2. (1 Sam 17:45-47) David, full of faith, replies to Goliath
Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands."
You come to me with a sword, spear and javelin: David makes a contrast between himself and Goliath without giving credit to Goliath. David recognizes that Goliath has some of the best weapons of the time, but David knows his victory will come from God.
This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands: David speaks with as much courage as Goliath had done, but David has better grounds, confiding not in his own strength, but in the Divine, and expecting through it, certain victory, not only over Goliath, but over the whole army of the Philistines. David was careful to say, "The LORD will deliver you up into my hands." David was bold, but bold in God and not in himself. He knew the battle belonged to the LORD.
That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel: This whole incident made David famous. But that is not why he did it. He did it for the fame and the glory of the LORD, not for his own glory. He wanted all the earth to know that there is a God in Israel.
For the battle is the LORD'S: Although we possess no special psalm composed by David on this occasion of his battle with Goliath, we find in many of the psalms David trusts in God to deliver him from all his enemies. ("For I will not trust in my bow, nor will my sword save me. But You have saved us from our adversaries, and You have put to shame those who hate us. In God we have boasted all day long, and we give thanks to Your name forever" Psalm 44:6-8.) ("The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, on those who hope for His lovingkindness, to deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield" Psalm 33:16-20.)
He will give you into our hands: Again, notice David's humility. It isn't, "He will give you into my hands." David knows this was a battle he was fighting on behalf of Israel. It they were not trusting in the LORD, David would trust for them.
3. (1 Sam 17:48-49) David kills Goliath
Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground.
When the Philistine rose: Goliath was seated, as was the custom with armies in ancient times when they were not engaged in conflict. When Goliath saw David emerge from the ravine, he rose, and carrying his vast load of armor, moved slowly towards his enemy.
David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine: Many Christians struggle at this point. Is God supposed to do it or am I supposed to do it? The answer is, "Yes!" God does it, and we do it. Trust God, rely on Him, and then get to work. Work as hard as you can and run right at the enemy. That is how the work of God is done.
David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung it: Slinging stones had been practiced among the Israelites to a masterful perfection. Many years before this time, we read: "Out of all these people 700 choice men were left-handed; each one could sling a stone at a hair and not miss" Judges 20:16. It appears this skill had been passed down through the ages to David.
Struck the Philistine on his forehead: Goliath's helmet had no visor protecting his forehead. (That form of protection had yet to be invented.) Instead, Goliath's only protection came from his armor-bearer in front of him. Since Goliath was a giant, and his armor-bearer was just average height, Goliath's face was exposed to an assault by David. While the rest of the Israeli army thought, "Goliath is so big, I cannot beat him." David thought, "Goliath is so big, I cannot miss him." A man of less faith might have been too nervous to take proper aim.
The stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground: Just as the Philistine god Dagon fell on his face before the LORD (1 Samuel 5:2-5), so now the worshiper of Dagon falls on his face.
4. (1 Sam 17:50-54) David beheads Goliath, and Israel romps over the Philistines
Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted and pursued the Philistines as far as the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the slain Philistines lay along the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and Ekron. The sons of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines and plundered their camps. Then David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his weapons in his tent.
David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone: David's great victory was extraordinary. It required immense courage as well as perfect skill. Only the front of Goliath's head would have been exposed. If David would have hit Goliath on any other part of his body, the blow would have had no avail due to Goliath's body armor. Using just a sling, which was probably not considered as deadly of a weapon as a sword, David subdues the giant.
Then David ran...and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him: Like many other times in the Bible, God uses the enemy's own weapon to slay the enemy. When Gideon and his 300 men blow the trumpets around the outskirts of the Midianite's camp, God uses the Midianites' own swords to slay the Midianites (Judges 7:21-22). Throughout the Psalms, we read of how God uses the enemy's own snare to cause destruction on the enemy. ("They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down. They have dug a put before me; into the midst of it they themselves have fallen" Psalm 57:6.) God loves to use the enemy to bring destruction on himself. This is another incredible reminder that we do not need fancy weapons or heavy armor to defeat the enemy. All we need is faith in God, and He will provide the victory.
And cut off his head: This was not done to show Goliath's death, but it was done as a trophy to be shown to King Saul. The heads of the slain enemies were regarded in the East as tokens of victory. A very similar scene is played out when King Saul dies during a battle with the Philistines. ("It came about on the next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people" 1 Samuel 31:8-10.)
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled: The Philistines had agreed to consider this single fight as decisive. They had no fears as to its result, and when they saw their highly exalted champion fall, they were seized with sudden panic. Their adversaries, the Israelites, 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. At last, their Invisible King was back with them. At once, with a triumphal shout, the Israelites charged their defeated foes, and the battle, as far as the Philistines were concerned, became a total rout.
Then David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem: There are no indications that Jerusalem had yet attained any importance either as a political or religious center. The citadel still remained in the hands of the Jebusites, but the lower part of the city had been captured by Israel. ("Now as for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the sons of Judah could not drive them out; so the Jebusites live with the sons of Judah at Jerusalem to this day" Joshua 15:63.) Some historians believe David deposited Goliath's head at some "place of arms" located in Jerusalem. Other historians believe David deposited Goliath's head as a votive offering in the tabernacle at Nob which was close to Jerusalem.
He put his weapons in his tent: The Hebrew word ohel rendered as "tent" here, can also mean "dwelling". Some believe David took Goliath's weapons back to his home in Bethlehem, and at some later time presented them to the tabernacle at Nob. Other historians believe this is a future action. When David has made Jerusalem his royal seat, he orders the skull of Goliath to be set up as a victory trophy. The expression "in his tent" refers to the tent of God. God's tabernacle is referred to as "the tent of David" in Acts 15:16. David is given such a claim to fame since in 2 Samuel 6:17, he pitches a tent for the Ark of the Covenant in his own city, Jerusalem. ("So they brought the Ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD" 2 Samuel 6:17.)
5. (1 Sam 17:55-58) Saul meets a victorious David
Now when Saul saw David going out against the Philistines, he said to Abner the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" And Abner said, "By you life, O king, I do not know." The king said, "You inquire whose son the youth is." So when David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the Philistine's head in his hand. Saul said to him, "Whose son are you, young man?" And David answered, "I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."
Whose son is this young man: This phrase does not necessarily mean that Saul did not recognize David. Saul is simply asking about David's family background. Saul promised his daughter to the man who killed Goliath, and Saul may just have wanted to know something about his future son-in-law. It is also quite possible that Saul indeed did not recognize David. Some historians believe that David played his music behind a screen or curtain. So, Saul may have never seen David's face. Others believe that since a distressing spirit was upon Saul, he was not entirely in his right mind.
Moreover, Saul may not have recognized David because David did not spend all his time in Saul's court. In 1 Samuel 17:15, we read that David went home to tend the sheep. It is very possible David's appearance changed during his time away from Saul. David would have been in his teens or 20's and easily could have grown in height and matured into a young man. Additionally, it is sometimes hard to recognize people when they are out of place. I know it has happened to me many times when I see someone, perhaps a grocery store clerk at the doctor's office or my doctor at the grocery store, and I simply do not recognize the person. Saul may not have recognized David outside his palace and without a musical instrument in his hand.
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