Why I Know The Right President Will Be Elected

   I have been relatively quiet during this political season. The main reason behind my rationale is that my role as a pastor is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone, regardless of political affiliation, and point people to God's eternal kingdom which will have no end. I agree with the Psalmist David when he said, "For God is the King of all the earth; Sing praises with a skillful psalm. God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne" (Psalm 47:7-8).

   For the record, I will be voting for Donald Trump. Not because I like him as a person, but because his political platform and positions most closely align with my values. It is OK if you don't agree with that. I do not believe Hillary Clinton supporters are heretics. Nor do I think those who advocate third party candidates are being contentious. We will all stand before Jesus Christ and give an account for our actions. That means I can't answer for you and you can't answer for me. At the end of the day, "Each one should be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Romans 14:5).

   The purpose of this post is not to defend who I am voting for. We have all heard enough inflamed rhetoric from all sides and positions. I want to encourage you today that no matter what happens tomorrow you can peace in your heart. The right President of the United States will be elected. 

   Let me share with you why I am confident about the election tomorrow, no matter who is elected.

God has placed every government on earth by His sovereign Hand.  

Daniel 2:21, "He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding..." 

Romans 13:1, "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God." 

   These verses assure us that a sovereign, omnipotent God is reigning above and is placing leaders as He sees fit across the globe. No one assumes the mantle of leadership without God's approval. That means God is above voter fraud, corruption, and manipulation.

God uses sinful people and governments to accomplish His will on earth. 

Jeremiah 17:1-27:
 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with a point of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of their altars, while their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills, on the mountains in the open country. Your wealth and all your treasures I will give for spoil as the price of your high places for sin throughout all your territory. You shall loosen your hand from your heritage that I gave to you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you do not know, for in my anger a fire is kindled that shall burn forever.” Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord. ..."

Acts 4:27-28:
"For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, ²⁸ to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur."

   Yes, God can uses even sinful people and governments to accomplish His agenda. I think our current political situation is a result of spiritual decay in our country. We have no one to blame for where we are at in this country except ourselves. The fact we have such pitiful excuses for political candidates is a by-product of the moral decay of our culture.

   Yet, in the midst of this, God's Word assures us that He even has sinful, corrupt governments under His control. They may think they are carrying out their agenda, but in reality God is maneuvering them towards His eternal purposes and destination.

Our hope is not in a fallible President, but a righteous God. 

Psalm 146:3-10: 
"Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; ..."

   No matter who you vote for they are flawed. I don't care if you support Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, or Evan McMullin. They all have their baggage.


   But no matter who you support, they are a fallible human being. Even the most well-intentioned person will make mistakes. So we cannot place our hope in who sits in the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We must not give into fear at the prospect of policies and laws that may work against us as Christians, or shrink back at the thought of persecution.

   Our hope must rest in the righteous God who will one day execute perfect justice, make all wrongs right, and comfort those who have suffered persecution for His Name's sake.

Jesus will one day bring an end to all human government and will reign forever. 

Revelation 19:11-16:

¹¹ Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. ¹³ He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. ¹⁵ From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. ¹⁶ On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

   Can I let you in on a secret? God already knows who is going to win the election tomorrow. He will not be taken by surprise, nor will He be wringing His hands in despair. 

   Everything that will take place tomorrow will be by His sovereign decree. The election results will be one step closer to the ultimate fulfillment of God's divine cosmic purpose: Jesus ruling and reigning over all creation for eternity, along with His saints.

   So, my Hillary Clinton supporters, know that I love you in the name of Christ. I won't be screaming threats, calling names, or bemoaning how corrupt our system is, even though there may be credence to that. I will simply continue on loving my family, my neighbors, and the world because Christ compels and commands me to (Deut. 6:5; Mt. 22:37; Lk. 10:27). 

   I know the right candidate will win. Because God assured us His purposes will be carried out. Believe it. Trust in it. And do not allow the enemy to sow fear and discord into your heart today.

Bryan

Protected

1 Samuel 25:14-17,32-38

Context: 1 Samuel 25:1-43

Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 25:32-33

Main Idea: God guards the honor of His name and the steps of His people.

FIRST THOUGHTS

        How do you react when you feel that you’ve been wronged? Think back over any recent insults, work-related problems, personality conflicts, or even attacks against people you love. While many Christians want their actions to be guided by prayer, grace, love, and patience, it’s too tempting to settle for homegrown justice. We lash out in anger instead of waiting patiently on God. We buy into the cliché that it’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission. And yes, it may feel good in the moment, but will it be good in the long run?

         Where is the line between defending yourself and trusting God to step in on your behalf? How do you know when to wait patiently on God when the only thing you want to do is defend yourself or those you love?

        The story of Nabal and David addresses that exact problem through five main scenes: David and his men protected Nabal’s shepherds, Nabal disrespected David, David started down a path of retaliation, Nabal’s wife (Abigail) wisely deescalated the situation, and God punished Nabal. The story reminds us that God is so sovereign, so big, so completely in control that He doesn’t need our help to defend His honor or His people. From David’s limited perspective, he needed to act for the problem to be solved. From God’s complete perspective, the problem was already being solved without David’s help.

I. UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

1 Samuel 25:1-43

        The place called Carmel in 1 Samuel 25 is not the more famous Mount Carmel, where Elijah had his contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Mount Carmel is located in the north, due west of the Sea of Galilee and on the triangle of land that juts into the Mediterranean Sea. The Carmel of 1 Samuel 25 was a small town in the far south of the wilderness of Judah, about eight miles southeast of Hebron. The local economy was based on shepherding. The climate was too dry for large scale farming of grain crops.   

        By this time, David was well established in southern Judah. He had a significant following. His men constituted a small, personal army, and probably by now many local people were beginning to sympathize with him and against Saul. David was effectively in control of the region. He was now what is often called a “warlord.” The term sounds negative and even vicious, but that is not necessarily the case. A warlord exists in a territory that is far removed from effective central government. He has a private army, and he serves as the de facto government for the region. A warlord could be cruel and exploitative, but he could also be fair and decent, providing defense and justice for the local people. Indeed, a warlord could become a great hero to the general population—as was the case with David.

        Readers may wonder why David felt he had the right to ask Nabal for payment for not harassing his shepherds or stealing his sheep. From the perspective of ancient culture, Nabal’s flocks were in David’s territory. As the warlord in control of the region, it was his domain. Less scrupulous warlords would have simply swooped in whenever they felt the need and taken as much as they wanted as a form of taxation. David refrained from bullying and from appropriating such supplies as he saw fit. Instead, he left the shepherds in peace and also protected them from bandits. Nabal knew what the unwritten code of conduct required of him. His shepherds operated under David’s shadow; contemporary cultural standards as well as simple prudence and decency required that he send a substantial gift as a way of thanking David.

II. EXPLORE THE TEXT

A. Disaster Foreseen (1 Sam. 25:14-17)

        ¹⁴ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them. ¹⁵ Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them. ¹⁶ They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. ¹⁷ Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

VerseS 14-16

        When David’s men came to him and told him how they had been treated, he was in no mood to be forgiving. Nabal’s claim that David was a rebel against Saul was a slanderous insult (1 Sam. 25:10). It was also an excuse (justifying Nabal’s refusal to reciprocate the good treatment his employees and livestock had received). By this time, it would have been clear to most honest observers, especially in Judah, that David was no rebel and that Saul was behaving outrageously. David’s response was quick and resolute: “Every man strap on his sword!” (v. 13).

        The anonymous servant in verse 14 showed great wisdom. First, he knew that Nabal had put everyone in danger by his haughty and selfish action. We have no reason to think that this servant, one of Nabal’s shepherds, had seen or heard about David’s anger and his intention to respond with violence. But he knew that, given the cultural realities of the day, such a response was to be expected.

Second, he went to Abigail, whom he apparently knew to be just, wise, and resourceful. He knew that there was no point in trying to persuade Nabal to change his mind.

        Third, he gave a reasoned argument to Abigail. David’s men, although vastly more powerful than Nabal’s shepherds, had never harmed, harassed, or stolen from them. More than that, they had given them protection day and night. Both Abigail and the shepherd knew that by the code of the wilderness, David’s troops were owed compensation.

Verse 17

        Fourth, he told Abigail that she had to act: Now therefore know this and consider what you should do. She could not just commiserate with the servant over Nabal’s actions; she had to do something to counteract them.

        Fifth, the servant concluded his speech with an emotional appeal grounded in the truth: Nabal is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him. It could have been very dangerous for the servant to speak to Nabal’s wife in this way, but he knew that she was too moral and decent to deny his words. The intensity of his language got her moving.

        Prompted by the servant’s appeal, Abigail got together a large amount of provisions (v. 18), the very thing David had asked for. The wine, the loaves of bread, and the roasted grain may have represented considerable expense. We must remember that Carmel was in wilderness of Judah, country fitted for little besides raising sheep and goats. The grains and wine probably had to be purchased from far away. As they marched on Nabal, the last thing David and his angry army expected was to see was Nabal’s wife, prostrate on the ground in the middle of the path with a large peace offering all around her (v. 23).

        We should also say a word about her comment, “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him” (v. 25). The Hebrew word nabal means “insolent, selfish, and stupid person.” It is astonishing that anyone should have such a name. It may be that originally this was an epithet, used only behind his back, but over the course of time, it became the only name by which he was remembered.

        Wisdom can take many forms. Sometimes we must deal with a problem ourselves, and sometimes we must appeal to another person to deal with it. Why didn’t the servant deal with the problem himself? How does his approach serve as a model for us?

B. David Relents (1 Sam. 25:32-35)

        ³² And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! ³³ Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! ³⁴ For as surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.” ³⁵ Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

        Face to face with Abigail, David realized how foolish he had been and how he had been saved from a terrible sin. To understand this, we need to look back for a moment.

        At Saul’s direction, Doeg the Edomite killed the priests of Nob and then slaughtered all the inhabitants of the village (22:18-19). The episode described here parallels what we see there, but with several differences. Saul had only imagined that Ahimelech and the other priests were his enemies. Nabal, however, had genuinely insulted David, and his refusal to give any compensation to David and his men had been a serious offense against normal protocol and prudence. Even so, David in his anger let himself get out of control. He was prepared to do exactly what Saul had done. Leading his armed men toward Nabal’s household, he declared, “God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him” (25:22). Being a wealthy man, Nabal would have had a very extensive household, including his extended family, his employees and their families, slaves, and others. David was ready to kill them all. Once bloodlust had taken hold of David’s men, they may not have stopped short of killing everyone in Carmel, Nabal’s town. In his great rage, David was ready to kill many innocent people to avenge the arrogance of one man.

        There is yet another curious parallel. Nabal was a descendant of Caleb (25:3). Caleb, although attached to the tribe of Judah, was a Kenizzite—a descendant of Kenaz (Josh. 14:6). Kenaz was an Edomite clan chief, making Caleb, and also Nabal, biologically of Edomite descent, although they were legally members of Judah (remember that Israel was a mixed multitude). Thus, the Edomite Doeg instigated the slaughter at Nob, and the Edomite Nabal almost instigated the slaughter at Carmel. The ancient reader would have caught the connections and the similarities and so would have known that David came perilously close to emulating Saul’s crime and folly.

        The consequences for such an act would have been enormous. First and foremost, David would have had great bloodguilt on his hands. Second, all the goodwill he had gained as a result of the restraint and respect his men had shown to the local people of southern Judah would have vanished. Third, Israel would have judged him to be no better than Saul, and in fact to be worse, since at least Saul had the authority of being the king, whereas David had no legal standing. People would have been more resistant to accepting David as king after Saul’s death. Fourth, David’s men would have become more callous, more accustomed to senseless killing, and more difficult to control.

Verses 32-35

        Brought to his senses, David realized what a near thing it had been: blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! He acknowledged that but for her, he would have committed a great atrocity. He told her, Go up in peace to your house, and he accepted the provisions and turned back.

        David’s repentance was complete. He did not send an angry message to Nabal, telling him that but for his wife, Nabal’s head would now be on top of a spear. He did not tell Abigail to make sure Nabal never did something like this again. He simply went back. This is a model for us for letting go of wrath. When turned aside from doing evil, we should thank God and those who intervened, and we should turn away from the sin entirely. We should not hold on to a little piece of it, thinking we can always return to it if things don’t go as we wish.

        Can you recall episodes in your life when someone turned you from a wrong and foolish act? How did this serve as a milestone in your Christian pilgrimage?

C. God Intervenes (1 Sam. 25:36-38)

        ³⁶ And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light. ³⁷ In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. ³⁸ And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.

Verse 36

        Nabal, blissfully ignorant of the fact that his life hung in the balance, gorged himself in a great feast. One can only imagine how the servant who had warned Abigail felt at this time, wondering if David’s army would swoop in at any moment and strike down everyone. At least his mind would have been set at ease when Abigail returned. But she could not speak to Nabal, as he was too drunk to grasp what was going on.

Verses 37-38

        The next day Abigail told Nabal everything. It seems that on top of everything else, Nabal was a coward, and the account of David’s anger gripped him with terror. Whether by cardiac arrest or aneurysm or some other cause, he collapsed. The Hebrew literally says that he “became a stone,” apparently meaning that he was paralyzed, catatonic, or in a coma. And about ten days later, he died. Regardless of the natural causes, the Bible summarizes it well enough: the Lord struck Nabal.

        The outcome of this series of events vividly illustrates Romans 12:19: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord’” (see also Deut. 32:35). David refrained from doing violence to Nabal, and God swiftly stepped in deal with him. But we should understand that pulling back had not been an easy thing for David to do. He would have never turned aside had Abigail not intervened. In addition, Nabal had violated one of David’s core moral principles: he had repaid good with evil. Consider how frequently this motif appears in the psalms:

• “If I have repaid my friend with evil or plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it” (Ps. 7:4-5).

• “Do not drag me off with the wicked, with the workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors while evil is in their hearts” (Ps. 28:3).

• “For it is not an enemy who taunts me—then I could bear it; it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me—then I could hide from him. But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend” (Ps. 55:12-13).

• “So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love” (Ps. 109:5).

        All of the above citations are from psalms of David, and they illustrate some of David’s core values: loyalty to one’s friends, reciprocity to those who deal fairly and kindly with you, and not engaging in unprovoked hostility. These are the virtues one would expect of a morally grounded professional soldier, which is precisely what David was at this time. 

        The point is this: when Nabal haughtily turned away David’s emissaries, repaying David’s kindness with insults, he violated the principles by which David governed his life. For his part, David’s loyalty to Saul, as God’s anointed, was so great that he would not retaliate even as Saul was trying to kill him (1 Sam. 24:3-6). For this reason, Nabal’s provocation would have been intolerable to David. It would have been the hardest kind of offense for David even to endure, much less to forgive. And yet, thanks to Abigail’s intervention, he was able to turn away from his path of violence and put the matter in God’s hands.

        It is never easy to refrain from retaliation when we feel someone has wronged us. But God calls on us to be forbearing and to leave vengeance to Him, even when someone has done a wrong that we consider unconscionable. We can find the strength to do so when we remember that Christ paid for others’ sins as He paid for ours.

        What other examples come to mind in which God defended Himself and the honor of His name? How is Jesus’ death and resurrection an act of God that counters humanity’s taking matters into our own hands? 


        At the end of this story, David took Abigail as his wife. She was only one of many. In the current moral and sexual chaos that is now sweeping over the United States, we can be sure that this issue will become more prominent. Homosexual marriage is now the law of the land, and agitation for legalizing polygamy has already begun. Thinking about polygamy in the Bible, we should be aware of the following points.

• In the harsh realities of Iron Age Israel, survival was marginal and people felt they had to do what was needed to preserve themselves and their families. A woman alone was in great danger. She needed the home of a man, and she also needed a son to care for her in her old age. In that sense, David’s marriage to Abigail may have been a mercy. The world we live in is radically different from the Judean wilderness of the 10th century B.C.

• Abigail may have brought her wealth and connections to the Calebites with her into the marriage. If so, the marriage was politically advantageous to David. It is certain that in the polygamous world of the Old Testament, marriages were often contracted for purely economic and political reasons. These marriages were not characterized by love, and modern polygamy would soon take on the same qualities.

• David’s many wives led to moral chaos in his household. There was murder, rape, intrigue, and civil war. Sin can arise in any family, but things are much worse if wives and their children are put in a situation where intense rivalry and factions are all but certain.

• Polygamy, like divorce, was never God’s intention for humanity. These things were only allowed because of our hardness of heart. God desires for one man and one woman to be “one flesh.” (See Gen. 2:24 and Matt. 19:3-9.)

KEY DOCTRINE

Peace and War

        It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness.

BIBLE SKILL

Use a Bible dictionary (either print or on the Internet) to learn more about a Bible character.

        Use a Bible dictionary to look up the meaning of the name Nabal. How did Nabal in 1 Samuel 25 live up to his name? In what ways was his name fitting?

Anointed

1 Samuel 17:32-37,42-50

Context: 1 Samuel 17:1-58

Memory Verse: 1 Samuel 17:46

Main Idea: God uses faithful servants to deliver His people.

FIRST THOUGHTS

        Few adults consider themselves heroes. The same is not true for children. As a kid, all you need is a tablecloth cape and a little imagination, and you can save the world. Around every tree is another villain to stop, a robber to catch, or a damsel in distress. When we transition from childhood to adulthood, we tend to lower our expectations from saving the day to just doing our best. What if God intended the fantasies of childhood to prepare us for the adventures of adulthood? Is it possible that God is calling us to a heroic life, but we’ve wrongly defined what it means to be a hero?

        What heroic characteristics or feats most appealed to you as a child?

        The account of David and Goliath has become synonymous with heroism, taking on big challenges, or doing the impossible. The bigness of the story makes it exciting, but it’s that same quality that makes it hard for people to relate. Most of us are not fighting giants or saving a nation. We’re holding down jobs. We’re making mortgage payments. We’re dropping off our kids at ball practice, going to school and church, and trying to live well. Who has the time or energy to think about heroic adventure?

        First Samuel 17 teaches a great truth. Heroes do in times of crisis what they’ve faithfully done in times of calm. David’s early life was a picture of faithful service and trust in God. Yet there is an even greater truth in this chapter, for it points us to Jesus, who faced the giants of sin and death. He won the victory that we could not win on our own, and His victory is ours. He is the ultimate Hero.

I. UNDERSTAND THE CONTEXT

1 Samuel 17:1-58

        By the time we get to 1 Samuel 17, Saul had for many years waged wars against Israel’s enemies, and his army had become quite formidable. Prior to this time, the Philistines had enjoyed military supremacy in the region, but now the Israelites were an equal adversary. The two armies thus stood opposite each other in a stalemate, each looking for a weakness and neither willing to engage prematurely.

        Because the two armies were in a standoff, the Philistines hoped to gain the advantage through single combat by a champion. As told in Homer’s The Iliad, the Greeks and Trojans before the gates of Troy were also in a prolonged standoff, and they, too, practiced single combat by champion. Heroes such as Achilles, Hector, Aeneas, Ajax, and Odysseus would not march in ranks of battle lines but would go forth to engage each other in one-on-one combat. No single combat decided the war, but the loss of a champion was devastating to his side, as when the Greek Achilles slew the Trojan Hector. Although The Iliad is a literary tale, it probably reflects the reality of warfare as waged by people around the Aegean Sea area in about 1000 B.C. The Philistines seem to have come from this area, and their military ethos was similar to what we see in Homeric kings and warriors. 

        The Philistines had one particular warrior, Goliath, whom they considered unbeatable. He was a large man even by our standards. To the average Israelite he would have seemed truly enormous, since ancient people were generally much shorter than people today. No single man in the Israelite army could match Goliath, and thus the challenge he issued went unanswered for days.

        The standoff was near Socoh, in southwestern Judah. Socoh was about 12 miles west of Bethlehem as the crow flies, but traversing the hill country would have made it a considerably longer journey. It would have taken David at least a full day to get from his home to the Israelite camp.

        We do not know how old David was at this time. Since he had already fought against lions and bears, he was certainly not a small boy. The standard age at which an Israelite man was eligible for military service was twenty, as illustrated in Numbers 1:3. David was probably not yet of military age.

II. EXPLORE THE TEXT

A. Confidence in God (1 Sam. 17:32-37)

        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.” ³⁴ But 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 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.” 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!”

        Verses 26-31 tell us that David went around the camp inquiring about Goliath’s challenge and voicing his irritation that no one had stood up to the Philistine champion. Goliath had been mocking the armies of the living God, and more was at stake than national pride. David thought it necessary to silence this blasphemer and show that the true God, the Maker of heaven and earth, was Yahweh, the God of Israel. For David, faith in God required that Israel put forth a warrior to show that they were sure He was watching over them. David gave his thoughts on the matter repeatedly and forthrightly. For his brother Eliab, this was insulting. It was as if David were calling him and all the other soldiers cowards (v. 28). But many of the troops were impressed by David’s confidence, and he probably raised the morale of quite a few of them. Eventually, discussion in the ranks about this young man from Bethlehem reached Saul’s ears. Desperate to find a way out of this impasse, the king was willing to give David a hearing. David’s courage had made for a refreshing change of attitude after days of fear and paralysis in the Israelite camp. Verses 32-37 tell us what the marks of godly confidence are.

Verse 32

        First, David gave thought to the needs of his people and not just to his own needs and desires. David said, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him.” He did not say, “I’ll go out and gain glory for myself by killing that giant!” Personal prestige and renown were in fact extremely important to warriors of this era. But David began by stating that the reason he was willing to go fight Goliath was that he did not want the morale of the Israelite army to break.

        Second, David volunteered to deal with Goliath personally, saying, “Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” He did not claim that he had faith in God and then ask for someone else to go fight the battle.

VerseS 33-37

        Third, David listened to an argument against his proposal and gave a reasonable answer. Saul said, “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.” David did not reply, “Hey! Don’t you have faith in God?” He did not pout that he was being ill-treated because of his age. He gave a sensible answer based on how he had approached dangerous enemies in the past with God’s help.

        Saul questioned David’s experience in battle. How could David’s lack of battle experience have been a disadvantage? How could it have been an advantage?

        Fourth, although David’s confidence was in God, he also had evidence for his faith based on his personal history. He had killed large and dangerous carnivores—lions and bears—while tending sheep. These episodes demonstrated his courage, his skill with weapons, and his agility. Faith in God is not contradicted by employment of human skills. Nor is it wrong for someone who is gifted by God for certain tasks to also train and develop the skills relevant to those tasks. That is why those who are called to the ministry should train by studying theology, biblical languages, preaching, counseling, and other related skills. Developing one’s knowledge is not opposed to reliance upon God. In Psalm 18:34, David said, “He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.” David affirmed that ultimately it was God who gave him his military prowess, but he also asserted that he had those skills and that proper use of them involved practice. The evidence of David’s accomplishments against wild animals supported his confidence in God but did not replace it.

        Fifth, David reiterated what was at stake: the claim of Israel to be the people of God. He told Saul that Goliath had defied the armies of the living God. David reminded Saul that this was an intolerable situation and called on him to do his duty by letting David fight.

        Sixth, David forthrightly declared that God, and not his own martial prowess, was the source of his confidence: “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.” As the final point of his argument, David claimed that God, not his own proficiency, would save him. David showed maturity and balance here. He was an accomplished fighter, but he also acknowledged that ultimately victory comes from God.

        How do David’s six declarations in verses 32-37 help us to understand what it means to walk by faith?

B. False Confidence in HImself (1 Sam. 17:42-44)

        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?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ 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.”

Verse 42

        Verse 42 gives us three reasons that Goliath despised David. First, he was but a youth. This does not mean that Goliath was many years older than David. He was almost certainly in the prime of life, since he was chosen as champion. Perhaps he was about 30 years old. We should think of how, in many schools, especially military academies and the like, upperclassmen look down on freshmen even though the freshmen may be only a year younger than themselves. This is not a particularly mature attitude, and it is a false basis for confidence.

        Second, David was ruddy. This literally means “reddish,” and perhaps implies that he had a deep tan. It may be that his coloration marked him as someone who spent all day out watching the sheep. Curiously, the woman of Song of Solomon makes a related comment, complaining that the other women looked down on her because of her dark complexion, something she got while working in the vineyards (Song of Sol. 1:6). Perhaps it was obvious to Goliath that David was by profession a shepherd and not a warrior.

        Third, Goliath despised David because he was handsome. He perhaps took David for a pampered, pretty boy who was unprepared for the grim work of a soldier.

Verses 43-44

        All of Goliath’s reasons for despising David and for his confidence that David posed no threat were superficial. He had no idea what David had really done during his life, and he had no reason to suppose that David was not up for a fight. He should have been suspicious and cautious, knowing that someone who approached him as David did would fight in an unconventional manner. Had David approached in full armor and with sword in hand, prepared to go toe-to-toe with Goliath, the Philistine would have known exactly how to deal with him. But David’s approach to the battle was altogether unexpected, and Goliath should have known that something was not right. In his arrogance, he did not. He saw David’s staff and foolishly assumed that David meant to fight him with sticks. He cursed David because he thought it was an insult that Israel had sent him such a ridiculous opponent.

        We often think of how lack of faith in God makes us fearful and how faith gives us courage, and that is true. But there is another side to it. People who do not trust God may be arrogantly reckless, because they have far too much faith in themselves. Trusting God also makes us aware that life is not in our control. God-fearers are aware of their own limitations and will not assume that they are better than everyone else. Humility enables us to assess a situation accurately. Counterintuitively, faith in God can make a person more circumspect and less reckless.

        In reality, the advantage in combat was not altogether on Goliath’s side. He was dressed as a heavy infantryman, with full body armor, a large shield, and a long spear (vv. 4-7). The shield was so large that a servant carried it ahead of him to the fight, but in the battle itself, Goliath would have to manage the shield on top of the weight and encumbrance of everything else.

        David, by contrast, was going out as a skirmisher. These were light infantry who wore either no armor or very light armor, who may have carried no sword and no shield (or a very small sword or lightweight shield), and whose main weapons were projectiles (javelins, arrows, or stones from slings). Later in his military career, David had a sizable contingent of such skirmishers drawn from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Chron. 12:1-2).

        Unlike the heavy infantry, the skirmishers did not line up in closed ranks. Their success depended on maneuverability. They would fire their weapons and retreat, remaining fleet of foot to keep themselves from harm while inflicting damage on the enemy. When David refused to take Saul’s armor and sword, we should not imagine him as a small boy who was swallowed up by the size and bulk of a grown man’s gear. He was no doubt large enough to wear the armor. But wearing it contradicted his purpose, which was to remain nimble while launching stones (a lethal form of attack) at his opponent. When David said he could not move in Saul’s armor, he did not mean that he was utterly immobile. But the armor did rob him of the agility that he needed.

        If David had lacked confidence as he went into battle, then he would have grabbed every weapon and every bit of armor he could get his hands on. But because he had faith in God, he chose wisely. Once again, faith in God is not opposed to skill, discernment, or a cool-headed assessment of the situation. To the contrary, faith enabled David to exercise those traits to the fullest.

        How can excessive confidence in our skills or assets undermine our faith in God? What characterizes presumption, as opposed to walking in faith? How can faith enable us to make the most of our skills and assets?

C. God’s Victory (1 Sam. 17:45-50)

        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 you have 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 Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.” 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. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.

        Like two athletes in a bitter rivalry, Goliath and David began their combat with trash talk, a way of seeking a psychological advantage by putting doubt into the heart of the opposition. The text gives us only a brief summary of Goliath’s taunt: he would kill David and feed his flesh to the wild animals (v. 44). Verses 45-47 give us a much more complete account of what David said.

Verses 45-50

        David, too, said he would kill his adversary and give his body to the wild animals, but he actually made a much larger claim: 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. He threatened to turn the entire Philistine army, and not just Goliath personally, into a feast for the birds and beasts. Remarkably, though, everything David predicted came about. The reasons that David’s boasts became historical facts are found within his speech.

        First, David was not relying on weapons and human strength: 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. It is of course true that David did not go into combat weaponless, and faith did not demand that he fight Goliath barehanded. But the actual source of his confidence was not his weapons but God.

        Second, he said, all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. David did not enter the battle to prove that he was a mighty warrior and to gain fame. He wanted everyone present to know that victory comes from God. He not only gave glory to God; he also set an example of faith and action for every man in the army. As Israel gained further victories, the nation would be more secure and God would get more praise and honor. David became that day not just a champion but a teacher and leader of his people.

        Third, David summarized his beliefs with the simple axiom, the battle is the Lord’s. This is not a claim that those who are on the Lord’s side always win, although David was sure he would win this time. Rather, it asserts that win or lose, the believer can always go into conflict knowing that all things are in God’s hands. Ultimately, faith is a matter of doing the right thing when confronting a severe trial. That is the essence of courage. Faith does not proceed on the expectation that the believer can never be beaten. Rather, our faith tells us that God will determine the outcome and will in the end be glorified.

        David could have gone into the fight without answering Goliath at all. Why does the Bible tell us about David’s answer? Why is it important to vocalize our faith—especially when we are taking a risk—instead of just believing in our hearts?

        With a stone, a sling, and a faithful servant, God delivered His people. God used David, who in appearance was weak and insignificant, to win victory on behalf of his people. This account ultimately points us to Jesus, the representative leader of His people. Jesus faced and defeated the giants of sin and death on our behalf. On the cross, He delivered us from an enemy we were powerless to defeat. 

KEY DOCTRINE

The Kingdom

        The Kingdom of God includes both His general sovereignty over the universe and His particular kingship over men who willfully acknowledge Him as King.

BIBLE SKILL

Compare and contrast passages with related themes.

        Read Luke 2:41-50 and Luke 4:1-13, identifying actions that prepared Jesus as a leader. Compare these actions to the actions taken by David to prepare to be a leader. What is unique? What is similar? What role did their relationship with the Father play in their preparation?