1 Samuel 17: Stand-off of Two Camps
1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
This supports the theory that the aforementioned warfare of David in 1 Samuel 16:18 was spiritual in nature, as was the subsequent armor bearing of that chapter. The Philistines gathered together their armies as aggressor... and “Saul and the men of Israel” gathered. While not engaged as spiritual armor bearer and harp-player, “David went home to pursue his usual avocations. How well he carried the burden of his prospects!”(Joseph Parker) “At this time David was back on his father's farm at Bethlehem, for he did not need to remain at Saul's court when Saul was away directing affairs on the battlefield (12-16).” (Bridgeway Bible Commentary)
“Having now recovered their spirits and strength, they sought an opportunity of wiping out the infamy of that national disaster, as well as of regaining their lost ascendancy over Israel.” (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) Perhaps: “They hearing of the breach between Saul and Samuel, whose piety and prayers had been dreadful and baneful to them, as also of Saul’s frantic fits, rendering him unfit to lead an army; but especially being stirred up by God to undertake this expedition for the accomplishment of his ends, they again invade the land of Israel.” (John Trapp)
“The enemies of the church are watchful to take all advantages, and they never have greater advantages than when her protectors have provoked God’s Spirit and prophets to leave them.” (Joseph Benson)
The Philistines pitched between Shochoh and Azekah.— “some twelve or fifteen miles southwest of Jerusalem, and nine or ten from Bethlehem, the home of the family of Jesse.— in Ephes-dammim— the ‘boundary of blood,’ [which] is suggestive, and tells of the constant border warfare which took place in this neighbourhood.” (C.J. Ellicott).
“‘The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side,’ etc. where they had disposed and fortified their cams, that if the one should assault the other, the assailant should have the disadvantage, and be obliged to fight from a lower place.” (Matthew Poole)- both physically and spiritually.
Repost After Walk: 1 Samuel 17: Israel Made Afraid 4 And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 6 And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7 Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. 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. 9 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.” 10 And the Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” “‘And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines,’ — a military character well known to the Hebrews... years before he had scattered the army of Israel, slain the sons of Eli, and captured the ark, so that even heroes trembled at his name.” (Sutcliffe)— “Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span”— over nine feet tall. "His armour is mentioned, first his helmet of brass. [typical in the Word of God for judgment. Compare to Israel's helmet of salvation. ] This tells us that typically he has made his head (his mind) impervious to being influenced by the word of God; for ‘the god of this world has blinded the minds of them that believe not’... His whole body was similarly protected by armour of great weight, so that a sword in the hand of a weaker man would mean nothing. The size of his offensive weapon is emphasized, both its shaft and its head. He could easily overreach any ordinary adversary and kill him before the other got within striking distance. He illustrates the stature and power of the well-trained controversialists of this world, the boasted strength of man in the flesh. He is well prepared too by the help of a man bearing a shield to go before him.” (L. M. Grant) “So that he was substantially armed cap-a-pie, {head to foot} as they say, and might seem to be a walking armory.” (John Trapp) "It is a grievous mistake for men to arm themselves as in triple mail against good influences.” (R. Young, M. A.) “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,‘— In the Hebrew, Philistine is made emphatic by the article, but the word servants is without it. Thus: Am I not ‘THE Philistine, etc.’, Am not I the great warrior of the Philistine army? Why then trouble the army with battle? I am empowered to decide alone the fortunes of the day.” (Matthew Poole)— “And you the servants of Saul.” “There was no Israelite better than he. Saul stood a head taller than any other man in Israel.” (1 Samuel 9:2b) “He spoke thus taunting the soldiers of Israel with the memory of the former glory of their king. Will none of the famous servants of the warrior king dare to meet me? Must we not deem it probable that the fact of the separation of the prophet from the king had been made public in Philistia, and that the present daring challenge was owing to their knowledge that the Spirit of the Lord—whom we know these enemies of the Hebrews dreaded with so awful a dread—had departed from Saul and his armies?” (C. J. Elllicott) “I defy the armies of Israel"- consisting of those who, like Jacob, have truly struggled with God and prevailed-- "this day:”— "Hebrew, I have reproached the armies of Israel this day. He heaps upon them scorn and contempt for their supposed inability to cope with a single warrior.” (Poole)— “give me a man, that we may fight together.” ““‘If he be able to fight with me and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us.’ So Goliath's proposal was to have the entire matter decided by single combat, since he felt sure that the outcome would be in favor of the Philistines.” (The Popular Commentary) “And are there not giants equally determined and terrible that threaten us, in national and individual experience, and find us unable to cope with them?” (F.B. Meyer) It was a matter of the strength of man over the will of God. “The insult was a symbol of the insulting attitude of worldliness towards religion. Brute force and power paraded themselves as contemptuous of the power of the Spirit. Religion cannot hold its own against the powers of the world except by spiritual forces and trust in God. When the guardians of religion, or those who should witness its inward power, fail in this trust, and in using the right weapons, then the world has its way. The symbol in this case is singularly vivid and complete.” (W. J. Knox Little) 11 When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. “Men so entirely depend upon God in all things, that when he withdraws his help, the most valiant and resolute cannot find their hearts or hands, as daily experience shows.” (Matthew Henry) “There was a time, when at the threats of the Ammonites, Saul hastened to the deliverance of the people, though only then coming from the herd of the field, and obtained a glorious victory. And now, though a king at the head of an army, he trembles. What made the difference? It is easily answered. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, in the former instance, and inspired him with courage. But now, the Spirit of the Lord is departed from him, and all his confidence is fled.” (Hawker's Poor Man's Commentary) "Israel is afraid because its king is. They dare not in childlike spirit appropriate the promises of Jehovah. The wings that should bear them up in trustful upsoaring to the Lord of hosts are crippled. " (The Popular Commentary)
1 Samuel 17: David Goes to the Area of Conflict
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. 15 But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.
17 Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. 18 And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”
Yahweh’s anointed was obedient to the king of Israel, leaving the area of conflict. “Now, upon such occasions, there always went out a general summons for all, able to bear arms, to meet at an appointed rendezvous; where, a choice being made of those most fit for service, the rest were sent back again to their several homes.” (Thomas Coke)
“Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah,” again emphatic as in “the Philistine.” However, the emphasis is on Jesse— rather than David. Here he has eight sons. “Seven only are mentioned, 1 Chronicles 2:13 one of them being, as is thought by some, a grandson, perhaps Jonadab the son of Shammah; or was a son by another woman, or died without children, as Jarchi, and therefore not mentioned.” (John Gill)
“And the three oldest followed Saul. But David [as] occasionally” — and obediently— “went and returned from Saul.”— “who had given him a dismiss, either as having now no further use of him.— ‘to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem’ — as tendering the comfort of his aged father, to whom he had sent for him at his need, and who had now furnished him with three other of his sons for soldiers.” (John Trapp)
“And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days,” the number significant of probation. “So the infidel age, by principle and by practice, bids defiance to the judgments of heaven, and ridicules the sanctifying fears of holy men.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) But as here probation is soon to end.
David obeyed his father and returned to the area of conflict. “The giant continued to deliver his challenge to Israel every morning for forty days (v.16), before David returned to visit his brothers in army.” (L. M. Grant)
One day probation will end of this age. And Jesus, Yahweh’s anointed — obedience to His Father’s command— will likewise return to this earth with provision for the salvation of His people, Israel. He will not bring word of them back to His Father, but rather He will bring them back to Him.
1 Samuel 17: David is in the Camp
19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army.
“‘Now Saul, and they’,.... that is, the sons of Jesse, and brethren of David: ‘and all the men of Israel’; the soldiers in the army: ‘were in the valley Elah’; or ‘by’ it, near unto it; for they were set in array on the mountain on the side of it: ‘fighting with the Philistines’; not actually engaged in battle, but drawn up for it; prepared and in readiness to engage whenever it was necessary, or they were obliged to it...
‘So David rose up early in the morning,’ being very ready and eager to obey his father's orders, and visit his brethren:‘ and left the sheep with a keeper’; which showed his care and faithfulness in the discharge of his office; he was not unmindful of his father's sheep, any more than of his commands: ‘and took’; the ephah of parched corn, the ten loaves, and the ten cheeses:’and went, as Jesse had commanded him’; went and carried them to the camp, according to his orders: ‘and he came to the camp as the host was going forth to the fight and shouting for the battle’; which was usually done when about to make the onset, to animate the soldiers, and strike the greater terror into the enemy.” (John Gill)
22 And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 Then as he talked with them, there was the 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. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.
“‘And David left his supplies’— the provisions which he had brought to his brethren— ‘in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers.’” (Poole) He ran to the battlefront.
“How brisk and lively David was.” (Henry) Fear of man did not guide him, but rather fear of God and obedience and submission.
“Then as he talked with them, ‘behold there came up the champion’ — Although the armies stood ready to engage, yet the vanity of Goliath made him once more desirous that the matter might be determined by single combat, and to challenge the whole host of Israel to produce a man to fight with him. ‘And all the men of Israel fled from him’ — That is, none of the Israelites dared to come to an equal distance from their camp as Goliath did from that of the Philistines; and probably some that had advanced farther than the rest, retired back when they saw him approaching. Nay, it seems wherever he advanced they fled from him. But surely one Philistine could never have thus dismayed and put ten thousand Israelites to flight, unless their Rock, being forsaken by them, had justly sold them, and shut them up, Deut. 32:30.” (Joseph Benson)
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.” 26 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?” 27 And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
“So the men of Israel said, ‘Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel;’ Prompted by the Spirit of God, he had come with bread for his brothers in his simplicity, not knowing the insults offered daily to JEHOVAH. He who had anointed David for the throne, opened his way by illustrious means for elevation." (Sutcliffe)—
"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.“ So shall it be done for the man who fights and kills Goliath. The king will give him riches including his daughter and heap honor on his father’s house making “‘his father's house free in Israel,’ exempt from taxes and every form of public service. This was the promise of Saul in a public proclamation, intended to inspire some man with the courage to risk his life in battle.” (Paul E. Kretzmann)
“It does not appear from the narrative that these promises were ever fulfilled by Saul in the case of the house of Jesse.” (C. J. Ellicott) Men void of the Spirit are not likely to keep their promises.
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine"- alien to the covenant of God with Israel? "Thus David expresses a high indignation that they, who were the servants of the living God, and fought under his banners, should be thus terrified by the great bulk of this idolater, as if the strength of God were not greater than that of this giant.” (Joseph Benson)
“His formidable size makes no difference to David: when he defies God's armies, it is God whom he is defying.” (L. M. Grant)
“David seems to have considered himself capable of defeating Goliath from the first time he heard of Goliath’s insults to Yahweh. The fact that he referred to Yahweh as the ‘living God’(1 Samuel 17:26) shows David’s belief that Yahweh was still the same Person who could defeat present enemies as He had done in the past. His was the simple faith of a child. He had apparently heard about God’s promises to Moses and Joshua , that if the Israelites would attack their enemies, God would defeat them (Deuteronomy 31:1-8; Joshua 1:1-9). Faith in God always rests on a Word from God in Scripture. Most of the Israelites took Goliath’s challenge as defying Israel (1 Samuel 17:25), but David interpreted it as defying the living God, the only true God (1 Samuel 17:26). Here David’s heart for God begins to manifest itself (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7).” (Dr. Thomas Constable)
1 Samuel 17: The Anger of Eliab- David's Eldest Brother
28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you 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.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Is there not a cause?” 30 Then he turned from him toward another and said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.
Whose sibling have ever been a man's encourager in new things? “Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger was aroused against David, and he said, ‘Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness?’” (28a) Let this child “remember that all that he knows anything about is looking after ‘a few sheep’ (a deliberate under-play) in the pasture-land. That does not qualify him to be a soldier on the battlefield.” (Peter Pett) Moreover, “’I know your pride and the insolence of your heart,‘- See the similar expression, Jeremiah 49. Compare the envy of Jacob‘s sons toward Joseph, and of the slanders heaped upon the Son of David in the days of His flesh.” (Albert Barnes) —
"for you have come down to see the battle.” (28b)
“Eliab regards David's talk as mere ‘pride’, or, rather, presumption, impertinence; and also as ‘naughtiness,’ or badness, ‘of heart,’ probably because he imagined that David's object was to provoke some one else to fight, that he might ‘see the battle.’” (Pulpit Commentaries)
"David's answer is gentle and forbearing, but the last words are difficult. ‘Is there not a cause?’” (Pulpit Commentaries)— “הוא דבר הלוא halo dabar hu. I believe the meaning is what several of the versions express: I have spoken but a word. And should a man be made an offender for [speaking] a word?” (Adam Clarke)— even the Word of God!?
“Spiritual heroism not unfrequently meets with discouragement from those who should be the foremost to sustain it. What noble plans, and comprehensive enterprises, have been nipped in the bud by the unkindness, and suspicion, and jealousy of Christians! What shackles and fetters have been thrown round the free limbs of many a man, anxious to do great things for God, and to leave the world better than he found it; and this by brethren too--elder brethren--Eliabs!” (The Biblical Illustrator)
“Undaunted by his brother's volley, he turned to someone else.” (Expositor's Bible) “When a man is provoked to wrath, and beginneth to kindle, it is wisdom to divert to some other company, place, and business...This is a cooler, and will slake the fire.” (John Trapp)
David continued to speak the Word in season and out of season.
“And these people answered him as the first ones did”- “telling him what gratuities and honors would be conferred on such a person, as in 1 Samuel 17:25; and the design of his talking to one, and to another, was, that what he had said might spread and reach to the ears of Saul, to whom in modesty he did not choose to apply himself.” (John Gill)
He only came into the king's court when summoned by him.
1 Samuel 17: David Convinces Saul That He is Worthy
31 Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. 32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I 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 and killed it. 36 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.” 37 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!”
“David was conducted into Saul’s presence-his soul aglow with heroic faith-avowing that he was willing to go alone to fight the Philistine. Saul, however, had no thought of power save that which comes from long practice, 1 Samuel 17:33, or from helmets and coats of mail, 1 Samuel 17:38-39; so he endeavored to dissuade the stripling.” (F.B. Meyer)
“Then David said to Saul, ‘Let no man’s heart fail him,’ etc. — it would have reflected upon his king to say, ‘Let not thy heart fail’; therefore he speaks in general terms, ‘Let no man’s heart fail’. This young shepherd, come but this morning from keeping sheep, has more courage than all the mighty men of Israel! Thus doth God often do great things for his people by the weak things of the world.” (Joseph Benson)—
“your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” -“‘And Saul,’ who was decidedly lacking in the divine courage needed for Jehovah's battles, ‘said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth,’ a young man, and not versed in the arts of war, ‘and he a man of war from his youth,’ trained in the use of arms from early childhood.” (Paul E. Kretzmann)
He was worthy in the little things.. and God gave him His Spirit. “And David said unto Saul, ‘Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear,’— individually, and at various times— ‘and took a lamb out of the flock.’” (John Trapp) “This event happened after Samuel anointed David with oil ( 1 Samuel 16:13).” (Gary H. Everett')
“Your servant has killed both lion and bear.” “The great lion— The prowess of the lion is well known. It is a testimony of Samson’s mighty power that he rent a lion as he would have rent a kid. Judges 14:6. No ordinary man would, therefore, dare to fight the king of beasts. ‘The Syrian bear — still found on the higher mountains of this country — is perhaps equally to be dreaded in a close personal encounter. The inhabitants of Hermon say that when he is chased up the mountain he will cast back large stones upon his pursuers with terrible force and unerring aim. The stoutest hunter will not venture to attack him alone, nor without being thoroughly armed for the deadly strife.’— Thomson.” (Whedon's Commentary)
He concluded: “And this uncircumcised Philistine”— who had openly avowed himself His enemy— “will be like one of them,” etc.
“And David therefore comes forward, as His friend, to espouse His cause. It is as if he had said, ‘The lion and the bear were only enemies to me and to my sheep, and it was only in defence of them that I attacked these brute beasts; but this Philistine is an enemy to God and his people, and it is for their honour that I attack him.’ ” (Joseph Benson)
When in Christ: “The past should be our prophet. David confided in the unchangeableness of God. Forms of danger vary; but the delivering power remains the same. Sometimes danger comes as a lion, sometimes as a bear, sometimes as a Philistine, sometimes as a devil. David did not ask what the special form was, he knew that God never changed, and that His power was the same in all cases.” (The People's Bible)
Saul already loved David (1 Samuel 16:21); But he “doubted in his heart the reality of David’s mission.” (C. J. Ellicott) “Had it not been for the heroism of slaying a lion one day, and a bear on another, Saul would not have confided the honour of the field to a youth, but twenty three years of age. Killing a lion placed Hercules in the list of heroes. The king perceived that David had a soul equal to the fight.” (Joseph Sutcliffe)
"And Saul said to David"- not to Yahweh, “Go, and the LORD be with you!” Perhaps, though He is not with me, perhaps He might be with you.
1 Samuel 17: David goes Forth Armed With Five Smooth Stones
38 So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 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 with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
Saul had agreed to the battle. “Still, Saul thought it necessary that David should be protected by armour. This seemed only sensible, for Goliath was well armed.” ( L. M. Grant) “Saul's armour would have been David trusting in his own strength, which would have failed. David's armour was Christ (Ps. 18:1, Rom. 13:14, Gal. 3:27).” (Everett's Study Notes) David truly tried Saul’s means of grace... “He tried the armour which Saul proposed, though he felt the assurance expressed in the words—‘The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.’”( H. Melvill)
Our message is this: “‘Prove all things,’ St. Paul said. ‘Prove the spirits,’ St. John wrote--meaning the professed inspirations of men who came saying, I have a message unto thee, O man, from God. ‘Prove your own selves,’ St. Paul said again--always the same word,…” (C. J. Vaughan, D. D.) against the Word of God.
But “David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.’“— “I have no skill nor experience in the management of this kind of arms.” (Matthew Poole)— And the battle is at hand. So then “David prepared as accustomed in Bethlehem for his ordinary work. He “took his staff”—what we would call his shepherds crook— “and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook.” Only these had been proved as instrument that he was ordained to use.
“In the exercise of his shepherd's calling [as he had his godly mediations in the Word] he may have become so skilled in the use of the sling, that, like the Benjaminites mentioned in Judges 20:16, he could sling at a hair's-breadth, and not miss.” (Keil & Delitzsch) He must fall back on these simpler means, having the faith of a child.
“The stones came from the brook, where they had been smoothed by the flow of water over a long period of time. The water is a well known type of the Word of God (Eph. 5:26), and when it is running (or living) water, the energizing power of the Spirit of God is involved in it (John 7:38-39). Believers are said to be ‘living stones’ (1 Pet. 2:5), the stone being God's workmanship in contrast to bricks (Gen. 11:3) which are man-made. These stones are smoothed by the action of the water, the Spirit of God applying the Word of God to the hearts of believers. When this is true, the believer becomes vitally identified with the Word he believers. This is proven by Mark 4:14 : ‘The sower sows the Word,’ and Matthew 13:38 : ‘The good seed are the children of the kingdom.’ Similarly the stone speaks of a believer, but as formed by the Word and Spirit of God, therefore each stone may be likened to a particular scripture that has become real to the heart of one who uses it.” ( L. M. Grant)
“The torrent bed of the Wady es-Sumt is said to be lined with smooth pebbles.” (Whedon's Comm.) “Had they been rough or angular, they would not have passed easily through the air, and their asperities would, in the course of their passage, have given them a false direction.— ‘and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had,... that in which he generally carried his provisions while keeping the sheep in the open country.” (Adam Clarke) He did it as he had done many times.
And behold, Goliath drew nigh.
1 Samuel 17: Goliath’s Spiritual Warfare
41 So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
“David is far more well armed than would appear to people on the surface, just as one who has learned the Word of God is far better armed than one who is well versed in all the arguments of unbelief.” (L. M. Grant)
Goliath came with his shield bearer and when he saw David approaching him without one— nor armor, nor sword— he speaks to him with haughty contempt “for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking.”—“Not having so much as the countenance of a martial person.” (Matthew Poole)
“He had sought a warrior to fight with; he gets a boy to annihilate." (Expositor's Bible Commentary)
“Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” “The describing of people whom you despised as ‘dogs’ (predatory wild scavengers who roamed around cities looking for scraps) was a well known insult. It indicated the total contempt that you had for someone. Thus he saw himself as being treated with the utmost contempt.” (Peter Pett)
And he cursed David— “באלהיו ba-Elohaiv, by his gods... Menochius gives us here a Roman form of execration. ‘Dii te, Deaeque perdant,’ may thy gods and goddesses destroy thee.” (Joseph Sutcliffe)
In fact, this uncircumcised Philistine was under a cursed of Yahweh, David’s God. His “tongue... is set on fire of hell.” (James 3:6 )... and will eventually ignite his whole body for his indignation against the God of Israel.
Goliath was unaware of Shema Israel: “Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is One!” (Deut. 6:4) as well as the promise made to Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you.” (Gen. 12:3a) You bless Abraham by propagating his faith. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me,”—“He intended, as soon as he could lay hold on him, to pull him to pieces.” (Clarke) — “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”— “It will be a tender and delicate feast for them.” (Joseph Benson) “In other words he is saying, ‘you have treated me like a scavenger. So I will cut you up and feed you bit by bit to the scavengers.’“ (Pett) These would ensure David's complete destruction.
Repost After Walk: 1 Samuel 17: David’s Spiritual Warfare
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. 46 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 of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
“When two champions met, they generally made each of them a speech,... hurling contempt and defiance at one another... This kind of abusive dialogue is common among the Arab combatants still.
David's speech, however, presents a striking contrast to the usual strain of those invectives. It was full of pious trust; and to God he ascribed all the glory of the triumph he anticipated.”(Jamieson-Fausset-Brown)
“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin;
I come to you in the name of ‘Yahweh of hosts’”;— first used in 1 Samuel 1:3 concerning the prophet Samuel’s father: “This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.” It is used 270 times afterwards. “The hosts are the heavenly powers and angels that act at the Lord's command.” (Tyndale Bible Dictionary)
So, here David is “resting absolutely upon Him Who has revealed Himself as the Covenant-God of Israel, and the Almighty Ruler of heaven and earth, Whom thou defiest when thou defiest the armies of His people.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
”What Goliath expected from his arms, David expected from the ineffable name, ‘The LORD of hosts’... [saying in effect to him] 'You are fighting against Him and His religion, as the champion of your party; I am fighting for God, as the champion of His cause.'” (Adam Clarke)
It was Goliath’s tongue which had offended. There is no mercy, now. It had passed. Off with the head. “‘This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.” “And surely by the force of his heroical faith, David letteth fly here at his adversary, no otherwise than as if he had wrapped up in his sling, not a stone, but the blessed God Himself, if I may say so with reverence to His Majesty.” (Trapp) Note that he makes this prophecy with no means in his hands.
“And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth;” See Deuteronomy 28:26; Isaiah 56:9; Matthew 24:28; Revelation 19:17,18. “David being assured both of his cause and of his calling prophecies of the destruction of the Philistines.” (Geneva Study Bible)— for this purpose, ”’that all the earth’— not only the land of Canaan or Palestine, but the whole earth.” (John Gill)— “may know that there is a God in Israel.” For like sayings, see Exodus 9:16; 15:14,15; Joshua 4:24; 1 Kings 8:43; 18:36,37; 2 Kings 19:19; Psalms 46:10; Isaiah 52:10; Daniel 2:47; 3:29; 6:26,27.
“Then all this assembly shall know that Yahweh does not save with sword and spear.” “Observe [once again] the consistent teaching of such passages as 1 Samuel 14:6; Exodus 14:13-18; Judges 7:2, Judges 7:4, Judges 7:7; Psalm 44:6, etc.” (Albert Barnes) And people will hear about it in every subsequent age and sing about it. It is for our learning. “For the battle is Yahweh’s,” says He to His church.
“So in Psalms 44:6-8 we read—
‘I will not trust in my bow,
Neither shall my sword save me.
In God we boast all the day long,
And praise thy Name for ever.’
And in Psalms 33:16-20,
‘There is no king saved by the multitude of an host,
A mighty man is not delivered by much strength.’
* * * * *
‘Our soul waiteth for Yahweh,
He is our help and our shield.” (C. J. Ellicott) Yahweh of the hosts of heaven, even “the God [singular] of the armies of Israel”, will now give the Philistines into the hands of the Israelites for His namesake.
1 Samuel 17: An End of the Parley
48 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. 49 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
“Then came the terrible moment, and both armies held their breath for a time.” (The Pulpit Commentaries) Doctrine is good, but let’s get to work.
“The Philistine came forward to meet David, and David on his part ran forward to meet the Philistine...” (Adam Clarke) “being moved with a fervent zeal to be revenged of this blaspheme of God's name.” (Geneva Study Bible) “Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead,”— that seat of thought; “there being no other part of Goliath capable of danger; the rest of him was defenced with a brazen wall. This was the Lord’s own work, and it is justly marvellous in our eyes.” (John Trapp)
“‘The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth’: he fell to rise no more.” (Joseph Sutcliffe) “Then David ran” and took Goliath’s own sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. “In Goliath’s fall we see the end of infidel and blaspheming men, who despise the name, and deride the judgments of the Lord. What a humiliation to Philistia which trusted in an arm of flesh: what a joy to Israel, to see the monster fall before a stripling, whose coat of mail was faith in God, and whose weapons were simply a stone and a sling. Well might the alien fly, and Israel pursue. It is God who giveth the victory, and encreaseth strength to them that have no might.” (Sutcliffe)
“And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.”— reneging on their agreement to serve Israel. “Their adversaries, the children of Israel, on the other hand, seeing the unarmed shepherd boy with the head of the great warrior who had so long defied them in his hand, felt that the old power had come back to them, and that once more their Invisible King was with them, so they at once, with an irresistible shout, charged their dismayed foes, and the battle, as far as the Philistines were concerned, became a total rout.” (C. J. Ellicott)
“Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron.”(52) “After returning from the pursuit of the flying foe, the Israelites plundered the camp of the Philistines.” (Keil & Delitzsch) God had not restricted them, as He had in specific cases, from taking of the spoils of those they had defeated.
“And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem,” to display in the open street.— See the head of the giant who dared defy Yahweh. Faith in His power to defend Himself is the key.
“It is thus that God’s champions, in every age, have gone out against giant wrongs, as Luther against Tetzel, or Garrison against slavery; and it is thus that we may confidently over-throw the inbred sins that claim supremacy over our lives.” (F.B. Meyer)
“But he put his armor”— Goliath’s armor— “in his tent.”—later. “David had neither tent nor house of his own.” (Albert Barnes) “The ‘tabernacle of Jehovah’ is meant—‘his tabernacle,’ so termed pointedly by the compiler of the history, because David, in later days, with great ceremony, ‘pitched it’ in his own city (2 Samuel 6:17). In Acts 15:16 the writer of this New Testament Book expressly calls the sacred tent ‘the Tabernacle of David.’” (C. J. Ellicott) “It would be quite in accordance with David‘s piety that he should immediately dedicate to God the arms taken from the Philistine, in acknowledgment that the victory was not his own but the Lord‘s (cp. 1 Samuel 21:9).” (Albert Barnes)
“Let not the strong man glory in his strength, nor the armed man in his armour. God resists the proud, and pours contempt on those who defy him and his people. No one ever hardened his heart against God and prospered. The history is recorded, that all may exert themselves for the honour of God, and the support of his cause, with bold and unshaken reliance on him. There is one conflict in which all the followers of the Lamb are, and must be engaged; one enemy, more formidable than Goliath, still challenges the armies of Israel.“ (Matthew Henry) As part of the body of Christ, in your own calling, like David did against Goliath, come against Satan in the conflict of ages in the name of Yeshua.
1 Samuel 17: Back Again to the King's Court
55 When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.” 57 Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
It seems that the king and the captain of his host saw the combat with Goliath from on high and then was the inquiry made. “Whose son is this youth?” But the interview took place after the pursuit of the Philistines.
“‘Whose son is this youth?’— that is, of what family and tribe is he?“ (Geneva Study Bible) This was generally an important part of Hebrew economy. But here were more reasons: “The purpose of Saul’s inquiry was not to find out who David was—that he knew well already—but to ascertain the position and general circumstances of the young hero’s father, as, according to the promise (in Samuel 17:25) in the event of his success (which evidently the king confidently looked for), the father of the champion and his family would receive extraordinary honours.” (Ellicott’s Commentary) Moreover his lineage is made of more importance to Saul— “a question of the more consequence to him, as he had promised his daughter in marriage to the conqueror of Goliath."
“Either Saul had never before made any inquiry about his parentage, or both he and Abner had forgotten whence he was. And this might very easily happen to a king and a general of an army, who daily see and have to do with so many different faces, and who pay so little regard to things of this sort. Nay, if Saul had entirely forgotten David, it would not have been strange, considering that he had been but little with him, had some time ago been dismissed from the court, and was returned home, where he had remained at least a year or two, during which time Saul had not seen him. Besides, the distemper of Saul’s mind might make him forgetful, and David might now be much changed, both in his countenance and in his habit. Abler said [yea, swore], ‘I cannot tell.’ Abner’s employment was generally in the camp, when David was at the court; and when Abner was there he probably took little notice of a youth so much inferior to him as David was.” (Benson Commentary)
So David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” “Undeclared Royalty— That is a very simple account for a man to give of himself, yet it answered the question which elicited it. Standing before the king, grasping the head of a man who made Israel quake, a nation looking at him, yet he speaks as if a stranger had accosted him in some peaceful retreat of the pasturage! David might have said, ‘Samuel came to my father's house in search of a king. He passed by my brethren one by one; I was seat for at length from the sheep fold, and Samuel anointed me king of Israel. Behold in this bleeding head the first sign and pledge of my kingly power!’ Instead of speaking so, he merely said, with a child's beautiful simplicity, ‘I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.’” (J. Parker, D. D.)
Here is a picture of “the true equipment, the true temper, and the certain victory, of all who, in the name of the Lord of hosts, go forth in their weakness against the giants of ignorance, vice, and sin. ‘This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.’” (A. Maclaren) I am the son of your servant Jesse etc. David too would serve him, waiting on the Lord for exaltation. It was not said, but David’s life proved that he too would serve him forever— as long as the king lived. Long live the king!