by Cornel Lynch
Atlanta, GA

People have problems, don’t they? What kind of problems do you have? God knows. Everybody has problems. The question is, how do you handle them? Do you lean unto your own understanding? Or do you trust in the Lord with all your heart? One thing is certain: You don’t get rid of your problems by talking with other people with the same problems.

Peoples’ Problems (Author Unknown)

EVERYONE has problems
in this restless world of care.
EVERYONE grows weary
with the “cross they have to bear,”
EVERYONE is troubled
and “their skies are overcast”
As they try to face the future
while still dwelling in the past...
But the people with their problems
only “listen with one ear”
For people only listen
to the things they want to hear
Amd they only hear the kind of things
they are able to believe
And the ANSWERS that are God’s to give
they’re not ready to receive,
So while the PEOPLE’S PROBLEMS
keep growing every day
And man vainly tries to solve them
in his own self-willful way...
God seeks to help and watches,
waiting always patiently
To help them solve their problems
whatever they may be --
So may the people of all nations
at last become aware
That God will solve the PEOPLES’ PROBLEMS
through FAITH and HOPE and PRAYER!

Call unto me, and I will answer thee,
and shew thee great and mighty things,
which thou knowest not.
Jeremiah 33:3.
How do you handle people problems?

Proverbs 3:1-6.
1 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

We’re going to look at a man who DID trust in the Lord with all his heart: David. David is called in the scriptures “a man after God’s own heart.” He had the ability to bounce back from adverse circumstances.

How big is your God? Is He so small that you’ve got to go out and handle your problems yourself?

In I Samuel 17 we meet up with a giant named Goliath.

I Samuel 17:1-7.
1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

Not only was Goliath a champion, not only was he armed to the teeth; he had the nerve to show up on the battlefield with someone else carrying some stuff for him!

I Samuel 17:8-9.
8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

Now doesn’t that sound like a fair fight? One giant against one average-sized opponent?

I Samuel 17:10-11.
10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

Why were the men of Israel afraid? What were they looking at? God? Or were they looking at their problem?

How about you? What are you doing with the problems you are facing? Are you focusing your attention on your problems? Or are your eyes firmly fastened on the Lord?

I Samuel 17:12-16.
12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days of Saul.
13 And the three eldest sons of Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
14 And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
15 But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.
16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Does Goliath sound like a bully to you? I’ve never seen a nine foot tall bully before, but it looks to me like Israel had a bully problem.

I Samuel 17:17-26.
17 And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp of thy brethren;
18 And carry these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
20 And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle.
21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.
22 And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage, and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

Why is David saying this? And why are the men of Israel not saying the same thing? The reason is this: their focus is different. The men of Israel are paying attention to their problem. David is paying attention to God, and looking at his problem from God’s perspective.

What’s David saying? “How dare he talk about my God that way!” Goliath was uncircumcised. That means he was “without God and without hope”; he had no relationship with God whatsoever. Yet he dares to talk about God this way?

I Samuel 17:27-28.
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.

Eliab reacted like a typical older brother. I know. I was the older brother when I was growing up. When my younger brother showed up at some event where I thought he had no business being, I got an attitude, just like Eliab.

What’s he telling David? “I’ve heard all those stories you told around the dinner table, and I’m not impressed. The best thing you can do right now is go home and watch those sheep, and leave the men’s work to the men. You don’t belong here.”

I Samuel 17:29-33.
29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?
30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.
32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

David’s big talk finally reaches King Saul, and he sends for him. Saul is not impressed by what he sees. Saul had the same problem as the rest of Israel: he was looking at the wrong things. He looked at Goliath and he was impressed. He looked at David, and he saw a kid.

What was David’s attitude? Have you ever seen one of those cartoons where a guy is running, his legs are pumping, but someone is holding him by the collar, so he’s not going anywhere? That’s David right now, saying, “Let me at him! Let me at him!” David’s ready to go!

I Samuel 17:34-36.
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:
35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

David starts giving Saul his credentials -- and they are impressive! When a lion took one of the sheep from David’s flock, David went after the lion! Now, there are some animals you might go after to rescue a lamb, but a lion is not one of them. After all, it’s just a crummy sheep! You just scratch it off of your list and report it stolen by a lion. No one will blame you. But David didn’t think like that. He took off after the lion, caught up with him -- and hit him! That’s a sure way to get a lion mad at you! Then he snatched the lion’s dinner out of his mouth. That’s even worse! Finally, when the lion turned on him, David grabbed him by the beard and hit him again! And in a one-on-one fight with a very upset lion, David came out the winner. This David is one bad dude!

This is a foretype of Christ as the good shepherd. When the wolf, Satan, comes after us, Jesus doesn’t sit idly by, or count one more sheep lost. He takes it personally, and does something about it!

I Samuel 17:37-40.
37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.
39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

David has a problem. He’s about to fight a heavily armed giant nine feet tall, and David has no armor, no sword, no shield. But trusting in the Lord with all your heart doesn’t mean sitting at home reading Bible verses. It means taking what you have and using it, and trusting God to cover your back. Get some huge balls about you, because God’s got your back, just like He had David’s.

Psalm 121:1.
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

This verse is mistranslated. It should be in the form of a question. Do we have any business looking to the hills for our help? No! Leave that to those who worship other gods. In Old Testament times, people sometimes worshipped other gods in “high places.” That’s not where our help comes from, though.

Psalm 121:2-4.
2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.
4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The God who made the heavens and the earth is a HUGE God. He’s big enough to take care of any problem you will ever have. And we have a God who never sleeps!

Psalm 145:17-18.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.

When you call on God, He’s right there ready and willing to help you.

David didn’t waste his time looking at how big Goliath was. David looked to God, not to himself. He knew that his God was bigger than any problem he had.

I Samuel 17:41-47.
41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.
43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.
47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

Can you imagine what David’s brothers and the other Israelites are saying at this point? Do you think they were cheering for David? Or watching in shock? Here’s this little pipsqueak coming out to meet the giant, and he’s not dressed for battle. He’s got no sword. And now he’s bad-mouthing the Giant! Will somebody shut that kid up? He’s getting Goliath mad at all of us!

I Samuel 17:48.
48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

This was obviously the wrong move. David was running TOWARD his problem! But this is what we’re supposed to do with our problems if we’re really trusting God. This is not just a nice story; this is how we’re supposed to live in everyday life!

I Samuel 17:49-51.
49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

What can we learn from David in this incident? David was not discouraged by what his brother said. David wasn’t motivated by Saul’s promises of rewards; he wasn’t trying to get paid. David wasn’t discouraged by Saul’s criticisms. David went ahead, in spite of the obstacles in his way, and did what he knew God wanted him to do. David wasn’t discouraged by the size of his enemy, by his weapons, or by his threats.

You’ve got to have the same attitude in your walk with God. People will say you’re crazy for trying to do what God told you to do. People will try to intimidate you. But you can’t let that stop you. Keep your eyes focused on the Lord, and not on your problems. Be bold, knowing that God’s got your back.


Goliath Had Faith in Himself
by Ivan Maddox
Atlanta, GA

Goliath had faith in himself.
He had not one iota of doubt,
Not one iota of fear.
He knew,
Beyond a shadow of a doubt,
Even before he met David,
That he was going to win this fight.

Goliath was big.
He was the biggest man he knew.
When he walked through the valley
Of the shadows of death,
Everyone else in the valley trembled,
Because Goliath was the toughest man in the valley.

Goliath prepared himself to win.
He practiced with his weapons every day.
His sword was an extension of himself.
He did not have to think about using it.
It did whatever he willed it to do,
Instinctively, naturally.
Goliath was ready for this fight.
Every victory he had ever won,
Every man he had ever killed
Had prepared him for this fight,
For this day.

Goliath took good care of himself.
His body was his temple.
He exercised.
He lifted weights.
He jogged.
He ate his Wheaties.
He had never been in better shape in his life
Than he was now.

Goliath dressed for success.
He wore the mightiest armor.
He had the most dazzling helmet.
He carried the sharpest sword,
The heaviest spear.
Nothing could penetrate his shield.
No one on the battlefield
Was dressed better for battle
Than Goliath.

Goliath believed in the power of prayer.
He was a religious man.
He did not neglect his duty
To his gods.
He blessed his weapons.
He cursed his enemies.
He was in touch
With his spirituality.

Goliath had the will to win.
He was fighting for his country.
He was fighting for glory.
Poets for ages to come
Would sing of the battle
That Goliath would win today
Single-handedly.

Goliath went to the battlefield
Expecting a challenge,
A worthy foe,
A cunning adversary.
Instead, he found an under-aged stripling,
A child, not worthy of his time,,
Without armor,
Without training
Without sword or spear.
Goliath was mortally insulted.

Goliath had faith in himself;
But he was defeated
By an untrained youth
Who trusted God
Instead of trusting himself.

---

Return

---

If you have questions or comments about this page, please contact Ivan Maddox

---

Click to go back...