*Both the King James Version (KJV) and New International Translation (NIV) are used. The King James Version of the bible is known to be a faithful translation of the original languages of the bible that accurately conveys the meaning behind those words and events. It is known to be more scholarly than any of its predecessors. The New International Translation is known as an accurate translation of the Bible to that allows clear readability for a English-speaking audience.
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Background
The well known story of David and Goliath is packed with many important lessons that are imperative to understand and know through your walk with God. It teaches about faith, courage, triumph, and the overall faithfulness and sovereignty of God. These lessons will be based on the biblical story from 1 Samuel 17. Let us begin.
Biblical Lessons
- Lesson – Your humble beginnings prepares you for your purpose
David was the youngest out of all of his brothers. He was given the seemingly lowly task of shepherding his father’s sheep while his three older brothers were in the army with king Saul.
Outwardly looking in, one might believe that his brothers had a more prestigious job and calling over their lives. Even David’s own family did not think highly of his position. But David was exactly where God needed and ordained him to be.
When David was shepherding the flock, he would use his slingshot and stones to kill the bears and lions that would try to attack the flock.This is why he was confident when it was time to fight Goliath. Scripture says:
- 1 Samuel 17:34-26 (NIV): “34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God.”
When it was time to fight Goliath, everything David learned was about to be used for God’s glory. It was his training ground that would lead him into his calling to kill Goliath and then be the new king of Israel.
Thus, his humble beginnings as a shepherd was his training ground to prepare him for his purpose.
Overall, David recognized that his job was a training ground for such a time as this. The process he went through prepared him fully.
What was your training ground to take down your goliath?
- Lesson – The Power of Faith over Fear
Before we start, let us learn and go over what faith is. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Goliath was a giant from the philistine army and was consistently taunting the Israelite army to battle him.
- 1 Samuel 17:8 (NIV): “Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me.”
- 1 Samuel 17:11 (NIV): “On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.”
From these three verses, it is evident that the Israelites were terribly afraid of Goliath and feared him greatly. On the other hand, Goliath was extremely boastful and proud in his ability. The men heard and feared Goliath but they should have only believed in the word of God their deliverer.
Many times in scripture the LORD promises to protect, provide, and help his chosen people, the Israelites. Despite knowing this, the Israelites decided to choose fear over faith.
Nothing beneficial can ever occur from choosing fear because it makes people numb and unwilling to do the very thing they were supposed to act upon. Here we have an army that was supposed to fight a battle but fear caused them to remain hidden and ultimately become cowards.
- 1 Samuel 17:24 (NIV): “Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.The men feared because they heard what the enemy had to say and accepted it.”
When fear comes, it allows the enemy to step in your mind and it is no longer the spirit of God leading your thoughts. In that way, it is dimming the Holy Spirit in you because according to 2 Timothy 1:7, God graciously did not give of us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and self control.
So if someone allows fear in, they are giving it permission to rule and reign in their lives. It becomes a deciding factor of decisions that need to be made. And with fear, the decision that it causes people to choose are not the plans God would have for us.
For, fear is not of God but from the devil. And God gives good gifts according to Mathew 7:11, so if it is not from God, fear serves us no purpose. It should be cast out in the name of Jesus by the dominion and authority that God has given us on earth (Genesis 1:26; Luke 10:19). For scripture says:
- Genesis 1:26 (KJV): “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
- Luke 10:19 (NIV): “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
So scripture makes it very clear our abundant authority on earth. So why is everyone not walking with this power and trampling their enemy? They have accepted fear in their hearts and have become yoked with it.
According to Amos 3:3, two cannot walk together unless they agree. When we accept fear into our hearts and do not cast it out, then we agree with this ungodly spirit. For 2 Timothy 1:7 already let us know that,
- Fear is a spirit
- God did not give us this spirit of fear
- God gave us a sound mind
Nowadays, we have become so familiar with fear that we think it is okay to have, but God makes it clear that it never was from Him. Fear is meant to keep our minds and thoughts captive so we do not step out and do the plans and purposes God has for us.
According to Jeremiah 29:11, God stated “ For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future. The devil knows this as well and uses different tactics, fear being one of them, to prevent humans from ever obtaining all the good things God had planned for us.
However, David chose to have faith in God and not man. For the word of the Lord says in Hebrews 13:6 “The Lord is my help, I will not fear. What can man do unto me.” David understood that if God is for him, no one can be against him (Romans 8:31). Thus, he did not fear Goliath and set his mind on God.
When we set our mind on God and bring to remembrance what His word says about us, then we can have full assurance in Him. We know that He is for us, gives us every good gift, He is with us, and has given us authority on earth over our enemies.
David setting his mind on God and having faith pleased God because the word of God says in Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
Through having undeniably faith in Him, God rewarded him by giving him supernatural victory to defeat a giant.
What an army of fearful men could not do, one man of faith in God did.
Powerful.
- Lesson – Know your true identity in God
Another important lesson from this story is that David knew his identity in God. He was confident to step into battle against Goliath because of this assurance.
Earlier, we saw the crippling effect of fear amongst the Israelite army.
However, when you know your identity in Christ, all of that changes. When you know who you were called to be in Jesus Christ, you stand on a firm foundation. When you declare whose you are, the situation shifts.
And this is everything that David did. Goliath identified the army as men of Saul. These men did not know their identity in Christ, though they were Israelites, who were God’s own selected people.
The bible says in Deuteronomy 7:6 that the Israelites “…are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.”
They did not rely on this truth of who God said they are.
Since they did not stand firm in their identity in God, the enemy was able to instill a spirit of fear within them. And we know that fear is not from the almighty God.
But David had the spirit of God from dwelling in His presence. He knew who God was and what God said concerning Him. He understood the faithfulness, sovereignty, and goodness of God.
So when he heard the defiance from Goliath, he did not receive it. David remained firm in what God said and had the boldness that came with the Holy spirit to confront the giant.
Again, this is a result of trusting in the Lord. For God did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. This is our identity. These are the fruits that we should be displaying daily from our walk with Christ.
Thus, through faith in the word of God, David was equipped with all three of these gifts from God to defeat Goliath. He had the love of God, the power of God, and the sound mind of God in this battle. The Israelites did not because they accepted fear instead.
The word of God says in Matthew 6:24 “no one can serve two masters,” meaning you cannot choose fear and expect every good thing that God promised you.
This is not to say that the temptation of fear does not come. We are humans and of course that feeling may present itself. However, we are to exercise our God given authority and rebuke that spirit in the name of Jesus Christ and choose to have faith instead.
Continuing in the story, in 1 Samuel 17:26 “David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
This shows that David knew his identity. He knew who He belonged to and boldly proclaimed his faith. He knew who and whose he was. He was chosen by God and created by God.
David even stood in the gap and proclaimed who all the Israelites were, though they did not. He said they are men from the armies of the living God.
In doing so, he rejected the lie of the enemy. He did not agree that they were men of saul like Goliath said. No, David declared who they truly are – armies of the living God. Not any ordinary God. THE LIVING GOD. The God who is alive and hears. Not the gods (idol statues) the Philistine served. No, David declared boldly that his God is alive and He is to be revered for He is great. No one shall defy His holy name. David understood this truth.
And my God when you declare the truth of God, a shift happens. The spirit of fear had no room to be near David, which allowed the presence of God to come. For God’s word says, “Wherever my name is recorded, I will come and bless it” (Exodus 20:24). And that is exactly what David did. He recorded the name of God in the battle ground as “THE LIVING GOD.” God fulfilled his promise by coming and blessing David with victory.
Thus, David understood his identity in God. And why? Because He dwelled in the secret place with God all this time. He wrote in Psalms 91:
- Psalms 91:1-2 (NIV): “1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
He was dwelling in the presence of God. While David was spending time with Him, he got to develop an intimate relationship with God and know Him. It is why David was able to write as many Psalms as He did and was chosen by God himself to be the next King of Israel. He developed a real relationship with God through his faith.In doing so, David learned his profound identity in God.
Overall, David knew his true identity and that’s why he had bold faith and authority. He said they are the armies of the living God and not men of Saul.
Application
Throughout our personal journey and walk with God, we should apply these same principles.
It may seem hard sometimes but from this story, we see the fruit of relying on God and putting our trust in Him. He is the rock that we stand on even when others doubt or the situation seems too big.
Applying it is simply making the conscious decision to trust God and believing Him at His word. That means we have to spend time in the bible to learn our purpose in God and see how He has been shaping us all along for where we are called.
It means consciously choosing faith though feelings of fear may start to arise.
And it means learning our identity in Christ by meditating on scriptures that reveal these powerful truths to us.
We need to remember that though the enemy may seem big like Golaith was, we have a bigger God. Again I remind you “If God be for you, WHO can be against you? No one. No one can be against you.
He will fulfill the purposes and plans He has for you because He promised it. What is our part in Him doing so? Following his commandments and simply having faith in Him to do so. He will see this and reward us for it.
Our God is faithful.
Conclusion
Overall, these are the three lessons from the inspiring story of David and Goliath. It shows the importance of embracing our humble beginnings, choosing faith over fear, and knowing our identity in God.
The same God who showed himself to be faithful for David and gave him victory over his enemies, will do the same for us.
When we apply these principles, we see God is faithful to give us the victory over our enemies, as he did with David.
Trust in the Lord.
Blessing
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 (NLT)
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Prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for allowing me to learn more about your word. I praise you because you are faithful to your servants and will help them defeat their enemies. Lord, I pray for the strength to trust in you when fear comes in and rely on you for all my needs.
I pray for your help to continually read the word of God to learn my identity in you. In doing so, I know I will be equipped to stand firm in my faith as David did. Thank you Lord for allowing me to find this word for a time such as this in my life.
I trust that nothing is ever a coincidence in my life and you are working out all things for my good according to your word in Romans 8:28.
I pray that you use this word to inspire me to dwell in your presence through the word of God and develop a greater relationship and intimacy with you. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.
