Goliath's Kids - Life of David Sermon

 

Goliath’s Kids

“Life of David: Goliath’s Kids”

 King Saul was the very first king of Israel; at this point in their history they were ruled by Judges. But the people complained and wanted to be like all the other nations that had kings, so Samuel anointed Saul as king. But he disobeyed God’s orders and lost his kingship to David. Then we get to the point where David fights for Saul’s army and kills the giant Goliath, which was our story last week. Now we are going to fast forward in David’s life and see what happens when he and his army encounter more giants in David’s old age.

Turn with me to 2 Samuel 21. 2 Samuel 21:15 (read). I want us to see two things here. First, who is Israel, who is King David fighting with? (The Philistines) Ring any bells from David’s childhood? What was Goliath? (A Philistine)

Second, what has David become? (Weary)

2 Samuel 21:15–17 (NLT) 15 Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted. 16 Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him. 17 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?”

In the course of this battle, David became weary. Ishbi-benob, one of the Philistine soldiers, took note of David’s condition and determined to make the most of it. He was one of the giant’s descendants, with weapons very much like those of his predecessor, Goliath. Among his weapons was a new sword, which he hoped to initiate by drawing first blood from Israel’s king.

Now, why might David be weary? Well, it is because he is human, and he has been through the ringer. So I’m not going in chronological order of David’s life; I’m just doing an overview. So in 1 Samuel 17 when David kills Goliath he is very young. Well what kind of things happen between that time and 2 Samuel 21? Well, David didn’t build Jerusalem, he actually had to take it over from a group called the Jebusites (2 Samuel 5). The Jebusites said even the blind and the lame would keep David from taking the city, but after centuries of failure by the various tribes and people of God, David finally whooped the Jebusites, and took the city.

Subsequently, the ark of the covenant was brought into the city, but not without the death of Uzzah during which God got angry, and then David got angry with God (chapter 6). But when it finally does make it to Jerusalem, David is ready to worship and party, but his wife Milcah doesn’t understand his praise and despises him.

Then, in chapter 11, there is the whole encounter with Bathsheba, and King David is plunged into the depths of adultery, murder, deception, and the death of an infant child.

In chapter 13, one of his sons rapes his daughter. So another son kills the rapist, and has to flee for his life. That son eventually returns in chapter 14, but has undergone a bit of an evil transformation. Next thing you know, David is on the run for his life from his own son, and eventually is forced to send his armies after his son, Absalom, who ends up dying in the chase after his head gets caught in a tree in chapter 18.

Is there any question as to why David might be a bit weary? I’m weary just thinking about it. And now he is face to face with giants. . .again.

So picture this scene. David is facing the Philistines, and probably thinking, “Haven’t I seen you somewhere before?” And these constant, ongoing battles against these mammoth people, combined with the struggles of life are taking their toll. David is worn out.

This is serious danger zone for the people of God. When we are facing an enemy that we already thought we had beaten, and to be quite honest about it, are just plain sick of having to fight. Worn out. Weary. Ever been there?

Verse 17 (read) Whew! That was close. Enough with these giants already. Right?

Who was there to come to David’s rescue but Abishai, brother of Joab and the deceased Asahel, all of whom were the sons of Zeruiah, David’s sister (2 Samuel 2:18). He was a renowned hero in Israel (2 Samuel 23:18). While David may well have had his frustrations with Abishai — and he may not have even liked him — he certainly was indebted to him.

This incident troubled David’s army as much as it may have bothered him. They nearly lost their king in battle. When David fought, he led his men into battle. It was one thing to lose a soldier in battle, but it was quite another thing to lose a king in battle. David had been rescued by Abishai this time, but what about the next? David was past his peak; he was not the man of war he once was. His men did not wish to lose David as their king, and so they insisted that David no longer go out to battle with them. Now David was past his prime, but all of us are in the prime of our lives, and we still have many, many battles to fight. In fact, in terms of spiritual warfare, meaning the warfare against our minds and hearts that tries to cause us to doubt the Word of God, we will fight that battle until our deathbeds.

But just like David’s army, if we get weary and exhausted, we have the potential to fall into sin, never to rise or return to Christ. But that’s the wonderful thing about the Body of Christ, the other believers around us. So know that this Christian walk is a team effort; no one is successful by themselves.

[1] Following Christ is a team sport — So again, we are the church as a people. In our culture, we’ve gotten used to “going to church” versus being the church. But no gathering of believers known as the church can move forward without everyone doing their part, and contributing. Serving God by serving his people is actually an act of worship; it’s just as sacred as prayer, just as sacred as taking communion. The apostle John tells us:

1 John 4:20 (NLT)

If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

1 John 3:18 (NLT)

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

David’s men, especially Abishai show their love for their teammate, their leader David, in a real and tangible way. Let us help, serve and assist our fellow Christians in any way we can.

The next paragraph, verses 18–22, follows closely on the heels of verses 15–17. In the former battle with the Philistines, David had been attacked by one of Goliath’s offspring and had nearly been killed. The decision was reached that David would no longer accompany his men in battle. But could they win without this Goliath-killer? Was David essential to Israel’s victory against the Philistines? Verses 18–22 give us the answer.

In subsequent battles, other descendants of Goliath emerged, and they were killed also.

2 Samuel 21:19–21New Living Translation (NLT)18 After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants. 19 During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath.The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam!20 In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, they encountered a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also a descendant of the giants. 21 But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimea.

So David’s men killed other giants from Gath, the city of Goliath. The final “Goliath” descendant is saved until last, and no wonder. What a sight he must have been! Nevertheless, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck this giant down like the rest. Why are these stories given to us here? Let me make a couple of observations and then draw out some applications.

I see some emphasis here on the next generation. Saul has passed off the scene, as have his sons. These are the sons who could have challenged David’s son Solomon for the throne. But God providentially removed them. David here retires from his military career, just like one day all of the military people in here will retire. Even Yukino-San’s father, who did 36 years with the JASDF, had to eventually retire. We seem to be moving from one generation to the next.

Have you ever watched how professional athletes “retire”? The one thing they never want to do is retire after a bad year. They want to quit while they are ahead. I can understand that. It is better to go out with a shout of triumph than with a whimper of defeat. This is why earlier this year, in his very last NBA game, Kobe Bryant, at 37 years old, scored 60 points! He had spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers and wanted to go out giving it everything he had. But now when we think of David…I think you and I can agree that David went out about as well as anyone could. Granted, David needed some help to finish Ishbi-benob, but this fellow was killed and the Philistines were defeated.

The success I am thinking about is to be seen on a greater scale. When the Israelites demanded a king, it was so they could have a man who would fight their battles for them and lead them into battle, especially against the Philistines (1 Samuel 8:19–20; 9:16). What would they do now when David was no longer able to lead them in battle?

The answer is beautiful, but let me take you back even further in time. When the first generation of Israelites had an opportunity to possess the land of Canaan, they failed because they were afraid of the giants who were reported to be in the land (see Numbers 13:25–33). When the Israelites were intimidated by the Philistines, Goliath was their champion who frightened the Israelites badly. David stepped forward and killed Goliath, and the Philistines were defeated. But now, David is no long able to handle the “Goliaths” which the Philistines put up against him. Does this mean that Israel is in trouble? Not at all! Was David no longer able to fight? No problem! Men were lining up to take on all the Goliath’s the Philistines could put up against them. And these offspring of Goliath were all killed and the Philistines defeated. What a way to end David’s military career, by leaving a legacy. So my question for each and every individual be is, when you are done with the military, what will be your legacy? I’m not talking about the awards you won, or the rank you retire at, but whom did you influence for Jesus Christ?

[2] We are all called to establish a spiritual legacy — — The people no longer needed a king to do their fighting for them; they were willing to fight themselves, even against the offspring of Goliath. Now this is what I call a great way to retire.

There is also a sense of closure in that things left undone, things not dealt with under Saul’s administration, are now made right by David. The army of Israel has reached the point where David need no longer fight their battles for them, or even with them. There are many mighty men who are able to carry on where David left off.

This to me is a very important lesson in leadership. Often people want leaders who will do their job for them. The task of leaders is not to do everything, but to facilitate, to train, equip, and encourage others who will take our place and do even better than we have. Under Saul, not one man was willing to stand up to Goliath. In David’s ministry, there were many willing and able to do so. David is now free to step aside (first as commander of the military and later as king) because he has done his job well — he has helped to create a level of leadership that is ready to take his place.

Let us leave a legacy of righteousess, holiness and faith in Christ everywhere we go. My prayer is that everyone we come across would want to follow us as we follow Christ, just as David’s men followed him as he followed Yahweh, God the Father.

Here we go. Jump to 2016. A huge global giant we face is terrorism. You guys, as long as there is sin in this world, there will be terrorism. I was watching a documentary the other day in which a journalist was imbedded with an Army infantry unit in Afghanistan for many months. This same journalist then went to Fallujah, Iraq to get imbedded with Marine and Army infantry units to fight Al-Qaeda. On April 5th 2004, U.S. Marines had surrounded Fallujah. That was the first battle. The second battle took place in November and December that year. The third battle for Fallujah happened in June this year, this time our forces fought ISIS instead of Al-Qaeda. Also, we fought against Al-Qaeda in Ramadi and Mosul back in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and well, we’ve had to retake these cities from ISIS here between 2014 and this year. So the battles were different, but then they were also very similiar; 10–15 years of the same battles. However, not even terrorism is something new to God, or something he can’t handle. That’s a global giant, but it’s a giant that’s being slayed; and our personal giants can be slain as well. Through God’s grace, you are able to find five smooth stones, and slay the giant in your life. I don’t care if it’s cancer. I don’t care if it’s the attitude of ex-husbands or wives. I don’t care if Goliath’s kids are your horrible bosses. Jesus Christ is strong enough, Jesus Christ is big enough, to kill all Goliath’s kids.

2 Samuel 21:22 (NLT) 22 These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.

I love how this portion of David’s giant-killing career highlighted his entire army and all his other warriors. It says David and his warriors killed them. First, David worked in cooperation with a team, but it wasn’t just any old team. It was his warriors!! What does it mean to be a warrior?

What’s a warrior? A person who fights in battles and is known for having courage and skill. A warrior is a woman or man engaged or experienced in warfare; a person engaged in some struggle or conflict. Every believer is a king and queen, and a priest and priestess according to the Bible. So if you are a king or a queen, why are you not surrounded by warriors? Why are you around people who are spiritually weak? Now I don’t mean if you are weak if you struggle; everyone struggles. But there is a difference between struggling with sin and doubt, and just talking yourself into defeat. That’s not what we do, Neighborhood!

We are those that defeat; we are not the defeated. You know…just because it looks like the same battle from the past doesn’t mean that it is. Today, it was the Iraqi Army that has taken the lead to recapture Iraq’s major cities from ISIS, and the U.S. military was the supporting cast, especially in Ramadi. Ramadi, Bagdhad and Fallujah made up the “Sunni Triangle,” like the Bermuda Triangle, it was the most deadly area for U.S. troops. The recent recapture of Ramadi from ISIS by Iraqi security forces was a HUGE step in the right direction. David had to take a step back in this text, just like the U.S. Army had to take a step back in fighting ISIS in Iraq. And David’s supporting cast stepped up and took the lead. The Iraqi Army is finally taking charge of their country. We have to be each other’s supporting cast, or we will all lose. If one of us loses, all of us loses. This is why we lean on each other in times of war. But you don’t have to be afraid of Goliath’s kids.

[3] Let God awaken the warrior within you — — Don’t be afraid of Goliath’s kids. They have names…..Little snot nosed brats like depression, lust and anger. Some of us have been divorced and now are remarried. We tried our hardest to fight for our marriages, but things just didn’t work out. And now we’ve gotten serious about Christ, but we have a former spouse who makes things hard when it comes to blended families. Discouragement and despair might rise in your heart, but just hold on. Remember that you have all of Heaven’s Armies with you! You have the Spirit of the Living God, the Spirit of the God of the Universe inside you. All of Goliath’s kids have to die.

2 Timothy 2:3–4 (NLT) 3 Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.

1 Timothy 6:12 (NLT) Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses.

In terms of witnessing to the Japanese, God can work through the giant of cross-cultural discipleship and ministry (Butch and Keiko). Being afraid of witnessing to someone from another culture; that’s just another one of Goliath’s kids. So let’s kill the fear!

2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

amen!

Father I pray that you would awaken salvation in the hearts of those who don’t believe. I pray that you would awaken conviction in the hearts of those who do believe, but still struggle with feelings of inadequacy, who might feel that they are not good enough, or may feel they are too dirty for God to do mighty things through them. But Lord, just like you worked through a broken, sinful man like David, you can take our ashes and give us beauty. You can turn our mourning into dancing. Make us your oaks of salvation; your pillars of righteousness. Save the lost souls in this room today, if there are any. And continue to sanctify and purify those who do know you, so they can do great exploits, and kill Goliath’s kids, in Jesus’ name, amen!