The Power of Perspective

Well, we do have a wonderful subject matter today. The title of today's sermon, The Power of Perspective. The Power of Perspective. And I invite you to open your Bibles, and let's turn together to 1 Samuel 17. 1 Samuel 17. And we're going to begin reading in verse 1, as we come to the familiar story of David and Goliath. Now, when we come to the Bible, it's always important that we come with a desire for discovery. And I think that's particularly important when we come to material that is so well known to us, as is the story of David and Goliath. And while there may be numerous helpful ways that we could approach the text here, today we're going to endeavor to do what is essentially a character study. The character study. And specifically, we want to look at the different perspectives of the people which are involved in this scene. Because what's so fascinating about this passage is to see that although all of the individuals were looking at the same scene, all came to the hopeless conclusion except for one, of course. And that, of course, a young man by the name of David. And I propose to you that the primary truth which emerges from this event here in 1 Samuel 17, the primary truth is the truth of the power of perspective. The power of perspective. And in bringing this to light, once again, we will see that the Bible showcases for us that God's people must think differently. And we must be people who are counter-cultural in our thinking. And especially as we look to develop our perspective, we're going to see that David grabbed on to a very unique perspective here. And because of that, he ultimately is the perfect model for us as we look to develop our perspective. So let's begin to look through the different eyes, through the different perspectives of the individuals which are on display here and ultimately resting upon David's perspective. 1 Samuel 17, let's establish our study by reading verses 1 through 11. 1 Samuel 17 beginning in verse 1. Now, the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle and were gathered at Soka, which belongs to Judah. They encamped between Soka and Azeka, Ephos Daman. In Ephos Daman, they're not making it easy for me. Verse 2. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the valley of Elah and drew up in battle a ray against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley in between them.

And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath from Gath, whose height was six cubics in a span. That's right around a little over 10 feet, I believe.

He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze. That's about 125 pounds, his coat alone. And he had bronze armor on his legs and bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead, the head alone weighed 600 shekels, so the head alone weighed 15 pounds. You can imagine the strength it would take to throw that. And a shield bearer went before him. Verse 8. Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel and said to them, Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves and let him come down to me. 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. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together. When Saul and all of Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now, if you allow your eyes to go down to verse 36 and 37. Verse 36 and 37. David here is ultimately responding to it all. Verse 36 and 37. Your servant, David says, has killed both the lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Moreover, David said, the Lord 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. So let's stop there.

Well, it's clear, as verse 11 indicates, the Israelite army, even though they had lined up for battle, they were all sidelined by fear. Verse 11 says again, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. So let me set the scene here for us. We have the armies of the Philistines and the armies of Israel in a standoff. You know, they're on both sides of the mountain and you have this valley in between. And you'll notice if you allow your eyes to go down a few verses to verse 16, Goliath, this giant, verse 16, had come out. He had presented himself for 40 days. Morning and evening, it says. So here's Goliath. He comes out morning after morning, evening after evening. He's calling out to the Israelites for a challenge. Bring someone to me. And so even though the Israelites daily had come out and they had lined up on their place on the battlefield, they stopped there. They remained paralyzed. They remained immobile up to this point.

And I'll tell you that their response speaks to their perspective. And it indicates that how they were perceiving this challenge that was before them and their response to this challenge from this giant, from Gath, if you think about perspective, it showed that, and it clearly showed that they didn't believe their beliefs. They didn't believe their beliefs. That might be a phrase to consider. Do I believe my beliefs? It also speaks to the question, have I learned to doubt my doubts? Do I believe my beliefs? Have I learned to doubt my doubts? Because if we think about perspective, learning to believe our beliefs and learning to doubt our doubts will ultimately determine if we're progressing in the battle or if we're stagnant, if we're immobile.

So with their response or their lack of response, it clearly showed they didn't believe what they had affirmed. So what had they affirmed at this point? What did they affirm?

Well, to a man, they would have said that they believed God was the living God, yet they were acting as if he was dead. They would have affirmed that they believed that Lord was almighty, yet they were acting as if he was powerless. They would have affirmed that they believed that they served a faithful covenant-keeping God, yet they were acting as if he was indifferent to their plight. They would have affirmed that they believed God was a deliverer, but they acted as if to suggest that he would not deliver them from this giant. So in short, their response made it clear that they didn't believe their beliefs.

They lost sight of God, and so therefore they lost heart for the battle. That's why this study is so important, because it brings forth the truth of how we look at things. Our perspective is crucial. Absolutely crucial. And first and foremost, if we lose sight of God, as he's revealed himself to us in the Bible, we will inevitably lose faith, lose heart for the battle.

Yes, their predicament was dire. Yes, it was a horrible predicament, but what emerges most from this whole scene is, in fact, that they lost perspective. They had the wrong perspective. They lost the right perspective. Look at the second half of verse 20. Second half of verse 20, the Israelite army would go out to the field. They would even make their daily cry. Second half of verse 20.

So David comes to the camp, and as soon as he comes, the army, that's the Israelite army, was going out to fight, shouting for the battle. Okay, that's good. Verse 24, though, tells us, let your eyes go down to verse 24. Though when the response came from the Philistines, verse 24, and all the men of Israel, when they saw Goliath come out and make his cry, they fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So it's like they were coming out, and they're all geared up, and they're, you know, even making this surge.

Goliath comes out, and of course, then they all fall back here. And it's so interesting, isn't it? Because it's all about the mind, really. It's the same way about today. How we think about things, how we think about things, and how we view things that are challenging us.

So important. It'll determine our steps. Our mind will determine our steps. That's why when Paul comes out, and he is urging the Romans, he says to them, one of the first things he says is, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. It is the major theme in the New Testament. Think differently. This is where it all starts. Renew your mind. Renew your thinking. The Bible also tells us that as a man, thanks, so he is.

Because our thoughts control our actions. And again, when the people of God have become to think wrongly, they act wrongly. So perspective is crucial. It's crucial whether we'll have victory or remain stagnant. And again, in the context of this story, we begin to see that perspective is the underlying principle of this event. Perspective.

So let's dig in. Let's see this. And we're going to go through a few characters here, a character study, and pull out, see if we can glean the different perspectives here. Now, if you will, go back one chapter to 1 Samuel 16 and verse 7. Because we want to take a look at a few of these characters which emerge here.

And we're going to begin with Samuel himself. So 1 Samuel 16 and verse 7. We're going to see this first character here to study, the prophet Samuel. We approach this moment in history, and we know that King Saul was to be replaced as king. And so God asked the servant Samuel to anoint a new king amongst the sons of Jesse. So God had determined that Samuel should anoint a new king to replace Saul. And so as Saul is going to look, and the next group of individuals are the sons of Jesse, he's going to anoint one of them. The Lord reminds Samuel about perspective.

And one of the first things the Lord says is that he shouldn't consider the appearance of Eliab, one of David's old, his oldest brother, shouldn't consider Eliab by his appearance or his externals, his physical appearance. He shouldn't consider those things when he's looking to anoint the next king. First Samuel 16 verse 7. But the Lord said to Samuel, do not look at his, that's Eliab, that's David's oldest brother, at his appearance or his physical stature, because I have refused him.

For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. Let's stop there. So this is the first lesson. We're beginning to be taught here about our perspective, proper perspective. So the Lord says, Samuel, don't make the mistake of thinking just because Eliab is standing tall in stature, as the firstborn of Jesse's sons. Don't make the mistake of anointing him as future king.

He certainly would have been the most obvious Eliab as this future role, but the Lord informs Samuel that if he assumes that he would be making a mistake. Do not consider his appearance, don't consider his height. I've rejected him. And then this next sentence, for the Lord does not see as man sees. That's a sentence right there. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance. Man looks at what's happening physically, but the Lord looks at the heart. So again, he's beginning to teach Samuel the Lord is. He's beginning to teach us about a proper perspective. First thing we need to acknowledge when thinking about our perspective is what is natural for us to think, what is natural for a man or a woman to think, may not be as God sees it. First thing to acknowledge, because ultimately God sees it, everything is a heart issue. Everything's a heart issue. The issues ultimately reside here. We're going to get to more of that in a moment. So rather than anointing a lie of the obvious choice, we see in verse 12 here in chapter 16 verse 12 Samuel anoints David as the next king.

A second part of verse 12. Then the Lord said, rise and anoint him. This is the one. Okay, so David the youngest, David the smallest, David the the simple shepherd boy.

He's the king. He's the next king. Why? Well, the Lord doesn't see as man sees.

And in this event that follows with Goliath, we see that David represents God's perspective. We see that in the encounter with the giant, it's ultimately a battle between perspectives. It's a battle between the perspectives, and the battle is ultimately occurring in here, in the heart. This is David's perspective, which is God's perspective, coming up against all the other human perspectives. That's where the battle is. And in fact, it becomes even more evident in the next exchange that we're going to look at. David actually has this wonderful exchange, insightful exchange, with his brother, Eliyab. Let's look at that next as our next perspective here. And we're going to see why it is that God possibly didn't choose Eliyab as the future king. So David's going to arrive at the battlefield. Let's go back forward one chapter to chapter 17 again. First Samuel 17. Let's pick up the story in verse 22. David—let me set the scene here. First Samuel 17 verse 22. David is asked by Jesse, his father, to go bring food to his brothers. David eventually ends up on the battlefield where Eliyab and his other older brothers are. So we're going to pick up in this exchange here with his brother Eliyab. Now, by the way, David wasn't old enough to be in battle. And we talked about this in the kids Bible study first. David was probably around 10 to 15 years of age. Think about that as we go through this story. 10 or 15 years of age.

You had to be 16 to be in the army. So David's not in the army. So we can kind of glean from a few different ways that he was around that age. First Samuel 17 verse 22 through 28. Let's read this.

And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper—so he had brought food to the brothers, but he leaves that—ran to the army and came and greeted his brothers. Then, as he talked with them, there was a champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines, and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. This was the daily cry from Goliath. David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they heard and saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. Verse 25. So the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel, and it shall be that the man who kills him, the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel. Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, 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?

And the people answered him, and this man was saying, So shall it be done for the man who kills him? Verse 28. Now Eliyev, the oldest brother, heard when he spoke to the men, when David spoke to the men, and Eliyev's anger was aroused against David, and he said, Why did you come down here? And with whom did you have left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle. Let's stop there. So David arrives, and instead of his older brother, his oldest brother, Eliyev, giving him a hug, and then admitting to David that David has sounded the necessary theological note here. When David asks in the second part of verse 26, second half of verse 26, Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? That was the necessary theological note, if you will. And it was sadly missing from all the proceedings up to this point. So again, instead of Eliyev saying, you know, David, thank you, I have to admit you're coming with the right perspective here.

Instead of that, Eliyev goes on the attack verbally to David. In Eliyev's responses deep, verse 28, the NIV says that Eliyev heard David speaking to the men, and he burned with anger. So David comes and says, there's absolutely no reason why this uncircumcised Philistine, giant or not, there's no reason he should be defying the armies of the living God. In other words, there's no reason why Goliath should be able to hold court in this way for 40 days. But again, notice, instead of acknowledging the rightness of David's assessment and saying that, well, you know, David, you're correct, Eliyev burns with anger. And he just he responds by devaluing David, verse 28. Why have you come down here? With whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? So it's not just sheep, it's few sheep, you know, he's diminishing him. Presumes, presumes to know David's heart. You're conceited. You're wicked. Into verse 28, you didn't come out down here to be involved in the battle. You came down here to see a battle. You came down here to watch a battle.

That's an interesting observation. You only came down here to watch the battle. You know, sometimes we accuse other people of our own problems, you know. Often when we're confronted with a correct perspective, if someone's trying to correct our perspective, as David is here, to tell us that we're all wrong, our tendency, like Eliyev, is to go on the defense, to attack that person. So David says, who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? Eliyev's response, I know your pride, David, the insolence of your heart. You came down here to see a battle.

If David would have been on his toes, and maybe not such a nice guy, he would have said, Eliyev, what battle? I came down here to see a battle. Show me a battle. What do you mean I came down here to see a battle? I'm seeing nothing at this point.

I love to see family dynamics, brothers. You think about how brothers respond to brothers, and even sisters. David doesn't say that, but he says, kind of the routine fashion of four siblings. He says, what have I done now? I'm only asking the question. Verse 29. David said, what have I done now? Is there not cause? Is there not a cause for my question?

Sounds like brothers. The NIV states it where David says, can't I even speak? You know, in other words, given that you battle-ready warriors are completely neutralized, is it not understandable that I or someone else would come down here and inquire about the possibility of one of you challenging this uncircumcised giant who's defying the armies of the living God? Eliyev, you're viewing this the wrong way. Your perspective is all wrong. Dear brother, you know. So that's the conversation happening. And David's words catch the attention of the surrounding people. And you'll notice here in verse 31, verse 31, we're told, now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul, and he Saul sent for him. So Saul, the king, sent for the young shepherd boy. So this brings us to the third perspective here. First, it was David and Samuel. Samuel, don't look at the outward appearance. Then David and Eliyev, David's sounding the right theological note. And now David and Saul, our third perspective to consider here, the current king with the future king. That's this next interaction. If you read back in chapter 16, we won't take the time to turn there. But unbeknownst, it seems unbeknownst to Saul at this point, David had already been anointed by Samuel as the future king. There in chapter 16, you can go back and read it for your homework. So here in this exchange, this is the current king having this exchange with the future king. So David is brought to Saul. Verse 32, David takes the initiative here. This is just a young shepherd boy, by the way, maybe 13 years of age. When David said to Saul, verse 32, let no man's heart fail because of him, the giant, your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. Verse 33, we have Saul's response. Not many words, pretty straightforward. Verse 33, Saul said to David, you're not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth. So again, we can assume from this that Saul wasn't aware of David's anointing yet from Samuel.

And Saul, at this point, were told in the previous chapter that God had already removed his spirit from Saul. So Saul had proven himself, whatever prospect that Saul had when he was anointed king, the first king of Israel. By this point, it was gone. Saul had proven himself to be a horrible king, many flaws. So in the previous chapter, at this point, God had already removed his spirit from Saul. So Saul was just a shell of who he maybe had the prospect of being when he first was anointed king. So Saul's thinking was all wrong at this point, we're going to see.

And from Saul's perspective, from a purely human point of view, as a leader and as a king, Saul may have thought, you know, and maybe even thought to himself, frankly, if I'm honest with you, David, I'm glad there's at least one of you, you know, that's willing to stand up. All the others are cowards out there.

Saul sent for David. So there was something that he liked David Ziel, you know. Maybe David reminded Saul of himself at an earlier time, you know. Maybe, you know, what was going through Saul's mind is, boy, this young man reminds me of himself, such a zeal, ready to stand up to challenges.

But Saul is older now. He is wiser with regards to human affairs.

And being older and wiser, David, the facts are plain. You're but a boy. Goliath is a seasoned warrior. You cannot make a serious challenge to him. Goliath is big and strong. You are small and weak. And therefore, it stands to reason. By any reasonable perspective, you don't have a chance.

So Saul's perspective here in verse 33, by all accounts, his perspective, Saul's, was reasoned, sensible, pragmatic, and wrong. Very reasonable, very sensible, very pragmatic, and very wrong. Somewhere along the line, Saul had forgotten who God is.

And, of course, at this point, Saul's in losing that now has led to the anointing of a new king to come in the future, the king to whom was before him at this point. Somewhere along the line, Saul's perspective changed from being confident in God in his early days of his kingship to this.

His perspective had changed. He lost sight. Saul lost confidence in God. So today, as he stands in front of David, Saul speaks with a voice of reason, sensibility. He speaks in a very orderly way, in a very understandable way, in a very man-centered way.

But Saul's missing the necessary spiritual perspective, especially on the battlefield.

David isn't finished. Look at David's perspective. It's awesome, fascinating. Verse 34, let's read verse 34 through 37. David's response to Saul's remarks. Verse 34, but David said to Saul, Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion and a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I, David, went out after it and struck it and delivered the lamb from its mouth. And when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard and struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God. Moreover, David said, the Lord 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. And Saul said to David, Go, and the Lord be with you.

So let's stop there. Saul was struck to the heart by David's words.

Go then, and may the Lord be with you. It's all there. Again, verse 37, David's perspective here. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, he will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. So the Lord delivered me, the Lord will deliver me. David's perspective. The Lord delivered me past tense, the Lord will deliver me present tense and future tense. So David doesn't respond to Saul's assertion with, Oh, you don't know me, Saul. I'm tougher than I look. You know, or, you know, you don't have the right perspective of me. You don't know who I am. He doesn't say that. Rather, instead, he is recounting then the past successes with God helping him to strike down the opponents on the flock in the field, namely the lion and the bear. And David says, I believe then that God will help me in the future in a similar way with Goliath. I believe that God who has shown himself strong in the past will then show himself strong in the present. So think about what David's doing here. This is a wonderful exercise here. What David does is he combines a good memory with sound thinking. Good memory, sound thinking. God never asks us to check our brains, you know, and just have this blind faith. You know, blind faith. Don't use your brain and things, you know. Check your brains at the door. We're just all people of just unreasoned thinking, you know, unreasoned faith. No, not at all. This is a tangible exercise that David's doing here that we can grab on to. Good memory with sound thinking.

By the way, as a side note, making recordings, writing them down, of how God has delivered us in the past. So important because on a rainy day when things go awry, we can pull it out and remind ourselves how God has delivered us in the past. Very important because God did that then and there and then, David says, he's able to do this here and now. I believe that the God of the there and then remains the God of the here and now. And so we can, therefore, Saul, look to God to deliver us from this trouble of Goliath. He's delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, you know. This is David's perspective and it's just so obvious here. But it needs to be said, if God helped him rescue a lamb, how much more would he help him rescue a nation?

If God gave him deliverance from a bear and a lion who were only doing their natural instinct, how much more then would he deliver them from this Goliath character who's defined the Almighty God?

So verse 38 and 39, Saul, still with not the right perspective, he tries to suit up David here with armor. Verse 38 and 39, Saul clothed David with his armor and he put a bronze helmet on his head. You know, David's just a wee boy, by the way.

And also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, I cannot walk it with these, for I have not tested them. So David took them off. Stop there. That's an interesting picture. You know, Saul is still focused on the physical, the appearance. So Saul is focused on the appearance. You know, the Lord said don't focus on the appearance. But he's trying to suit David up. So David puts, you know, who knows how big David was? He puts on all this gear and kind of runs around the living room a little bit. Probably does a few of these and, you know, now this isn't going to work. Yeah, I got to get this off. Sure, as he was kind of moving around, the big helmet kind of turned sideways, you know, whatever it was. So David, verse 40, took his staff, verse 40, in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, put them in a pouch of his shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and with a sling in his hand, he drew near the Philistine. So here we are, the climax. Here's David. He draws near to Goliath. And now we will notice the next perspective, Goliath. And it's no surprise that Goliath has the wrong perspective, of course. Verse 41. Verse 41, So the Philistine came and began drawing near to David. He's coming at David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. Looks over David, verse 42, when when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy, and good-looking. So you can just imagine this scene. Just looks at him totally just disdain, just dismissively there. So Goliath's perspective? Well, it's obvious. Apparent power, obvious apparent power, against obvious apparent weakness.

Who wins? Well, Goliath wins, of course.

Looks him over, ruddy-faced boy, standing there, no implements of destruction, a sling, a few stones in his bag, apparently. Despised him, cursed him.

Goliath's perspective? Easy victory, you know. Verse 43 and 44.

So the Philistine said to David, verse 43, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beast of the field. Whoo!

Now, we shouldn't think that David, at this point, you know, is thinking, Oh, no, you won't, you know. He might be thinking, maybe, at this point. You know, faith is not the absence of fear. We've said that before. It's not the dismissal of dire circumstances. Rather, it is facing whatever confronts us with a new perspective, with the right perspective. That's faith. And you can just imagine that the Philistine's voice just reverberated down to his core. He's coming close to David. David walks out. Think of the perspective of the armies, the Philistines and the Israelites. They're thinking, What is this? You know, what's going on with this? And no doubt their perspective would have been, Who does he think he is?

Who does he think he is?

And that's actually the right question, except they were asking it all in lowercase.

The real question is, Who does he think he is? Capital H. Who does he think God is? Who does he think he is? That's the right question. What was David's perspective? You know, the response of David proves that David understood this was not a battle, ultimately, between David and Goliath. It wasn't even a battle between a Philistine army and an Israelite army. David had already revealed where the real battle was being fought. And he revealed it back when he asked that question at the end of verse 26. This is the question David asked. He asked, For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? That's the question. Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? Back in verse 8, Goliath asked two questions. Verse 8, if you allow your eyes to go up there, he said, Why do you even come out here to line up for battle? Then he asked the second question, Am I not a Philistine, or are you not the servants of Saul? At that point, someone should have said, Yes, we are the servants of Saul, but I'm here to tell you, Goliath, we're the servants of the living God. That's who we're actually. But no one acknowledged that. So God sends a shepherd boy onto the battle, and he says, Wait a minute. What's happening here? Who does this giant think he is? Different perspective. All the people out there saw him, Goliath, as unbeatable. David comes out and sees Goliath as uncircumcised. You'll notice, different perspective. The people saw him as unbeatable. David saw him as uncircumcised. We serve a covenant-keeping God. This man is not part of the covenant. We are identified under God's covenant care. Who does this man think he is that he can stand up here and defy the armies of the living God? That's not right. All perspective. They were seeing the same thing for 40 days. David comes out and puts his finger right on the spot almost immediately. It's a theological issue. It's a spiritual issue. It always is. It's always a spiritual issue. For David, the battle here is between God, the living God, and the non-Gods of the Philistines. He knew it wasn't ultimately about himself and Goliath. If it was about this Goliath character standing against the armies of Israel, if it was simply about that, God would have went out and just found a bigger, badder giant. That's not what God does. He goes out and produces a small shepherd boy. That's his answer.

It's important for us to get this today. This represents the core of God's perspective and the means by which he's operating here on earth. We have to get this. In this dramatic encounter between the armies of Israel, the armies of Philistia, represented by the great champion Gath, who came out to challenge them, as the giant of the man stands and taunts the armies of Israel, the answer of God is not to go out and find a bigger giant. The answer of God to the challenge is to produce the most unlikely individual ever and put him in front of this phenomenal challenge. Why? Why?

We won't turn there, but it's Ephesians 6.

Where's the real battle? Where's the real battle? Is it ultimately a physical enemy that we're against? No. It's a spiritual battle. Spiritual battle has nothing to do ultimately about the physical. For the Lord does not see as a man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. These are heart issues. Every battle we face down here, as God's people, it is a battle for your heart.

That's the battle. It's a battle for your heart. So how are you looking at the challenge that is facing you today? What is your perspective? Is it a spiritual battle or is it a physical battle? What's your perspective? Let me help you. For the child of God, we do not come up against flesh and blood. We're actually coming up against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.

That's our perspective. If you look at that perspective, it'll change how we're approaching these physical battles, how these things are presenting themselves to us. It changes how we fight the battle. It really does. These are tests for God's people.

It was a test for the Israelites. Just know that God has planned these tests.

He's left these armies, these enemies down here to confront us. He's left us here, giving access to these enemies to confront us.

If you think about it, God could have rerouted all these armies. God could have rerouted the Philistines. He could have rerouted the Habbites. He could have rerouted all the termites, if you want to call them, all the different heights that faced the Israelites. The whole shooting image of them. He could have made sure they had nothing to do with the Israelites. But if you read back in Judges 3, you discover that God deliberately left these armies as a test to the people to see if they would obey the living God. What perspective would they have? In fact, keep your marker here. Let's just for a moment turn to Judges 3. We're going to come right back to 1 Samuel. But let's turn to Judges 3, verse 1 through 4. I want you to notice this.

Very important to understand. Judges 3, beginning in verse 1, that when we are facing an oppressive power, however it manifests itself, in whatever form, these are allowed and even placed purposely in our lives by God. Judges 3, look at this verse. And this is just one of the verses that indicates and educates us in this manner. Judges 3, verses 1 through 4. Now, these are the nations which the Lord left, that he might test Israel by them. That is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan. This was only so that the generations of the children of Israel might be taught to know war, at least to those who had not formally known it. Namely, five lords of Philistines, all of the Canaanites, all of the Scythians, and the Habbites who dwell in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-Herman and the entrance of Hamath. Look at this, verse 4. And they were left that he might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. Let's stop there. So, this is a battle. It's an intentional battle for us. God's people aren't intended to be placed on an easy path when they're called. So, why is it that we find ourselves embattled, beleaguered, struggling? Well, it's because God, in the great mystery of his providence, has determined it to be so. He is honing. He is molding. He is refining his people for himself. He looks, as it were, then at the ranks of his army, and he says, Is there anyone out there that will stand up to the challenge?

Is there no one here that will fight?

All of these battles are to hone God's people. Acknowledge that. So, in that way, we can thank God that he's involved in our lives, and he's intentional, and he's placing us in these positions, and these challenges, and he's with us. He's wanting us to stand up and think differently, show that there's a living God. Will you fight? Will you take up the challenge? Or will you cower in fear? This is the challenge of this passage. You're either fighting for the living God, or you're not. You either believe what you believe, or you don't.

Well, let's turn back to 1 Samuel, if you will. 1 Samuel 17, and we're going to conclude this wonderful story as David stands up to take the challenge—the incredible conclusion here—as we begin to conclude. I hope you can place yourself here. Think of a challenge that's before you.

Think of how David approached this. Think of all the fear and all the things that David had to overcome. Is future king here? Be encouraged. You can be David. 1 Samuel 17, beginning in verse 45. We'll read through verse 51. Verse 45. Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, 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. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp to the Philistines, to the birds of the air, and the wild beast of the earth. That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword or spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. So it was when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in the bag and took out a stone, and he slung it, struck the Philistine in the forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face unto the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in his hand of David. Therefore, 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. And when the Philistine saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Ah, what a conclusion! You see, for David, the real battle is whether he would give his heart fully to God or not.

And this just really thrusts this young man into moving into his role as the future king. And he would do a tremendous work for God throughout it all. Would David truly believe that he served the living God? Would David believe that he served the almighty God? A faithful covenant-keeping God? A God who delivers his people?

So take your challenge and ask that question. Who do I serve?

David believed. So we bring this to us today. Will you believe? Will you trust him fully with your heart today? Will you recognize where the real battle is? It's a battle for your heart.

So give your heart to the Lord always. Lead with your heart.

Will you believe and trust him with your heart fully today? So when you we leave here today and step out on the battlefield once again, we need to come in the name of the Lord of Hosts. Know who you serve so that God will be glorified and the whole earth may know that David's God lives today and he lives in his people forever.