Law of Continuance – David and Goliath
1 Samuel 17: 1-51
ICE BREAKER: What have you learned from a past experience that helped you later on?
Introduction:
Just as there are physical laws, that govern the physical universe, there are Spiritual Laws, by which God governs the Universe. God is a God of restoration. God declares what He is going to do before He does it. That’s called prophesy. God wants to restore things to their original purpose. Adam was the first man that God created. God created Adam to be his friend, and to be his earthly governor. He put Adam in a place where he would have dominion over the things in this world, but Adam sinned. We all know that. And Adam lost his authority. From that point forward God began this lengthy process of restoring everything that was lost, taken or given away.
1. How has God planned to restore mankind?
A. IDENTIFY FEAR AND DISAPPROVAL
1 Samuel 17:1–16 (NIV) 1 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. 4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. 12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
2. What is the significance of Goliath’s description in 1 Samuel 17:4-7?
3. As Goliath was taunting the army of Israel, what were the people focusing on? What should they have been focusing on?
4. Can you describe a time when you were focused on the size of the problem, instead of the size of our God?
5. Pastor Dave said that Saul should have killed Goliath. Do you agree? Why should Saul have been the one to kill Goliath?
6. Why was Saul not capable of fighting Goliath? (v. 11) What does this indicate about the condition of Saul’s heart?
7. Pastor Dave said, “Everyday Saul and his army were content to dress up, line up and stay put”. How can we overcome fear and take action against the giants we face in life?
8. How do you suppose Israel would have acted differently, had Saul found his confidence in God and defeated Goliath? (Saul as King=1 Samuel 17:11, David as King=1 Chronicles 20:4-8)
1 Chronicles 20:4–8 (NIV) 4 In the course of time, war broke out with the Philistines, at Gezer. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated. 5 In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod. 6 In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. 7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. 8 These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.
9. What do you suppose is the point of showing that Goliath’s taunting went on day after day, morning and evening, for forty days? (v. 16) What do you think that Saul and the army should have been doing in those forty days?
1 Samuel 17:23–28 (NIV) 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. 24 Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear. 25 Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.” 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.” 28 When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.”
10. How would you compare Eliab’s reaction with David’s reaction? What do you think Eliab was feeling after forty days of taunting by Goliath?
1 Samuel 17:32 -33 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
11. David was able to fight and kill Goliath, being a young man, but Saul as an experienced soldier was too afraid to fight and defeat Goliath. What does this indicate about spiritual preparation, and the way David used his time as a shepherd? (Psalms 77:12; 119:15,48,78) What are you doing to prepare yourself spiritually?
Psalm 77:12. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Psalm 119:15. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways.
Psalm 119:48 I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees.
Psalm 119:78 May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause; but I will meditate on your precepts.
B. IF YOU’RE HESITANT, IT’S BECAUSE YOU FORGOT COVENANT
Pastor Dave said, “The unbelievable part of the story is not the size of the giant, but the failure of the people of Israel to remember God’s law of continuance (God’s faithfulness).” The obvious heart problem of Saul and the army is fear. A deeper underlying heart problem is lack of commitment to God and faith in Him, and His plan.
12. Saul had a history of giving into fear, resulting in disobedience. (1 Samuel 13:7-13, 15:23-24). How much do you struggle with fear? What role does fear play in our disobedience? How can commitment to God and our faith help us overcome fear and disobedience?
C. THE LAW OF CONTINUANCE
1 Samuel 17:34-37 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
13. Do you have any stories of God’s provision and deliverance from your life that you would like to share with your group? Why is it important to write down stories of God’s deliverance in your life?
D. USE THE TOOLS GOD HAS GIVEN ME NOW
1 Samuel 17:40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
Pastor Dave made the point that David used the tools that he had at hand. These were the tools that David had spent time with developing his skill.
14. How have you taken the time to prepare spiritually, develop the skill of sharing the gospel, develop your testimony, and increase your knowledge of God’s word? (1 Peter 3:15)
E. EXPECT GOD TO CONTINUE HIS WORK IN YOU
1 Samuel 17:45-51 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.
15. How is God continuing with you to overcome the challenges in your life?