Calvary Road Baptist Church

“THE GIANT KILLER” 

One of the most tragic errors that can befall any Christian is the thinking that his or her life is insignificant. It is a trick of the Devil to engage in that type of erroneous thinking. Though the world and the secular humanists of the world would have us to think otherwise, no one who has experienced the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ has any business thinking that he is of no consequence ... or feeling that he is of no consequence, either.

The death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the cross for you and me imparts infinite consequence to your life, to my life, and to everyone else’s life, too. And this is in addition to the fact that we bear the image of God. If that is true, does it not stand to reason that the impact of your life should grow and increase as time goes on? Of course, it should. There is something wrong with an individual whose physical growth is stunted. There are spiritual maladies that result in spiritually stunted growth.

Sadly, it just happens to be that many Christian’s lives diminish in their influence over time. Why? I do not know for sure, but perhaps it’s the result of thinking that your life just isn’t significant. A spiritual conflict ensued that left you wrongly concluding your life isn’t significant. I am here to tell you that such a conclusion is a demonic doctrine and is the result of spiritual seduction.

I want to set before you a fellow named David. And I hope my message proves a point, that point being that each of us affects the lives of those around us, some for the better, some for the worse, even in ways we would never guess.

To use David’s life for illustration, let’s examine three separate periods in his life: 

First, WE WILL LOOK AT THE NATION OF ISRAEL BEFORE DAVID WAS PROMINENT 

This whole study of David revolves around the fact of a single deed he did as a young man (a boy really), the defeat and slaying of the Philistine giant, Goliath. Before David became a person of prominence, there were no giant killers in the land. Oh, there were many opportunities. The Israelites were on one side of the valley, and the Philistines were on the other.[1] I went to that valley many years ago and was surprised at how small a region it was. What the Bible terms as mountains we would call hills. What the Word of God describes as a valley we would refer to as a gully in the Southwest of our country. The opposing forces were not very far apart. The Philistines had a champion named Goliath, who challenged the Jews every morning and every evening for forty days. We read this in First Samuel 17.4-16: 

4  And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

5  And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

6  And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

7  And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

8  And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

9  If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.

13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.

15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 

Understand that each of Israel’s warriors could easily have responded to the challenge. Of course, none did. Each man could have made a name for himself. Of course, none did. Each man could have stepped out and made his mark in history. Of course, none did.

On Israel’s side was an impressive looking leader in King Saul. King Saul cut such an imposing figure because he was a man who was so big that he stood head and shoulders above all the men of Israel.[2] A potentially intimidating man with a great physical presence, Saul was the man the nation chose to be their king. They did not vote for him to be king, but when he was anointed by God to be king, God chose the man they would have chosen ... not the man God preferred to be king. Do you know what was strange? Not even King Saul took up the challenge laid down by this giant who would defy the armies of the living God. This one who occupied such a prominent position as a leader of men, this one of such enormous size and presence, possessing such an aura of leadership, was leading the men of Israel all right, but he was leading them the wrong way.

You might liken King Saul to all of our nation’s pastors who conduct big leadership conferences every year in their Churches that so many preachers pay large sums of money to attend so they, too, can learn how to lead. But during the pandemic, all those leaders were strangely silent in the face of medically uncalled for, Constitutionally illegal, governmentally unauthorized, and certainly Scripturally unwarranted, public lockdowns, quarantines of healthy individuals (When before in American or world history has that ever happened?), and denial to Christians of public worship. What did the leaders say? Nothing. What did the leaders do? Nothing. What did the leaders not do? They did not lead. They did not. They acted just like King Saul.

Would it not have been an excellent thing for King Saul to have set the pace for King Saul to have developed his men into great warriors, to have demonstrated some amount of courage? Would it not have been a glorious thing for him to have trained those men to be the kind of warriors who depended solely upon God for a victory? Saul had sons. Boys want their dads to be heroes. Boys want their dads to be courageous. Boys want their dads to overcome fear, and timidity, and cowardice. How do you suppose his son Jonathan acted toward his dad, King Saul, who was trembling on the mountain top, who was scared out of his mind, unwilling to lead, reluctant to do anything because he feared for his life? Sad. Do you think it made it likely when another leader came along, another who was anointed by God, for Jonathan to transfer his loyalty from his fraidy-cat father to young David, the giant killer? I don’t think that was a hard choice for Jonathan because he had been so profoundly disappointed by his daddy.

That King Saul did not train his men to be great warriors for their God, against the enemies of their God, was one of King Saul’s significant failings as a leader of men. He had other failures, but this was one of his considerable failures.

There were plenty of chances to be a giant killer in those days, but in all the land and all the army of Israel, no one was found to kill the giant. 

THE NEXT PERIOD THAT I CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO IS WHEN DAVID WAS A MATURE MAN 

At this time in his life, his situation can only be described as desperate. Of course, as a boy, he had been anointed king by the prophet Samuel, but King Saul still lived and was recognized as Israel’s king by all but a very few people. David had killed Goliath and instantly became a national hero. Remember that they sang of Saul killing his thousands and David his ten thousands, which provoked King Saul to jealousy, even though David was the best friend of King Saul’s son, Jonathan, and the husband of King Saul’s daughter, Michal. Despite these familial connections, King Saul was so jealous of David’s anointing, David’s popularity, and David’s accomplishments (cowards always envy the courageous, while denigrating them), that he attempted to kill David on several occasions. After repeated attempts on his life, David wisely fled from King Saul and began to live the life of an outlaw, living in the hill country of the Judean wilderness.

The band of men who began to follow him could only be described as ragged, First Samuel 22.1-2: 

1  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. 

They were a choice lot of troops. Amen? They were societal castoffs, all 400 of them. Notice what God wrote on their resumes.

These men were such a bunch of misfits because they were emotionally overwrought, bitter, and were terrible credit risks, besides. Sounds a bit like a number of the members of our Church back in the day. Amen?

But David became captain over these men. After all, he was in no position to be picky about the raw material God had put in his trust. He took whoever he could. He took whoever would. Notice that he kept those men, and there is no indication that he rejected even one. There were no doubt times when David wept and wondered if God would ever fulfill His promise to make him king over Israel. But despite all this trouble, and being on the run from King Saul all of the time, a subtle change began to take place in the lives of David’s men. It didn’t happen suddenly. The changes occurred quite gradually. But over the years, the changes in the lives of David’s men would have dramatic effects. 

THE FINAL PERIOD OF DAVID’S LIFE IS AS AN OLD MAN AND KING OF ISRAEL FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS 

David had lived a long life. His life started out seeming to be of little consequence did it not, as some of us here might think our lives are of little consequence. There was a brief period of glory when he slew Goliath, the enemy of God, followed by years of hiding from the armies of King Saul. On the run. But David’s later years were shown to be very fruitful for this former shepherd boy who was described by God as “a man after my own heart.”[3] Do you think that might be the key? Do you think that might be the ingredient that produces significance?

But what happened to David’s band of ragtag malcontents? Second Samuel 23.8-39: 

8  These be the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite that sat in the seat, chief among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite: he lift up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.

9  And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away:

10 He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword: and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to spoil.

11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines.

12 But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory.

13 And three of the thirty chief went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam: and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim.

14 And David was then in an hold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!

16 And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the LORD.

17 And he said, Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this: is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

18 And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred, and slew them, and had the name among three.

19 Was he not most honourable of three? therefore he was their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.

20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow:

21 And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had the name among three mighty men.

23 He was more honourable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27 Abiezer the Anethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Heleb the son of Baanah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,

30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,

34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armourbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira an Ithrite, Gareb an Ithrite,

39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all. 

After 40 plus years, David refined from 400 original men 37 lean, mean, battle-hardened fighting men. First Chronicles 20.4-8: 

4  And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.

5  And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.

6  And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot: and he also was the son of the giant.

7  But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother slew him.

8  These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. 

When David was a young lad, there were no giant killers in the land, for the men feared. By the time David reached young manhood, there was one giant killer in the nation, because David dared to trust God. But when David was an old man, there were three more giant killers in the land, because they had an example to follow. 

Do you think David set out to make his group of rag tags into giant killers? I do not. I think David was a man who had a heart for God and who took one step at a time in front of men God had gathered to follow him. Those men who followed David, and who saw David stumble and fall, just as they saw him repent and get up, brush himself off, and move forward, developed over time in their own lives because they had a desire to please and an example to follow.

There have always been three kinds of people. There are those who make things happen. There are those who watch things happen. And there are those who wonder what’s happening.

If you are a Christian, you have been placed into a position of leadership, whether you like it or not. People simply look to you, even if you don’t notice. I am not suggesting that anyone in this room will prove to be as useful to God as David was. And I am hoping no one in this room will fall as hard and as far as David fell.

I merely point out that the pattern of David’s life is a pattern recorded for our benefit, so we can look upon the template God used, and has continued to use when He uses one individual to influence others. This alone means that your life is not lacking importance or significance.

Become a giant killer for God! But even more important than that, train others to be giant killers. How do you do go about doing this?

There are so few who make things happen that it’s likely that a great many people could be described as those who only watch things happen. You make sure that when they watch you, whether it be your husband, your wife, your kids, your neighbors, your coworkers, fellow Church members, whatever, make sure they see you kill a giant.

Maybe your giant is a bad habit like drugs (you know, cigarettes or booze). Maybe your bad habit is gluttony or slothfulness. Perhaps it’s selfishness. It may be that the giant you have observed that everyone is too afraid to deal with is a professing Christian who seems to always, eventually, throw a wet rag on things. It never fails that, ultimately, that guy or that gal figures out a way to put a damper on everything others might want to accomplish for God.

Guess how you discover who God wants to kill that giant? And you understand that I am not advocating homicide as an approach to evangelism. Who God wants to deal with a giant, any big problem, is the person who sees it, the one who becomes aware of it.

Of course, if you are lost, your giant is sin, and sin is too big a giant for anyone to handle but the Lord Jesus Christ. But He has already demonstrated that He can slay sin in any sinner’s life.

If there are no giant killers in your family, at your job, or in your neighborhood, then you become one, and in time there will be others.

“But how do I do that, pastor?” Do what David did. He wasn’t looking for trouble, just bringing a meal to one of his older brothers when he saw it. A situation no one was willing to handle; no one was willing to deal with.

So David, by God’s grace, decided to do what no one else was willing to do. And the rest is history. Do you see a spiritual issue, a ministry problem, an obstacle to a loved one’s conversion that needs to be addressed? Then retrieve your sling and put five smooth stones in your pouch and proceed, by God’s grace.

Am I sure God wants you to take on such challenges, to rise to such occasions? Consider these verses in God’s Word and make up your mind: 

Matthew 18.15:        

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.” 

Galatians 6.1:

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” 

Second Timothy 2.3:

“Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

__________

[1] 1 Samuel 17

[2] 1 Samuel 9.2

[3] 1 Samuel 13.13; Acts 13.22

Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Please contact him by clicking on the link below. Please do not change the subject within your email message. Thank you.

Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church