1 Samuel 17, verse 1. Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together in Shokah, which belonged to Judah, and pitched between Shokah and Isaacah in Ephesdamim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together and pitched in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, and there was a valley between them. We're gonna be doing a study, a short series, if you will, from 1 Samuel chapter 17. This is gonna be the account of the battle of David and Goliath. People have heard about the battle of David and Goliath, right? So we're gonna be studying today verses 1 through 11. And this is David and Goliath, part 1. We have the scene that is set here, and it's going to be broken down, so if you're making a short outline, you have the scene, you have the background, the giant, the challenge, the defiance, and the response. And that's in verses 1 through 11. And we'll go through those one at a time. If you didn't catch every point, we'll go through those one at a time. So we read, by way of introduction, we read the scene in 1 Samuel 17, verses 1, 2, and 3. And we'd like to pay particular attention that the battle is in array, that it's laid out. So you have this scene here. You have two armies, and it says one is on one hillside and the other is on another hillside, and there's a big valley in between them. But there's a battle going on. Now the Philistines, and we're gonna get to the background, but just in short, the Philistines have been a nuisance, to say it lightly, to the children of God. From way back, even they were mentioned as Joshua was leading the children of Israel through the promised land. The Ashtothites, the Philistines, were mentioned there, that they would be a people that would be conquered, but they would be a people that would be in the thorn in the side of Israel. And from that time, you have the book of Judges, and you may remember well that when Samson was around, and this is kind of getting into the background, but when Samson, when he was living his life, the primary opponent of the children of Israel was the Philistines. Okay? So the battle is in Array, and the battle is Array in chapter 17, verses 1, 2, and 3. And as a picture, the battle is in Array today. The battle is in Array. There are the children of God, who are pictured here as the children of Israel, portrayed as the children of Israel in this account. The people of God, and we are at war with those of the world, the children of the world, and the Philistines do represent the world. But I want you to notice that there are two distinct signs. You know, sometimes in our lives, we can feel like the lines are a little blurred. Who's on whose side, right? When you did the men's study, there was a man named Joab, and he changed sides on a regular basis, who he was fighting for, and he was the captain of the guard, he was the general. There's two distinct sides that are mentioned in this battle, and we're gonna see it throughout the first Samuel chapter 17, two distinct sides, and there was a valley in between them. If you would, think about, and you know it's in Luke chapter 16, when that rich man, he lift up his eyes in hell, and he asked if Lazarus, the beggar, would come bring a drop of water and stick it on his tongue and cool his tongue, because he's tormented in that flame. Remember that? And Abraham said, no, he can't, because people who were there can't go here, and people who were here can't go there. And besides, there's a great gulf fixed between us. There's no gray zone. There's one side, and there's another side. There's this place, and there's that place. The battle here, there was two distinct sides. There was no gray zone. There was the children of Israel on one side, and there was the children of the Philistines on the other. But I also want you to see in verse number one, that they gathered together at Shokah, which belonged to Judah. The Philistines gathered together in Shokah, which belonged to Judah. The enemy will pitch the fight, okay? So in the Garden of Eden, who picked a fight? Was it Adam and Eve that went out looking to pick a fight, or was it Satan, who was subtle more than any other creature, and he came into the garden. He came into their space. He came into Adam's domain and picked a fight, didn't he? The Philistines came to Judah, a land that belonged to Judah, to pick a fight. And I want you to know today, live and well, the enemy picks a fight in the domain of the children of God. He really does. Look, if you would, in the book of Job, and I mentioned the book of Job earlier, please look in Job chapter 1. Job chapter 1. And you know the scene here that the sons of God, I believe that the angelic host came to present themselves before God. Job chapter one and verse seven says, and the Lord said unto Satan, whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord and said, from going to and fro in the earth and walking up and down in it. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect man, an upright man, and one that feareth God, and askeweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and saith, Doth Job fear God? For not? Hast thou not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all he hath on every side? And hast thou blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land? How did Satan know that? Because the enemy pitches, or attempts to pitch, in the domain of the believer. He really does. That's the work of Satan. He really does that. In 1 Peter 5, it echoes the same thing. In speaking of that adversary, the devil, 1 Peter 5, verse 8 says, be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, is a roaring lion walking about, seeking whom he may devour. He doesn't do that in his den. The lion walks about seeking whom it may devour in their domain, you see. So as we see this account in 1 Samuel chapter 17, We see the literal picture there of these two armies that are gathered to the battle, but we also see the scene of the believer's conflict, that you're in a battle. Whether you know it or not, you're in a battle. It's really terrible to be in a battle and you don't know it. I speak as a man and as a husband, it's really difficult when you're in a battle and you don't know it. So child of God, please know you're in a battle. And not only are you in a battle, but the enemy has pitched in your domain. He has pitched in your backyard. He has pitched in land that belonged to Judah. It's no small thing that it's in Judah, which is the tribe that the Lord would come out of. He doesn't come with the weak points necessarily all the time. He'll go straight for the throat. The battle, the scene there. Now with the background, you have King Saul. If you look, keep reading in chapter 17 here. And it says in verse 11, just skipping down to verse 11, when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now, how do we get there to King Saul? Go back to 1 Samuel chapter 8. 1 Samuel chapter 8 and verses 4 and 5, it says, then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together And it came to Samuel and to Ramah and said unto him, Behold, thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. Samuel protested. Verses 19 and 20 now says, Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel and they said, Nay, but we will have a king over us, that we may also be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. So now you have this scene, you have on one side the Philistines, you have on the other side the children of Israel. On the one side you have the Philistines, and we'll get into what they represent in a minute, but you have Israel over here, and they have the man that was gonna fight their battle, they were gonna trust in, he was the hope of their nation. And we just read in chapter 17, verse 11, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. And 1 Samuel chapter 15, King Saul was told to kill the Amalekites. Chapter 15, verse 1. Samuel also said unto Saul, the Lord sent me to anoint thee, to be king over his people, over Israel. Now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts. I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid in wait for them in the way when he came up from Egypt. So when Israel's coming out of Egypt, remember there was a time when Moses, he held his hands up, the children of Israel prevailed, and when his hands came down, the other side prevailed, that was Amalek, okay? So that's the same group of people. So now he says, go now and smite Amalek, and I will destroy them. Well, he didn't, he saved the best, and he saved Agag, the king there. So look, if you would, down to 1 Samuel 15, and read verse 22 with me. And Samuel said, because Saul, because of disobedience, Samuel said, hath the Lord great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord. Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than that of the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. Literally, King Saul, okay? but also in that King Saul in this passage, really, really dig into it. See the spirituality of it. King Saul is a type of Adam, not Adam Boyer, Adam and Eve, Adam and the Garden, okay? So here you have this man who was literally head and shoulders, you could go back and read it, literally head and shoulders above everybody else in Israel. He was the best, he was the brightest, he was what they had hope in. There has never been a man, 100% man, like Adam. Thank God Jesus Christ was better than him because he was also deity. Adam was made as a creation and he fell. So being the best of Adam's race was Adam. Adam was the best of Adam's race. But Adam fell, and because Adam fell, like it says in chapter 15, verse 23, he fell because he did not hearken unto the voice of the Lord. And Adam, as the head over his race, lost his kingdom, didn't he? He fell as his kingdom, and he didn't just lose it, he gave it away because of disobedience. Adam, excuse me, King Saul also is a picture of Adam. If you look in 1 Samuel chapter 31, First Samuel chapter 31. Again, we gotta get what's going on here. First Samuel chapter 31, verses one, two, three, and four. Now the Philistines fought against Israel. You know, that fight just keeps on going, doesn't it? There's a lot that happens between chapter 17 and chapter 31. Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons, and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's sons. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of the archers. Yes, Satan sore wounded Adam and Eve, no doubt, with his lies and his treachery and his subtlety. Look at verse four. Then said Saul unto his armor-bearer, draw thy sword and thrust me through therewith, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me. But the armor-bearer would not, for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell upon it. Saul, as a picture of Adam, died a self-inflicted wound. His kingdom, because of rebellion, was taken from him. But back in our text, the background here, you have these two armies, one led by a king that was not a king. His kingdom was taken from him. While he was head and shoulders among his brethren, we're going to read, he was nothing compared to the adversary. Again, another wonderful illustration of Adam. Now you have these Philistines that are gathered together here in this scene in verses one, two, and three. Back in Joshua, if you would look, in the book of Joshua chapter 13, Joshua chapter 13, one through three, it says, Now Joshua was old and stricken in years, and the Lord said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed. This is the land that yet remaineth, all the borders of the Philistines and all Geshuri. In verse three, there's a whole bunch of names I'm gonna butcher and mispronounce, but verse three is full of the five kings and one of the Philistines. From Syor, which is before Egypt, even under the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite, five lords of the Philistines, the Gazathites, and the Ashdathites, and the Eshcolonites, and the Gittites, and the Ekronites, also the Avites, okay? So here you have the Philistines. And again, in Samson's day, in the book of Judges, I just want to read the first few verses concerning Samson's life. Judges chapter 15. how sore the Philistines were. They were oppressive. Even from the time they were still conquering the lands in Canaan, the Philistines were a people that were just hard against them. And from the time of Joshua in chapter 13 to the time of Samson in Judges chapter 15, that's about 150 years. We thought the Afghan war of 20 years was long. 150 years the Philistines had bothered them. And then so much more time onto the time of Samuel. So Judges 15, but it came to pass within a while after and the time of the wheat harvest that Samson visited, excuse me, am I reading that? Chapter 13, I'm reading chapter 15. Chapter 13, verse one. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. And there came a certain man of Zorah in the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah, and his wife was Barinoth. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold, now thou art barren. Embarrass not, but thou shalt conceive and bear a son. Now, therefore, beware, I pray thee, and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing. For lo, thou shalt conceive and bear a son, and a razor shall come on his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb and all, and he shall begin to deliver Israel." And that beginning to deliver, I believe, is when he pulled down that Colosseum, in a sense, upon himself. He shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. So the Philistines, they were a nuisance unto the people of God since the people of God even arrived into the promised land. Even in the present sense, remember when the ark of God was taken away? It was the Philistines that did it in 1 Samuel chapter four. And now here in 1 Samuel chapter 17, the battle is set up and we have the Philistines. The Philistines are a picture of the world and its relentless pursuit of domination. The world and its relentless pursuit of domination. The children of God are to live in this life unto the Lord. And the Philistines will relentlessly, the spiritual Philistines will relentlessly pitch war against the people of God. They really will. And that is pictured so vividly here in chapter 17. Now in verses four through seven, You see the giant. Read verses four through seven with me. And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath of Gad, whose height was six cubits and span. Stop there just for a second. That word champion comes from two Hebrew words. One of them means a great man. You know what a champion is, a great man. Oh yeah, he's a real champion. Hey champ, hey, how's it going champ? A champion. But the other word means a space between two armies. So this man wasn't just a great man, but you think, oh man, I saw Bobby and Dylan, they're a few inches ahead of us. Well, just think if Shaquille O'Neal walked in this building, we might realize how not tall y'all are. That guy's 7'2", 350 pounds. Goliath is over nine feet tall and his armor weighs over 150 pounds. Raise your hand if you weigh less than 150 pounds. Right? Big guy. So as much as King Saul was a little bit higher, head and shoulders five or six inches taller, this guy was a monster. A true monster. First Samuel chapter nine, verses one and two. Oh yes, we want a man that'll fight our battles. Chapter nine, verses one and two. Now, there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeor, the son of Bekaroth, the son of, let's see, Athaiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power, and he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man and a goodly, good to look at, attractive. And there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he. Oh yeah, he's something else, until you see the giant. Adam was something else. From his shoulders and upward, he was higher than any of the people. Chapter 10, verses 17 through 25. 1 Samuel, chapter 10, verses 17 through 25. And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord in Temispe and said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have brought up Israel out of Egypt and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of the kingdoms. and of them that oppressed you. And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations. And ye have said unto him, Nay, we have set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands. And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Mattre was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken, and when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither, and the Lord answered, behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff. And they ran and fetched him thence. And when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from the shoulders and upward. And Samuel said to all the people, see him whom the Lord hath chosen? See, there is none like him among the people. And all the people shouted and said, God saved the king. Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, even every man to his house. Yes, by comparison, Saul, oh, what a man, what a man! Again, until you see the giant. The people accepted him, they wanted him. A great man, but this giant, he was a great man, but there was a space between him and the man Saul. Now, a little bit of perspective. Even the best among us as human beings, as created beings, the fallen angels, that angelic host or army, By comparison, they are such a higher created being than we are. There is no comparison, really. Still created beings. But there is a great difference between mankind and those princes and principalities and evil workers in dark places and those things. This man, Goliath, his name means splendor, but it also means shameless and exile. Who is that bringing to mind of? Satan himself, huh? Boy, nine feet tall. What a picture of Satan. In 1 Samuel 14, we read that, how tall he was. The man there, nine feet tall. His stuff, keep reading with me in the passage in 1 Samuel 17. says his height was six cubits in a span, over nine feet tall. Verses five through seven, and he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of brass. Brass is a sign of judgment, it's a picture of judgment, always has been. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, And his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron. Iron is a symbol of oppression. And one bearing a shield went before him. And I'm sure that guy was weighed down with his shield. You see this picture of Satan. Isaiah chapter 14, look over here. As much as it would be, you know, they were really impressed with King Saul. Satan himself was, you could say, a champion. As far as creative beings go, just full of splendor, you see? And Isaiah, again, chapter 14, Isaiah 14 and verse 12, excuse me, yes, Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12, How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? We're going to see how Goliath, he was impressive to say the least. But what a picture here. In Revelation 12, it gives us some understanding as well. Revelation 12, he's also a picture of Antichrist. Revelation chapter 12, verses one, two, three, and four. And there appeared a great, excuse me, this is the continued picture of Satan himself. And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of 12 stars. And she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pain to be delivered. This is Israel, the woman representing Israel and that child again, Jesus Christ himself. And there appeared another wonder in heaven, and behold, a great red dragon, Satan, having seven heads, and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his head, and has held you a third part of the stars in heaven, and has cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman, ready to be delivered, for to devour her children as soon as it was born. This man, Goliath, you're gonna see, he desires to devour and oppress the people of God. That man, Satan, or that angel, Satan, you can see in Revelation chapter 20, just turn a bit and see if you can see glimpses of Goliath as we continue reading about Satan. Revelation chapter 20, verses one and two, and I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand, and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him 1,000 years. All those little epitaphs in there, it says, bound him, it's speaking of the same entity and all those things. serpent, devil, Satan, dragon. Read now in verses seven through nine. And when a thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison. He shall go out to deceive the nations. And he'll go out, and you'll see there's two sides, just like there was two mountain sides, there was the Philistines and there was Israel. So God will deceive the nations within the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, and gather them to battle, one side and another side. the number of whom is the sand of the sea. And he's gonna stand there as Goliath, as the champion of this arm. And they went out upon the breadth of the earth and encompassed the camp where the saints about and the beloved city and the fire came down from God and out of heaven and devoured them. But see here, in this picture, as we read down through there and we were just overwhelmed by Goliath's size, you see his armor? The armor of this giant, this splendorous exile, this shameless one, his armor was heavy and impenetrable. What in the world can you do to Satan? And the children of God are not told to do anything to Satan, are we? Michael, the archangel, wouldn't even bring up an accusation against him. Read the book of Jude. His arm is heavy and impenetrable. You look at his weapons, they're mighty and indefensible, aren't they? At least that's how it seems. If I had a spear the size of a weaver's beam and it had this big iron thing on it, if I could even pick it up, I mean, that would be something that would be hard to defend against, wouldn't it? No, this giant. We should feel, as if you were on the battlefield, you should feel imposed upon. They did. Now you see the challenge. Verses eight and nine. And he, Goliath, that one of splendor, that exiled, shameless one, that champion, that great man that created the space between the two armies, he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel and said unto them, why are ye come out to set your battle on the rye? What do you think you're doing? Am I not a Philistine? Are we not a people that are ready to fight and ready to oppress? and ye servants to Saul. You know, people think we can think that we are somebody against the true evil, against Satan himself. You children of Adam think you can do something? Who do you think you are, children of Adam? Choose you a man for you and let him come down to me. If he'd be able to fight with me and to kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us. Here the giant again picks the fight. The Philistines, they picked the fight. Here the giant comes down and picks the fight. These people were up on the hillside. The giant picks the fight. The giant on this battlefield is far superior on this battlefield. So far, we're going to take this in pieces. As it lays out right now, from what we have seen in this battle, Goliath is the superior man on the field of battle. He is the warrior. He is the champion. He is the provoker. He is the one the Philistines are depending on. He is the one that the Israelites are afraid of. The giant desires to destroy Israel. Look at that. But if I prevail against him and kill him, the giant desires to destroy his opposition. Satan doesn't desire to make a league with you. People think they can sign some kind of deal with the devil. That's absurd. The devil desires to destroy. He's a destroyer. Also look in verse nine, If I kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." The giant desires to dominate. You know, Satan doesn't want to have equal footing with the people of God or any other people, not even the angels, I believe. He desires to promote himself. I will be like the Most High. If we'd have kept reading in Isaiah 14, he desires to be God, his own self. So the giant, he picks the fight. The giant, as it seems, is superior. The giant has superior armor. The giant has, as it seems, superior weapons. The giant desires to destroy. The giant desires to dominate. The giant says, is there a man among you? Now this challenge, in a spiritual sense, it brings forth David, who is a picture of Jesus Christ. There is no man of Saul, there is no man of Israel of Saul that can compete and deliver the people of God. But there is one that is anointed by God, and we will go back and look at David's anointing as king. He represents, he's a picture of Jesus Christ. There is a man among the children of men, Jesus Christ, that came in the flesh. There is a man that has, and will, and did fight at Calvary. He loosed the pains of death, and you can read in Hebrews chapter two that he overcame him which had the power of death, which is the devil. He did prevail against all. He died, was buried, and he rose again victorious. and all shall bend the knee and declare him as king," it says in Philippians chapter 2. You see, so in a spiritual way, this challenge was met by Jesus Christ at Calvary some 2,000 years ago. Thank God for that. If he'd be able to come and fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. Jesus Christ did just that. Whether someone admits to it or not, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Again, Philippians chapter two. He did do it, not yet, he did do it. But I also want you to see, yes, this is a wonderful picture of Jesus Christ. This is also, this literally happened on a battlefield. David was a real person who fought a giant. You see? Is there a man among you? If he'd be able to fight with me, he says, choose your man for you and let him come down to me. Look if you would please in the book of Ephesians chapter six. Now, yes, the Lord did fight the battle at Calvary. He is victorious over all. But the battle is in array, and we as human beings are to engage in that battle. Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 10, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Isn't that what Samuel had been telling the children of Israel? Yeah, you got your King. Trust the Lord. Don't turn to the right or the left. You follow Him. You trust Him. He is your King. He will deliver you. He is the God of Israel. He is the God of promise. Follow Him. Trust Him. Do what He says. Paul, the church of Ephesus, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are going to wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers and against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God. Is there a man among you? Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." Yes, we should pray, God give us such an inclination that we would desire such things. Paul here encourages the church of Ephesus to take a personal responsibility to do all to stand. As this giant came out, yes, spiritually speaking, David is representative of Jesus Christ and spiritually speaking, Goliath is representative of Satan himself. But literally speaking, there was a man that stood against God and his people and defied those armies. And he asked the question, who's going to do anything about it? There was a young man. We'll start that study at another time. There was a man that came. David, a real person. This battle is in array. May God give every one of us, not just men, but men, women, boys, and girls. May God give us all strength and desire to do all to stand. Not is there a man that will come down and fight the giant, but all the people of God would come running down the mountain, trusting the Lord that He will win the battle. Today, would be God. You see the defiance in verse 10. Look, the defiance. Okay, so if you're keeping As it goes, there was the scene, there was the background, there's the giant, there's the challenge, and now the defiance, verse 10. And the Philistines said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. I defy the armies of Israel. Now, it's hard to remember looking forward, because you have to look backwards to remember, right? But we're going to remember forward and see David's response. and 1 Samuel 17 and verse 26. Look at what this young man says. And David spake to the men that stood by him there in the camp of Israel. He's already into the camp and there's people up there terrified on the hillside, saying, what shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine? Not how we're gonna do it. He's asking the question like it's already done. Children of God, when we think about Satan, we ought to think about him as though the Lord has already, because it's declared, isn't it? The Lord has taken care of that thing. He speaks in a confirmed sense that when this man is dead, what's going to happen then? What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine and taketh away the reproach from Israel? You see, when the Philistine, he makes his defiant accusation, he's defying Israel, but he's also defying God. Keep reading. For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? You know, the Lord's assembly has had adversaries and giants ever since there's been the Lord's assembly. You can read that Trail of Blood and know that. When people take pokes and accusations and different things against the Lord's assembly, they're defying the living God, the armies of the living God. Again, read verses 43 through 45. And the Philistine said unto David, am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods, by his idols, by his false representation of deity. And the Philistine said to David, come to me and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field. "'Then said David to the Philistine, "'Thou comest to me with a sword "'and with a spear and with a shield, "'but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, "'the God of the armies of Israel, "'whom thou hast defiled.'" David says, you have defiled, you have rebelled against the living God. What defiance? What defiance? 1 Samuel chapter 12 and verse 12. It says, and when you saw Nahash, the children of Ammon come against you, you said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us when the Lord your God was your king. Israel was guilty of the same stuff. They just weren't as bold about it. The Lord never stopped reigning over Israel. David knew the Lord never stopped reigning over Israel. But the defiance of that giant, He had zero interest and zero care or concern that the Lord reigned over Israel. He may have forgotten that the ark, when it was brought to Ashdod and set down next to Dagon, that the thing fell over and then it fell over and its head and its arms and everything was taken off and it was broken off at the stump. And then they had all those emeralds and everything. Maybe the Philistine had forgotten all that. Maybe he hadn't and was just outwardly defiant. You defy Israel, you defy God. And I would submit to you that those that oppose the Lord's assembly also defy the living God. What bold defiance. There is much more bold defiance today. Think about, this is pride month, isn't it? People using God's banner of a promise that he would never again flood this earth. and shaking their fist against God. That's bold defiance, y'all. That's bold defiance. Somebody being an antinomian, oh yeah, because of grace I can do whatever I want, that's bold defiance. Hedonism, I'm just gonna live based on my pleasure, that's bold defiance. Vain philosopher is a guy I went to high school with. He was pastor of a church at one point, and now he says openly for the world to take knowledge of that all roads lead to Rome, and you can believe in Buddha or Allah or be as the Native Americans and worship the wind or the mountain or the eagle or whatever, and as long as you're a good person and have good intentions, you're gonna make it to what is, quote, paradise. That's bold defiance. This is a guy that stood behind a pulpit and would open the word of God and read it to others. Under God's sun, breathing God's air, cursing God and living in open rebellion. That's what Goliath was doing. Children of Israel were doing the same thing on the other hillside. They were living in open rebellion and calling themselves godly. We saw that when David confronted Goliath, he cursed David by his gods. There's a lot of religious Goliaths out there. that boldly defy the living God and call upon their gods in doing." Look at the response in verse 11. When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now, there are six points in this message. And we're going to conclude in verse 11. That's not a real high point in this passage, is it? There's six points in this message. It's fitting because Saul, being a representative of Adam, who was the first man who was created on the sixth day, if you look in Revelation chapter 13, verses 16 through 18, if you were to look at that, you would see when Antichrist comes that he will have a mark that he puts on everybody, and it's the number of a man, and it's 666. In man, in Saul, when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. When men hear the accusations of Satan and living in rebellion are confronted on the battlefield, they have every right to be dismayed and greatly afraid in themselves. Saul, the best of Israel, by head and shoulders, could not and would not deliver. You notice in this passage, and as we read, Saul never even tried to go deliver Israel. Their king, that one they trusted in, the best of Israel, he's the one they wanted to lead them and to rescue them in the battle, didn't even try. Adam, the best and the innocent, he could not deliver. He did not deliver. The hopes and the best of Israel. The hopes, the hope of Israel, the pride of Israel, oh, we want him to be our king and to rescue us, to fight our battles, go out before us. He could not deliver. It's a terrifying thing to see that one that you trusted in not able to deliver you. You know, it's, in eternity when one lifts up their eyes in hell and they're counted as that rich man did in Luke 16 or those that they lift up their eyes and all of a sudden they're of that group of Matthew 7. Lord, Lord, didn't I? And depart from me, I never knew you. All those things they trusted in, when they come to the realization that their hopes, that their assurance is nothing, is nothing on the battlefield of eternity. that is a dismaying and terrifying scenario. That word dismayed means shattered, means broken, means terrified. Be greatly afraid. You know what it means to be greatly afraid. We're in a state of terror or dread. What are we going to do? They were either going to die at the hands of the Philistines or be oppressed and serve unto the Philistines. And they knew what that song sounded like. They'd done it so many times before. But now it's in such a way they'd never seen before. Oh, they were greatly afraid. What do we do? You see, in this passage, this is a hard scene, isn't it? It's hard. Along the way, have you been putting yourself on the battlefield? Have you been numbered among all those warriors of Israel? And in a sense, do you have some feeling of being dismayed? To be terrified? Oh, I wouldn't have been terrified, really. Jonathan was there, and if you go back and read some stuff about Jonathan, Jonathan was a bad dude. Saul was there, and if you go back and read about Saul, Saul was a bad dude. These men of war, among others, were dismayed and greatly afraid. Very difficult. Very difficult. Discouraging, yeah. Hard, yes. Overwhelming, the word overwhelming, when you hear the word overwhelming, you should picture somebody holding your head underwater. Not just whelmed. Overwhelmed. A sense of dismay and fear? You better believe it. Think about this. Unknown to Israel. Now, as horrible and oppressive and dramatic and terrifying as that is, unknown to Israel, there's an unlikely hero. Read verse 12. Now David was the son of Bethlehem Judah. Unknown to Israel, on that battle scene, there was an unlikely hero. We're gonna read down through there. When David presents, he was immediately rejected. Again, this is weeks down. I'm just giving you glimpses. He was immediately rejected. Unknown to Israel, though, the hero was coming. The enemy would be defeated. The people will shout in triumph, and that hero would be made their king. Isn't that a different story? Oh man, that's something to pump you up. That is a picture of Jesus Christ. You see on the one hand, the first, you see this battle and how desperate it is unto failure. And you see the relief of the unlikely hero coming, that one that was rejected and said it not. The least of his brethren, literally, that would be made king. How quickly How quickly does brokenness and fear turn to joy and adoration? Didn't it happen in your hearts just now? I mean, this has been a hard message to preach, and I know it's been hard to hear. The enemy is tough. Thank God. Have joy in the Lord and adore him. We sing that song, or I've tried to a couple of times, Victory Ahead. Well, victory was won at Calvary. All the battles will be over in just a little while, just a little while. In yourself, we should have every reason in the battle to be dismayed, broken, and greatly afraid. In our hero, Jesus Christ, we have every reason to shout for joy and triumph in adoration. The King has prevailed. Child of God, have hope in Christ. Don't have hope in the best of men. Saul, at that time, Saul was the best of men. He was the best they had to offer. An utter failure. Don't have hope in men. Don't have hope in self. You might think you will do what you think you're gonna do, but ultimately, in the scales and balances of eternity, and for the sake of your own soul, you are impotent, meaning without power, on the battlefield, And loss is a foregone conclusion. Only Christ can win. Only Christ can deliver. Only Christ can have triumph over the enemy. Only Christ, have hope in Christ. The battle then, we don't fight literally against the Philistines, but the battle rages. As the battle rages, do not have hope in self. Yes, as Paul told the Ephesians, we read, put on the armor of God, do all to stand, have hope in Christ. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. That's your memory verse, Ephesians 6, verse 10. Boy, that could have just as well come out of David's mouth, huh? Child of God, hope in the Lord, trust in the Lord. Don't hope in men, don't trust in men. Trust the Lord. Follow Him. Do what He says. He has prevailed. Sinner, you're on the battlefield with the giant, and you're all by yourself. You see, you're not on one hillside, and you're not on the other hillside. It's just you and the giant. And what's sticky is you're not against the giant. You're his shield-bearer. Think about that. There was a guy that was carrying that adversary's shield, wasn't there? He was carrying the protections of that giant that pictures Satan. One that trusts in themselves or one that trusts in anything but the living God is bearing the defense of Satan himself. Yeah, you're on the battlefield all right. Looking ahead, when Goliath went down by that stone and David, however that must have looked like, picked up that giant sword and just cut his head off. What about that shield bearer? Don't you think he was in a panic? When the chief and the king of all sin and rebellion is taken down, what in the world are you gonna do? Back to Isaiah chapter 14. It comments on this. We don't have to wonder. Isaiah chapter 14. Verse 13, we read verse 12, now verse 13. For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars. I will sit also on the mound of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the most high, yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides or to the extremes of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee. Think about that armor bearer, that shield bearer. I'm sure he was singing the praises. Hey, Goliath, man, why don't we go to half for supper? Just, oh man, this'll be nothing. He's a dog, pumping him up. Think about when that shield bearer would have looked upon that giant. And now he's out there all alone on that battlefield. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms?" That same satanic theology that promotes men to just trust in themselves and everything's okay and it'll all wash out. Sin, and unless you repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of God, you'll have the same opportunity as that shield bearer did to look upon your leader and say, is this the one that I was following? Is this the one that deceived me? Verse 12 again of Isaiah 14. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations? Is this the one that I follow? And I end up in the same place as him, in a place of defeat? You see, there's a lot of imagery in 1 Samuel chapter 17. Sinner, I encourage you to see yourself again as that shield bearer and repent. Repent. Repent. You stand with the armies of the rebels under the great rebel himself, the great defier, Satan, that wicked one, the dragon, who is the serpent. You stand and walk with him and bear the defense of him. I encourage you to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. His death, burial, and resurrection. May the Lord bless the preaching of his word.