DAVID AND GOLIATH: THE SPIRIT OF FAITH AND THE SPIRIT OF FEAR – CHAPTER 14

THE FINAL TEST OF THE CHURCH, 

AND THE SECOND COMING

01-16-05

Sorry, you must have Windows Media Player 9 or higher.

BUT FIRST, A BRIEF REVIEW FROM LAST WEEK

(1 Sam 17:14-16)  And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul [symbolic of denominations; also connotative of the false trinity]. But David [anointed in 1 Sam 16:13] went and returned [withdrew] from Saul [un-anointed in 1 Sam 16:14] to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. And the [uncircumcised] Philistine drew near morning and evening [to defile, to distract Israelite thoughts from the daily 9am morning sacrifice and the daily 3pm evening sacrifice], and presented himself [yatsab, yaw-tsab': “in the tabernacle” Deut 31:14; “before God” Josh 24:1; “before the LORD” Job 1:6] forty days [symbol of testing – of the church]. 

THE FINAL TEST OF THE CHURCH OCCURS IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH,

IN THE VALLEY OF THE TREE, IN THE VALLEY OF DECISION, IN THE VALLEY OF THE CROSS

(1 Sam 17:17-19)  And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah [a measure of grain] of this parched corn [roasted ears of grain (wheat)], and these ten loaves [of bread], and run to the camp to thy brethren; And carry these ten cheeses [incise (Dict: to cut into); cheese /// to point sharply; to be alert] unto the captain [head person] of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge. Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting [shouting, taunting] with the Philistines.

1.       Elah = Heb: an oak or other strong tree:--elm, oak, teil tree.

2.       (Acts 5:30)  The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. [5x NT]

3.       (Joel 3:14)  Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

4.       (2 Tim 2:15)  Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [to make a straight cut, (fig.) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message)] the word of truth.

5.       pledge = Heb: in the sense of a bargain or exchange; something given as security: pledge, surety.

6.       Matthew Henry’s Commentary: And he must take their pledge, that is, if they had pawned any thing, he must redeem it.

THE SECOND COMING

THE SENT ONE ARRIVES (RETURNS) TO THE BATTLE

(1 Sam 17:20-22)  And David rose up early in the morning [i.e. the sun; ref. v.15], and left the sheep with a keeper [shamar; to hedge about, guard, protect], and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array [in battle formation], army against army. And David left his carriage [Dict: a wheeled vehicle. (Gen 45:19)] in the hand [power] of the keeper [shamar] of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 

(1 Sam 17:23-27)  And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion [the representative of the people], the [uncircumcised] Philistine [rolling, migratory /// to roll (in dust): roll (wallow) [in] self] of Gath [winepress], Goliath [exile; to denude disgracefully, expose, reveal, uncover] by name, out of the armies of the Philistines [“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea”Rev 13:1], and spake according to the same words: and David heard them [to hear intelligently: discern, understand]. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said [to each other], Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel [he will rule as God] is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king [Saul] will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free [no taxes, no military conscription] in Israel. And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

1.       (1 Sam 17:11)  When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed [to prostrate; to break down, either (lit.) by violence, or (fig.) by confusion and fear], and greatly afraid.

2.       to defy Israel = Heb: to pull off, i.e. to expose (as by stripping); spec. to betroth (as if a surrender); fig. to carp at, i.e. defame; to spend the winter:--betroth, blaspheme, defy, rail, reproach, upbraid.

“I KNOW THY PRIDE”

ULTIMATELY, ALL BATTLES, LARGE AND SMALL, ARE ABOUT PRIDE

(1 Sam 17:28-31)  And Eliab his eldest brother [a position of great authority over David] heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David [why?], and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness [badness, wickedness] of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle [for he was obviously too young and small to fight].

Amen