«　WEEK 6　DAY 1　»

　　1 Sam. 17:45-47 Then David said to the Philistine,…I come to you in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. On this day Jehovah will deliver you up into my hand…. And all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel; and all this congregation will know that it is not by sword or spear that Jehovah saves, for the battle is Jehovah’s…

　　In 1 Samuel 17 David was tested and approved in trusting God and defeating Goliath.

　　David heard Goliath’s defiance…. David considered that Goliath was defying the armies of the living God (v. 26b). He also considered that to kill such a defier was to turn away the reproach from Israel (v. 26a)…. David realized that the cause [for his coming there (v. 29b)] was that he had been sent there by God to defeat the defier. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 82-84)

　　David gained the agreement of Saul for him to fight against Goliath (1 Sam. 17:31-39). At first, Saul discouraged David from fighting with Goliath, saying that David was but a youth and that Goliath had been a man of war since his youth (v. 33). However, David had the assurance that Jehovah would deliver him from the hand of Goliath. David’s assurance was based upon his experience of Jehovah delivering him from the paw of the lion and of the bear in his shepherding of his father’s sheep. Because his experience as a shepherd had trained him to trust in the Lord, David could say to Saul, “Jehovah, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37a). When Saul heard this, he said to David, “Go, and may Jehovah be with you” (v. 37b). Then Saul put his armor on him, but David tried it and took it off (vv. 38-39).

　　David went forth to fight against Goliath (vv. 40-48). He took his staff, chose five smooth stones from the brook, and held his sling in his hand (v. 40). Goliath scorned him for being but a youth and considered that his coming to him was as one with staves coming to chase away a dog. Goliath then cursed David by his gods and said that he would give David’s flesh to the birds of heaven and to the beasts of the field (vv. 41-44). David said to Goliath, “You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the ranks of Israel, whom you have defied. On this day Jehovah will deliver you up into my hand, and I will strike you and remove your head from you. And I will give the corpses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of heaven and to the animals of the earth on this day. And all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel; and all this congregation will know that it is not by sword or spear that Jehovah saves, for the battle is Jehovah’s and He will deliver you into our hand” (vv. 45-47).

　　David killed Goliath and defeated the Philistines (vv. 49-54). He killed Goliath by slinging a stone into Goliath’s forehead and beheading Goliath with his own sword (vv. 49-51a). The Philistines fled, and the men of Israel and Judah pursued them to slay them and plunder their camps (vv. 51b-53). David took the head of Goliath and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s armor in his tent (v. 54). David’s victory over Goliath and the Philistines was a strong confirmation to God’s choosing and anointing of him. Saul found out that David, who held Goliath’s head in his hand, was the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite (vv. 55-58).

　　What happened to David in chapters 16 and 17 was altogether under God’s sovereignty. We all need to realize that because we are pursuing Christ today, every aspect of our environment is absolutely under God’s sovereign hand. Eventually, those who defy the church life will be defeated. Therefore, we should trust in the Lord, have confidence in Him, and be at peace. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 84-85)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msgs. 12-13