David's Battle Plan

David’s Battle Plan

I Samuel 17:20 “And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army. 22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard [them]. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, [that] the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. 26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who [is] this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

1. David Recognized his Place.

Before he tried to stand up against this giant, Goliath, David made sure that he was in the right place. The first way that he did this was that he was in subjection to his father’s authority. He was at home with his father watching the sheep. As the youngest son of Jesse, it would have been natural to want to run off and see the battle preparations. He may have been tempted to sneak away without his father knowing to see what was happening. But David did not do this. He stayed in the right place until his father sent him.

Then when Jesse sent him, he was able to go see what he probably wanted to the whole time with the blessing of his father. If he had gone before his father sent him, David would not have had the moral authority to do what God wanted. David would not have had the moral authority to stand up against his distrusting older brother, Eliab. But David recognized his place. So, he was ready for what came after.

      A. David Recognized his Place In spite of his Family that was Antagonistic. I Samuel 17:28 “And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? [Is there] not a cause?”

Eliab was angry with his youngest brother. We do not know why. Chances are, David did not know why. He asked Eliab, “What have I now done?” For whatever reason, Eliab was antagonistic to his baby brother. David had no respect from his big brother. But because David had come in the authority of his father, he was able to stand firm.

Sometimes, our families will be antagonistic to us as well. Sometimes, it is our own faults; but sometimes, it is not our fault. Satan often tries to sidetrack us from the victories that God wants to work in our lives by sending those that are mocking and hurting. What if David had allowed Eliab to steal his joy, resolve, boldness? If David had let Eliab to make him angry, chances are that David would not have been able to do such a great victory for Israel that day.

     B. David Recognized his Place In spite of his Fearless leaders that were Afraid. I Samuel 17:32 “And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou [art but] a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

Notice that David stood before Saul and said that no one should be afraid. Who was David referring to? I don’t know, but could he have been trying to reassure Saul. Let’s take a look that this.

Goliath was huge, probably around ten feet tall. That is incredible even to NBA standards. Who was the natural person to take up the fight as campion of Israel. It should have been Saul. He was the king. But even more than that, Saul was the tallest among the Israelites. He stood head and shoulders above his fellows. This is still considerably shorter than the giant, but it was far taller than anyone else hiding in that mountain. David was probably small, even for an Israelite, probably a teenager.

Because David knew his place with God, he was able to stand his ground even though Saul was also paralyzed with fear.

     C. David Recognized his Place in spite of Foes that were Angry. I Samuel 17:42 “And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was [but] a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, [Am] I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.”

So, here came David to face the giant of mythological proportions. And yet he was all too real. He came out with an armor bearer that carried a huge shield out in front of him. So, when this giant finally hears that an Israelite is going to take him up on his challenge he comes out expected a great man of war. Surely, only a great man of war would be brave enough to take up his challenge.

So, out comes David. He was a little, pretty-looking, red-headed boy. This infuriated Goliath. How dare the Israelites mock him by sending out a kid with a stick against him. But perhaps this is part of how God destroyed Goliath. God still says that he uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, the weak to confound the strong. I Corinthians 1:27. Goliath’s anger worked against him. Perhaps it made him careless. I do not know for sure, but David still stood his ground in spite of the anger of his foes.

We also will face those that hate us. We will see those that want to destroy us. How will we stand in the day of adversity. If we know that we are standing with the power and direction of the High God, it does not matter what the enemy says. His gods that he will curse us by will not be strong enough to destroy us. Great is He that is in us than he that is in the world.

2. David Rested in God’s Peace Matthew 11:29 “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke [is] easy, and my burden is light.”

In this historical story, we see that David’s confidence was in the Lord God Almighty. He was not resting in his own confidence, experience, and strength. David was resting in God’s peace. God’s peace was what gave him the ability to face an insane killer and stand his ground.

So, to us as well, the Bible tells us that there still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. Hebrews 4:9 “There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.” This rest is the rest of the person of Jesus Christ. In salvation, we have the power and presence of the Lord with us and in us. This is why Jesus said that we should take His yoke upon us. Even though the world comes against us, it cannot overcome us because greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. David had that rest and confidence as he faced Goliath. He did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as we do because Jesus had not yet been glorified. However, he did have the assurance of knowing he was right with God and under His direction.

     A. Notice David’s Battle Alignment: Humility in the face of Haughtiness. I Samuel 17:40 “And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling [was] in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.”

David’s alignment, his approach to the giant was not in pride. He did not come in the assurance of Saul’s armor. He did not meet Goliath with the same pride that Goliath displayed against David and all Israel. Rather, he came before the Giant with the assurance of humility. David’s bowed down to take up 5 smooth stones. When he spoke with boldness to Goliath, it was not boldness in his own speed, experience, or strength. It was rather in a humility before David’s own God.

     B. Notice David’s Battle Attitude: Honesty in light of the giant’s Hostility

David spoke with Honesty. David told the monster that he had not defied Israel as much as he was defying the Living God. In our own battles that we face today, we need to proclaim the truth. Just as then, it was not about David or about Israel. So today, it is not about ourselves but about our God. Tell the world with boldness that they are really resisting the living God

      C. Notice David’s Battle Authority: Honor of the High & Holy God I Samuel 17:45 “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.”

David, as we have already stated, David told Goliath that it was God who was going to give them victory. So, when those that hate us, our families, and our church, attack us, do not lift up yourself as if you are great enough to get victory on your own. Rather, make everyone know that you are relying on God for deliverance.

3. David Reclaimed God’s Property Genesis 15:18 “In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates:”

God gave all that land to Abraham, from the river Nile to the river Euphrates. People want to talk about Israel’s rights to the “West Bank.” My question is, “Which River?” God’s plan was that all this land from the Nile to the Euphrates was to be Israel’s, not to the Jordan. And one day, the land of Israel will occupy these proportions. One day, Jesus Messiah will sit on the Throne of David and Rule the entire world from the Capital of the World, Jerusalem.

So, these Philistines were occupying the land that had been granted by God to Israel. The Philistines were usurpers, encroachers, squatters on Israel’s land. Now, I know that this is going to make some people mad, but the truth always does. The Philistines have the same program today. The people of Israel still fight against the Philistines and are still trying to just live in the land that God has given them.

The word “Palestine” is just a form of the word “Philistine.” These people today are still trying to push Israel out of its land. Just like back then, the “Philistines” of today still fight among themselves.

     A. Provided by God Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

By standing up against the Philistines and Goliath, David was only reclaiming land that God had given to Israel. Just as then, so today, Satan will encroach on our God granted rights. The freedom of speech is not given to us by the government. It is supposed to be guaranteed to us by the Constitution, but not given. The government cannot give or take away our right to free speech because this is a God given right. They can guarantee it in the Bill of Rights, but God is the one that give it.

So, also with our God given rights to Assembly. God has given us the right to protect ourselves, family, and the innocent (to have and bear arms). Government has no right to take these away, because God is the One that has given them to us.

So, also government, the UN or anyone else that seeks to take our God granted rights should be resisted in the name of God and in the memory of the founding fathers. Government has no authority to tell churches and preachers what they can preach or teach. This is what America has always stood for. Man has the right to worship God in whatever way he feels he must. This is why the Jews have always been welcomed in America. This is why anyone of any persuasion is welcome. Just do not try to take away anyone’s right to practice true religion. Our laws are based on the Christian premise that man should serve God in the way he believes God demands. By bringing this principle into our laws, you are not forced to be a Christian. It is Biblical Christian values that give you the freedom to choose what ever religion you will.

It is not the job of the church to force anyone or any government to believe a certain way. But that does not mean that we cannot base our laws on the truths of God’s Word. I do not force you to believe in Jesus if I say legislate the morality law that stands against murder. Nor am I forcing you to be a Christian if our government protects marriage as the basic unit of society.

So, David, did not force anyone to become an Israelite because he reclaimed the land that the Philistines had improperly claimed. The Palestinians can live in peace in Israel this very day if they will only recognize the legitimacy of Israel. They have not peace because they resist God’s grant to Israel.

     B. People Guarded

We live in a day when government is trying to take away our rights to free speech. Canada does not allow free speech on certain things. Britain also censures what can be said on radio, TV, in the press. Even in America, the state of Michigan told me I was not allowed to quote a Bible verse in a forum where everyone else was able to say whatever they wanted.

David faced Goliath with the strength and authority of God. So, we must follow his example of boldness, bravery, and humility. We must also reclaim ground that God has granted us today.

God has granted us this “land” just like He granted Israel that land. God gave it, but just like David, it is our job to stand up and protect it.

     C. Prevailing Grace Romans 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

God’s grace is the desire and ability to do what is right. God gave that power to David to stand when no other Israelite did. We see God’s promise above in Romans 5:20, that God pours out his grace abundantly on us. We live in dark days in some respects. The wicked will become more wicked and the righteous will become more righteous. When wickedness abounds, God’s power to fight it is even stronger. So, in this day when you see evil trying to overcome God’s people, remember God’s power is being poured out on you if you will obey Him.

Just as Satan sent his forces against Israel and David 3,000 years ago, he does the same thing still. Satan still attacks the people of God and tries to take what is rightfully guaranteed to all men. Satan blinds the eyes of sinners and saints (if we allow him). We need to follow David’s battle plan and stand in the authority of God’s grace today or we will not prevail. But if we follow God’s principles and act by His power, just like little David, we will slay our giants too.

By Andrew Grosjean

www.pastorandrew.ws