1 Samuel 17:1-58: A Tale of Two Kings

1 Samuel 17:1-58: A Tale of Two Kings

We’ve been working our way passage by passage through the book of 1 Samuel, and today the next passage we come to is 1 Samuel 17:1-52. Hear now the words of the Living and True God:

¹ Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim…  ⁴ And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span…. ⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”… ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid…²⁶ And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” … ³¹ When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 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!” … ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine… 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.” 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.”… 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… ⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.

May God bless the reading of his Word.

This is one of the more well-known Bible stories, even outside Christian circles, yet sadly this text is often mishandled and misapplied in modern preaching. Working its way into Pop-Culture, references abound to “David and Goliath” types of struggles, whether in reference to sport’s teams outmatching each other, combat sports like MMA or boxing, or any other circumstance where one would expect the bigger or better entity to come out victorious over the lesser. Here at least, non-Christian’s usage of the story rightly acknowledges the size difference the Bible describes.

Where modern preaching can miss the mark, however, is in a man-centered interpretation that rushes too quickly to insert the listener into the narrative as David, rushing into battle.

“Have the faith of David and you too can slay all the giants in your life (like anxiety, financial instability, sickness, etc.)

Or this post online: “They told little David that Goliath was too big to fight. He said, ‘No, he’s too big to miss. Give me some rocks! – When warriors dream, giants die.”

Aside from missing the main point of the passage, the problem with these sorts of man-centered interpretations, encouraging people to look to themselves and start “slinging stones at their giants”, is what happens if you miss? What happens when you miss?

I would contend that besides being a potentially crushing and burdensome way to view this passage (taking our eyes off of the deliverance that God works and placing our attention on self), this is not how the original audience would have understood such a text. Main Point – The people of God need Him to raise up a deliverer to defeat their enemies on their behalf. 

With that being said I would like for us to examine this story in two primary ways today.

#1.) We will seek to understand how the original audience would have understood this text. It is presented as A tale of two kings / A battle of champions. In unpacking this, I would like to explore the significance of these events in light of the previously recorded Scriptures and promises of God.

#2.) Secondly, how should we as Christians specifically understand this passage. When I say, “specifically as Christians”, I mean in light of the completion of the Scriptures and the coming of Christ. Essentially our aim is to secure a Christo-centric or Christ-centered interpretation of this passage (being the paradigm whereby Jesus understood all of the OT Scriptures – as seen in Luke 24).

#3.) From there, I would like to offer some concluding application and exhortation.

In light of the flow of 1 Samuel, and read in light of the Genesis 3 “promised seed”, how would the original audience have understood the events of this text?

So far in 1 Samuel, we have seen the ongoing story of God’s people being harassed by their enemies and the unfolding of their pursuit of a king to defend them and fight their battles. While they desired “a king like the nations” (1 Sam. 8:19-20), God had determined to raise up a king for his people, “a man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14).

Our text today presents not only a story of a battle between two champions over the fate of God’s people, but also a tale of two kings – one selfish and seeking to preserve his own life, the other faithful to the Lord and willing to lay down his life for his people if necessary.

Looking to verses 8-11:

⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

We see the issue of a challenge from the enemy champion, one that will result in oppression, slavery, and death for Israel should they lose. Where we should have seen King Saul standing up for and in the place of his people, he too is cowering in fear.

In verses 31-37:

³¹ When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 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!”

We see God’s anointed king declaring that he will put his life on the line in defense of the Lord’s people – yet with a confidence that as the Lord has been with him in conflict in the past, He will preserve him and bring victory once again. 

As we have consistently seen with Saul (from hiding after his anointing – 1 Sam. 10:22, to hiding in a cave while Jonathan fought the enemy – 1 Sam. 14:2), rather than stand to defend the people of Israel, Saul is content to hide and run from his duties far too often. Being that he was chosen by the Israelites to fight their battles for them (1 Sam. 8), we would expect him to go forth and fight a battle of champions against Goliath.

The king was to serve as a representative for the people, defending them against their enemies. Yet, in this text, we see him behind the front-line offering rewards for the man who would slay the giant (1 Sam. 17:25).

And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel.”

Saul again proves himself to be a cowardly king who will not risk his own life to defend the people of God.

David, on the other hand, demonstrates himself to be a fearless king who is willing to risk his life to defend Israel – having been incensed by this Philistine and his defiance of the Living God (1 Sam. 17:26)

David illustrates exactly what a king was supposed to be for the people of God, a fearless leader who would face down death if necessary, to secure their deliverance and freedom. So, in reading this text in light of the larger book, David is depicted as a true king, a man after God’s heart who would defend and deliver his people.

But there is a deeper way to read this story in light of the prior promise of God to raise up a deliverer, a king who would rightly subdue the enemies of God’s people and take dominion. This view takes us out of 1 Samuel and looks back to prior Scripture.

In light of the initial Gospel promises made in Genesis 3, we see an expectation that God himself would raise up a savior, a seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head. While I wish we had more time to dive into the biblical imagery of this, we will have to simply summarize.

Adam, in the garden is described in kingly language – one given dominion by God to subdue the beasts of the earth, protecting God’s people and defending the holiness of God. When the serpent enters the garden and begins to sow doubts as to God’s goodness and his word – Adam, as king, should have crushed his head then and there. But he did not – and this would result in bringing destruction to God’s people as well as the slavery of sin and death. In response to this, God make the first promise of the Gospel (Gen. 3:15):

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

Enter David. The new Adam figure in the biblical storyline that is anointed as King (chosen by God in Ch. 16)– given the charge to protect God’s people, defending them and liberating them from the oppressive slavery of the enemy.

In his defense of his abilities to Saul, David makes specific mention of how he has defended his father’s flocks by taking dominion over the various beasts that threatened them (1 Sam. 17:34-37). He is confident that as God had gone before him in those conflicts, he would again cause David to prevail over this much greater beastly figure.

I believe these details are being intentionally included by the author – they are describing David in a way that emphasizes the prior promises of God.

One more particular note that would not have been lost on the original audience and in this same vein of thought, has to deal with how Goliath is described in the Hebrew text. He is described as wearing a coat of mail – but the term used in Hebrew indicates a coat of “scales” and is actually a different word than used to describe Saul’s armor, he offers to David. (v.5 & v.38 – Despite our English Bibles rendering the words in the same way)

V.5 - Kaskasim – a word only used elsewhere in the Bible to describe scaled animals (Leviticus) and picked up by later prophets to describe Pharoah, as a dragon/serpent. (Warn about prophetic language & listen for specifics) Ezekiel 29:3-6

³ Speak, and say, Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh king of Egypt, the great dragon that lies in the midst of his streams, that says, ‘My Nile is my own; I made it for myself.’ ⁴ I will put hooks in your jaws, and make the fish of your streams stick to your scales; and I will draw you up out of the midst of your streams, with all the fish of your streams that stick to your scales. 5 And I will cast you out into the wilderness, you and all the fish of your streams; you shall fall on the open field, and not be brought together or gathered. To the beasts of the earth and to the birds of the heavens I give you as food. 6 Then all the inhabitants of Egypt shall know that I am the Lord. “Because you have been a staff of reed to the house of Israel,

 In drawing from the text in Ezekiel, we can see connections made between Pharaoh and the serpent, and the Lord delivering his people from their foe – even utilizing language similar to that of David in his challenge to Goliath (1 Samuel 17:46-47).

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. 

The image that is being offered forth here is of God’s anointed king going into battle against the serpent – and subsequently crushing his head. • Which is exactly what David does – 1 Samuel 17:48-50:

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.

 God delivers David from this serpent-like foe, just as he had delivered him from beasts in the past (emphasis of v. 50b)

I would put forth that this story is less about the little guy beating a larger foe, but about God’s anointed taking steps to act out the promised deliverance from and defeat of the serpent. This interpretation puts David squarely in the biblical storyline as a type or picture of the anointed deliverer that God would ultimately raise up to free his people from the threat of greater slavery and death and fulfill his Genesis 3 promises.

But we know that the biblical storyline doesn’t end with David. Like all other men born from the line of Adam, David is born a sinner and will eventually fall into the sinful rebellion and pattern of Adam.

So, how should we as Christians approach a text like this, in light of the completed Scriptures and the coming of Christ?

I think that it is important to acknowledge the imagery of the anointed one of God crushing the serpent’s head, but with the expectation that David is to point further ahead to a coming anointed one or Messiah, who will fully and finally defeat THE serpent. In our story of two kings, we can also see how this passage points to the need of God’s people for not just a good king, but a greater one. Jesus can be seen as this greater deliverer in 3 ways:

#1.) Jesus makes the greater sacrifice - While David was willing to stand as the champion of God’s people and even risk his life in their defense, Jesus actually does lay his life down – willing to lay down his life for his sheep, that he might deliver them from the power of death and the evil one.

#2.) Jesus is a greater champion - What David did in the battle of champions served in a “representative capacity” for Israel. As stated in Goliath’s terms in v.9, what David would accomplish had direct benefits even for those who were cowering behind the line of battle. One individual was able to stand in the place of the many. Christ does an even greater work. He hangs on the cross, as a representative of his people, both Jew and Gentile, enduring the full wrath of God’s judgement on sin. As David’s victory led to Israel’s deliverance from the enemy army, Jesus provides for his people deliverance from God’s wrath – not just for one army or nation, but for an innumerable multitude from every tribe, nation, and tongue!

#3.) Jesus works the greater deliverance - David delivered his people from physical death and slavery at the hands of the Philistines. By defeating the enemy champion he secured victory, even turning the enemy’s weapon back upon his own head (v.51). Jesus, in his death and resurrection, defeated sin, death, and Satan, breaking the chains of slavery to sin, removing the sting of death, and fulfilling the ancient promise of Genesis 3 by crushing the serpent’s head with his own weapon of death. In a beautiful, poetic note of irony – the cross as an instrument of fear and death, is turned back upon Satan and becomes the instrument by which God’s people receive their great spiritual deliverance.

Seeing Christ as the greater purpose of this text, how then can we seek to make application? Rather than inserting ourselves into the text as David – we can rightly view ourselves in the place of the Israelites. Desperately needing a champion to fight on their behalf, the Israelite army does come into the storyline again, after Goliath has been defeated. With the death of their champion, the Philistines flee the battle and are pursued by the armies of God (1 Sam. 17:51-53).

⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. ⁵² And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.

I would contend that this shows us the proper response to the victory of our champion, Jesus, in our own lives. While Israel had physical enemies to face, our enemies are the sins and desires that still seek a foothold in our hearts. As the apostle says, we do not war against flesh and blood, or with carnal weapons. As he has broken the power and dominion of sin – believer, you are now called to make war against these sins and temptations you face in daily life.

Just as the Israelites were able to make war against the armies of the Philistines once David had defeated their champion, resting in the victory accomplished to Christ, his spirit now empowers you to resist and fight against sin. – Titus 2:11-14

¹¹ For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us      from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

As the Israelites pursued the Philistines, we are to pursue a life of spirit empowered repentance that puts to flight the passions of ungodliness and sin. – Ephesians 4:17-24

¹⁷ Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸ They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. ¹⁹ They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰ But that is not the way you learned Christ!— ²¹ assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²² to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³ and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Trust and know that victory is only found in Jesus, but he now calls all of his disciples to seek to put to death the sin and fleshly desires that still remain – To war against sin, in light of Christ and to overcome by the power and presence of God’s Spirit within you!