The Life of David: Borrowed Victory (1 Samuel 17)

For many years, David has been one of my favorite Bible characters. He has become a friend to turn to, and his life has encouraged mine. I especially resonate with his earliest years; the ones spent preparing for his leadership role in Israel. Many of those years were spent on the run, and the sweet psalmist of Israel penned many of his best works during that chaotic time. Because the texts explaining his life are precious to me, I am going to write a series of articles on the early years of David's life (1 Samuel 16-2 Samuel 1), with some snapshots of his later years on the throne (2 Samuel 2-24) and I will release these teachings once per month. As always, thank you for reading and I pray God ministers to your heart as we inspect His word. You can find all articles here.

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So far, in our journey with David, we've seen his earliest years. God had called and anointed David, and the early signs of God's blessings were upon him. But it is at this point a dilemma arises -- How would He elevate a young teenage boy into Israel’s limelight? How would He get the heart of the nation to be for the God-hearted man, David? Goliath was God’s answer.

David’s defeat of Goliath points forward to a battle of greater importance. Jesus Christ would come and defeat humanity’s Goliath: the curse, sin, and the devil. Just as only David was found fit to fight Goliath, so there was only One who could win the victory over mankind's brutal foe, and it was the perfect and holy Son of God. In human flesh, Jesus boldly headed to the cross, just as David confronted Goliath, to destroy our foe, a foe we could never have defeated in our own strength. We needed the help of the outsider, the Creator, the Perfect One.

For this reason, we must see David’s defeat of Goliath through Christ-tinted lenses. There is something in this episode about defeating the obstacles and giants of our lives, but only if we first realize the victory of the Son of David. Like the Israelite soldiers who responded to David’s victory by pursuing the Philistines, we are running in the victory of another. We are to borrow the victory of Jesus. To that end, let us consider the victory of David, how it compares to the victory of Christ, and how we can run in similar victory today.

Consider the Scene (1 Samuel 17:1-11)

Before dreaming of victory, however, we must consider our foe. Goliath was the champion of the Philistines. They were bent on destroying Israel. Since Israel was God’s delivery system for the Savior of the world, they needed to survive. Therefore they fought. As Saul decreased in spiritual strength, the Philistines increased in military might. For forty days, Israel was judged by the proposal of Goliath: “Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me” (1 Samuel 17:8). One soldier against one soldier, each serving as a representative for their nation, and to the victor went the spoils.

Goliath was a massive warrior, a descendant of the giants of the land. Approximately nine feet in height, Goliath had the strength to engage in warfare with 150 pounds of armor on his body. He was the finest the Philistines had to offer, confident in his strength. For forty days, no man in Israel dared moved forward into battle.

Every reader of this story must consider Goliath. He is impregnable, undefeatable, and utterly confident in his power. He taunts and ridicules and waits. Can anyone defeat him? Yes, but only one. David would be that man. But we have new Goliaths today, sinful tendencies we struggle to lay down, roles and responsibilities that are too great for us, or burdens that are beyond our natural strengths to alleviate. For these, we need our David to grant us the victory. We must run in the victory of Christ. But, again, before considering the victory, we ought to allow the Spirit of God to show us our foe.

1. David Went in Obedience (1 Samuel 17:12-18)

David’s father, Jesse, had sent three of his sons out to battle in the armies of Saul. He had no real way of knowing their state, so he sent David with some bread and cheese as gifts for their commander. David was to bring back word from the battlefront. He was to go there, deliver the supplies, get the news, and come back again. The humility of David is on display at this point, for though he was already the part-time armor-bearer of Saul, he also continued his responsibility caring for his father’s sheep. And when that same father asked him to go, David went. Without questioning his dad, David departed upon his mission.

Our Lord has done the same, for He always did that which pleased the Father (John 8:29). The triune God had determined from the foundation of the world that the blood of the Son would atone for the sin of the world, our Goliath, and in submission, Jesus went. He lowered Himself to the point of death. “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me,” He would pray in the garden, “But not as I will, but as you will” (Mark 14:36). We praise Him for His obedience.

If we long to borrow the victory of Christ in this life, to run in the victory He’s purchased for us, we must emulate Him by obeying the Father. The word of God must become more than an interesting book with advice for life. Instead, it must become the commandment to our hearts. “If you love me, keep my commandments,” Jesus said (John 14:15). We cannot expect the experience of Christ’s power to fall upon us if we have little of Christ’s submission to the Father.

Obediently, we must adopt the Father’s will for our relationships, our sex lives, our finances, and every other area of life we love to control. If we’re honest, it is often our opinion and experience that drives our view of these areas of life, rather than the Father’s word. You cannot experience the fullness of Christ’s power until you come to a place of submission to your Father in heaven. But this extends beyond sins of commission and into sins of omission, meaning there is power available when we step out in obedience to our Father in heaven. There is much to refrain from, but there is also much to engage in. We are to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). In this process, as we step out in accordance with the Father’s will, we will feel the power of Christ help us engage in the Father's work.

2. David Saw a Living God (1 Samuel 17:19-27)

Upon his arrival at the camp, David did as we would expect. He left the supplies and ran to the battlefront. The men of Israel had gathered, on yet another day, to shout at the Philistines. As David gathered in the scene, the champion of Gath, Goliath, appeared again. As his taunts filled the air — the same taunts he had delivered for forty days — something new transpired. “David heard him" (23). The same old enemy with the same old words, but this was a new day for Israel, for David had heard the words of their foe.

But David also heard the men of Israel. As the blowhard giant did his worst, the armies of Israel muttered amongst themselves. “Have you seen this man?” they asked, “He has come up to defy Israel. The king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel” (25). David, processing it all, spoke. For the first time in Samuel’s writings, David opened his mouth, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (26).

The contrast between the men of Israel and David is striking; it could not be starker. When the men of Israel spoke of Goliath, they referred to him as “this man.” But when David spoke of Goliath, he referred to him as “this uncircumcised Philistine.” He spoke of the giant in this way because he was fixated on the fact that this man was outside the covenant God had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. David felt very much that he was in the covenant, while Goliath was out of it.

The men of Israel referred to “the man who kills him,” but David spoke of “the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel.” In David’s mind, the slaughter of Goliath was for a reason: to remove the embarrassment of subjection to the Philistines from God’s people. How could they claim to serve an Almighty God if they lived in servitude to a neighboring people group?

And when the men of Israel spoke of Goliath’s words, they said he was defying Israel. But David felt Goliath was defying “the armies of the living God,” which stood as the first mention of God in the entire episode. Only David was thinking of God. Only David saw God as alive, and this man Goliath as an abomination standing against the fame of God.

David is not alone in scripture, for he stands with others who saw God when no one else could. Elijah and Abraham and Noah and the apostles all testify of a better life which knows of God as “the living God,” the God in whom we live and move and have our being. But each one of those characters borrowed from the Spirit of Christ, for Jesus came into a world unconscious of God, but He lived before His Father in heaven. He had come from the throne room of God. He had, quite literally, seen God, for He was (and is) God.

If we want to run in the borrowed victory of Christ, we must walk in the same consciousness as David and our Lord. We must know God is alive. Our response to much in life is a matter of our perspective. The men of Israel saw Goliath as alive and God as dead. But for David, God was alive! We must bear this within our hearts. We must set our minds on things that are above (Colossians 3:2). “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). There is a view that leads to victory, but also one which leads to defeat. When we see our sins and trials and burdens as insurmountable giants, we will become paralyzed, overcome with fear. But when we see God as living and above our troubles, victory flows from His throne and into our lives.

3. David Pushed Past Doubters (1 Samuel 17:30)

As David spoke with the armies of Israel, his eldest brother, Eliab, heard the interchange. Perhaps Eliab had felt the sting of God’s rejection, for it was his youngest and smallest brother who had been selected by God and anointed by Samuel as the next king of Israel. As the years ticked by, Eliab soured even further on David. Hearing David’s words were too much for Eliab to bear, so he lashed out by saying, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle” (28). His accusation was hurtful; his accusation was incorrect.

Proverbs asks, “Who can stand before jealousy?” (Proverbs 27:4). David, before Eliab, could not, for jealousy had overwhelmed his heart. But David did the only thing he could and moved on. “What have I done now?” he asked, “Was it not but a word?” (29). He then turned away and spoke with others, continuing his investigation into Goliath. The Spirit was on David, and he would not dare turn away from the matter pressing against his soul. Goliath must be stopped.

In moving on from Eliab, David joined ranks with Jesus, who also experienced the ridicule of His family. They thought Him mad at times. His brothers did not believe in Him until after the resurrection. Eventually, Jesus’ brothers believed, and so would David’s. Jesus’ brothers would eventually convert and become prominent leaders in the early church, even authors of two New Testament epistles (James and Jude). David’s brothers would eventually join him in the cave of Adullam, and some of them would even become part of his special forces, his mightiest men.

If we want to run in the borrowed victory of Christ, we must learn to push past, just as Christ and David did, the doubters. Jesus said, “A person’s enemies will be those of his own household” (Matthew 10:36). At times, the doubters will be close to us. At other times, the doubter will be within us, our very mind and heart. Like the father with the sick child, we must say, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24). We often feel the pull between faith and doubt, so we must battle to put on the mind of Christ, the mind which believes in the work of God in our lives. Often, it is these doubters who serve as God’s messengers to refine and solidify our faith and resolve. As the “tested genuineness of our faith” is secured, we become strong for the war God has placed in front of us (1 Peter 1:7).

4. David Saved the Flock (1 Samuel 17:31-37)

Word eventually came to Saul — there was a young man asking about warring against Goliath! Someone believed God could defeat the giant! Saul sent for David and found a young man, a mere youth. Some estimate that David began playing the harp for Saul at age twelve and that by this time, he is in his late teens, still too young, by man’s estimation, to battle against a warrior such as Goliath. “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth,” Saul surmised, “And he has been a man of war from his youth” (33). Goliath would dispense with David in no time, Saul thought, for he had been engaged in warfare since David was a baby. This inexperienced youth was no match for the seasoned giant.

In response to Saul, David testified of God’s previous faithfulness in his life. During those years of watching his father’s sheep, multiple times, a lion or a bear would come out and take a lamb from the flock. David had, in those moments, not run or become paralyzed with fear. No, he had instead run into war with those beasts, striking them, delivering the sheep. And if the beast fought against him, David had risen up, struck him, and killed him. “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear,” David said, “will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (37). David was ever confident in His God.

It is important to note the circumstances surrounding David’s past victories, victories which had clearly built his faith for this moment with Goliath. He had not merely seen a mountain lion or a bear roaming in the fields, minding its own business, and thought to tussle with them. No, it was when they had engaged with his father’s sheep that the Spirit came upon him and urged him forward into the fight. Carried along by God, but willingly, David won victory for the sheep. In this, David is like Christ, who came for the flock, His Father’s sheep. He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11-15). Jesus goes after the sheep in despair (Matthew 18:12-14). David, a man after God’s heart, learned from a young age to live out that Christlike spirit, one in which he would contend for the flock of his father.

If you want to run in the borrowed victory of Christ, you must understand where His power and aid often reside. He is not interested in empowering us for selfish pursuits, but He is interested in aiding us when we seek to aid the flock. When our lives are spent for the betterment of another, He longs to fill us with power in those moments. Fatigue and weariness will often set in when our entire aim in life is for our household, our family, our career, our successes. But when a turn happens in our hearts, when we become others-focused, when we begin to love our neighbor as ourselves, the power of Christ awaits us. Each believer has various flocks to care for -- parents have children, soldiers have a nation, employers have employees -- so we must serve them selflessly. As we do, the borrowed victory of Christ rushes upon us, and we experience His grace for the task at hand.

5. David Utilized Humble Instruments (1 Samuel 17:38-58)

Moved by the sovereign hand of God, and without any other option, Saul consented to David’s desire. First, he tried to fit David with his own armor, but David said, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them” (39). Then David chose five smooth stones and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. He was not familiar with Saul’s sword and armor, but he was familiar with his shepherd’s sling. Long years in the wild had given him accuracy with that crude weapon. Sling in hand, David approached the Philistine, who began to scoff and decry young David, cursing David by his gods. “I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field,” Goliath shouted (44).

But David was clothed with boldness from God. He responded to Goliath’s taunting voice by saying, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand” (45-46).

Goliath was confident in himself. David was confident in God. Goliath was clothed with great weaponry. David had only his shepherd’s sling. Running towards Goliath, David announced, “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hand” (47).

As they approached one another, David found the bag of stones. He took out a stone, slung it, and it found its mark, sinking into the forehead of the giant. David, the youth with a sling and a stone, had prevailed over a giant with a sword and a spear.

It is the most humble of weapons that win the victory of God, and this is seen most dramatically at the cross of Christ. David defeated Goliath with a sling and stone, but Jesus defeated sin and death with a humble cross. He submitted to His Father, took on flesh, and died an embarrassing death for us. To run in His victory is to continue to take up the humble weapons He has given to His church, for we will never be saved by our might or our minds. We need the humble weapons of His cross, His Spirit, His word, prayer, and fellowship. In these simple devices, God has deposited great power and grace, and strength. We must remember, the battle is the LORD’s.

Close

David approached the concussed body of the giant and, realizing he had no sword, took Goliath’s from its sheath and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran for their lives. When Israel saw the Philistine flight, they pursued in battle, winning a great victory that day. They ran in David’s victory, just as we run in Christ’s. Jesus has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, but triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15). His victory is now our victory. Let us run in what Christ has done.