1 Samuel 17

David and Goliath

Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and assembled at Shochoh, which belongs to Judah, and camped between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-Dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel gathered together and camped at the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines took a stand on a hill on one side, and Israel took a stand on a hill on the other side, with a valley between them.

4 And a champion came out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was wearing a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze shin guards on his legs, and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And one carrying a shield went before him.

8 And he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel and said to them, “Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 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 will be our servants and serve us”.

17:8-9 In ancient days it sometimes happened that chosen representatives of opposing armies met in combat to decide the issue between the armies.⚜

10 And the Philistine said, “Today I defy the armies of Israel. Give me a man, so that we can fight together”.

17:10 Goliath was defying not only Israel but the God of Israel. But it seems only David understood this fully and took it to heart – vs 26,36,45.⚜

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

17:11 If the leader is afraid, what can be expected of his men?⚜

12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-Judah, whose name was Jesse. And Jesse had eight sons. And the man in the days of Saul has become aged among men. 13 And the three oldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle; and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 And David was the youngest, and the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself for forty days.

17 And Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers. 18 And take along these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see about the welfare of your brothers, and bring some token from them”. 19 Now Saul and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went, just as Jesse had ordered him. And he came to the lines just as the army was going out to the fight and were shouting the war cry.

17:20 Even in the exciting prospect of visiting the battlefield David did not forget his sheep. He was faithful in small matters before he was faithful in large matters (Luke 16:10).⚜

21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up the battle lines, army against army. 22 And David left his baggage in the hands of the baggage keeper, and ran in among the troops and came and greeted his brothers. 23 And as he talked with them, suddenly there came the champion, the Philistine of Gath, named Goliath, from the armies of the Philistines, and spoke those same words, and David heard them. 24 And when all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were very afraid.

25 And the men of Israel said, “Did you see that man who came up? He comes up to defy Israel. And it so happens that the man who kills him will be given great riches by the king. And he will give him his daughter, and make his father’s household free in Israel”.

17:25 Saul was afraid to fight, but by making promises of great reward tried to find someone else willing to fight.⚜

26 And David spoke to the men who were standing near him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away this reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

27 And the people answered him like this, saying, “So it will be done for the man who kills him”.

28 And his oldest brother Eliab was listening when he spoke to the men, and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle”.

29 And David said, “What have I done now? Can’t I speak a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another man and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him with the same words as before. 31 And when the words David spoke were overheard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him.

32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine”.

17:29-32 David did not allow ill-will and discouraging words from his brother to hinder his faith.⚜

33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are only a youth, and he is a warrior from his youth”.

17:33 In any venture of faith there may be those who speak words of discouragement. What Saul did not realize was that David was trusting God for victory, not himself.⚜

34 And David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went after it and attacked it, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. And when it rose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant killed both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine will become like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God”. 37 David also said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine”. And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you”.

17:34-37 Past experiences of God’s help gave confidence that God would help him now.⚜

38 And Saul put his tunic on David, and put a bronze helmet on his head and dressed him in a coat of mail. 39 And David fastened his sword over his tunic and tried to walk around, for he had not tested it. And David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them”. And David took them off.

17:38-39 David’s trust was in God. He did not need someone else’s armor and weapon. He was willing, as we all should be, to go forward in the abilities God had given him rather than to try to imitate others with different abilities.⚜

40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, in a pouch. And his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

17:40 David was not a small boy with a boy’s sling. He had already killed fierce wild animals with his bare hands (vs 34,35), and the sling could be a deadly weapon of war (Jud 20:16; 2 Kings 3:25; 2 Chron 26:14). With such slings stones weighing up to 500 grams could be hurled at speeds up to 150 kilometers an hour.⚜

41 And the Philistine came on and drew near to David, and the man who was carrying the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, and ruddy and with a handsome appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come 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 your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field”.

45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a shield, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I will strike you down and take off your head, and today give the carcasses of the armies of the Philistines to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that the whole world may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly will know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear, for the battle is the LORD’s and he will give you into our hands”.

48 And it came about, when the Philistine came on up and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took from there a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead. And he fell on his face to the ground.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in David’s hand. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, and seized his sword and drew it out of its scabbard, and killed him and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

17:51 Heb 11:34. The power of faith can equally well overcome other kinds of enemies – Rom 8:37; 1 Cor 15:57; 2 Cor 2:14; Jam 4:7.⚜

52 And the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the Philistines’ wounded men fell down along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron. 53 And when the children of Israel returned from pursuing, the Philistines, they plundered their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.

55 Now when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the host, “Abner, whose son is this young man?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know”.

56 And the king said, “Find out whose son the young man is”.

57 And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand.

58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite”.

17:55-58 Saul knew David (1 Sam 16:18-23). But he had forgotten David’s family background. Remember, he was much troubled in mind (1 Sam 16:14), and occupied with his own fears.⚜