I Samuel 17:1-11
Our brains have chemical reactions to fear. The
amygdala is a part of the brain that activates when
we sense a threat stimulus and prompts the body
to have a physical response, like the “release of
stress hormones and sympathetic nervous system.”
The hippocampus is closely related to the amygdala
and helps our brains interpret the threat. For
example, seeing a lion is likely to provoke a fear
response in the brain, but that response is
tempered by the existence of a thick glass wall in a
zoo That tempering is what our faith in God is
supposed to do, operate as an instinctive grid
through which we view fearful events or
circumstances, reining in our responses with the
knowledge that he is in control.
Last week we read about the meeting of two kings.
David had been secretly anointed by Samuel in
Bethlehem as the new king and the spirit of the Lord left
Saul. Saul was troubled by an evil spirit so he hired David
to play music for him to make the evil spirit leave.
Today we will examine 1 Samuel 17. This is the chapter
that describes the familiar story of the fight between
David and Goliath.
Although it is familiar, I know God is able to teach us
something fresh today if we listen closely to His word.
Let’s take a moment to pray and ask God to speak to us
this morning and teach us what He wants us to learn.
I Samuel 17:1-11
Let’s take a look at the first 3 verses.
I Samuel 17:1-3
The Enemy – Philistines
The Philistines have been a headache to Israel since
chapter 4 when they captured the ark of the covenant at
Aphek.
They only had it for 7 months because it caused them all
kinds of problems.
When it was brought to Ashdod, they took it into the
temple of their god, Dagon. The next day Dagon was
found facedown.
They put him back, but the next day he was found face
down with his head and hands both cut off.
Israel defeated the Philistines in chapter 7 at Mizpah.
In chapter 13 the people of Israel hid from the Philistines
at Michmash when they showed up with 30,000 chariots
and 6,000 horsemen and troops.
In chapter 14 Saul makes a rash vow telling the people
not to eat, causing Israel to be weak against the
Philistines.
In chapter 31 both Saul and Jonathan are killed by the
Philistines.
The Location – Valley of Elah

The Philistines are gathered at Socoh. They were
between Socoh and Azekah.
Saul and the Israelites are gathered at the Valley of Elah.
They drew up in line for battle against the Philistines.
You can see the location in relation to other landmarks in
the map on the screen.
Scripture tells us that one army was on one mountain
and the other army was on another mountain with a
valley between them. Neither army wanted to give up the
coveted high ground.
I Samuel 17:4-7
The Opponent – Goliath of Gath
The word translated champion means the man of the
between.
The Septuagint translates the word champion with two
words, mighty man.
He is standing between the two armies seeking a
challenger.
Goliath is from Gath, one of the five cities that the ark of
the covenant was taken to when it was captured. It didn’t
remain in Gath long because it caused great panic and
tumors broke out on the people of Gath while it was
there.
The Bible says the height of Goliath was 6 cubits and a
span. A cubit is approximately 18 inches and a span is
around 9.
This giant is over 9 feet tall.
Imagine what the Israelites must have been thinking as
they saw this menacing giant standing on the mountain
across the valley.
Goliath was ready for battle.
His armor was made up of a helmet, made of bronze.
This was different from most of the Philistine fighters who
wore feathered headdress. The one flaw of this helmet
was that it didn’t protect the giant’s face. It only covered
the top, back and sides of his head.
He also wore a coat of mail which protected his upper
body.
This was thought to have weighed around 125 pounds.
He also wore bronze shin guards to protect his legs. They
normally had felt padding on the inside to provide a
shock barrier between the bronze and the skin.
Goliath not only had defensive armor, he had offensive
weapons as well.
He had a javelin between his shoulders. This was
probably a curved sword. It would have been lighter than
the spear that he also carried. The javelin was sometimes
thrown at opponents.
He was also armed with a spear that weighed around 15
pounds.
Not only did Goliath have armor and weapons, he had
protection. He had a shield bearer who carried a shield
that was likely rectangular to provide full body protection.
The shield bearer would go before Goliath to keep him
safe.
Imagine what the Israelites must have been thinking as
they saw their opponent looming over 9 feet tall,
weapons and armor covering most of his body.
Do you think they remembered what God told Samuel
when He was choosing David from the sons of Jesse?
“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his
stature” 1 Samuel 16:7
Even though these words are about Jesse’s first son, they
ring true in light of the fact that no enemy is too big
for God to defeat.
Even though Goliath is posing a huge threat to Israel,
God is in control.
I Samuel 17:8-10
The Verbal Assault
Goliath starts his verbal assault with a question.
Why are you lined up for battle?
Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul?
Goliath is ready to get down to business.
But interestingly enough, he doesn’t want a bloody battle
between two armies. He wants to fight one man versus
another man.
He urges Israel to choose any man. He believes he can
beat any of the scrawny Israelites one on one.
The deal that Goliath came up with was: two people
battle, the winner becomes master over the loser. No one
else gets hurt.
Then he threw down the gauntlet when he said he defies
the ranks of Israel this day. He was dishonoring them for
not accepting his challenge.
Who should have been the man to fight against this
giant?
King Saul would be the obvious choice.
He was the man that the people chose.
They wanted him because he was head and shoulders
taller than the rest of the people.
They told Samuel “No! But there shall be a king over
us, that we also may be like all the nations, and
that our king may judge us and go out before us
and fight our battles.” I Samuel 8:19b-20
But sadly Saul did not go.
I Samuel 17:11
Overcome with Fear
Rather than trusting God, Saul and all Israel allowed fear
to overcome them.
APPLICATION
How do we respond when we come face to face against
giants?
Rather than being overcome with fear, we should
remember that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but
of power and love and self-control. cf 2 Timothy 1:7
The proper response to our fears is faith
Faith over Fear
Faith is knowing that God wins in the end.
No matter what we may face in this world, nothing is
scarier than being eternally separated from God.
Faith is knowing that Jesus died on the cross to take
away our sin and to bring us back into a right relationship
with the Father.