My Battle Belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17)

This morning, we’re looking at the story of David and Goliath as we consider what it means to have real courage. Because every one of us faces battles in life that require it. But when you come across a story like David’s, do you ever feel like the David character possesses a quality you don’t have? 

During World War II, Desmond Doss enlisted in the U.S. Army but refused to carry a weapon because of his Christian convictions. Many of his fellow soldiers mocked him for it. They even questioned whether he belonged in combat. Well, during the Battle of Okinawa, Doss repeatedly ran into enemy fire to rescue wounded soldiers. By the end of the battle, he had saved 75 men without ever firing a shot. 

When you hear that, you think, “Who would do that?” The moment bullets start whizzing by your head, explosions shaking the ground, most of us are looking for the nearest exit, not running back into battle. Where does that kind of courage come from? 

See, many people think courage comes from looking within—from being bigger, stronger, smarter, faster. But sooner or later, we all face battles we can’t win on our own.Real courage isn’t confidence in yourself; it’s confidence in God to fight for you. 

That’s what the story of David and Goliath is all about. So if you have a Bible, pick up with me…

[1 Samuel 17:1] – Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah…[3] And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.  

Now, we’ve been in a series talking about Israel’s search for a King. See, Israel wanted the strong, mighty, warrior King that they could see with their own eyes, hear with their own ears, and touch with their own hands. Not the strong, mighty, warrior God they can’t.  

The people chose Saul to be their King because he looked the part. [1 Samuel 9] tells us that Saul came from wealth. On top of that, “There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he.

From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.”

Thousands of years later, and we haven’t changed one bit. Who doesn’t aspire to be rich, strong, and attractive? And just look at Saul. He had the charisma, the appeal, the physique that we all want. The problem is that he didn’t have the character God wanted, and apparently that made all the difference.   

Now, in verse 1, we learn the Philistines are going to battle against the Israelites again. This isn’t the first time they’ve gone to battle, and it won’t be the last.  

Here’s the situation: The Philistines are camped on one hillside, the Israelites on the other, with a valley about 1.5 kilometers between them. And neither side wants to attack because whoever goes down first loses the advantage of higher ground.

Now, at the time, the Philistines occupied multiple key cities in the land God had ultimately promised to the Israelites. That’s an important detail to this story. And now the Philistines want to push even farther into Judah. 

You ask, but if God had already given the Israelites the land, why didn’t it belong to them yet? Because there’s a big gap between knowing the promises of God and believing them.  

[v. 4] – And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.  

That means he was ~3 meters tall. Now, some scholars believe this was a scribal error, and he was really only a little over 2 meters tall. 

But let’s put this picture up: (Manute & Muggsy). When you’re as tall as the guy on the right, everyone over 2 meters looks as tall to you as the guy on the left. They don’t look like they should be competing in the same sport.  

And Goliath is built like a tank. He’s called a champion for a reason. That means he’s gone toe-to-toe with some other warriors you wouldn’t want to fight, and he’s undefeated. Not only was Goliath physically imposing, but we’re told he was covered from head-to-toe in bronze armor, and he was equipped with the most high-tech weaponry of the day.  

[v. 5] says he was dressed in a coat of mail. In the Hebrew, it literally says he was covered in scales, which brings to mind what kind of animal? A snake. And if you know your Bible, you say, “Well, that’s interesting” because the very first battle that takes place in the whole Bible is in a field with a snake. 

And you know what that Snake does? He defies the authority of God.  

[v. 8] – [Goliath] 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? 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 shallbe our servants and serve us.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.”  

This is called representative warfare. This was a winner-take-all battle. Each side would send out one champion to fight on behalf of the whole army. If your champion won, you won. If he lost, your nation surrendered. 

Imagine being the one who loses. Your defeat wouldn’t just cost you your life; it would cost your entire nation its freedom. No one would want to accept that kinda responsibility unless you knew you could win. 

What’s even worse is that, in our day, most of the wars we hear about tend to focus on geopolitics and have economic implications. In those days, warfare was all of that too, but it was also theological. It was an exercise in: “Whose God is stronger?” So when Goliath defies the ranks of Israel’s armies, he’s not just insulting Saul. He’s defaming the name of the living God.  

I’ve told you all before how years ago, I spent several weeks on a mission trip in China, which included some language learning and cultural immersion. Well, on one of the day trips, the University arranged for us to visit one of the local Confucian temples.  

While we were there, one of the guys on our team started dancing in one of the courtyards. If the words “Teach me how to Dougie” mean anything to you, then you know why this was so offensive (and if you don’t know how to Dougie, praise God.) 

When one of the workers saw him dancing, he shouted at him to stop and immediately asked us to leave. Now, I don’t follow the teachings of Confucius, but I understand the reaction. That’s what you do when someone defames the most holy names and places you worship.  

But [v. 11] – When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

The other week, I took my son on a tour of Bayern Munich’s stadium. And one of the things that stood out to me was that the most comfortable seats in the entire arena are the players’ seats on the bench. 

IOW – the people with the greatest potential to effect change are the ones who have to leave the place of greatest comfort. That’s exactly where Saul is. He has the position, the size, and the responsibility to step onto the battlefield—but he stays on the sidelines. Why? 

Because he lacks courage. 

1. A lack of courage comes from focusing too much on our enemy’s strength and too little on God’s.  

That’s why Saul’s afraid. Now, remember, Israel wanted a king like all the other nations. They wanted someone strong to protect them. They wanted a Goliath. Goliath is the world’s definition of strength and courage. 

He’s strutting up and down the Israelite army, asking, “Who wants to fight me?” 

You know who wants to fight Goliath? Nobody. We want Goliath to be our representative. And it’s not like this is a new problem. Do you remember the Exodus? If you had to choose between surrendering to Egypt or trusting the God you can’t see to part the Red Sea, which one are you choosing? 

How many of us feel trapped like this today? Maybe you’re stuck in a job with a terrible boss and see no way out.  

Maybe you’re watching the same destructive patterns repeat in your marriage or your family and think, “That’s just the way they are.” And this isn’t just a one-generation thing. These sin patterns have been passed down generation after generation, and there’s nothing we can do about it.  

In situations like those, where are you looking to find strength? Who are you counting on to fight your battles?  

That’s the challenge of faith. Faith needs courage because faith requires you to keep your eyes fixed on God’s help even when it seems like He offers none. 

I mean, let’s be honest: We live in a world where trusting in Goliath makes more sense than trusting in God. Isn’t that why we put our trust in how much money we have to our names? We trust in job titles, in relationships; in visas and the strength of passports. Israel did the same thing. They put their hope in Saul instead of God. But look how that goes for them. 

See, this is supposed to be Saul’s moment. This is exactly why Israel wanted him. He’s the biggest guy they got. He’s the king. He’s supposed to face Goliath. But instead, the battle stalls because he’s just as afraid as everyone else. So we jump from the battlefield to the fields of Bethlehem: 

[v. 12] – Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons…[14] David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

We were introduced to David last week. And even though David’s been anointed King, that seat’s not open to him yet. Instead, we find him grinding through two FT jobs, going back and forth between serving Saul and tending to his father’s sheep. 

Meanwhile, Jesse’s worried because his oldest sons have been away at war and he hasn’t heard from them in over 40 days. So he sends David out like a Grab driver to deliver some food and report back on how his brothers are doing. But watch how quickly David goes from delivery boy to Deliverer.  

[v. 20] – And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry…[22] And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.

When everyone else saw Goliath and heard his taunts, they froze in fear because they saw things the way the world does. But David heard things differently. See, he wasn’t concerned with how big Goliath was. What he wanted to know is, “Why are we letting this guy talk about our God like that?” 

And this is what godly people do. They call out sin when no one else will. They will not tolerate it, and they raise the bar for everyone else around them. They say, we’re not going to tolerate it because God is calling us to so much more. Don’t you know that there will be a day when sin will be no more, and God’s glory will fill the earth? That’s what He’s promised. 

2. Real courage means believing God is who He says He is and will do all that He’s promised.   

In this moment, David’s wondering if anybody else believes that. See, there’s a difference between believing in God and believing God. Plenty of people believe God is real, but only a few actually do what He says. Believing God means trusting His character and promises, even when our circumstances say otherwise. 

See, the world will always try to challenge your faith and make your commitment to God seem like a mistake. That’s why we need men and women of courage, character, and conviction.  

See, David’s faith looked strange in a world of unbelief. His courage looked strange in a world of fear, and his convictions looked strange in a world where the strong dominate the weak. But that’s what happens when God is your King.  

I was talking to a friend the other day about how, for years, he was basically trying to become like Goliath. In different seasons of his life, he found courage from being the strongest, from having the biggest house, the beautiful wife and kids. But when life got hard, those things weren’t enough to carry him through. 

Today, he’s still fighting some of the same battles, but his source of courage changed. He’s no longer trying to be Goliath; he’s learning to trust in God.  

See, what gives you the courage to face giants in this life is not by tapping into the same things that made Goliath feel invincible. It’s by remembering how great our God is, and trusting what He’s promised to do in and through you. You don’t need to be like Goliath, you need to be like Jesus. 

In [v. 24], Saul’s offering sex, money, and privilege to any man who’s willing to fight Goliath, but no one steps forward until…  

[v. 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, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”  

David’s the first person in the whole story to mention God. He doesn’t care about the prize. He’s concerned with the Lord’s honor, but watch who his first line of opposition is:

[v. 28] – Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled 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 presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”  

Sometimes, the most painful attacks we experience aren’t with our Enemy on the battlefield, but from the friendly fire within our own camps. David’s own brother, who witnessed God choose David at his anointing, accuses him of evil when David’s the only one with courageous faith. That’s probably why David can keep going. 

[v. 31] –  When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 

At this moment, Saul’s probably thinking, “Thank God someone’s willing to fight Goliath.” But then David walks into his tent, and he’s like, “What?! The harp player?? What’s he gonna do? Play him a lullaby?”  

[v. 32] – And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”

See, Saul’s trying to ask the real question here: On what grounds are you qualified to fight this battle?  

But isn’t that one of Satan’s favorite lies? Every time you step out in faith, he whispers, “Who do you think you are? You’re not good enough for this. Last time I checked, you still struggle with all the same sins. How long have you been pretending to be a Christian again?”  

Maybe you’ve felt that. You tell yourself, “I could never lead a small group. Teach kids the Bible in Kids ministry? There’s no way. I don’t know enough. I can’t get on their level. What if someone asks a question I can’t answer? Take on leadership in the church? Share my faith at work?” I just want to say, “WHY NOT?” 

I promise you, I’ve been there. I mean even now: What business do I have serving in Malaysia? What qualifies me to preach God’s Word or to pastor at a church like Garden City?  

See, the Enemy loves to convince us we can’t possibly do the greater works God’s called us to. But the good news is that if God’s the one who called us, He’s going to be the one who sustains us.  

3. Real confidence comes from trusting God to fight your battles.

Just look at what David says: [v. 34] – David said to Saul, “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, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Yourservant 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.” 37 And David 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!”

Don’t miss this. David is NOT saying: “I took down lions and bears. Goliath will be no different.”  

But David IS saying: “I’ve faced impossible circumstances before and God delivered me. And this time, His name is at stake. Why wouldn’t He deliver us now?” That’s what biblical faith sounds like.   

[v. 38] – Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took hisstaff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.

As Christians, we don’t wage war against the world by using the world’s tactics. David uses the weapons of a shepherd, and so do we. See, the weapons of our Good Shepherd are not sword and spear but Spirit and truth. We don’t fight fire with fire; we fight lies with God’s Word, and we fight strongholds with prayer.   

[v. 41] – And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?”…“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 javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom youhave defied. 46 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 of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds 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 that all this assembly may know that the Lordsaves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”

Those are some strong words from David. But notice how David’s concerns are different from everyone else’s. Everyone else is focused on how big Goliath is and how foolish it must look that they’re sending a teenager to do a King’s job.  

But David’s focused on two things:  

• That God’s glory would be known in all the earth. 
• That God’s promises would be trusted.  

Are those your priorities in the battles you face? And if not, you need to reframe the battle. See, every single one of us has fears that torment us. What are those fears for you? Name them. What is against you? 

Now ask yourself: What happens to those fears when God’s glory and promises become more important than my circumstances? That’s when you realize you’re not fighting alone. Your battles belong to the Lord.  

And instead of shrinking back in fear, you can run at the enemy in faith.   

[v. 48] – When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

[51] Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines…and they plundered their camp.  

What a great story, right? There’s a reason why it’s so well-known. But here’s the question I have for you: WHAT’S THE STORY REALLY ABOUT?  

So many people think they know the point of the story when they really don’t. See, this story isn’t about 5 lessons on how to face your giants or an inspirational story about how to overcome your fears. It’s not even a promise that if you trust in God, He’ll remove all the obstacles in your life. 

If that were true, then there’d be a lot of us who’d want to know: Well, then why haven’t all my problems gone away? Do I just need to have more faith? Do I need to work harder? And if that’s what you walk away believing, then you’ve missed the point!  

The whole point of the story is that David gives us a foretaste of an even greater King. And this is crucial for understanding every story of the Bible. See, the Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus. Even Jesus teaches us to read every part of the Bible with Him in mind. And the story of David and Goliath is one of the best examples of this because…  

1. Jesus is the true and better David. I mean, just listen to this:  

God sends a young man from Bethlehem to go up against a foe no one can defeat. The man willingly agrees to fight the Enemy in our place as our representative. He enters the fight through the valley of death with no armor and no army. He goes out defenseless and gets mocked by his brothers. To the world, he looks weak and foolish.  

Yet, he delivers a fatal blow that crushes the Enemy. He comes out victorious, and His victory isn’t just his own. It’s for all the people He fought for to enjoy.

Don’t you get it? That’s the story of David and Goliath. But it’s also the message of the Cross. See, Jesus did for you what you could not do for yourself. David defeated Goliath for Israel, but Jesus defeated sin and death for us. And for those who believe, now we claim His victory as our own.  

Yes, we still wage war against sin today, but we don’t have to fight alone. We fight knowing that Jesus has already won, and He fights for us. 

That’s the main point of the story. But it’s not the only one. A second takeaway from this story is that…
2. God’s still calling us into the battle to fight.  

See, the story of David and Goliath points us ahead to the even greater victory God would one day win for us at the Cross. But for David and Israel, this was still a real battle they had to face. 

And the same is true for us. We all face real battles at work, in our parenting, in our marriages, at school, in our health. But if we only ever see those things as the giants of our day, we’ll miss what the real battle is. 

We don’t wage war against flesh and blood, but against the powers of sin, death, and the Enemy. Satan wants to oppose the name of Jesus. He wants to hinder God’s work in our lives, in our families, in our church, in our city. There’s still a gap between the brokenness we see today and the day when God’s glory fills the earth. 

That’s where God calls us to step in. 

He isn’t calling us to slay every giant by our own strength. He’s calling us, as Spirit-filled people, to enter into whatever arenas he’s called us to with the courage that comes from knowing Jesus has already won. 

We step forward by faith, trusting that one day every enemy will be defeated and God’s glory will fill the earth. Until then, we join Jesus in His mission of making disciples who make disciples.