Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 17:24–58
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ our Lord,
Welcome to the fold of our living God in beloved South Sudan. The God of our father Abraham, the God of our father Isaac, and the God of our father Jacob greets us this blessed morning with His grace upon His chosen people in South Sudan since eternity. May you be well and in good health.
Beloved brethren, I am pleased to begin by pointing to this grace from the Holy Bible, as you prepare your hearts spiritually with faith and trust in God alone, who has no partner.
David Hears Goliath’s Defiance (1 Samuel 17:24–30)
- When the Israelite army saw the man, they fled from him in great fear.
- The men of Israel said to one another, “Have you seen this man who comes out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will greatly reward the man who kills him, give him his daughter in marriage, and exempt his father’s house from taxes and forced labor.”
- David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
- The soldiers repeated to him what they had said before about the reward for killing Goliath.
- When David’s oldest brother heard him speaking with the men, he became angry and said, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the wickedness of your heart—you came down only to watch the battle.”
- David replied, “What have I done now? Can’t I even ask a question?”
- Then he turned away from his brother to others and asked the same question, and received the same answer.
David Prepares to Face Goliath (1 Samuel 17:31–40)
- David’s words were reported to Saul, and he sent for him.
- David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart because of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him.”
- Saul replied, “You are not able to go against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
- But David said, “Your servant was tending his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
- I went after it, struck it, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it, and killed it.
- Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.
- The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”
- Then Saul dressed David in his own armor, put a bronze helmet on his head, and clothed him with a coat of armor.
- David fastened Saul’s sword over the armor and tried walking around, but he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
- Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, and with his sling in hand, approached the Philistine.
David Challenges Goliath (1 Samuel 17:41–49)
- The Philistine came closer to David, with his shield bearer in front of him.
- When he looked David over, he despised him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome.
- He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And he cursed David by his gods.
- “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
- David said to him, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
- This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
- All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.”
- As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him.
- Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
The Death of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:50–58)
- So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
- David ran and stood over him. He took the Philistine’s sword, drew it from the sheath, and killed him. He cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled.
- The men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the road to Shaaraim, Gath, and Ekron.
- When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.
- David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he kept the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.
- As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he asked Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”
- The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”
- As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.
- Saul asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
The writer is church elder, Seventh Day Adventist, and he can be reached through telephone number 0985140275 or 0913360885