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Good Shepherd Community of Faith |
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An American Baptist and United Church of Christ Welcoming and Affirming Congregation |
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Sermons |
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Is There a Goliath in Your Life? 1 Samuel 17
Okay. Let’s do a little review. What are the Biblical stories we have heard so far? Does anyone remember? Actually, if we go back to July, we learned the story of Naaman and his miraculous healing from leprosy when he was told to wash in the Jordan seven times. What did we learn from that story? Hopefully, not to second guess God. But, after that, we read the story of Samuel’s call, and our goal was to be like Eli and help others recognize when God calls their name (as well as to respond if God calls our name). We also discussed Adam and Eve and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The lesson was to accept the sweet fruit of life, not the bitter fruit of temptation. What else? Daniel in the lions’ den—trust in God; Moses and the burning bush—invite God into your life, home, and church. Let us turn now to the story of David and Goliath. I think this story is one about courage in the face of what appear to be unbeatable odds. Of course, all the stories are about courage in one way or another, but perhaps this one more than any other. David was a mere boy, the youngest of several sons. He was a shepherd, tending the sheep for his father. Obviously, David was small in stature. Saul even referred to him as a “stripling,” which is defined as a boy in his early teenage years who has not yet grown to his full size. It is quite humorous to try to envision David in Saul’s armor: “Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, ‘I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.’ So David removed them.” Now, Goliath, on the other hand was a big man. His height is described as “six cubits and a span.” A cubit is thought to be about the length of the forearm and can be, according to the dictionary, anywhere from 18” to 21.” That would place Goliath at somewhere between 9 feet and 10-1/2 feet tall, plus a span. According to the dictionary, that could be an additional 9 inches. So, Goliath was possibly somewhere between 9 feet, 9 inches tall and 11 feet, 3 inches tall. That’s big! Then, add to it the description of the way he appeared: “He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.” The shekel was a silver coin, so imagine the weight of 5,000 silver coins! “He [also] had greaves of bronze on his legs and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.” Pretty impressive, I would say. AND, pretty fear-provoking! Just to see such a behemoth would cause the average person to run in panic. But, not David. David stood up to Goliath and brought him down with one smooth stone directly to the forehead. Wop! And, “When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.” And, of course, we know the rest of David’s story. He went on to become a mighty ruler—sometimes a good ruler, sometimes not so good, but always courageous. So, as the title of today’s sermon asks, “Is there a Goliath in your life?” The word goliath has come to mean “a gigantic or overpowering opponent or competitor.” So a goliath in your life could be a person or it could be a situation. If your answer is “Yes, there is a Goliath in my life,” then you need to identify the Goliath and decide how best to approach it. Who or what is the Goliath in your life? For me, recently, a Goliath was the writing of my thesis. It was a gigantic obstacle to my life. I know I placed this Goliath in my life by deciding to return to school, but that really doesn’t matter. The fact is that it was there, and something had to be done about it. The good news is that it is now finished, and I have graduated! Anyway, my approach for tackling this particular opponent was to break it down into pieces. I set a timetable for completion. I knew it must be done by mid-February if I was to graduate in May. So, I decided to worry about one chapter at a time. Chapter 1 was to be done by October 1, if possible. Chapter 2 would be completed by November 1 and so forth. Setting myself a timetable and sticking to it was the way I tackled this Goliath and not let it overwhelm or defeat me. And, of course, I prayed to God for guidance. Prayer is first and foremost. Note that David said, “’The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.’ So Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you!’” When we go with the Lord, the success of defeating our Goliaths is more certain. So, what are some of your Goliaths? What do you need courage to face? What are some steps you need to take? No matter what your goliath, I can suggest four steps to overcome it:
1-Prayer and meditation. You may be surprised at how a few quiet moments in prayer and meditation can calm your soul. You may actually have a sudden insight while quietly reflecting on your problem—your goliath—insights about the best plan of attack. I’m sure David knew to just start slinging stones wouldn’t take Goliath down. After all, Goliath had on that very heavy suit of armor. But, one well-placed stone was all it took. David undoubtedly knew where his target should be—the middle of the forehead. 2-Enlisting the help of others. No one should have to face Goliath alone. Maybe Saul wasn’t too much help. He tried to dress David in his armor, but it was too much for David to wear. However, David knew that he had Saul and the rest of the Israelites behind him. Without them, David surely would have been struck down by Goliath’s men. The rest of the Israelite army took over where David left off. So, if you want to quit smoking, for example, you shouldn’t do it alone. You should ask your friends and family to back you up, to support you in your efforts. 3-Determining what tools you may need. The tools you will use in your fight are important. David selected five smooth stones from the wadi (which, by the way, is a steep-sided water course in arid regions of North Africa and southern Asia through which water flows only after heavy rainfalls). A wadi can also be an oasis. Regardless, the point is that David decided his tools would be these five smooth stones. What tools can you use for your own personal goliath struggle? Getting back to the example of cigarettes, maybe it’s a nicotine patch. Maybe, like my husband, you could chew on straws or toothpicks to keep your mouth busy. Maybe your device is soothing music (or upbeat music), whichever is your preference. 4-Most importantly, I think, is to never give up. David defeated Goliath on his first try, but there were other times in his life when he needed to be persistent. There were times that he made mistakes, when he was separated from God by his sins. But, he triumphed in the end, and so can you. Whatever your Goliath, hang in there—have courage, have faith, trust in God, and victory will be yours. Amen. |