A God-Ordained Shouting Match

God’s plans succeed not based on our own ability but upon His arsenal.   ~~~   It’s a new year, and we are right in the middle of our study of 1 Samuel, and we are talking about one of the most famous scenes in all the Bible—David versus Goliath. We now move to the consequence of David having heard Goliath. They stand at opposite sides, facing one another. Goliath begins to shout first, not believing that Israel has treated him so disrespectfully as to send out a smooth-faced boy. But that doesn’t keep Goliath from his intentions, and that is to slay David and let the buzzards pluck and pull at his intestines. David matches him shout for shout. But pay careful attention as to why all of this is taking place: vs. 46 “This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to 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 SAVES NOT WITH SWORD AND SPEAR. FOR THE BATTLE IS THE LORD’S AND HE WILL GIVE YOU INTO OUR HAND.”   So catch this. David is willing to face Goliath, who easily outmatches David in every physical metric you can think of, because David is convinced of God’s honor and worth and faithfulness, and David knows God is committed to His being known and glorified in all the earth. This story is not here so as to motivate you to face and fight your own personal giants. We were not created to be the hero here. This is a story about God’s plans for His global glory to spread and his people prevail according to His own arsenal in order to shame all those who would come against him with such arrogance, and HIM providing the man to do just that. God’s plan for His global glory and His people will prevail according to His own arsenal, which is the church making and sending disciples to all the nations.