1 Samuel Chapter 17

Chapter 17
David the Giant Killer

 The Philistines and the Israelites prepare for more battle.

 Before the fight, the Philistine champion, Goliath, steps forward.

 According to the story, Goliath is, well, a giant. The Hebrew translation says Goliath was
9ft 6in whereas the Greek text says he was 6ft 9in. Either way, Goliath was a tall man in
his day.

 Goliath proposes a battle of champions—one will represent the Philistines and one the
Israelites. The loser's side will become servants to the winners. This challenge was pretty
typical because it saved manpower and the big boys got to prove themselves (1-11).

 Goliath repeated this challenge for 40 days (Bible speak for long time). Everyone was too
afraid (and rightly so) to take his challenge.

 David hears of the challenge and after some debate with his brothers and Saul, accepts
the giant's offer. When Saul questions David's skill, David quickly shoots him down,
letting him know he's killed a lion and a bear while shepherding.

 This shuts Saul up and David is quickly strapped in Saul's armor.

 Except David decides he doesn't need armor and goes out to face the giant armed with a
staff and a sling (12-39). This can't be good.

 When David goes out to meet Goliath, the giant thinks it's a joke. They exchange some
trash talk, with Goliath saying, "I'll feed your corpse to the birds and beasts!" That cuts
deep back then, you'll have to take our word on it.

 David responds with a "oh yeah? Well I'm going to chop off your head!" kind of thing,
which enrages Goliath so much, he removes his helmet, drops his shield and charges at
David.
  The boy shepherd, who has been hiding his sling the whole time, whips a smooth stone
straight into Goliath's temple.

 The giant falls face down on the ground dead. David runs over to the body, takes
Goliath's sword and chops off his head, lifting it for the Philistine army to see. They
become so terrified their champion was taken down that they run away (40-54).

 David returns to Saul, but the king does not recognize David. He asks his aide, Abner,
who David is. Though we don't have any solid answers for this, biblical scholars believe
that there were many stories associated with David's rise to power and biblical authors
attempted to mesh the stories together. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes it's not. We
think that Saul is just a little nutso (55-58).

As a shepherd, David didn’t merely feed and lead his father’s sheep. While a
shepherd may seem like an inconsequential position, it was still
dangerous. David killed bears and lions alike to defend his father’s
sheep. In fact, David cites his experience as a shepherd to convince Saul why
he can defeat Goliath:
“Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a
lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I
went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.
When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed
it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this
uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he
has defied the armies of the living God. 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.” —1 Samuel
17:34–37
In his confrontation with Goliath, David would care for Yahweh’s flock—the
people of Israel—and once again defend “his father’s sheep” from harm. This
time, the Lord would rescue him from a foe that Saul and his entire army were
terrified of (1 Samuel 17:11).
Later, David used his experience as a shepherd to create one of the most
powerful portrayals of God’s relationship with his people, foreshadowing “the
good shepherd” Jesus (John 10:11):
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
    he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
    for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord