Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20020331.htm

1 AND 2 SAMUEL: GOD'S SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS IN OVERSIGHT
Part XXI: The Need For Leaders To Face Humanly Insurmountable Crises With God's Biblical Equipping
(1 Samuel 17:1-54)
  1. Introduction
    1. Leaders in families, marriages, businesses or churches can face humanly staggering crises in their roles.
    2. The usual temptation is to run from such crises, a reaction not beneficial for the subordinates.
    3. David's victory over Goliath is a grand example of the need for those in oversight in a marriage, home, business or church role to look to God's equipping to handle such humanly insurmountable crises:
  2. The Need For Leaders To Face Humanly Insurmountable Crises With God's Biblical Equipping.
    1. From the human viewpoint, David faced a host of humanly insurmountable obstacles to defeat Goliath:
      1. David faced a possible battle that could have humanly cost much in lives as signaled by the decision of the opposing sides to use a proxy fight to determine the victor, 1 Sam. 17:1-4a; B.K.C., O.T., p. 448.
      2. David faced the humanly discouraging terror in his nation at the threat of Goliath, 1 Sam. 17:4b-7:
        1. Goliath stood 9 feet, 9 inches tall, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, ftn. to 1 Samuel 17:4.
        2. His coat of armor weighed 125 pounds, Ibid., ftn. to 1 Samuel 17:5.
        3. Goliath carried a bronze javelin and a spear with a 16 pound spearhead, the weight of a track athlete's shot put, Ibid., ftn. to 1 Samuel 17:7.
        4. When Goliath advanced to taunt Israel's armies, daring them to send a champion to fight him, the nation's warriors cringed and fled from him, 1 Samuel 17:8-11, 23-24.
      3. David faced the humanly discouraging fear of military defeat in his country's ruler, Saul, 17:11.
      4. David faced the humanly discouraging ridicule of his brother when daring to fight Goliath, 17:26-29.
      5. David faced the humanly discouraging threats of the mighty Goliath when he advanced to fight him:
        1. David faced Goliath's humanly threatening physical prowess, 1 Samuel 17:41 with 17:4.
        2. He faced Goliath's humanly threatening fighting experience, 1 Samuel 17:33a, b.
        3. He faced Goliath's humanly threatening verbal abuse, 1 Samuel 17:43-44.
    2. Yet, David relied on God's leading and spiritual equipping as revealed in Scripture and tested by David:
      1. David followed God's leading to get involved in the battle: he came to the battle while simply obeying his father's command in accord with Ex. 20:12 to attend to his brothers at the front, 1 Sam. 17:17-18.
      2. David relied on God's equipping as revealed in Scripture to defeat Goliath:
        1. Scripture promised God would give Israel victory over the Philistines by faith in Jos. 1:6-9, and since David was part of Israel and on assignment at the front, this promise applied to him.
        2. Scripture also detailed God would give the people of Israel victory over the wild animals in the land in keeping the wild animals at bay by slowly driving out the land's evil peoples, cf. Exodus 23:29-30. Since David had already proved the promise of God relative to the wild animals and thus successfully killed a lion and a bear while obeying his father to protect his sheep, (17:34-35), he knew God would give him victory were he to fight Goliath in similar obedience and faith, 17:36-37.
        3. Accordingly, David advanced on Goliath with the claim that God would give him victory over Goliath and the Philistines by God's power, not by human might, 1 Samuel 17:45-47: (a) David acknowledged that humanly, Goliath was well equipped to harm him; yet, David claimed he depended on God Whom Goliath had defied, and was confident he would thus kill Goliath, 17:45. (b) In fact, David claimed God would give him victory over the whole Philistine army (much as God had before given Jonathan and his armor bearer victory over the Philistines), 17:46; 14:6-7, 23.
    3. David thus conquered Goliath and saw Israel defeat the Philistine army to God's glory:
      1. David struck Goliath with a sling and stone, a weapon he knew how to use, 1 Samuel 17:48-49, 50.
      2. He used Goliath's sword to remove his head and thus encouraged Israel to defeat the enemy, 17:51-54.
Lesson: Though David faced humanly insurmountable odds in a variety of ways against defeating Goliath, he overcame him to God's glory by depending on God's BIBLICAL leading and equipping.

Application: Every God-ordained leader facing humanly insurmountable crises in his marriage, family, business or church oversight assignment may enjoy God's success in his oversight by relying on the (a) BIBLICAL leading (b) and equipping God has for him in his role as overseer.