The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1915-04-24

For forty days ". 16) Goliath defed
Saul's army, encamped near Bethle-
hem. Three of the sons of Jesse were
in Saul's army and to them David Is
sent with food wv. 10, IS, 1917. These
brothers s%cornfully ~reproached David
when he expressed a willingness to
fight Goliath, accusing him of pride and
reminding him that he was but a shep-
herd wv. 1920. David's words are
carried to Saul and he is introduced to
the king.
l.. Boastful Pride, w. 3s-44. Fear
and dismay were aroused at the very
sight of this proud Philistine wv. IL,
"a, 32), yet such fear was foreign to
David, for his eyes were not upon man
but upon God ". 80. He related to
Saul his exploits not as boasting but
as giving him assurance that God was
able to deliver him out of the hand of
this Philistine. Saul, who had once
peer a man re like simple faith, is now
as much in fear as any of his army.
David was perhaps about twenty years
of age and verse sc calls him a strip
ling" hence it was that Saul's armor
would not fit him (cf. 1929. Human
ly speaking, it was an impossible thing
David offered to accomplish single
handed. Even Saul ". 32) sought to
dissuade David, but David was not
trusting in man nor depending upon
the armor of the king ". 80; Ps. 27;1-
8; lisa. 1872; Rom. S:31). David took
his familiar staff and sling (see l
Thess. 5:21) and sailed forth, strong
in the Lord, not in himself; armed not
with steel but with faith" Crossing
"the valley" ". 40 marg.) he prepared
his sling, with which every Israelite
wal skilled (see l Sam. 13:19-23). On
came the giant, a man about nine feet
tall ". ~, "a stalking mountain, over
laid with brass and iron," preceded by
his protector ". All. Why such a sol
der after his period of triumph should
desire this added safety is not quite
clear. 1t suggests, however, the sim
ner's timidity which reveals his essen
tial weakness in that he trusts him
self, takes no chances, and is even sus-
picious of his own supporters. What
a contrast! This armored giant and
this ruddy-faced, unarmed youth, car
rying only the staff, wherewith he was
wont to fight wild beasts, and his
sling! When God calls a man he uses
that weapon with which the man is
most familiar, and when the church or
the Christian soldier seeks to fight in
the armor of another, or by using the
weapons of the world, it is foredoomed
to failure lex. Az; Judges 3:31). AS
though this youthful shepherd were
seeking some beast of the hills. Goliath
exclaims, Am / a dog?" ". 43), and
offers to make carrion of David ". 44).
Such d~erision and boasting is the usual
attitude of the enemies of God. 1t a
designed to strike fear into David's
heart on one hand, and to bolster the
courage of the Philistine on the other.
II. conquering Humility, w. 1851.
David acknowledged Goliath's SUI
perior armament, yet armed with the
name of the God of the army of Israel
which Goliath had insulted, his conf
dence overtops that of the Philistine
and he hurls back his broud boast.
Furthermore, the victory was to be an
immediate one, this day" Czech. 4:6;
James AID. With calm assurance he
informs Goliath Of the outcome of
their conflict, but takes no credit to
himself. David had naught but naked
faith and the sense of a just cause to
strengthen his arm. He would do to
Goliath and the Philistines the things
that Golif tn had boasted he would do
to David wv. A and 46) that all the
earth may know that there is a God
. in Israeli" see also v. At. David's
a seemingly insufficient preparation is
d now revealed to be abundant, for he
"a had four stones more than he needed
"a ". 40). 1t is thus that God chooses
a the weak things to confound the mighty
J Il Cor. 1:27). Goliath's one unpro
tected spot was his sufficient weak
ness. In warfare it would be protect
ed by his shield, but his pride an6
boastfulness exposed him to David1s
unerring shot. There is always al
81 open, vulnerable place in the inhdel'E
At armor, and the man who trusts Goo
will surely be guided to make accurate
h. aim and to deliver a mortal blow a.
nj that point. The enemies we most feal
Tx fall the easiest and the hardes
IN Judges 20;16). Verse 80 is paren
of thetical, but from 81 1t would seen
that Goliath may have been onll
"a stunned and that David, to make com
d. plete his victory, cut off Goliath's hea'
a with his own sword. Israel received
ne great lesson that day and the Philis
ed tines, a type of the world, received on
also ". AZ r. W. God will give tn
fruits of victory into the hands O
those who trust and obey him.
III. Summary. We have before u
three lessons. First the lesson of ind
vidual responsibility. A sinful king ha
nd paralyzed the effectiveness of tn
"a, army of Israel. David, "a man afte
gh Gods own heart" refused Saul's a
nd NOR, crying out II cannot go in these.
is Saul, bound by tradition, must us
ok conventional weapons. Every gres
re advance in the history of the churc
nd has beer led by some man who struc
out boldly, insensible alike to the col
~ventionalism of his friends and th
gibes of the enemy. God would haV
a every man work according to himsel
'es not copying. not initiating, but with h
ne own equipment. Second, all the gian'
les of sin nave not yet been overthrow
We still have the giants of Intempe
oaoa nnchaatftv Graft CalRohnao