1 Samuel 17:28-51 – The Messiah-King, Giant-Conqueror
Here is David, the giant-conqueror, God’s chosen messiah-king, his heart is bursting with zeal for God’s glory. And like we noted at the start of the week – we’re not David in this story. The whole point of this event in David’s life is not to show us how to defeat our giants, but to show us that God defeats them for us through an unexpected and unlikely giant-conqueror. Ultimately, it is Jesus who is the giant-conqueror, the faith-filled champion who steps into battle for us. We’re not David in this story, Jesus is David.
Think through the parallels. The enemies of God and his people line up to conquer and enslave – it is the ages old conflict between the Kingdom of Light and the Kingdom of Darkness. The two sides foretold in Genesis 3:15 are here encamped on opposite hills. A giant foe, Satan, defies the living God, wanting to destroy his people and tarnish his honour. An unlikely giant-conqueror, who would not be chosen by the world, steps out. Despised by his brothers he comes to fight with unlikely weapons, not the weapons of the world. His weapons are a spirit of obedience and service. He comes with a giant conviction – that the honour of God is all that counts and the reproach of sin must be removed from his people, so that all the earth may know the God of Israel. He uses the enemy’s own sword to destroy him – the Cross was Satan’s own attack and weapon, but Jesus decapitated Satan, Sin, and Death by it.
The lesson of David and Goliath is not that you can have victory if you believe enough, but that you already have victory through another. God’s champion delivers God’s people. We all must learn this lesson. We don’t achieve our own victory; victory over giants is not our own doing. The messiah-king does it for us. Like David says: “the battle is the LORD’s” (verse 47).
Questions
- Why is better to see this first and foremost as a picture of Jesus battling Satan, than us in our battles?
Prayer Points
- Give thanks that the victory is already won.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.