Rock And Awe (1 Samuel 17:32-54)

One of the Civil War’s bloodiest battles was at Chickamauga creek in September of 1863. The Union forces were led by Major General William Rosecrans. But Old Rosy made a terrible mistake a few days into the battle. A confusing order he gave opened up a division wide gap in the Union line just as the Confederates began a major assault.^[1] The northern army was being routed.

Rosecrans dubbed the fight a lost cause.^[2] He left the battlefield, retreating to Chattanooga, hoping to organize some sort of defense for the city there when the Confederates inevitably came.

George Thomas took command of what Yankees were left. Thomas was outnumbered, with many of his fellow soldiers dead or retreating. But, he took his stand on Snodgrass Hill. He was no stranger to battle, having fought in the Mexican-American War. In the Seminole Wars, Thomas had gone from one post to another, making sure all the regiments were well supplied.^[3]

Friends and historians said the worse the battle situation was, the more calm Thomas was. The famed general Sherman had been Thomas’ roommate at West Point and praised his steadiness and steadfastness in battle. He said throughout the war, Thomas’ services were transcendent.

Even more remarkable was that George Thomas was a southerner. Yet, when his home state joined the Confederacy, Thomas pledged his loyalty to the Union – an act his siblings disowned him for.

As he fought that bloody battle in September of 1863, Rosecrans sent his chief of staff James Garfield (who would later become President) to report on the battle. Observing the heaviest fighting, Garfield wrote, “Thomas standing like a rock.” For the rest of his days, George Thomas would be called “The Rock of Chickamauga.” He kept the Union army from being totally routed.^[4]

Our text this morning depicts a historic battle. The commander of Israel’s army has dubbed this situation a lost cause. But then a southern boy, despised by at least one of his siblings, takes the field. He’s calm, he’s steadfast, he’s ready Despite the odds, he engages the enemy.

If we were on the field that day, we’d report that the fight was won by a rock flung from a shepherd sling. But the shepherd boy would tell you that the battle was won by the Rock of Ages.

It wasn’t about tactics. It wasn’t about artillery. It was about the power of God. David was the weapon in God’s hands. He was the living stone God would use to bring deliverance that day and keep His people from being completely routed by their enemies.

Do you know that you Christians are not only God’s servants, His sons and daughters, you are living stones in His hands, being emboldened, strengthened, and built for God’s victorious, redemptive purposes? Let’s learn about what it means to be a living stone, starting in verse 32.

1 Samuel 17:32 – ³² David said to Saul, “Don’t let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine!”

David came to the Valley of Elah to drop off food for his brothers. Once there, he found the army of Israel had done nothing for 40 days, while the giant Goliath taunted them and demanded a champion come out and fight. David saw, first hand, how terrified all the soldiers were. And yet, as we saw last time and see here, he is convinced that any soldier could’ve defeated the Philistine.

Since he was the only man not cowering in fear, he’s brought to Saul. But he doesn’t embarrass or demean Saul or his brother or anyone else. His opening line is, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t let your heart fail.” He knows they are discouraged! Verse 11 said “They lost all courage!”

He doesn’t swagger in and say, “I want half the pay now, and half when the job’s done.” He first tends to the hearts of those who were so afraid. He first shows compassion.

George Thomas was a teacher at West Point before the Civil War. His students observed and noted his compassion toward them. A compassion that extended onto the battlefield as a commander.^[5]

What David was about to do, he was doing as an act of service, not self-aggrandizement. He said, “Your servant will go.” The Christian life is a life of service. You are called to serve someone.

One of the most profound moments in Isaiah is that scene where the Lord God says, “Who will go for us?” And Isaiah says, “Here am I. Send me.”^[6] “Lord, use me for your work, for your purposes, for your glory. Use me to serve others and save others.” He doesn’t first ask about the pay or the pain.

1 Samuel 17:33 – ³³ But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”

Saul knows what God can do. He saw Jonathan destroy a whole garrison. He felt the ground shake as God sent the whole Philistine army in panic. But in this moment, he does not trust God.

If we want to be living stones used in God’s hands, we have to trust the Cornerstone.

1 Samuel 17:34-37 – ³⁴ David answered Saul, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur, strike it down, and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Then David said, “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”

This is more than just a resume. David reveals a lot here about the heart of faith. First, he knows that tending sheep includes doing battle. When lions came, David did not act like a hireling. Rather, he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of the sheep. Second, he knew that his victories over the lions and bears weren’t because he was a great warrior. He recognizes that he rescued those lambs because God had rescued him from those predators. And third, that testimony of God’s power and grace in his life gave David confidence that God would be faithful again. He knew “all the enemies of God are [on] the same level.”^[7] The word for paw is the same word as Goliath’s hand.^[8]

It doesn’t matter if the enemy before us is Egypt or Babylon or Philistia or Rome. Nothing can separate you from God’s love and no weapon formed against you can stand as you serve the Lord.

Something that’s easy to miss: We read in verse 34, “David answered Saul.” Then in verse 37, “Then David said.” According to the Biblical convention, there should have been a response from Saul after verse 36.^[9] But he says nothing. He doesn’t know what to say. So, David continues proclaiming the Lord’s faithfulness. Saul finally says, “May the Lord be with you.” But He was already with David.

You don’t have to convince God to love you. We don’t have to coerce Him into hearing us or working in our lives. He began the good work in you and He will be faithful to complete it.

1 Samuel 17:38-40 – ³⁸ Then Saul had his own military clothes put on David. He put a bronze helmet on David’s head and had him put on armor. ³⁹ David strapped his sword on over the military clothes and tried to walk, but he was not used to them. “I can’t walk in these,” David said to Saul, “I’m not used to them.” So David took them off. ⁴⁰ Instead, he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

Saul still thought David needed human equipment. He’s trusting in the weapons pulled from human forges, just like the Philistines were.^[10] And I am convinced Saul hoped people would see his armor and he would get the credit. He had no intention of risking his life for his people, but he’d love to get any accolades that might come.

But David says, “I can’t walk in these.” You know, we need armor to live the Christian life. But it’s not human armor. It’s not human equipment. The armor of God is made of things like righteousness, truth, faith, the Gospel of peace, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.^[11]

We can’t walk by faith with worldly add-ons. Churches can fall victim to this. They bring in worldly methods and ideas, thinking it will give them some advantage. All it does is keep us from being able to walk in the Spirit.

So David says, “take it all off.” Not just the chainmail or the helmet, but the sword, too! He has what he needs already – his shepherd’s staff and his sling.

The morning of the Battle of Chickamauga, George Thomas ordered his men to be supplied with twenty rounds of ammunition each so they wouldn’t be caught off guard.

David goes down to the dry river bed to get ready for this fight. Whenever I imagine David’s five stones, I think of a dollar coin sized rock – something for skipping on the water. The sling stones they’ve found from this era were as big as tennis balls^[12] and could be hurled at 100mph.^[13]

You’re a stone in the Good Shepherd’s bag. Selected by hand for unique purposes.

1 Samuel 17:41-44 – ⁴¹ The Philistine came closer and closer to David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. ⁴² When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy, and handsome. ⁴³ He said to David, “Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?” Then he cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!”

Goliath was already scary. Now’s he’s hollering mad. He makes the worst threat he can. In Israel, being denied burial was worse than death.^[14] But notice how Goliath just looks at the stuff. The equipment. His god is fake, so why wouldn’t Israel’s be? He’s about to learn there is a living God.

1 Samuel 17:45-47 – ⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with a sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Armies, the God of the ranks of Israel—you have defied him. ⁴⁶ Today, the LORD will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, remove your head, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the wild creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, ⁴⁷ and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the LORD saves, for the battle is the LORD’s. He will hand you over to us.”

Is the Name enough? David said, “I come against you in the name of the Lord.” We don’t engage in war like this. God sends us out it’s as ambassadors to save our human enemies, not slay them.

Even still, we need to remember that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation. We don’t need the world’s add-ons. We don’t need worldly methods to deliver the Good News. We don’t need to bribe people in to Christianity. God’s power is sufficient. His truth is sufficient. And we should do battle in a Godly way, not a worldly way.

In this speech, David doesn’t take Goliath’s insult personally. He says, “This situation isn’t about what you think of me, this is a testimony God is building in my life for His glory.”

And David knows God wants to use this situation to remind God’s people of His faithfulness. The world would know and “this assembly,” meaning the terrified Israelites. They would be reminded that God has not forsaken them and that it’s not by sword or spear that the battle is won.

Israel, as a group, had slid into faithless materialism. “Give us a king like the nations.” Where has that worldliness led them? To fear, helplessness, hopelessness. Verse 11 of this chapter talks about their fear and the word means they were shattered.^[15] Like stones that had been broken apart. God wanted to mend their hearts and their faith that day by showing His grace and power.

1 Samuel 17:48-51a – ⁴⁸ When the Philistine started forward to attack him, David ran quickly to the battle line to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown to the ground. ⁵⁰ David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. David overpowered the Philistine and killed him without having a sword. ⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head…

Just like Dagon, Goliath fell face down before the power of God and was relieved of his head.^[16] All his armaments did nothing. No weapon formed against the Lord makes the least bit of difference.

1 Samuel 17:51b-54 – When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they fled. ⁵² The men of Israel and Judah rallied, shouting their battle cry, and chased the Philistines to the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. Philistine bodies were strewn all along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ When the Israelites returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, they plundered their camps. ⁵⁴ David took Goliath’s head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.

The last time the Israelites shouted a battle cry, it was just posturing. They were too scared to fight. Now the battle cry actually means something! But look at what it took: A faithful servant had to walk in the Spirit when no one else would. They would all follow David, but he had to stand alone at first. He had to be the stone the others were knit to. He had to be willing to say, “Here am I, send me.”

Israel started that day thinking, “There’s no way we can fight against a giant.” They end the day having not only destroyed the whole army before them, but they even storm the gates of Ekron.

Jesus once said, “On this rock I will build My Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”^[17] You know, gates don’t march out to battle. You go to them. God’s intention is for us to gain ground in His power. Saving captives. Winning spiritual victories. Accomplishing His work.

The Israelites expected defeat that morning. A few hours later, they’re plundering the camps of the Philistines. God truly did more than they could ask or imagine. But they didn’t have to imagine. He had been faithful. He is always faithful. It was they who had forgotten.

David takes the head of Goliath to Jerusalem. But Jerusalem was not controlled by Israel at the time. It was this major city that separated the northern tribes from the southern tribes.^[18] So, either David later brought the skull of Goliath as a trophy into his city, or after the battle here in chapter 17 he went and threw the head over the wall, putting the Jebusites on notice.^[19] Interestingly, Jerusalem would be the first city David conquers as king.

After his accomplishments in the Mexican American War, George Thomas was presented with a beautiful sword that he displayed prominently over the mantle of his home.

We’re told David put Goliath’s sword in his tent. But David was only at the battle for a food delivery. He didn’t have a tent. So this either means that he was given Goliath’s tent as spoils,^[20] or that he sent the sword to the Lord’s tent, which is where it will next be seen. If so, what a sweet idea. That David’s tent was the Lord’s tent.

Why do we know the names General Sherman and Stonewall Jackson but we don’t know about the Rock of Chickamauga? Sherman believed that George Thomas was a hero deserving of a monument beside George Washington’s in the capitol. But George had a troubled relationship with Ulysses S. Grant. Plus he destroyed all his private papers and published no memoirs, not wanting his life “hawked in print.”

But he was one of the most important military leaders in American history. One of the few Civil War generals who never lost a battle. After Chickamauga, General Rosecrans was relieved of his command and replaced with Thomas, who went on to drive the Confederates out of Tennessee.

David was on his way to replacing Saul and crushing the Philistines. But he knew the real Commander of the armies of Israel was the Lord. He was there to serve. He was ready to fight in faith, but he knew the battles, the army, the nation, and his life belonged to the living God.

You are described as a living stone, being used by God. Built into a spiritual house, a spiritual priesthood, scattered and deployed according to God’s providence and plan for His glory and the good of those around you. Proclaim His praises. Present yourself to be the one sent.