20090621
From Plymouth
FIVE STONES AND A GIANT
Marilyn Allen
June 21, 2009, 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
1 Samuel 17:1-49, selected verses, OT p. 260
Mark 4:35-41, NT p. 39
1 Samuel 17:1 1. Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle; they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah.
The Philistines were where? At Socoh, which belongs to Judah. Judah is one of the tribes of Israel, and the enemy is within its territory. No wonder Saul and his band of citizen soldiers were as war. Around 1000 B.C., the Philistines were dominant among the tribes and kingdoms of the region. They had the latest technology for working metal, so they controlled the arms race. The Israelites had to buy their swords and spears from the Philistines and take them back to be sharpened. Needless to say, there weren’t many swords and spears and sets of protective armor in Israel. The Philistines were a genuine threat.
1 Samuel 17:2, 4-11 2 Saul and the Israelites gathered and encamped in the valley of Elah, and formed ranks against the Philistines. And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 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. He 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; and his shield bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "Today I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
The Israelites were already afraid. Goliath played on their fear. He was really big – anywhere from six feet nine inches to ten feet tall, with impressive bronze armor and weapons. The one Israelite who was “head and shoulders above the people,” King Saul, was trembling in his sandals.
1 Samuel 17:13a, 17-18, 20, 22-29
13 The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. Jesse said to his son David, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them." David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, took the provisions, and went as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the encampment as the army was going forth to the battle line. David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage, ran to the ranks, and went and greeted his brothers.
23 As he talked with them, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him. All the Israelites, when they saw the man, fled from him and were very much afraid. The Israelites said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. The king will greatly enrich the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter and make his family free in Israel." David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" The people answered him in the same way, "So shall it be done for the man who kills him."
28. His eldest brother Eliab heard him talking to the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David. He said, "Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart; for you have come down just to see the battle." David said, "What have I done now? It was only a question."
Enter David. His brothers seem to have forgotten that the prophet had already anointed their little brother as the next king. They just try to get him out of the way. Of course, the implication of David’s question, “Who is this Philistine to defy the armies of the living God?”, is that Saul and his army should have dispatched the enemy long ago.
1 Samuel 17:31-37 31. When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul; and he sent for him. David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God. 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!"
The first thing David says to Saul is, “Don’t be afraid.” Isn’t that usually the first word of the Lord? Very little can be done by those who cling to fear. Then David begins to use the word “deliver.” He delivered the lambs from bears and mountain lions. The Lord, Yahweh, delivered David from the paws of the bear and the lion. The Lord will deliver David and all of Israel from the hand of the Philistine. The Lord will deliver. The Lord will save. David is immersed in his faith in the Lord. Saul has forgotten, and lives in fear.
1 Samuel 17:38-40 38. 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. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi (dry stream bed), and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.
David cannot fight as Saul would have fought, weighed down with armor. The king had bought into the armaments of the enemy, but not David. Instead he chose his shepherd’s staff and his slingshot, which actually was a weapon of war as well – just not as high-tech as the swords of the Philistines. Without armor, David would be quicker on his feet.
1 Samuel 17:41-47 41. The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hand."
David stands in front of the giant and preaches to him. “The Lord will deliver you into my hand, because you have defied the living God.” What is God’s purpose in helping Israel? “So that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord’s.” God’s reputation is at stake, for these are God’s people.
The end comes quickly for Goliath. 1 Samuel 17:48-51 48. When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, striking down the Philistine and killing him; there was no sword in David's hand. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine; he grasped his sword, drew it out of its sheath, and killed him; then he cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The troops of Israel and Judah rose up with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron.
This is the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
We stood in the Valley of Elah, not too far from the dry stream bed. The forty-three members of our study tour listened as Steve, our Israeli guide, read the story of David and Goliath. There were plenty of smooth stones, many of them on the dirt road or in the field where we stood. David Steele sneaked around behind Steve, picked up five smooth stones, and challenged Goliath (Steve) to a fight. Fortunately for this Goliath, David had left his slingshot behind. We had a good laugh out of it. You never know when you’re going to need your slingshot or your five smooth stones. Giants show up at the most inconvenient times. David of Bethlehem was ready. Have you ever carried a stone in your pocket, or something that reminded you of a significant person or event? David had five in his pouch. I don’t think the story-teller meant for those five stones to represent anything in particular, except to say that David could use what was at hand. He didn’t need the enemy’s high-tech weapons. But maybe those five stones can help think about how we can be ready for the challenges of life.
You might come up with a different list, but I think that David had energy, courage, imagination, experience, and supportive backup – all wrapped up in unshakeable faith. First, David’s energy. He was young and strong and went up and down the mountains with his sheep. You’ve been around children enough to know how much energy they can burn through in a day – their energy and the energy of everyone around them. That’s part of the fun of Vacation Bible School, being surrounded by that much energy. Now the physical energy of youth isn’t something we can just go out and develop – at least I can’t. But have you noticed how some people have that energetic can-do attitude, even in later years? David had a can-do attitude, and the focus to do what needed doing. Maybe it’s a gift, or maybe it can be developed. I find that enough sleep helps renew my energy, and time in silence with God, and fresh air and physical activity. When we’re confronted by a giant of a problem, we need God-given energy to meet that challenge. That can be one of our smooth stones, too.
David had courage. Like energy, I think some people seem to have courage naturally, and others of us have to work at it. I wonder if David’s courage developed because he had good role models in his father Jesse and his brothers. Didn’t someone have to teach him how to deal with lions and bears, and how to use that slingshot? On this Father’s Day, we celebrate our fathers and those who have been like fathers to us. I think there is evidence that the lack of responsible men in the lives of children have contributed to some of the problems that have become so widespread. But when young men and women see that the adults around them have the courage to do the right thing, even though it’s difficult, they develop the courage to be responsible as well. Maybe one of our stones is the courage to do what’s right.
David had experience. He had been responsible for his father’s sheep, and he had protected them from danger. He discovered that he actually could rescue lambs from predators. He had practiced long hours with that sling. He had plenty of time and the inclination to meditate on the works of God, both in nature and in the history of Israel; much of that eventually made its way into his poetry and music. We can hold on to that stone of experience too, as we notice where God has been at work in our lives and in the lives of our ancestors in faith. We can retell the stories of the way Christ has guided this church for over one hundred years. How has God provided for you in the past? Experience can be a touchstone for you.
David had imagination. Because of what the Lord had done for him in the past, he could imagine the greater things God would help him do in this situation. He described in graphic detail what would happen to the Philistine and his army. He was imagining a different way to confront the enemy – not with the technological weapons of death, but with the power of the living God. When we are tempted to fear the power of evil and death, we can turn to the creative power of God’s Spirit at work in the world. By that Spirit we envision God’s coming rule that is based in divine goodness. God-given creative imagination can be a smooth stone as we confront our giants.
Finally, David didn’t fight the Philistines by himself. He had backup support. Even though Saul and his army were paralyzed by fear, once the giant was dead, they pursued the rest of the Philistines and won a decisive battle. From the past, David could call to memory the affirming words of the prophet Samuel who had anointed him as the next king. In the near future Saul’s son Jonathan would become a close friend. We can’t confront the giants of our world by ourselves. We need each other. That’s the fifth stone.
On Friday, as I was working on this sermon, I had a phone call from a friend in San Diego. I hadn’t talked with her in over a year, probably. Carol called with a specific question, but of course we took time to catch up a bit. I mentioned the topic of the sermon – “Five Stones and a Giant.” She remembered a very difficult time in their family, when their middle daughter was causing horrible problems for them all. For some time Carol carried a smooth stone in her pocket. When things got out of control, she would hold that stone as if she were holding the hand of one or another of her friends, her support system. She gained strength for that moment by touching that stone. We are part of Prayers and Squares because Carol brought it to Mira Mesa Presbyterian Church. Prayer quilts remind us of our supportive connections. Our “smooth stones” can be soft and warm.
David came to the battle with energy, courage, experience, imagination, and supportive backup – all wrapped up in his faith in God. King Saul had lost touch with his faith, with God. A thousand years later, on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples’ faith didn’t hold up in that violent storm. Jesus rebuked the wind and spoke peace to the sea. Then he rebuked the disciples. “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” In future years they remembered that experience of Christ’s peace in the presence of the storm, and that story became one of the touchstones of the church.
We all need to be reminded that the living God is more powerful than the giants and storms that come our way. Jesus Christ still speaks the word that brings calm in the storm and life in the face of death. “Don’t be afraid,” he says. “Peace. Be still.”
Let us pray. Loving God, grant us your courage and your peace, even in the storms of life. May your Spirit strengthen us to follow Christ. Amen.
