Give Me a Man!
Text: I Samuel 17: 1-11 (12-58)
Who does not remember the story of David and Goliath? It is probably one of the best known and best loved bible stories that we have. We have all taken courage from it—even the famed Israeli General Moshe Dayan. On the eve of the Six-Day War, when Israel was about to be attacked from all sides, Moshe Dayan read the story of David and Goliath to his troops.
It is the classic story of the victorious underdog, the diminutive hero, the unlikely champion. And it is so powerful and so challenging that it has become intrinsically woven into our mindset, and has become code-language for facing insurmountable odds.
So—If it is so well remembered, why should we hear it again? Is there anything new to be heard? Anything new to be seen?
W-e-l-l-, let’s see—
Come with me to the Valley of Elah. Elah is a broad, sweeping valley that runs from east to west through the foothills of Israel. It lies between the mountains of Judea (to the east) and the coastal plain on Mediterranean Sea (to the west). This valley provides a natural passageway from the mountains to the sea, and from the vantagepoint of one of the hills that lies to the north and to the south of the valley, you can see both the mountains and the sea.
These hills that border the valley are covered with oak trees. It is from them that the valley takes its name. Elah is oak in Hebrew. And standing alone on the valley floor to the west is one mighty oak. Today, this ancient tree reaches 55 feet tall, its trunk is 17 feet around, and its shade spans no less that 75 feet. Perhaps, it is a fitting tribute to the battle that took place here 3,000 years ago.
In the heart of this broad valley runs a seasonal stream. It is a brook running with water during the wet winters, and a dry wadi filled with smooth stones in the arid summers.
Standing now in the dry creek, I ask you to face south and picture the circular camp of the Philistines that is set up between two hills. Then, turn to the north and see the camp of the Israelites pitched beneath the hills on the opposite side of the brook.
Can you see it?
Now—when David arrived on this scene, bringing provisions to his brothers, the Philistine and Israelite armies had come out of their camps on the opposite sides of the creek bed and were lined up in long rows facing each other, ready for battle. The war cry had already gone up.
Keep in mind that the Philistines were not a native Canaanite people. They had arrived on the coast of ancient Israel from the area of the Aegean Sea—perhaps, one of the Greek Isles—a bout the same time that the twelve tribes of Israel entered the land from Egypt on the east side by crossing the Jordan River.
Remember, also, that the Philistine army was militarily powerful. They were greatly advanced technologically, having become masters at working with iron. Goliath’s armor is testimony to this fact. These Philistines had tormented the Israelites for many years in their attempt to take control of the entire country.
It is into this arena of ongoing conflict that David has stepped. And at that point in time the Philistines had the military upper hand over the Israelites. They had crushingly defeated Israel twice in battles at Eben-Ezer, and had even captured the Ark of the Covenant. They had made inroads into the hill country by taking over lands belonging to the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. And to take control of this valley would be like taking the gates to a city. It would give the Philistines a passageway into the heartland of Judah.
For this was their purpose, you see, to penetrate Israel’s territory, first by controlling the region of the valleys which provided natural corridors between the mountains and the sea, and then, through them, to reach Judah. It was important, therefore, for Israel to bar the Philistines from this eastward advance.
And David comes to the battlefield.
David is but a boy. He keeps sheep for his father. Shepherd boys were very young in those days. So, David could have been as young as eight or ten years old, and no more than in his early teens. He runs quickly down the battle lines to find his brothers. He must see them before the battle begins, so he can take word of them to his father.
At that moment, the Philistine champion breaks through the ranks. He comes forward and takes his stand in between the two facing armies.
Now, if we are going to see something new in this story—so well known and familiar—then, we have to start here.
In ancient times what Goliath does here was not unusual. It was not something new or unheard of or uncommon or strange. In fact, it was a familiar custom. In ancient times, it was often the custom to send out two individuals to fight one another rather than sending entire armies into battle. These men were called champions.
Each champion served as a representative of his army. He fought for his army. He fought instead of his army. He fought in the place of his army. He was a substitute for his army. His victory or defeat was a victory or a defeat for his whole army.
The two champions fought each other in between and in full view of their opposing armies. They usually fought to the death. Do you remember the stories of the famous Trojan and Greek champions, Paris and Menelaus, Hector and Ajax?
Well, this ancient custom provides the background for this story of David and Goliath. It is an aspect of the story that I do not think we have seriously enough considered in past readings, and I would like for us to consider it today.
Goliath has appeared before the Israelite army in the valley of Elah every day for forty days and asked for one man to fight him. He says, "Choose one of your men and let him come down against me. Get me a man and let us fight it out. Give me a man, Israel. Send me your champion!"
Goliath is suggesting that instead of the two armies going into the fight, each one should have a representative. He was prepared to be the representative of the Philistines, and he asked that the Israelites should select their representative, and let an individual match decide the issue of who would control the valley. What happened to Goliath would happen to his followers; and what happened to the representative of the people of God would happen to them. Goliath was calling for a man.
But no one comes. Has Israel no champion? Where is King Saul? He stands head and shoulders above all the rest, why not him? Will he not fight for his people? Will he not go forth so that the lives of his men might be saved? Four thousand of them had fallen before the Philistines at Eben-Ezer, thirty thousand when the ark was captured. Is Saul not a champion? But Saul is in his tent, terror-stricken like all the other men of Israel. And so, he does not come forth.
And what of Eliab, David’s eldest brother? He too is tall. Would he not make a fine champion? But Eliab does not come forth.
Young David comes to the battlefield. He comes with his shepherd’s staff and pouch. He comes because his father has sent him. He comes to bring food to his brothers. And David hears the Philistine’s words, and David sees that all the men of Israel run away in fear.
David speaks for the first time in the narrative and he asks, "What will be done for the man who kills the Philistine?" And when he speaks up, clearly revealing his desire to fight for Israel, his brothers scorn him. Eliab becomes angry. Well, of course. Little brothers are worrisome to big brothers, especially if big brothers are pretending to be mighty men of valor, but are instead immobilized by fear and cannot fight. David’s presence exposes Eliab as a coward and also all the men with him.
Saul also challenges him, saying he could not go and fight the Philistine, because he is only a boy. But David tells him of his experiences while keeping his father’s sheep. "This will not be the first time I have met a powerful enemy," said David in effect, "It will not be the first time I have proved the power of God to save me."
Saul then offers David his sword and his armor. It is his idea to make David as much like Goliath as he can. But David renounces Saul’s armor, and goes forth instead with his shepherd’s staff to meet his foe. As he crosses the dry creek bed, he bends over and picks up five stones and places them in his shepherd’s pouch. Perhaps, he is remembering the defeats of Israel at Eben-Ezer, and connects the name of the place with the stones in the creek bed, for Eben-Ezer means "stone of help." And then he approaches Goliath.
When Goliath sees David, he too mocks him because he is only a boy. He is no champion. Goliath sees that he is still handsome. He bears no battle scars. He is missing no eye or tooth. He is not deformed in any way because of injuries suffered in battle. Not a bone in his body has ever been broken. And the Philistine curses David.
But David replies, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of YHWH of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel."
Goliath may have seen David as weak because he was a boy untrained by war, but David despite his lack of strength and weapons knows how to use his wits, for he is a true son of Jacob. He knows that the smaller and the weaker can gain the upper hand by identifying and attacking his opponent’s weak points.
Goliath is equipped with the latest weapons. He carries a sword, a javelin, an iron-tipped spear and he wears a suit of scaled armor, but his face remaines vulnerable.
As David walks toward Goliath, he has no sword or spear. Humanly speaking, he seems to have little to offer the Israelite army. David places one of the stones into his sling and he aims his sling at the one place he knows he can do the most damage. He quickly rotates it several times to produce momentum and hurls the stone at Goliath’s face. The stone strikes the Philistine in the forehead and drops him to the ground.
David is successful in his conflict. He prevails over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. There is no sword in David’s hand for the victory is "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts."
Of course, the most wonderful thing of all this is that the victory of David is the victory of all Israel. Every Israelite—mark this carefully—became a conqueror that day because of David’s triumph. They all shared his victory. On that day a mighty deliverance was given the people of God because Israel’s champion defeated the Philistine champion.
Goliath called out, "Give me a man!"
And God sends David.
What we see reflected in David and David’s victory in the valley of Elah is David’s greater son, Jesus, and Jesus’ victory on the cross.
Jesus, like David, was anointed by the Spirit of God before he entered the field of battle.
Jesus, like David, was sent by his father to the battleground. It is written: "the father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."
When Jesus arrived on the scene, he, like David, was scorned by his brothers. It is written: "Jesus came unto his own, and his own received him not. He is despised and rejected of men."
Jesus, like David, is a shepherd. Jesus himself said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep."
Jesus, like David, was strengthened for battle by his past experiences. David had fought lions and bears to protect his sheep in the wilderness near Bethlehem. And before Jesus did battle on the cross, he had fought the tempter face to face for forty days in the wilderness of Judea, and had defeated him there.
Jesus, like David, is like a lamb, a lamb without spot or blemish, a lamb in whom no bone is broken.
Jesus did not carry a stone, like David, Jesus, David’s greater son, is the stone. It is written: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."
Jesus, when the soldiers and officers came out to arrest him, echoed the words of his father David to Goliath, "Have you come out against me with swords and clubs?" But, Jesus, like David, came in the name of the Lord. So attested his followers as Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.
Jesus, like David, came with no sword in his hand. For the battle against the power of evil is the LORD’s. And God wants all his people to know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear.
And of course, the most wonderful news of all this is that the victory of Jesus over the power of evil, over the bondage of sin, over death, was a victory for His people. We all—mark this carefully—became conquerors that day because of Jesus’ triumph. We all shared in his victory.
A mighty deliverance was given the people of God that day when the prince of the powers of darkness cried out, "Give me a man!"
And so, all you people of the living God, "Behold, your champion!"
He is Jesus, the son of David, the son of God.
Amen.
Who does not remember the story of David and Goliath? It is probably one of the best known and best loved bible stories that we have. We have all taken courage from it—even the famed Israeli General Moshe Dayan. On the eve of the Six-Day War, when Israel was about to be attacked from all sides, Moshe Dayan read the story of David and Goliath to his troops.
It is the classic story of the victorious underdog, the diminutive hero, the unlikely champion. And it is so powerful and so challenging that it has become intrinsically woven into our mindset, and has become code-language for facing insurmountable odds.
So—If it is so well remembered, why should we hear it again? Is there anything new to be heard? Anything new to be seen?
W-e-l-l-, let’s see—
Come with me to the Valley of Elah. Elah is a broad, sweeping valley that runs from east to west through the foothills of Israel. It lies between the mountains of Judea (to the east) and the coastal plain on Mediterranean Sea (to the west). This valley provides a natural passageway from the mountains to the sea, and from the vantagepoint of one of the hills that lies to the north and to the south of the valley, you can see both the mountains and the sea.
These hills that border the valley are covered with oak trees. It is from them that the valley takes its name. Elah is oak in Hebrew. And standing alone on the valley floor to the west is one mighty oak. Today, this ancient tree reaches 55 feet tall, its trunk is 17 feet around, and its shade spans no less that 75 feet. Perhaps, it is a fitting tribute to the battle that took place here 3,000 years ago.
In the heart of this broad valley runs a seasonal stream. It is a brook running with water during the wet winters, and a dry wadi filled with smooth stones in the arid summers.
Standing now in the dry creek, I ask you to face south and picture the circular camp of the Philistines that is set up between two hills. Then, turn to the north and see the camp of the Israelites pitched beneath the hills on the opposite side of the brook.
Can you see it?
Now—when David arrived on this scene, bringing provisions to his brothers, the Philistine and Israelite armies had come out of their camps on the opposite sides of the creek bed and were lined up in long rows facing each other, ready for battle. The war cry had already gone up.
Keep in mind that the Philistines were not a native Canaanite people. They had arrived on the coast of ancient Israel from the area of the Aegean Sea—perhaps, one of the Greek Isles—a bout the same time that the twelve tribes of Israel entered the land from Egypt on the east side by crossing the Jordan River.
Remember, also, that the Philistine army was militarily powerful. They were greatly advanced technologically, having become masters at working with iron. Goliath’s armor is testimony to this fact. These Philistines had tormented the Israelites for many years in their attempt to take control of the entire country.
It is into this arena of ongoing conflict that David has stepped. And at that point in time the Philistines had the military upper hand over the Israelites. They had crushingly defeated Israel twice in battles at Eben-Ezer, and had even captured the Ark of the Covenant. They had made inroads into the hill country by taking over lands belonging to the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin. And to take control of this valley would be like taking the gates to a city. It would give the Philistines a passageway into the heartland of Judah.
For this was their purpose, you see, to penetrate Israel’s territory, first by controlling the region of the valleys which provided natural corridors between the mountains and the sea, and then, through them, to reach Judah. It was important, therefore, for Israel to bar the Philistines from this eastward advance.
And David comes to the battlefield.
David is but a boy. He keeps sheep for his father. Shepherd boys were very young in those days. So, David could have been as young as eight or ten years old, and no more than in his early teens. He runs quickly down the battle lines to find his brothers. He must see them before the battle begins, so he can take word of them to his father.
At that moment, the Philistine champion breaks through the ranks. He comes forward and takes his stand in between the two facing armies.
Now, if we are going to see something new in this story—so well known and familiar—then, we have to start here.
In ancient times what Goliath does here was not unusual. It was not something new or unheard of or uncommon or strange. In fact, it was a familiar custom. In ancient times, it was often the custom to send out two individuals to fight one another rather than sending entire armies into battle. These men were called champions.
Each champion served as a representative of his army. He fought for his army. He fought instead of his army. He fought in the place of his army. He was a substitute for his army. His victory or defeat was a victory or a defeat for his whole army.
The two champions fought each other in between and in full view of their opposing armies. They usually fought to the death. Do you remember the stories of the famous Trojan and Greek champions, Paris and Menelaus, Hector and Ajax?
Well, this ancient custom provides the background for this story of David and Goliath. It is an aspect of the story that I do not think we have seriously enough considered in past readings, and I would like for us to consider it today.
Goliath has appeared before the Israelite army in the valley of Elah every day for forty days and asked for one man to fight him. He says, "Choose one of your men and let him come down against me. Get me a man and let us fight it out. Give me a man, Israel. Send me your champion!"
Goliath is suggesting that instead of the two armies going into the fight, each one should have a representative. He was prepared to be the representative of the Philistines, and he asked that the Israelites should select their representative, and let an individual match decide the issue of who would control the valley. What happened to Goliath would happen to his followers; and what happened to the representative of the people of God would happen to them. Goliath was calling for a man.
But no one comes. Has Israel no champion? Where is King Saul? He stands head and shoulders above all the rest, why not him? Will he not fight for his people? Will he not go forth so that the lives of his men might be saved? Four thousand of them had fallen before the Philistines at Eben-Ezer, thirty thousand when the ark was captured. Is Saul not a champion? But Saul is in his tent, terror-stricken like all the other men of Israel. And so, he does not come forth.
And what of Eliab, David’s eldest brother? He too is tall. Would he not make a fine champion? But Eliab does not come forth.
Young David comes to the battlefield. He comes with his shepherd’s staff and pouch. He comes because his father has sent him. He comes to bring food to his brothers. And David hears the Philistine’s words, and David sees that all the men of Israel run away in fear.
David speaks for the first time in the narrative and he asks, "What will be done for the man who kills the Philistine?" And when he speaks up, clearly revealing his desire to fight for Israel, his brothers scorn him. Eliab becomes angry. Well, of course. Little brothers are worrisome to big brothers, especially if big brothers are pretending to be mighty men of valor, but are instead immobilized by fear and cannot fight. David’s presence exposes Eliab as a coward and also all the men with him.
Saul also challenges him, saying he could not go and fight the Philistine, because he is only a boy. But David tells him of his experiences while keeping his father’s sheep. "This will not be the first time I have met a powerful enemy," said David in effect, "It will not be the first time I have proved the power of God to save me."
Saul then offers David his sword and his armor. It is his idea to make David as much like Goliath as he can. But David renounces Saul’s armor, and goes forth instead with his shepherd’s staff to meet his foe. As he crosses the dry creek bed, he bends over and picks up five stones and places them in his shepherd’s pouch. Perhaps, he is remembering the defeats of Israel at Eben-Ezer, and connects the name of the place with the stones in the creek bed, for Eben-Ezer means "stone of help." And then he approaches Goliath.
When Goliath sees David, he too mocks him because he is only a boy. He is no champion. Goliath sees that he is still handsome. He bears no battle scars. He is missing no eye or tooth. He is not deformed in any way because of injuries suffered in battle. Not a bone in his body has ever been broken. And the Philistine curses David.
But David replies, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come against you in the name of YHWH of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel."
Goliath may have seen David as weak because he was a boy untrained by war, but David despite his lack of strength and weapons knows how to use his wits, for he is a true son of Jacob. He knows that the smaller and the weaker can gain the upper hand by identifying and attacking his opponent’s weak points.
Goliath is equipped with the latest weapons. He carries a sword, a javelin, an iron-tipped spear and he wears a suit of scaled armor, but his face remaines vulnerable.
As David walks toward Goliath, he has no sword or spear. Humanly speaking, he seems to have little to offer the Israelite army. David places one of the stones into his sling and he aims his sling at the one place he knows he can do the most damage. He quickly rotates it several times to produce momentum and hurls the stone at Goliath’s face. The stone strikes the Philistine in the forehead and drops him to the ground.
David is successful in his conflict. He prevails over the Philistine with a sling and a stone. There is no sword in David’s hand for the victory is "not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts."
Of course, the most wonderful thing of all this is that the victory of David is the victory of all Israel. Every Israelite—mark this carefully—became a conqueror that day because of David’s triumph. They all shared his victory. On that day a mighty deliverance was given the people of God because Israel’s champion defeated the Philistine champion.
Goliath called out, "Give me a man!"
And God sends David.
What we see reflected in David and David’s victory in the valley of Elah is David’s greater son, Jesus, and Jesus’ victory on the cross.
Jesus, like David, was anointed by the Spirit of God before he entered the field of battle.
Jesus, like David, was sent by his father to the battleground. It is written: "the father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world."
When Jesus arrived on the scene, he, like David, was scorned by his brothers. It is written: "Jesus came unto his own, and his own received him not. He is despised and rejected of men."
Jesus, like David, is a shepherd. Jesus himself said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep."
Jesus, like David, was strengthened for battle by his past experiences. David had fought lions and bears to protect his sheep in the wilderness near Bethlehem. And before Jesus did battle on the cross, he had fought the tempter face to face for forty days in the wilderness of Judea, and had defeated him there.
Jesus, like David, is like a lamb, a lamb without spot or blemish, a lamb in whom no bone is broken.
Jesus did not carry a stone, like David, Jesus, David’s greater son, is the stone. It is written: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."
Jesus, when the soldiers and officers came out to arrest him, echoed the words of his father David to Goliath, "Have you come out against me with swords and clubs?" But, Jesus, like David, came in the name of the Lord. So attested his followers as Jesus rode into the city of Jerusalem on the back of a donkey.
Jesus, like David, came with no sword in his hand. For the battle against the power of evil is the LORD’s. And God wants all his people to know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear.
And of course, the most wonderful news of all this is that the victory of Jesus over the power of evil, over the bondage of sin, over death, was a victory for His people. We all—mark this carefully—became conquerors that day because of Jesus’ triumph. We all shared in his victory.
A mighty deliverance was given the people of God that day when the prince of the powers of darkness cried out, "Give me a man!"
And so, all you people of the living God, "Behold, your champion!"
He is Jesus, the son of David, the son of God.
Amen.
posted by Rev. Jo | 4:14 PM
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