1 Samuel 17:41

1Sa 17:41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield [went] before him.

Ver. 41. And the Philistine came on and drew near.] When he saw David, that τυτθος ανηρ, presuming to make his approach: he considered not that

“ A cane non magno saepe tenetur aper. ”

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Sa_17:41

And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David.

Combat and consequences

The inward preparation through outward trial may have been hidden from David. We are not permitted to know the why of many an hour of discipline; God lets when wait on why! David urges his suit; he wishes to go. Every warrior called of God has weapons for use that no Saul can give. Dependence alone upon God gives wonderful independence of men. Behind the outer world record, there is always the inner and spiritual. From the outward view, Abraham leaving country and kindred was only in consonance with the restlessness of a nomadic life. From the inward we know it was the call of God. David was being trained for triumph, trained for his future as king. This panel is the closing one in the story of his shepherd days. The old peaceful, songful, careless days end. They end with a conflict and a victory. Do not the epochs of our lives close with combat? We close the days of our boyhood really when we enter our first contest, when we close with some temptation that never came as a temptation in the old days. The doors are open, the steps are hidden he who would enter must climb.

I. The apparent inequality of the combatants. To the eye of sense the conflict between the Church of God and that armed Goliath of the world appears as if it could only end in the Churchs defeat! It does really sound like presumption and folly to sing of victory when we present only ruddy and unarmoured Davids. There is a quantity the worlds eye never sees!--chariots whose wheels, horses whose hoofs move noiselessly, such as Elishas servant once saw. There is a quality the world knows not and has no more power to recognise than had Herod to recognise the kingliness of purity, when Christ stood before him.

II. The real inequality of the combatants. Things ere not what they seem. There is more than eye can see. David tells him of dependence upon Divine power (1Sa_17:46). How calm one can be when dependent wholly and alone on the Lord! How strangely at variance with appearances a mans words may then be! This day. So Elijah could stand before Ahab, or the priests of Baal or Carmel, or Bunyan before the judges at Bedford. Do not mistake presumption for dependence; they differ eternally. Dependence upon God never opposes commonsense, but sanctifies it, Davids heart is resting in his God, his head and hand fulfilling the Divine command. How often at fault is the judgment of sense! Yet this old-world scene occurs every day. We may still see aggregations of mere material strength--walking mountains of brass, to quote Matthew Henry. It is no dream, no fancy, to remind you that before the enthusiasm of faith, and by Divine direction, these shall fall. The Church has yet to learn the deep meaning of the words, The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual. Who can successfully cope with evil licensed by Government, the fearful monopolies of vice, prostitution under British rule in India, gambling beneath the very eye of the legislative assembly? This victory was fraught with momentous consequences for David. From that moment he became acquainted with life in quite another aspect than that of his Bethlehem home. As Dr. MacLaren beautifully says, He began to learn its hate and effort, hollow fame, whispering calumnies, and political intrigues. Until then he had not heard the hollow tone of courtiers nor the frenzied laugh of disappointment. The door of victory was for David, as it is for all Gods warriors, the door of trial. It was needful for David to know sorrow, to become acquainted with grief. He must learn the meaning of hate and deceit; not to practise, but avoid; must come into touch with natures he will afterwards have to rule. He must gain a mastery over himself. The metal must be annealed. (H. E. Stone.)

David and Goliath

Sauls simple blessing, Go, and the Lord shall be with thee, ought to have been allowed to stand as the veterans farewell charge to the new recruit. It would have been as sufficient as the mothers parting kiss add God bless you when her boy leaves his home of poverty to make his way in the great city with all his goods tied up in a handkerchief and his Bible in his pocket. When we have done a good thing, especially a spiritual one, it is difficult to be persuaded to leave the single impression without some private brand of our own. Hunters use in the pursuit of wild game an expanding bullet, which enlarges as it enters the side of its victim. When one has uttered a gracious truth it can often be left to itself to work its way to the heart. Saul could not quite keep his hands off the new enterprise. The latent jealousy of the old commander would rise at any scheme conducted entirely by an underling. The veteran could not be content to see the stripling champion of the Lords cause without some of the traditional military costume. We remark as in contrast to this:--

I. The wisdom of following the Spirits suggestions as to the method of a work of faith. And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. For the moment Saul was allowed to array David in the heavy war suit of the day. A sense of the ridiculous may have come first to the relief of the lad. He was not so large a man as the king, and the clanking plates of metal would impede the free movement of the volunteer. There are times when an appreciation of the humorous elements of a situation will prevent serious folly. If good people who overwork prophecy on every possible occasion had only a slight intuition of the appearance of their performances, they would be aware that something must be wrong in their outfit. Scripture does not lend itself to grotesque interpretations without exacting penalties from its manipulators. There are fads of false science which are so silly that they cannot be meant to be incorporated into the great body of the worlds dignified truth. The boy in his grandfathers coat is not counted a serious actor on the stage of life. But beyond this feeling of unfitness there was this reason, I have not proved them. The youth felt the seriousness of the crisis, notwithstanding his bravery. He knew the long practice required to get an unerring aim with the sling. Beyond all these motives which influenced David would be the assurance that God, who gave him a work to do, would show the method of it. The Lord who called to the bold undertaking would give the plan.

II. The range of gifts which the spirit can use and bless in an enterprise of faith. And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherds bag which he had, even his scrip; and his sling was in his hand. This was not the first experience of the Lords consecration of the youths gifts. Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear. The Lord often makes use of mens gifts to get them to a position of vantage from which they can do more efficient service. Sir Hope Grant when a youth was selected because of his skill in playing the flute for the staff of Lord Saltoun, who was going out to take command of the British forces in China. The long voyage of months around the Cape of Good Hope to their destination was thus to be made more tolerable for the officers. Grant soon became the foremost Christian in the English army in the East and one of its most successful generals. Davids reputation for music got him a place at the court of Saul, and perhaps the story of his rugged valour among the shepherds secured him a hearing as a champion of Israel. Guizots gifts as a diplomat made him necessary to his Catholic sovereigns and gave him a position from which he could exert a beneficent influence for an oppressed church in France. John Wycliffes parliamentary skill and zeal for liberty mede him an important ally of the House of Lancaster and gained him the protection which he needed to spread the doctrines of the Gospel. Many accomplishments of the Christian may be of service in gaining an entrance to doors and hearts closed to direct religious appeal. Dr. Asa Gray, the botanist, records of his long and singularly successful career as a Christian and a man of science that when he was ready for any forward movement he almost always found that things were prepared for him. Let one have himself in training for a useful life and he will find a place and opportunity awaiting the employment of his gifts.

III. A consecrated youth early begins to bear his countrys burdens as a work of faith. But I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied. David belongs to a legion of those out of every nation who have consecrated their youth to their countrys freedom and to God. They are a nobler band than Sons of the Revolution. They have been the sires of States. The war song that has made all Germans merge their local differences in one great purpose--the common fatherland--that united Bavarians, Prussians, Saxons, end Wurtembergers in 1870, and the Imperial Crown to the House of Hohenzollern--that song is Die Wacht am Rheim. It was written at the age of twenty-one by a poor German roused against the French aggressions upon his native land. Not all such heroic souls have been permitted to take up arms. Their stanzas, their speeches, their deeds of mercy have made them members of this patriotic and Christian fraternity. Every nation has contributed its quota for this ancient peerage to which David belonged. It is older than all orders, chapters, and lodges. The people who are to be preserved in their inheritance and liberties must still be able to call forth the devotion of these volunteer champions of law, institutions, faith, and native land. (W. R. Campbell.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 41. The man that bare the shield] See on 1Sa 17:7.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

41–54. The victory of faith. The flight of the Philistines

41. This verse is not found in the Sept. (B).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the Philistine came on, and drew near unto David,.... By slow paces, because of the weight of his armour, and bulk of his body, yet with a haughty air, and a proud gait:

and the man that bare the shield went before him; See Gill on Sa1 17:7.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

COMBAT OF DAVID AND GOLIATH (vers. 41-54).

Vers. 41-44. When David had crossed the ravine, Goliath and his armour bearer advanced towards him; and when he saw that the Israelite champion was but a lad (see ver. 33), with red hair, which added to his youthful appearance, and handsome, but with nothing more than a staff in his hand, he regarded this light equipment as an insult, and asks, Am I a dog, an animal held in great aversion in the East,that thou comest to me with staves? The plural is used as a contemptuous generalisation, but the Septuagint is offended at it, and with amusing matter of fact exactness translates, "With a staff and stones." And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Hebrew is singular, "by his god," i.e. the deity whom he had selected to be his especial patron.

Vers. 41-51.

The governing principle of life.

The facts are

1. The Philistine, on observing the youth and simple weapons of David,disdains and curses him, and boasts of soon giving his flesh to bird and beast.

2. David, in reply, declares that he comes in the name of God, andexpresses his assurance that, in the speedy death of his foe, all men would learn that the battle is the Lord"s.

3. Goliath falls by means of the sling and stone.

4. Seizing his sword, David cuts off his head, whereon the Philistines flee.We may regard Goliath and David as representatives of two very distinct orders of character the one serving as a foil to the other. The low human purpose, the boastful trust in human strength, and the vanity of gaining personal renown, on the one side, set off in bold relief the execution of a Divine purpose, the quiet trust in Divine strength, and the supreme desire to see God glorified, on the other side. "I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied here is the great principle that governed David"s conduct. In the name of the Lord did the stripling raise his voice, select his stones, and use his sling. Nor was this a mere accident in his life. A crisis may bring out into clear and bold expression the principle which governs a good man"s life, bait it does not create it. "In the name of the Lord" was his motto when feeding the sheep, slaying the lion and bear, and composing the Psalms. Consider

I The NATURE AND RANGE OF THE GOVERNING PRINCIPLE OF a GOOD MAN"S LIFE. There are various mental acts entering into and lying at the spring of conduct some more original than others. Life cannot be fully understood without an analysis of them and a recognition of their mutual relation. At one time a passion may be regarded as the governing principlee.g. "The love of Christ constraineth us;" at another, supreme regard for righte.g. "Do justly;" at another, obedience to a superior wille.g. "Not my will, but thine be done." But these and others of kindred nature are in Scripture summarised in the beautiful formula, "In the name of the Lord." David"s conduct brings this principle into triple forth.

1. The purpose of life is the purpose of God. That which God, by the revelations of his mercy and the ordinations of providence, is working out the cutting off of evil and the establishment of righteousness is theadopted and cherished purpose of life. In every calling, pursuit, enterprise, alliance, pleasure, secular or spiritual conflict, the true man goes forth "in the name of the Lord" to destroy the foe of God and man. He is conscious of a definite unity of purpose, and wills that it be identical with the one purpose of God.

1. The power trusted to is the power of God. The Lord in whose name David went forth "sayeth not with sword and spear." The stripling did not expect Goliath to fall down dead while he lay at rest in his tent, but be went forth using those means natural to him as a youth, and this too because of the unseen hand which taught "his fingers to fight." God"s strength is not a vast reserve locked up for use on some far distant day, when some new system of worlds has to be created, any more than that it has been all poured forth into laws and forces now acting. The Eternal Spirit is eternally strong, and as a Spirit is in such contact with us that, by placing ourselves in a certain attitude of loving trust, we receive from him according to our need.

2. The glory sought is that of the Lord. The motive of David was not to become notorious among men, not to promote some private advantage, but that "all the earth might know that there is a God in Israel." Here the stripling warrior was governed by the same reference to God as was recognised by the Apostle Paul when he said, "Do all to the glory of God". (1Co_10:31) This abnegation of self, this joy in the honour of the holy name, this ambition to see men bowing in reverence to the Lord of all, enters into the private and public, the secular and spiritual, works of the renewed man. See the beautiful and impressive language of saints of different ages (2Sa_22:33, 2Sa_22:35; 2Ch_32:7, 2Ch_32:8; Psa_20:5 Psa_63:4 Psa_115:1; 2Co_10:4; Heb_11:32-34)

II The TRUE GOVERNING PRINCIPLE OF LIFE IS NOT UNDERSTOOD BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT UNDER ITS INFLUENCE. Goliath, judging others by the principles that governed his own conduct, disdained David: his abusive language shows that he had no conception of the nature of the inspiration that made the stripling so cool and brave. Some men live in a world not penetrated even by the vision of others. Spheres of life come into collision, but do not intersect. The scorn and contempt of the ungodly is a common fact. (Psa_123:4; 1Co_1:18 1Co_4:13) Christ and his apostles were treated with contempt, and their design of subduing the world was, and still is, by some referred to madness. Ridicule of prayer, of missions to savage men, of expectation of Christ"s gospel being accepted by all, still abounds. Are not the people "few," the means contemptible out of harmony with the age, and opposed to the principles of physical science? It is the old story of a boastful Goliath. It is the same revelation of profound ignorance. Verily, if there were no more in Christian men than in their foes, the conflict would soon be settled. (2Co_4:4)

III The TRIUMPH OF THE OUTWORKING OF THE TRUE GOVERNING PRINCIPLE OF LIFE IS ASSURED. David was sure that on that very day his foe would fall, and so illustrate the supremacy of the good man"s principle. Events confirmed the truth. The issue of the great conflict between Christ"s Church and opposing forces of evil is thus foreshadowed. We may go forth with the same assurance that at the end of the world"s great day of battle we shall be in a position to say, "Now thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ". (2Co_2:14; 1Co_15:57, 1Co_15:58) The same result may be looked for in respect of our own personal conflicts with sin; for though we may be weak, and pained by the scorning of the proud, yet, using our sling and stone in the strength of God, it will be found at last that we are "more than conquerors." And this, which applies to life as a whole, is of equal force in respect to any form of vice or moral evil we contend with day by Psa_44:6, Psa_44:7; Mic_7:8

General lessons:

1. The continued boasting of the enemies of Christianity is an illustration of its spiritual nature and the truth of its predictions. (2Pe_3:3)

2. The great need for Christians is to rise to the height of their powers andprivileges as soldiers of Christ. (1Co_16:13)

3. Every triumph achieved for Christ over sins, or individuals, or obstaclesis a pledge of coming victories.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Drew near - Probably a signal was made, that his challenge was accepted.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

with his shield bearer in front of him

"and his shield bearer walked in front of him"

he despised him

"he hated him"

and ruddy

"and healthy looking"

Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?

Here a dog represents a small animal that a person can easily kill. The word "sticks" refers to David's staff and shows Goliath's opinion that it is not a good weapon. Goliath uses this question to accuse David of insulting him. AT: "You insult me by coming at me with mere sticks as if I were just a dog!" (See: Metaphor and Rhetorical Question)

translationWords

Philistines

David

shield

curse

false god

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.