1 Samuel 17:34-47

34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” 38 Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again. 40 He picked up five smooth stones from a stream and put them into his shepherd’s bag. Then, armed only with his shepherd’s staff and sling, he started across the valley to fight the Philistine. 41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled. 45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

Not only do we need to deal with the people pressure but we also need a:

• Different perspective

Haddon Robinson, a pastor, professor, and theologian, once said: “In any situation, what you ARE determines what you see; what you SEE determines what you DO.” Just like the report that the ten spies brought back to Moses in Numbers 13:33: “We saw the giants there…We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” While everyone else saw Goliath as too big to mess with David saw him as too big to miss. Do you have a poor perspective or a proper perspective? Do you see yourself as a victim or a victor? If you see yourself as a victim, you will react accordingly, but if you see yourself as a victor then that is how you will respond. Many of us lose the battle before it ever begins because we chose to focus on the giants and not on God. David focused on his provider and protector not on the problem. When you lose sight of God it’s not long before you give up. In 1952, a young woman named Florence Chadwick attempted to swim from Catalina Island to the California coast, a distance of 26 miles. As she began, she was flanked by small boats that watched for sharks and were prepared to help her if she got hurt or grew tired. After about 15 hours a thick fog set in. Florence began to doubt her ability, and she told her mother, who was in one of the boats, that she didn’t think she could make it. She swam for another hour before asking to be pulled out, unable to see the coastline due to the fog. As she sat in the boat, she found out she had stopped swimming just one mile away from her destination. Two months later, she tried again, the same thick fog set in, but she succeeded in reaching Catalina. She said that she kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind while she swam. She would later swim the Catalina channel on two additional occasions. The fog caused her to give up because it poisoned her perspective. She gave up the fight because she lost sight of the finish. The second time she had success despite the fact that she faced the same foggy problem, because even though she lost sight of the shore physically she never lost perspective. Don’t let problems cloud your perspective and cause you to give up. While Goliath had an armor bearer David had the Almighty. Today if you are paralyzed by fear, or feeling hopeless about the future pray and ask God to free you from the fog. Don’t let the problems poison your perspective. Not only did David have a different perspective but he also:

• Dared to Proclaim God’s name

As David came closer and Goliath realized that he was just a boy, just like everyone else he also despised and dismissed David, saying: “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” Max Lucado captures the contrast between David and Goliath as he calls this “The toothpick versus the tornado.” Goliath doesn’t just insult David he curses him declaring that he will feed him to the birds and the beasts. David now does what no one else had thought to do he introduces God into the equation. David was the only one who was concerned about God’s name and His people’s reputation, everyone else cared only about self. He reminds the enemy of the Almighty. Saul’s solution was to try and get David to trust in his armor but David trusted in the Almighty. Today many of us are trying to put our trust in our man-made armor instead of the Almighty. We would rather rely on other people’s solutions than the Savior. Instead of trusting in God the father we want a formula on which to rely. Are you facing a giant right now, have you introduced God into the equation or are you relying on something else? Everyone, from family to foe, wanted to despise and dismiss David, but look at how he responded to being ridiculed: “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.” David then describes in great detail what he will do to Goliath and declares in verse 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.” David focused on God and what he could do not on what others said. The name of God that David used is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Commander of the Hosts of Heaven. Amos 4:13 describes the name of God in greater detail: “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth–the LORD God Almighty (Jehovah Sabaoth) is his name.” David didn’t just face his giant he flattened the giant because he focused on the power of God not on the puny giant. What about you are you focused on the problem or His presence? When you focus on God’s power in puts your problems into perspective. Our God has unlimited power, unbridled might and untarnished glory, He is impossible to fully describe and incredible to imagine. In contrast to Goliath, God is the Creator of the world. If you want to minimize your Goliaths then start magnifying your God. David didn’t listen to Goliath’s words and worry he made Goliath aware of God. Many of us are living defeated lives because we are listening to the enemies lies and letting them define our lives. Don’t let the enemy have the last word, stop listening to Satan’s lies and start reminding him of what God has in store for him. David now describes in great detail what will happen to Goliath and who the battle really belonged to. David voiced the victory before the battle ever began because he knew who the battle belonged to. When God goes to war the battle is over before it ever begins, Goliath the giant was as good as dead. While no one else talks about God, David talks about no one but God. While everyone else focuses on fear David focuses on the Father. He sees what they don’t and refuses to look at what they do. It’s not that David doesn’t see the giant he just sees God more, look at the number of times David refers to the giant verses God. David talks about Goliath twice, but he talks about God nine times. Do your God thoughts out number your Goliath thoughts four-to-one? What if we were to focus on the Father four times more than we do fear?  How do you fillet fear, by remembering that it is God who fights for you. The only way to face your giants is through faith in God. Right now verbalize your confidence in Christ, call on His name and say His name out loud. It’s time to measure your giants against the greatness of God not yourself. You will never put your problems in their place if you keep give them power. David didn’t see the giant as an obstacle but as an opportunity to get to know God better. Do you want a different perspective, then dare to proclaim the name of God and get ready to discover just how great He is.

1 Samuel 17:20-39

“20 So David left the sheep with another shepherd and set out early the next morning with the gifts, as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the Israelite army was leaving for the battlefield with shouts and battle cries. 21 Soon the Israelite and Philistine forces stood facing each other, army against army. 22 David left his things with the keeper of supplies and hurried out to the ranks to greet his brothers. 23 As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. 24 As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. 25 “Have you seen the giant?” the men asked. “He comes out each day to defy Israel. The king has offered a huge reward to anyone who kills him. He will give that man one of his daughters for a wife, and the man’s entire family will be exempted from paying taxes!” 26 David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And these men gave David the same reply. They said, “Yes, that is the reward for killing him.” 28 But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. “What are you doing around here anyway?” he demanded. “What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!” 29 “What have I done now?” David replied. “I was only asking a question!” 30 He walked over to some others and asked them the same thing and received the same answer. 31 Then David’s question was reported to King Saul, and the king sent for him. 32 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” 33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” 34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Saul finally consented. “All right, go ahead,” he said. “And may the Lord be with you!” 38 Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. 39 David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. “I can’t go in these,” he protested to Saul. “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off again.”

Last time as we looked at facing our fears we saw that we needed to define the problem and then be prepared not scared. Now as we continue with the story of David and Goliath we will see that next we need to be:

• Prepared for people pressure

David arrived on day 40 to hear Goliath challenge the cowering Israelite army for the 80^th time. After listening to the giant boast about himself and belittle God David declares, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” It is here that his older brother Eliab became angry with David and accuses him of hanging around the battle for his own benefit. He doesn’t just chastise David he calls his character into question, accusing David of impure motives. Eliab calls David’s integrity into question, and belittles his brother by dismissing his role as a shepherd, seeing it as small and secondary. Eliab sees himself as a soldier while David is just a shepherd who takes care of a few sheep, he is not even a successful shepherd in his brothers eyes. Eliab trivialized David’s tasks in order to knock him down to size. It’s sad but Eliab sees his sibling as an annoyance, even though David has sacrificed and traveled many miles to bring his brothers supplies. Just as David didn’t get any support from his siblings, sometimes it is those who are the closest to you that will be your biggest critics. Sometimes the bigger battle is not with the enemy outside the camp but with those who are supposed to be on your side. When you decide to defeat the giants in your life don’t be surprised when you get criticized by those closest to you. Expect pushback from those who call themselves supporters, sometimes the biggest fight comes from friends and family. Sometimes the very ones you expect to help are the ones who hurt you the most. Look if you want to face your giants you’re going to have to face opposition regardless of whether it comes from outside or inside the camp. Don’t allow negative comments to nullify what God has called you to do. How did David deal with the people pressure, he focused on the cause not the criticism. David didn’t waste his time blaming he put his energy into believing. It’s not that David wasn’t distressed by what his brother said, it’s that he didn’t let it deter him. You have a choice when it comes to the critics you can listen to their negative noise or you can listen to the Lord. David faced constant criticism; the battle of belittling came at him from Goliath as well as God’s people. Yet he wasn’t intimidated by the insults, because David knew that it wasn’t about his name it was about the holy name of God. David didn’t get sidetracked by the scathing sarcasm because he made it about the Messiah not me. Are you going to focus on self and your suffering and get sidetracked, or on the Savior and the real sorrow, when God’s name is dishonored? When you stand up for God’s name you will get nailed. But instead of finding fault with your family, your friends or even your foes put your faith in a faithful God. The truth is that his brother was upset because David’s questions about Goliath dissing God made his brother look like a coward and not a man of courage. Unlike David Eliab focused on his feelings instead of God the Father. Often people will put you down and criticize you because it takes the focus of their failings. Rather than face his own failings it was easier just to find fault with David.  But despite his brothers attempts to bully him into silence, Saul, the King of Israel, still heard about David’s courageous candor and sent for him. In verse 32, David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” At first Saul also tried to dismiss David, but David was unperturbed and pointed to his past as proof of God’s power.  But as Saul tells David to go for it he tries to give him his armor, but David discards it because it doesn’t fit. Be careful you don’t try to fight your giants with someone else’s solution. Both Eliab and Saul tried to dismiss David, but he chose to focus on God’s faithfulness not others failings. In the midst of people pressure don’t lose sight of the real fight. Today what voice are you going to listen to, the critics or Christ?