Do you have fears? I think we all do if we are being honest. So what is your fear? Now I’m going to talk about fear here but I bet you think I’ll list one of the 365 times it says DO NOT FEAR in the Bible. Well those would be good ones to list, but today I’m going to talk about facing your fears.
Let’s set the stage
1 Samuel 17:1-16 17 Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Sokoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Sokoh and Azekah. 2 Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. 3 The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.4 A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span.[a] 5 He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels[b]; 6 on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 7 His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels.[c] His shield bearer went ahead of him. 8 Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.” 10 Then the Philistine said, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other.” 11 On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old. 13 Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. 14 David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, 15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.
Ok so you might be asking what is 6 cubits and a span, well I’ll tell you, that is 9 feet 9 inches. Now that’s a giant for sure. Not only was he tall and looming but he was goading the isralites, every day – day after day. David came close to where the battle was and as soon as he heard Goliath agitating he immediately wanted to battle him. Being the youngest the brothers protested and asked David what he can do.
1 Samuel 17:32-37 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 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. 36 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. 37 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.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
David, not being a trained soldier was going to be slaughtered, or so they thought. He knows though that God is with him and he need not fear.
There it is, he need not fear, he believes in God to keep him safe – 1Samual 17:37 37 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.
Now lets stop here and note a few things, we’ve already determined that Goliath was 9 feet 9 inches. David was one of the smaller brothers so he likely was somewhere in the 5 foot area so a good 4 feet smaller than Goliath. Goliath was a trained warrior, David was not. Oh he had skills as a shepherd but not battle warrior. There are many reasons why David would be right to be scared of this battle. Not to mention that the armor Saul gave him was cumbersome so he took it off. So he’s going out to battle this mountain of a man with just a sling and some stones. No sword, armor or training.
So what happened? Well this is what David said to Goliath, 1 Samuel 17:45-46 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.
Well, so how did it end? Glad you asked. David bested this giant. Killed him soundly and made a name for himself. More importantly – of course he was likely scared. He probably feared for his life… bigger than that fear was his trust in God. The big guy was mocking the army of God and David was having none of that so he fought. He won.
So many times in the Bible did God use people who were the most unlikely, they had fear for sure but the faith was bigger. I have a face mask that says “Faith over Fear”. This mask is a good reminder to not let you fear clobber your faith.
This one does the perfect job of telling us exactly how God feels about it.
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
How about a practical excersize – lets use this verse as our prayer but add in that fear. For example
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear getting sick, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you stay well; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear a job loss, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you and give you a better one; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
Comforting huh?? I thought so too. You fill in yours and keep reading it when you need it. God means is – Do NOT FEAR … Ok all you David’s out there!! Do Not Fear!
Lord, I come to You in Faith, thanking You for the joy of faith, the lack of fear and knowing that You have us in your firm grip, that You are with us. I am grateful and asking that You stay with us during the hard times – In Jesus Name - Amen