DAVID AND GOLIATH

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 21, 1895

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 46.

DAVID AND GOLIATH

“If any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God.”—John 7:17.

Lesson X.—Sunday, December 8, 1895.

DAVID AND GOLIATH.

38. And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

39. And David girded his sword upon his armor, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I can not go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

40. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand; and he drew near to the Philistine.

41. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

42. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

43. 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.

44. 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.

45. 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 defied.

46. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls 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 all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.

48. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

51. Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Golden Text: “The battle is the Lord’s.” Verse 47.

NOTE.—The place of this lesson is the valley of Elah, near Shochoh, about fifteen miles southwest of Jerusalem. Near the upper end of the narrow valley the armies of Israel and the Philistines were encamped, the former on the slopes of the northern ridge, the latter on the southern. In the midst of the valley ran the river in a narrow but deep ravine, into and across which neither side dared venture, as the opposing force would thus have the advantage. Here for forty days Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, paraded, and taunted and challenged to single combat any in the Israelitish army, as fully set forth in the early portion of the chapter under consideration. David at this point appears on the scene with a message from his father to his three oldest brothers, who were with the army, hears the boastful words of the giant, is made acquainted with the events of the past few weeks, rebukes the men of the army, and is brought before Saul, when he proposes himself to fight the Philistines. When reminded that he is but a youth, without experience, he relates his victories over the lion and the bear, attributing his success to the Lord, who he confidently affirms will help on the present occasion. Saul answers, “Go, and the Lord be with thee.” The time is probably not long after the events of the previous lesson.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) How did Saul prepare David for the conflict? Verse 38. Note 1. (2) What was the outcome of this arming? Verse 39. Note 2. (3) How did David prepare to meet the enemy? Verse 40. Note 3. (4) As he approached the Philistine, what did the latter do? Verse 41. (5) How did the giant regard David? Verse 42. (6) What did he say? Verse 43. (7) With what words did he taunt him? Verse 44. (8) What reply did David make? Verse 45. Note 4. (9) With what confident language did David foretell the result of the fight? Verse 46. (10) For what grand purpose did he say the Lord would work? Last clause verse 46, and verse 47. Note 5. (11) How did the conflict begin? Verse 48. (12) What was the result of David’s attack? Verse 49. (13) How did he complete his victory? Verse 51. (14) What was the final result? Same verse. See also following verses.

NOTES.

1. And Saul armed David.—The margin reads, “clothed David with his clothes.” This doubtless conveys the proper idea, that is, proper clothing was given him upon which the coat of mail and helmet might rest, instead of upon his light and unsuitable shepherd’s raiment. See Revised Version.

2. I have not proved them.—In deference to the king, David put on the armor and “assayed to go.” But his training had not made him familiar with the use of such equipments, and the consequence was he was hampered by them, and put them off. But this did not signify that he had no preparation. As a shepherd he had constantly to defend his flock from the attacks of wild beasts of prey and the fiercer attacks of robbers. He had the reputation of being a “mighty valiant man, and a man of war” (1 Sam. 16: 18), and in the use of the sling, a really formidable weapon in skilled hands, and one in common use in those times, he was an adept. Moreover, he was agile and swift of foot and could easily keep out of the reach of the heavily-armored giant, while being able to dodge a javelin or spear in its flight. So from a human standpoint his method of attack was calculated to be the most successful. Added to the feasibility of the plan was perfect familiarity with the weapons used. They had been proved.

3. He took his staff, etc.—The staff was the ordinary shepherd’s crook. Smooth stones were chosen as the best adapted to accurate throwing. The bag, or scrip, was a small leathern wallet in which food and various small articles were carried.

4. The Philistine.—Goliath doubtless presented a terrifying appearance, sufficient to daunt the courage of the strongest warriors. In height he was “six cubits and a span” (verse 4), or about nine and one-half feet. He had a helmet of brass, a coat of brass, and brass greaves on his legs, and a brazen javelin hung between his shoulders on his back. His coat, which was probably made of plates or scales overlapping each other, weighed 5,000 shekels, estimated at 157 pounds avoirdupois, while his spearhead alone weighed 19 pounds. But the Spirit of the Lord was upon the shepherd youth, and the consciousness of divine help dispelled all fear.

5. The battle is the Lord’s.—To the taunts of the giant Philistine and his cursings, calling upon his gods or idols, which were less than nothing, David replied that he came in the name of the Lord of hosts, who was the one really defied. It was apparent that faith in God was well-nigh dead in the army of Israel, whose king was possessed of an unquiet, or evil spirit. Hence the Lord used his humble servant, David, with the simplest weapons so far as battles were concerned, to put to rout the mighty, and to proclaim to “all the earth” that there is a God in Israel. Again the Lord showed them, as he had so often done before, that he saves “not with sword and spear.” “Not by army [margin], nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Zech. 4: 6. So it is in all the battles with all the Goliaths of sin and temptation and trouble. Let them be never so gigantic and seemingly overpowering, their overthrow is sure and certain by the help of the Spirit of the Lord. There are weapons, too, for the Christian to use,—the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, which are able to “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” These are weapons in the use of which every Christian must be skilled, for he can not fight with the weapons of the world in the spiritual warfare.