, he routed them. Saul had seen the Lord deliver. Saul knew that the Lord had fought all his enemies. But Saul was not thinking about any of that right now all Saul could do was see the Giants in front of him and he was afraid and saw let his fear Eclipse his memory instead of letting his memory eclipses fear. What about you? Have you ever experienced the faithfulness of the Lord? Have you ever been protected by God? Has he ever provided for you? I mean, I can recall countless times that he has done this. He has protected me physically like he did Melissa in her car accident she talked about the first night, but he’s also protected me spiritually. He has kept me from falling into grievous sin.

He has kept me and protected me from apathy, and resentment and bitterness and cynicism. And in spite of all my sin, in spite of all my unfaithfulness, I have seen the faithfulness of God to forgive me over and over and over again, he has not treated me as my sins deserved. He’s also provided for me not just my physical needs, but he’s also provided encouragement when I’ve been discouraged. He’s provided strength when I’ve been weak is provided companionship when I’ve been alone, and I know I am not the only one. We could spend. We will spend the rest of eternity talking about the fact that God’s goodness and His His protection and his provision and His mercy and His kindness have been showered on us, abundantly on us. But we can be like Saul, and when new fears come our way friends we act like God has never shown up before. has God shown up in your life? When current fear comes and it is looming large in your life, then what we need to do is we need to be faithful to remember what God has done to remember his past faithfulness, and to let his past faithfulness, cultivate current faith in us in the present. So do you have a fear of being alone? Do you have a fear of suffering? Do you have a fear of being sick? Do you have a fear of losing someone you love? Do you have a financial fear or a fear that you might be passed over, or fear that you might be forgotten? Or fear that you might never have victory over that sin? Remember your God. Remember his faithfulness? Take some time today to do this, write it down, tell it to a friend but let those memories of past faithfulness cultivate greater faith in you today. So David, he realized God’s greatness he remembered God’s faithfulness But Israel what they ultimately needed was a king who represented God’s people because remember, this is a winner takes all battle. One person would fight as the representative for all of his people. So after David convinced Saul to let him fight the Giants and after he had refused Saul’s armor, this is what happened. Read with me starting in verse 40. Then he David took his staff in his hand, and he chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in a shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. And the Philistine move forward and came near to David with his shield bearer in front of him. And when the Philistine looked and saw David he disdained him for he was, but a youth. Verse 43.

And the Philistine said to David, my a dog that you come to me with sticks. And the Philistine cursed David by his gods, the Philistines said to David, come to me. And I will give your flash to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field. Then David said, to the Philistine, you come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with the javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. And this day, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head, and I will give the dead bodies not just your dead body gulyas. But I’m going to give the dead bodies of all of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air into the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear for the battle is the Lord’s and he will give you into our hand. I love David, I just love David. But can you imagine for everyone watching, I mean, it looked as if it looked as if the lineup was far more armored up than David Wright, a sword, a spear, a javelin coming at him. But it turns out, David was the one who stood there completely covered in the most powerful thing of all. Did you see I come to you, in the name of the Lord. We just saying what a powerful name. What a powerful name. It is. And so David ran confidently into battle, knowing that this was ultimately not his battle. The battle belongs to the Lord.

So David, headed into this winner takes all battle. He’s representing all of Israel with a sling and a stone and a wooden staff and he’s facing Goliath, who looked like a giant serpent, and who is armed with tremendous weapons. And if little David loses, then all of Israel that very day would, would either be taken as a slavery or they would lose Who’s their very lives. So a lot rested on this little shepherd boy with his sling and his stone and his staff. But after 40 days of threats after 40 days of fear, this is what happened starting in verse 48. When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and he took out a stone and he slung it and he struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank deep into his forehead, and he fell on his face on the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword, there was no sword in the hand of David than David ran, and he stood over the Philistine. And he, David took his Goliath sword, he drew it out of its sheath, and he killed him, and he cut off his head. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Did you notice how David killed him? David struck gulyas head with a stone. And then he just armed his enemy. And using gulyas own weapon, he cut off his head.

Do you remember the promise God made way back in Genesis 315. When God spoke to our great enemy, to the ancient serpent himself, it was immediately after the serpent had convinced Adam and Eve to believe his lying words, and Adam and Eve had willfully disobeyed their good God. And as soon as they did, the two great weapons of the enemy, which are sin, and death, they entered our world and we all every person who has ever been born suffers under the weight of these two tremendous and cruel weapons under sin, and death. Sin is what separates us from God it, it plagues us, it makes slaves of every one of us Jesus said in John, a truly I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. Sin makes us so much less than we were created to be and sin is our fatal disease. And the result of our fatal disease is death. Paul said it in Romans For the wages of sin is death. Meaning sin is this thing that ushered in death and because of sin, we will all die because that make no mistake about it. That is the ultimate aim of our enemy. Jesus said in John 10, that he came the ancient the enemy came to kill, and he came to destroy. Death is in complete opposition to who our God is our God. He’s called the author of life. He’s the God of abundance of abundant life of eternal life of resurrection life. And so when our gods spoke to the serpent and said, I’m going to put enmity or war between you and between the woman between your offspring and her offspring, and he has promised Offspring of the woman, he’s going to do what? It’s gonna crush your head, and you will bruise His heel, what God was promising is that one day there would be a battle between an offspring of the woman and between the serpent himself and this battle between David and Goliath. it pales in comparison to this infinitely greater battle.

David’s victory just for tells of a greater victory because as great as this battle is epic is this battle between David and Goliath was it pales in comparison to the greater battle between the serpents and the promised Offspring? So, you might have studied this passage before? And maybe you have been taught that the whole point of First Samuel 17 Is that you and I would learn to be more like David. How can we what are our five smooth stones? How can we defeat the Giants in our lives? Friends, let me be so clear, we are not David in the story. We are Israel we are so we’re afraid and were timid and were intimidated and we’re hiding and we are defenseless and alone and our enemy is much stronger, and he is much more frightening than go If his threats are more fearsome, and his weapons are infinitely more powerful, his victory keeps us in worse slavery, and it will lead to eternal death. Now, are there ways I want to be like David? Absolutely. I want to realize God’s greatness and I want my fears to fade in the face of his might and His strength. And I want to remember God’s faithfulness. And I want that past faithfulness to cultivate deep trust in me today, but at the end of the day, we’re like Israel, we need a champion. We need a King who’s going to go before us into battle. And when he’s going to stand in our place and defeat the enemy, on our behalf. We need a champion. Even David needed this champion.

Because when our ancient enemy bellowed, give me a man. Oh, our father sent one. Our father sent one this time he didn’t have Jesse send his youngest son. No, the Father sent His one and only and his beloved son. He sent another boy from Bethlehem. He sent another shepherd of his father’s sheep. And and what did this champion do? How did the offspring promised in Genesis 315? How did he crushed the head of the serpent? Well, first of all, he didn’t just risk his life did he? He gave it. He didn’t just throw a smooth stone through the air. But he absolutely rolled one away from an empty tomb. And like David, our champion, picked up the greatest weapon the enemy has which is death. He prevailed over him and he used the enemy’s own weapon to crush his head. Hallelujah. Colossians two says Jesus disarmed, He disarmed the rulers and the authorities and he put them to open shame by triumphing or by prevailing over them. Hebrews two says that through death, meaning he used death, he used it as his weapon, that through death, he Jesus might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver all of those who through fear of death are subject to life, long slavery, Jesus used death to defeat the author of death. And then he assumed our sin upon himself. To deliver us from our slavery to sin, he used the enemy’s own weapons to prevail over him and to crush his head. So if we’re not David in this story, what’s our role? One theologian said, we’re not David, but it makes very good sense to be in David’s army. There were two armies that day, there was one represented by Goliath and one represented by David and it is a winner takes all battle, right. So if you were in David’s army, you won. His victory was attributed to you, you didn’t earn it. But it was yours. All the same in the exact same way. If you are in Christ, if you are united to Jesus through faith, that’s what salvation is. Then all of the benefits of his victory belong to you not because you earned them, but because your champion did.

Read with me in First Samuel 17, starting in verse 52, says this and the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout, I mean, can you imagine the joy and they pursued the Philistines as far as gaff and the gates of Ektron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way and the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. So I want you to picture it. The men of Israel are gathered on the edge of the battle line, and they are afraid and they are greatly dismayed and they are watching David go out there. But as soon as David kills that Philistine, they all just charge they run out and they run after their champion. They still had to fight the Philistines, but they were fighting as victors. They were fighting as ones the battle had already been won. So all they were doing was living out the reality of the victory their champion had already secured. And friends, we don’t live in verses one to 49 of the story. We’re not We’re not wondering who will win We’re not hiding and greatly afraid we live in verses 52 and 53 We live in the moments where we are just running after our champion into a battle that’s already been decided he’s already won. So, if you are here or you are listening today, and Jesus is not your King, I have not been united to him. If he is not your representative champion your savior, then I invite you bow before the victor, because salvation has been one by another, receive it. But if Jesus is your King, then I want you to remember as you face very real, but smaller battles along the way. You’re just running in the wake of the one who has already won. That’s the Christian life. That’s what the life of Christ that’s a life of a Christ follower looks like. We’re just running after our champion, knowing that we are forever saved. The enemy can never have us, He will never make slaves of us. He cannot kill us.

Our lives have been spared. So what battles are you facing today? Are you battling a sin or an addiction? Or are you battling loneliness or fear? Or what are you battling today? Run after your king. He has defeated sin. He has set you free from it, Romans. Six, He will never leave you or forsake you. You are more than conquerors. Romans eight tells us and he came to give you abundant life. Maybe you or someone you love is facing an actual life or death battle. Hear me carefully on this, our King can heal, and he can preserve life. But if that healing does not come in this life, you know, we use the phrase, they lost their battle with whatever it was. Sisters, not if they’re in Christ, they didn’t. They just ran after their king in into eternal life and complete victory. And that is the race we will all run because death has been defeated. First Corinthians 15 Death is swallowed up in victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. And that’s, that’s the race we will run. And so I said in the beginning that First Samuel 17 is not primarily a story about David and Goliath. It is primarily a story about David and Saul, you know, all Goliath does is provide the trauma. He’s not the focus of the story. And in the same way, the enemy of our souls is not meant to be the focus of our lives.

Fix your eyes, on the King of glory. realize his greatness. Remember his faithfulness, and rejoice that our king stood as our representative champion, and he has won the eternal battle on our behalf. And so run to Him, run after him and keep running. Keep running. Keep running until that day, that we will together, celebrate with him face to face his victory with Him for all eternity.

Let’s pray. Father, thank you for sending your son, your beloved Son to save us to fight on our behalf. I pray, Lord, that we would live lives where we are passionately running after our King. Lord, help us to look up and to realize your greatness help us to look back and to remember your faithfulness. But most of all, Lord, help us look to Jesus and to run faithfully. In the wake of our king and his name we pray, amen.