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Introduction

Although the sin of our first parents had placed us under bondage to the serpent, God very quickly gave us a promise that we would be avenged upon that serpent. He thus established the antithesis and promised a Messiah in the same place. This running battle is seen throughout Scripture, and the obligation to pursue giant-killing is an important part of it.

The Text

“Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines . . .” (1 Sam. 17:1-58).

Summary of the Text

This is a longer chapter, so as we summarize we will cut our pieces of meat a little larger. The Philistine army invaded and camped in territory of Judah, and Saul and his men gathered against them (vv. 1-2). A valley separated the armies (v. 3). There was a champion of the Philistines named Goliath who was huge (vv. 4-7). He came out and challenged any one of the Israelites to single combat, a fight that would settle everything. His words made Saul and all Israel “greatly afraid” (vv. 8-11). David was the eighth of eight sons of Jesse. The three oldest were in Saul’s army, and David had returned from his stint at Saul’s court (vv. 12-15). Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days (v. 16). Jesse then sent David with some supplies and told him to get news from his brothers (vv. 17-18). There was fighting with the Philistines, but nothing decisive—more like skirmishes (vv. 19-20). But they mostly put on armor and formed up in battle array to do some trash-talking (v. 21). David came with the supplies, and as he was visiting with his brothers, Goliath came out (vv. 22-23). David heard the taunts, but the Israelites were afraid, and David heard the talk about what would be done for the champion who killed Goliath (vv. 24-27). Eliab, the oldest, didn’t like the way David’s thoughts were going (v. 28), and charged him with impudence. But David ignored him, and went right on (vv. 29-30).

David’s talk came to Saul’s ears, and David was summoned (v. 31). David volunteers to fight (v. 32). Saul says that David is too young to fight such an experienced warrior (v. 33). David tells the story of how he killed both a lion and a bear as a shepherd, and he says he will do the same to Goliath (vv. 34-37). Saul then gives his blessing (v. 37b). David tries out Saul’s armor, but rejects it as untested (vv. 38-39).

So David went out with his staff, five stones, and his sling (v. 40). Goliath comes out with his armor-bearer (v. 41). Goliath despises David, curses him by his gods, and threatens him (vv. 42-44). David replied, countering the Philistine’s weapons with the name of God (v. 45). He declares that God will deliver Goliath up, he will lose his head, and everyone will know that God does not fight conventional battles (vv. 46-47). And so they approached each other, and David ran toward him, slinging the stone as he went (vv. 48-49). David struck him without a sword (v. 50). David ran to cut off his head with his own sword, and the Philistine army fled (v. 51). And the Israelites pursued them, striking them down, and taking spoil (vv. 52-53). David kept Goliath’s armor (v. 54). Saul wanted Abner to find out who David was (vv. 55-56). And so Abner brought David to Saul, Goliath’s head in his hand (v. 57), and Saul found out he was the son of Jesse (v. 58).

As we consider all this, we should remember that the book of Samuel was not originally structured the way we do it, with chapter breaks. Here is a chiasm which helps frame this section.

a Samuel leaves Ramah to anoint David (16:1-13
b David plays the harp effectively for Saul (16:14-23)
c David kills Goliath (17:1-58)
d David celebrated at court (18:1-6)
c’ Saul jealous over the Goliath triumph (18:7-30)
b’ David plays the harp ineffectively for Saul (19:1-17)
a’ David flees to Samuel at Ramah (19:18-20:42)

A Miscellany

This is one of the most famous stories in the Bible, and consequently, many of us have a mental image of it taken more from bits and pieces from things we have heard or from Bible story books—instead of from what is actually said. David rejects Saul’s armor as untested, and not as too big (v. 39). Of course, the greatest faith here was David’s, but it was an act of faith on Saul’s part also (v. 37). This was a single combat that put all of Israel’s army at stake, and Saul gave his blessing to it. And last, it is not often recognized that the five smooth stones are the five points of Calvinism. Joke. But the slingshot here is not something that a ten-year-old boy would use to plink at bottles on a fence. This was a bona fide weapon of war (Judg. 20:16), and the stones would be about the size of a modern softball. And of course, we should consider the size of Goliath. He was over nine feet tall, and his mail weighed 126 pounds. The Anakim (giants) had been exiled by Joshua to Gaza, Ashdod and Gath (Josh. 11:21-23), and Goliath was likely descended from them.

David the Giant-Killer

David comes into this story as a glorious type of Christ. Goliath was a giant, but he was also a serpent, a dragon. The Hebrew word for his armor means scales, which made him a gigantic reptile, like a dragon, and David topples him with a wound to the head (Gen. 3:15). David fights him with the same weapons that he would use in fighting wild beasts. When he is done, he takes Goliath’s armor and places it in his tent (v. 54).

This is precisely what Jesus does when He came upon the strong man. He attacks, like David did. He is victorious, like David was. He strips the armor (panoply), as David did. He partakes of the spoil after battle (Luke 11:22). Jesus is the greatest of all giant-killers. He gives victory to His people . . . and He awakens the envy of any who would be great in Israel on their own terms.

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Introduction

In this great passage, we are introduced to David right after we are told that the Spirit had come upon him. We see the work of the Spirit first, and then we learn David’s name.

The Text

“And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons . . .” (1 Sam. 16:1-23).

Summary of the Text

God tells Samuel to stop mourning over Saul. He has picked out a king from Himself from among the sons of Jesse (v. 1). Samuel says that to do this would be considered treason by Saul, and so God tells him to camouflage his journey (v. 2). Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and God will direct him to the man (v. 3). Samuel obeyed, and the elders of Bethlehem were worried about his arrival (v. 4). He replies with peace, invites them to the sacrifice, and Jesse to the sacrifice (v. 5). Eliab looked promising, but no (v. 6). God says that man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart (v. 7). Abinadab was passed over as well (v. 8). Shammah was not the one (v. 9). This happened seven times, with seven sons (v. 10). Are there any others? Jesse replies that the youngest is out with the sheep. Samuel asks for him to be brought (v. 11). He was certainly good-looking, and God said to anoint him (v. 12). Samuel then anointed him, in the midst of his brothers, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and we are introduced to David by name (v. 13).

The Spirit came on David, but departed from Saul. An evil spirit from the Lord troubled Saul (v. 14). Saul’s servants identified the problem (v. 15), and suggested a musical solution (v. 16). Saul agreed, and called for a musician to be brought (v. 17). And one of the servants (just by chance!) knew about David and recommended him (v. 18)—as a musician, courageous, a warrior, a prudent man, attractive, and under the blessing of God (v. 18). And so Saul summoned David by name, who was still assigned to the sheep (v. 19). Jesse then took a donkey, and loaded it up with bread and wine, and a little goat, and sent them with David (v. 20). When David arrived, Saul approved him greatly, and David became Saul’s armor-bearer (v. 21). Saul asks Jesse if David could remain (v. 22). And whenever Saul was afflicted with the evil spirit from God, David took his harp and played until Saul was refreshed (v. 23).

Jonathan & David

The previous chapter introduced us to the greatness of Jonathan. But as soon as we learn about the son, Jonathan, we learn that he is a disinherited son—though through no fault of his own. Notice how the Scriptures tell the stories of Jonathan and David respectively. Jonathan is Saul’s son (13:16); David becomes his son-in-law (18:26). Jonathan fights the enemy (virtually) single-handedly (14:1-15); David fights Goliath single-handedly (17:41-51). Jonathan leads Israel to victory (14:16-42), and so does David (17:52-54). Jonathan is attacked by Saul twice (14:43-46; 20:30-34), and David is attacked by Saul twice (18:10-11); 19:8-10). Jonathan trusts God and not numbers in battle (14:6); David trusts God and not weapons in battle (17:47). Jonathan and David are true brothers. And yet . . .

But Jonathan’s wisdom goes much deeper than that. When Saul became king (at least by the third year of his reign), Jonathan was already a warrior (1 Sam. 13:1, 3), meaning that he was at least twenty. Saul reigned for forty years (Acts 13:21), and David was thirty when he became king (2 Sam. 5:4). This means that David was born in the tenth year of Saul’s reign, when Jonathan was a minimum of twenty-seven. That means that by the time David was ready to fight at the age of twenty, Jonathan would have been pushing fifty. Jonathan is easily old enough to be

David’s father, and he acts the role of a true father. He plays the fatherly role that Saul should have—not at all threatened by David’s youth and success.

The Spirit’s Power

We often make the mistake of thinking that if the Spirit is given to a man in the Bible, then what is happening is internal heart regeneration, in the New Testament theological sense. But the Spirit has a much broader skill set than just converting a man’s soul. He does do that, but His activity is far broader, far more extensive.

For example, when the Spirit comes upon Bezaleel, He enables him to execute beautiful craftsmanship (Ex. 31:1-4). When the Spirit comes upon Samson, he is given power to tear apart a lion with his hands (Judg. 14:6). The same thing is true about governance—a king’s mojo. When it says that the Spirit departed from Saul here (v. 14), we are not being told that Saul is losing his salvation—rather, just as a Samuel had stated, he was losing his kingdom. Years later, when David is repenting of his great sin concerning Bathsheba, and he cries out to the Lord, what does he ask for? He does not ask for his salvation back, but rather for the joy of his salvation back (Ps. 51: 12). And when he asks God to not take his Spirit away (Ps. 51:11), he is asking for his dynasty to not come apart in his hands. He knows that this is what he deserves, just as Saul did. And so he asked for a mercy that Saul did not ask for, and he received it. Our Savior today sits upon the throne of David (Luke 1:32).

Disadvantaged Youth

After God has told Samuel that He, God, looks on the heart, and not on the outward appearance, we are told that David, the one chosen, was attractive and handsome (v. 12). Later, when the servant of Saul commends him, it is for being talented, courageous, a warrior, prudent, and attractive. In other words, David’s primary disqualification here was his youth.

Jonathan, like the God he served, was motivated by righteousness. David’s brothers were passed by (v. 10), just as Jonathan was passed by. Jonathan, who had more carnal reasons to gripe about it, did not do so, and David’s brothers, who saw the prophet anoint their little brother, had zero carnal reasons to be bothered—but they apparently still were (1 Sam. 17:28). Always and everywhere, guard your souls against envy.

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Introduction

Saul falls away from his position of favor with the Lord in a series of three falls. In chapter 13, he did not wait for Samuel to sacrifice, as he had been instructed to. In chapter 14, he makes a rash vow concerning the battle, and doubles down with a self-maledictory oath. And here, in chapter 15, he falls the third time, and for good, when he rebels against the express command of the Lord.

The Text

“Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass . . .” (1 Sam. 15:1-35).

Summary of the Text

Samuel begins by reminding Saul that he was the one used by the Lord to anoint Saul as king (v. 1). Therefore, listen carefully. God remembered the sin the Amalek, how they treated Israel coming out of Egypt (v. 2). Saul was therefore commanded to undertake a holy war, destroying everything (v. 3). So Saul mustered an army at Telaim, men from Israel and Judah both (v. 4). Saul approached a city of Amalek (v. 5), and told the Kenites, allies of Israel, to clear out, which they did (v. 6). And so Saul wiped out the Amalekites (v. 7). Saul spared the life of Agag the king, but everyone else was killed (v. 8). But Saul and the people together spared the best of the livestock (v. 9).

So the word of the Lord came to Samuel (v. 10), saying that He had repented of making Saul king. This grieved Samuel, and he cried to the Lord all night over it (v. 11). So Samuel got up early, and was told that Saul was in Gilgal (v. 12). Samuel approached, and Saul pretended that he had obeyed (v. 13). What is the meaning of all the livestock noise then (v. 14). Saul responds with blame-shifting. They spared those, but we destroyed these (v. 15). Then Samuel said that he would repeat what God had told him the night before (v. 16). When you were humble, did not God make you a king (v. 17). When you were given the command of a king, why were you not then humble (vv. 18-19)? Saul tries to brazen it out, claiming that reinterpreted obedience is still obedience (v. 20). But the people, they took the spoil, that which ought to have been destroyed, and they kept it for sacrifice to the Lord, your God (v. 21). Samuel replies, does the Lord delight in ritual more, or in obedience more (v. 22). Rebellion is like witchcraft, and stubbornness is like idolatry (v. 23). Saul rejected the word of the Lord, so now the word of the Lord rejects Saul (v. 23).

Saul then confesses his sin, but he uses quite an ordinary word for it—he does not yet grasp the gravity of what he has done (v. 24). And he confesses that he was fearful of the people. He asks Samuel to worship with him, to keep up appearances (v. 25). Samuel refuses, and repeats the Lord’s rejection of Saul (v. 26). As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed his robe and it tore (v. 27). Samuel takes it as a sign, and repeats the Lord’s rejection a third time (v. 28). The Lord is not a man that He should repent (v. 29). Saul confesses again, and pleads with Samuel to worship with him (v. 30). Samuel relents and worships together with Saul . . . for the last time (v. 31).

Then Samuel commanded that Agag be brought to him (v. 32). And Samuel cut Agag up in pieces in Gilgal (v. 33). Samuel and Saul returned to their respective homes in Ramah and Gibeah (v. 34), about ten miles apart. They never saw each other again, but Samuel mourned for him (v. 35). And God repented that He had made Saul king (v. 35).

The Lord’s Repentance

Some foolish men take the statements of vv. 10 and 35 out of their context, ignoring v. 29, and say that God is interactive in time, right along with the rest of us. But God is not locked inside the time/space continuum, trouble-shooting as He goes. Others, with an abstract kind of Calvinism, take v. 29 out of context, pretending that God never enters into history as the God who acts. The solution is to accept all the Bible, all the time, and acknowledge that God inhabits eternity, and His decrees cannot be altered, and God also stoops in order to reveal Himself in history. Why should this be hard to understand? We still speak of sunrise instead of earthturn—even though we are Copernican with regard to the decrees.

The Replacement Pattern

We have spoken often of the great motifs or patterns in Scripture. Here is another one. We have seen “death and resurrection,” “exile and return,” Here we see the great theme of replacement. The last Adam replaces the first. The younger son replaces the eldest. The first king gives way to the second. Mary was told that her Son would be the cause of rising and falling in Israel, and Hannah was told much the same thing. And when this happens, as it does with Saul, we see the stubbornness of entrenched authority, a stubbornness that will not take yes for an answer.

Righteousness or Ritual?

Samuel dismisses sacrifices, setting them in opposition to obedience. David does the same when he says, “Sacrifices and burnt offerings You did not require,” even though God did require them. Hosea says, and Jesus repeats, that God desires mercy and not sacrifice, even though, technically, God required both. Samuel knew this perfectly well—he had been conducting sacrifices his entire life.

What should that do for us, and our understanding of our liturgy? What should it do for our approach to our ritual, the way we worship the Lord? Liturgy is a sack, which God loves to periodically turn inside out in order to shake. When He does this, all the true Christians fall out, and He takes them to Heaven.

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Introduction

We have seen how Saul stumbled by trying to sacrifice before Samuel’s arrival. In this chapter, we see his second great sin, this time involving his son—a very noble son—Jonathan. The tragedy here is that Jonathan, who would have made a wonderful king, is excluded from that throne by the sin of his father.

The Text

“Now it came to pass upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison, that is on the other side. But he told not his father. And Saul tarried in the uttermost part of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people that were with him were about six hundred men . . .” (1 Sam. 14:1-52).

Summary of the Text

Jonathan believed what God had said (1 Sam. 9:16), and wanted to attack the Philistines (v. 1). Saul was located in Migron (v. 2) with about 600 men. Samuel was not there, but Eli’s great-grandson— Ahiah—was. He was there with the priestly ephod (v. 3). The route that Jonathan took was by a ravine—one named Bramble and the other Bright (vv. 4-5). And so Jonathan said they should go over, and God can do whatever He wants (v. 6). Jonathan had his companion’s full loyalty (v. 7). But Jonathan is not rash (unlike his father), and lets the Lord decide where the fight will be (vv. 8-10). So that is what they did (v. 11), and the Philistines tauntingly invited them up (v. 12). They fell upon the Philistines, killed about 20 of them, there was a panic, and then the Lord sent the earthquake (vv. 13-15). Saul’s sentries saw that there was a panic (v. 16), and so Saul mustered the troops. They found out Jonathan and his armor-bearer were missing (v. 17). So Saul calls for the ark, which was either the ark itself or the ark in the form of the ephod (v. 18). In the midst of calling on the Lord, the commotion increased, so that Saul silenced the Lord (v. 19). They went to the battle and found chaos (v.20). At this point some unaffiliated “Hebrews” switched sides (v. 21). The Israelites who had scattered came back (v. 22), and God gave victory up to Bethaven (v. 23). The Israelite warriors were wasted because of a rash oath Saul had made (v. 24). Jonathan had not heard about it, so he took some of the honey that was in the woods (vv. 25-27). They told him about the oath, and Jonathan thought his father unwise (vv. 28-30). They beat the Philistines back to Aijalon (where Joshua had made the sun stand still), and they were very faint (v. 31). As a result, they fell upon the spoil in a way contrary to the law (v. 32). Saul intervened (vv. 33-35), and built an altar. Saul wanted to pursue the Philistines (v. 36), but God was silent (v. 37). Saul concluded there was sin in the camp and doubled down on his rash oath (vv. 38-39). The lot took Saul and Jonathan (vv. 40-41). Then in the next round, Jonathan was taken (v. 42). The story of the honey came out (v. 43). Saul swears a self-maledictory oath (v. 44), but the people intervened (v. 45). So the Philistines were not pursued that night (v. 46). So physically, Saul consolidated his rule (v. 47), and was an effective warrior king (v. 48). Saul’s family is then listed (vv. 49-51). And Saul recruited any valiant man that he found (v. 52).

The Setup

Saul has excluded Samuel by his usurpation of the sacrifice 1 Sam. 13:15). He has included the priest from the line of Eli, whom the Lord had rejected (1 Sam. 2: 27-36). He silences the Lord when the Lord was going to speak (v. 19), and then later wants God to speak when the Lord has determined to be silent (v. 37). He wants to observe the details of right worship, provided it is convenient for him. When he places the foolish food restriction on the people, he does by saying he needs to be avenged on “my enemies,” with the Lord left out of it. The role he is playing has already gone to his head. When it comes to understanding the spiritual dynamics involved, Saul has a genius for picking up the wrong end of the stick. With his series of rash oaths, he tops it all off by saying, “May the Lord do to me, and more, if Jonathan does not die.” But the people know that God had blessed the exploits of Jonathan, and had not blessed the hasty and preemptory vows of Saul. They intervene, and Jonathan does not die. But this means that Saul has in effect cursed himself.

Contrasts

Jonathan is aggressive, but not rash. He waits on the Lord to determine where they should fight the Philistines—but it is foregone conclusion that they will fight the Philistines. Saul is timid and tentative, but when the action comes, he is very hasty.

Samuel has told Saul that his house will not be established (1 Sam. 13:13-14). The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart (David), even though it is clear there was a man after God’s own heart in Saul’s lineage (Jonathan). This is all so that God’s purpose in election might stand. Saul had a son who was nobler than Eli’s, or Samuel’s, or even David’s. Foolish fathers destroy a wise son’s opportunities.

Bramble and Bright

Jonathan was acting on the basis of the revealed will of God. They were supposed to be fighting the Philistines. God had promised that they would prevail against the Philistines (1 Sam. 9:16). So then, Jonathan wondered, what’s the hold-up?

But this faith of Jonathan’s did not mean that the fighting was not hard. It did not mean that he encountered no obstacles. The ravine he crossed in order to fight the Philistines was not where they expected any attack, and so the element of surprise was big. In order to fight them, Jonathan had to first descend, and then ascend. He had to go down in order to come up. He climbed down through the brambles in order to climb up into glory. Throughout this entire story, we see the vibrant faith of Jonathan, fighting against long odds—both against the Philistines on the field of battle, and spiritual incompetence within the camp of the Israelites. And yet Jonathan descends and ascends. This is the order of things; this is God’s way.

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