๐ 1 Samuel 17 — Key Summary: ๐ “I’ve already killed a lion and a bear — so this uncircumcised man is nothing!” ๐
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The Bible had already recorded Saul’s strange behavior even before he became king.
After that,
his ignorance was revealed,
his foolishness before God became evident,
he showed himself to be a reckless and irresponsible king,
and in chapter 14, he even showed a heartless willingness to kill his own son.
In chapter 16,
the Lord God anointed David, and the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David;
the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit sent by the Lord tormented him;
and, ironically, Saul and David came together.
๐ Key Summary of 1 Samuel 17
๐ The Philistine invasion and the appearance of David
This chapter tells the story of the armies of Israel and the Philistines facing each other across the Valley of Elah.
๐น Goliath’s challenge
Goliath, a giant from Gath, challenges the army of Israel for 40 days, morning and evening, insulting Israel and their God and demanding a one-on-one combat.
But King Saul and the army of Israel are terrified, and no one is willing to step forward to fight him.
→ Since Goliath was from Gath, he may have been related to the descendants of Anak.
(Joshua 11:22)
Joshua records:
“None of the Anakites were left in the land of the Israelites; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any remain.”
๐น David goes to the battlefield on an errand
David goes to the battlefield because his father Jesse sends him there.
When David hears Goliath insulting the army of Israel and the Lord God, he becomes angry.
He also hears about the reward that will be given to the man who defeats Goliath.
๐น David looks down on Goliath ๐
David says:
“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.”
๐ In other words:
“I’ve already killed a lion and a bear. So this uncircumcised man is no big deal!” ๐
๐น Saul gives David permission to fight
At first, Saul thinks the idea is unreasonable:
“You are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
But after hearing that David had fought a lion and a bear, Saul allows him to go and fight.
๐ David’s words of faith that lead him to victory (vv. 45–47)
David says to Goliath:
“You come against me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
David continues:
“This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands; I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army today to the birds of the air and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”
And then:
“All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves.”
“The battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
✔️ Every word David speaks seems like something that would greatly please the Lord. ๐ข
✔️ We can see that David’s words are completely filled with trust in the Lord God. ๐๐
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๐ Conclusion
In 1 Samuel 17, we see David having conversations with two different people.
1. David’s conversation with Eliab
Eliab, David’s older brother, is displeased with David and rebukes him.
He says:
“I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” (v. 28)
๐ But there is something strange about this accusation:
“Conceited,” “wicked in heart,” and “came only to watch the battle”?
These statements do not seem to fit together very well. ❌
David answers:
“What have I done now? Can’t I even speak?”
Then he turns away from Eliab.
→ He simply ignores him and continues speaking with others.
And the people continue answering David as before.
David’s question remains:
“What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
✔️ Eliab calls David conceited and wicked in heart.
๐ It is interesting that an older brother judges the character of his younger brother without truly understanding what is in his heart.
✔️ And there is another interesting comparison:
Before Saul became king, he remained silent, and people might have thought that this meant he was humble.
But when we look at his later actions, we see something quite different. ๐
๐ Could Eliab have spoken this way because he knew that David had been anointed by Samuel?
It is an interesting possibility to consider. ๐
2. David’s conversation with Saul
A man hears what David says and reports it to Saul.
→ Saul then sends for David. (v. 31)
David says to Saul:
“Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine. Your servant will go and fight him.” (v. 32)
Saul replies:
“You are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”
๐ Saul speaks as if he knows Goliath very well.
When Saul says that Goliath has been a warrior from his youth,
→ perhaps he may have been referring to his connection with the descendants of Anak.
But there is something Saul seems not to know:
→ David was the very person who had been bringing relief to Saul when Saul was tormented by the evil spirit. ๐
At first, Saul tells David that he cannot fight.
But after hearing that David had fought a lion and a bear, perhaps Saul was secretly impressed.
Hearing about someone killing a lion is not something ordinary.
Such a feat might remind us of someone like Samson.
But David goes even further:
→ David says he also fought a bear. ๐
๐ So here is a fun question:
Was David perhaps one level above Samson? ๐
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