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Conquering Giants in Lfe
1 Samuel 17: 40-54 MESSAGE
“Then David took his shepherd's staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.
41-42 As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David. He took one look down on him and sneered—a mere youngster, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed.
43 The Philistine ridiculed David. "Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?" And he cursed him by his gods.
44 "Come on," said the Philistine. "I'll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I'll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice."
45-47 David answered, "You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day GOD is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that GOD doesn't save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to GOD—he's handing you to us on a platter!"
48-49 That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.
50 That's how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David!
51 Then David ran up to the Philistine and stood over him, pulled the giant's sword from its sheath, and finished the job by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their great champion was dead, they scattered, running for their lives.
52-54 The men of Israel and Judah were up on their feet, shouting! They chased the Philistines all the way to the outskirts of Gath and the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines were strewn along the Shaaraim road all the way to Gath and Ekron. After chasing the Philistines, the Israelites came back and looted their camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem. But the giant's weapons he placed in his own tent. “
God gives us special grace to conquer our enemies while we are young.
Unfortunately, most of us never learn to win victories while we are young, and youth conflicts left unresolved carry over into our adult years. So many of us struggling with addictive behavior and sinful habits are only acting on what we experienced and never conquered while we were young!
Ecclesiastes 12:1 MESSAGE “Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.”
1 John 2:13 KLV “I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”
Unconquered giants will attack later in life, as we will see in the life of David. His encounter with Goliath wasn’t the only battle with a giant in his life!
Giant #1- Goliath- Name means “Gossip” or To reveal and advertise in a disgraceful sense! (Reviling, verbal abuse)
James 3:2 says, “: to conquer the tongue is to bridle the whole body” The tongue is a sword, sharp arrow, venom, poison, and a fire. Jesus said we will give an account for the things we have said with our tongue. We will either be justified by our words, or we will be condemned by our words. If your life ended today, and you were called to stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give an account for the deeds done in your body, would your words justify you, and bring reward, or would you suffer loss?
Listen to David’s secret to victory—
1 Samuel 17:45, 47 KJV “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” Goliath wasn’t just reviling and cursing the army…He was coming against the God of Israel, Who made Heaven and Earth…The captain of the armies of Heaven…And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.
He learned to trust the Lord for victory in every battle! Meditation in the pasture led to strength on the battlefield! He conquered Goliath/Gossip after meditation!
Eph 6:12 “We wrestle not…” The battle is the Lord’s!
Giant #2- Ishbi-Benob- Name means- My dwelling is on the Heights=PRIDE
2 Samuel 21:15-22 NIV “Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels[a] and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”
18 In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.
19 In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair[b] the Bethlehemite killed the brother of[c] Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.
20 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.
22 These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
** This giant attacked David after years of accomplishment…during times of distress and weariness…He used a huge spear and a NEW sword.(Ways we don’t expect)
David needed help, and the servant who helped him was Abishai (Gift of Grace)- Son of Zeruiah (leprous one)
God abases the proud Dan 4:37 “…those wthat walk in pride, He is able to abase…”
God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble 1 Peter 5:5
Giant #3 – Saph (Sippai) – Name means double faced= Hyprocisy
Opposite of sincerity (without wax)- Pottery in the fire.
Root Cause – Moral impurity
Isa 32:6 NIV “For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil:
They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the LORD;
the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.”
Hypocrites are like opportunistic agents (germs) Like parasites, they “empty the soul” In the human body, a virus says to the healthy cell, “I’m just like you…I’ll take over…I don’t need you”
A bacterium infiltrates the body at a rate of 16 million units in 24 hours.
The giant was killed by the servant/warrior “Sibbechai, whose name means “Corpse-like (dead to self)
Giant #4 – Lahmi – Name means “Full of Food”= In a lustful, sensual sense.
He was also related to Goliath (brother)
1 Chron 20:5 “In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.”
Conquered by Elhanan = God is gracious
Again, the grace of God is needed – and gives us the desire and power to do His will.
Giant #5 --The six-fingered Monster= Greed, Covetousness
Things compete with Christ-
Phil 3:7-8 NIV “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ.”
Covetousness is Idolatry Col. 3:5 NIV “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.”
This is expecting from things what only God can give!
Jonathan --Name means “Jehovah Given” - He conquered this giant!
The key is gratefulness --
1 Cor. 4:7 NIV “ For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
The more we grasp eternal treasures, the more we can release earthly possessions!
The more thankful I am for what I have, the less I crave what I don’t have!
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