11 Oct Sermon Recap | The Life of David | David & Goliath
We will all face battles in our lives, but how we approach each battle reflects what we believe about God. Do we believe that God is sovereign and fully engaged in our circumstances, no matter what the outcome is? In 1 Samuel 17, David faces a seemingly impossible situation, but he approaches the battle with unwavering trust in the living, sovereign God to carry out His plans for His glory. David identifies what God is doing and comes underneath His plans instead pulling God into his own personal agenda. We are called to trust that God has prepared us for whatever battles we are up against, knowing that we have the living, sovereign God on our side.
Scripture References
1. God uses David’s time in the field to prepare him for his future. He went to battle for years in the fields protecting his family’s livestock which prepared him for his battle with Goliath. When you look back on your life, can you see how God has prepared you for things you are facing now? How can you leverage your unique skill sets and abilities to advance the kingdom of God?
2. David immediately volunteers himself to fight, while Saul fearfully sits back in self-protection. Saul is more concerned about himself than serving God’s people. Although he has signed up to be king, to lead the nation, he’s unwilling to make sacrifices. When we sign up to serve and give our lives to the Lord, do we have strings attached? Or will we go wherever God calls us, no matter what we may have to sacrifice?
3. Just like Goliath, we will face giants we have to battle in this world. When you encounter battles in your life, how do you respond? Do you hide or do you tend to fight in your own strength? What do you think this says about how you view God’s sovereignty?
4. The circumstances in 1 Samuel 17 are about both David’s skills and a sovereign God who is going to execute His plan. You can’t separate these ideas. There is both work we have to do and work God is doing. Do you tend to sit back and shrug off responsibility because God is in control? Or do you find yourself trying to work too hard to make things happen instead of trusting God? How do you find a balance between relying on yourself and trusting God to see you through?
5. David had no idea what the outcome would be to this situation, but he moved toward it with strength and confidence in God. Would you be able to move into an impossible situation simply because you trust in a sovereign, living God?
Thoughts to Consider
-David has a robust theological framework—he understands that God is living, sovereign, and fully engaged in the circumstances of the world. He isn’t afraid of Goliath, an outsider to the nation of Israel, who doesn’t have God on his side.
-Eliab’s accusations towards David reveal the feelings of envy we can experience when God is doing something in someone else’s life.When we feel that envy, we are driven by the belief that God has not been kind to us, and saying, “God, what you are doing in me isn’t enough.”
-Through his unwavering trust in God, we see that David is aware of another deeper reality. Rather than looking to a worldly view of the situation, he stays focused on the realities of God — our sovereign Defender.
-This passage is not about dreams coming true. There are giants that we will face that God does give us victory over. However, we are not guaranteed what we might think of as a victory. In fact, we are guaranteed that corruption is not going away— at work, in relationships, in health, etc. We are simply guaranteed that God has ultimately conquered death, and that is the victory we hope for and live under.
-We do not always know how everything is going to turn out— we just know that God wants us to be faithful, engage the skills He has given us, and embrace challenges.
-All of God’s battles are anti-climactic. There are no equal and opposite forces fighting when a force is up against the Living God.
-When you are doing what God has called you to do and fleeing to the battle, you might be lonely. It doesn’t just feel lonely, it is lonely; just as lonely as Jesus going to the cross for us.
