“And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.”

1 Samuel 17:47 (KJV)

The story

The armies of the Philistines and Israel were encamped on opposing mountains, separated by the valley of Elah, with the Philistines pitched between Shochoh and Azekah in Ephesdammim. From the Philistine camp came a champion, Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He was armed with a brass helmet and a coat of mail weighing five thousand shekels of brass, greaves of brass, a target of brass between his shoulders, and a spear whose staff was like a weaver's beam and whose head weighed six hundred shekels of iron (1 Samuel 17:5-7). Morning and evening for forty days he presented himself and defied Israel, and Saul and all Israel were dismayed and greatly afraid. 1 Samuel 17:1-16

Goliath proposed to settle the war by single combat: let Israel choose one man, and the losing side would serve the other. He cried out, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together' (1 Samuel 17:10). The men of Israel said that the king would enrich the man who killed the Philistine, give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel, yet still no one dared to answer the giant's challenge. 1 Samuel 17:8-25

David was the youngest of Jesse's eight sons, an Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah. While his three eldest brothers followed Saul to the battle, David went back and forth to keep his father's sheep. Jesse sent him to the front with an ephah of parched corn, ten loaves, and ten cheeses (1 Samuel 17:17-18). Arriving as the armies drew up, David heard Goliath's defiance and was stirred that anyone would let this uncircumcised Philistine reproach the armies of the living God. His brother Eliab's anger flared, accusing David of pride, but David pressed on, and his words reached Saul. 1 Samuel 17:12-31

Saul objected that David was only a youth against a man of war, but David recounted killing a lion and a bear that threatened the flock, catching one by its beard and slaying it, confident that the LORD who delivered him from their paws would deliver him from the Philistine (1 Samuel 17:34-37). Saul clothed David in his own armor, but David set it aside, unproven and untested. He took his staff, chose five smooth stones from the brook, put them in his shepherd's bag, and drew near with only a sling. Goliath disdained the ruddy youth, cursed him by his gods, and threatened to give his flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field. 1 Samuel 17:32-44

David answered that Goliath came with sword, spear, and shield, but he came in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. He declared that the LORD saves not with sword and spear, for the battle is the LORD's, and that all the earth would know there is a God in Israel. As the Philistine arose and drew near, David hastened and ran toward him, put his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slung it, striking Goliath in the forehead so that the stone sank in and he fell on his face to the earth. 1 Samuel 17:45-49

David had prevailed with a sling and a stone, though there was no sword in his hand. He ran and stood over the Philistine, took Goliath's own sword, drew it from its sheath, and cut off his head. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled, and the men of Israel and Judah pursued them to the gates of Ekron. David brought the head to Jerusalem and put the armor in his tent, while Saul asked whose son the young man was (1 Samuel 17:55-58). 1 Samuel 17:50-58

Quiz

1. Where exactly were the Philistines pitched before the battle?

   • At Gilgal
   • Between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim
   • At Michmash
   • In the valley of Jezreel

2. What was the weight of Goliath's coat of mail?

   • Six hundred shekels of iron
   • One thousand shekels of brass
   • Five thousand shekels of brass
   • Two hundred shekels of gold

3. The staff of Goliath's spear is compared to what?

   • A cedar of Lebanon
   • A weaver's beam
   • A shepherd's staff
   • A tree of the field

4. According to the men of Israel, what would the king give to the man who killed Goliath?

   • A city of refuge
   • Command of the army
   • Great riches, his daughter, and his father's house made free in Israel
   • A portion of land in Judah

5. How did David describe Goliath in his question to the men standing by?

   • A mighty man of valour
   • This uncircumcised Philistine
   • The champion of Gath
   • A giant of the Anakim

6. What were the names of David's three eldest brothers who went to battle?

   • Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah
   • Nethaneel, Raddai, and Ozem
   • Eliab, Nadab, and Shimea
   • Abinadab, Shimea, and Elihu

7. When the lion or bear seized a lamb, what did David do according to his account?

   • He drove them off with fire
   • He called for the other shepherds
   • He caught it by its beard, smote it, and slew it
   • He let the lamb go and fled

8. What did Goliath say he would do with David's flesh?

   • Bury it at Gath
   • Give it unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field
   • Cast it into the brook
   • Hang it on the walls of Ekron

9. In his reply, what did David say the LORD would take from Goliath?

   • His sword and spear
   • His head
   • His armour
   • His shield

10. According to verse 50, what did David NOT have in his hand when he prevailed over the Philistine?

    • A sling
    • A stone
    • A sword
    • A staff

11. How far did Israel and Judah pursue the fleeing Philistines?

    • To the river Jordan
    • To the gates of Ekron
    • To the sea
    • To the walls of Gaza

12. When Saul asked whose son David was, who could not tell him?

    • Jonathan
    • Samuel
    • Abner
    • Jesse

Reflection

1. David's courage grew from a track record of trusting God in private, unseen victories over the lion and the bear before the public battle with Goliath. Where is God building your faith in small, hidden ways today?
2. David's confidence rested not in his weapon but in the name of the LORD of hosts, insisting that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. How does this reframe the way you face situations where you feel outmatched?
3. David refused Saul's armor to fight as the person God had shaped, not an imitation of someone else. What God-given strengths or callings are you tempted to trade for a borrowed identity, and how can you serve faithfully as yourself?

Cross references

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Psalm 144:1

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: