1 SAMUEL 17  ‘GIANT-KILLING!  TACKLING LIFE WITH FAITH, NOT FEAR.’

INTRODUCTION:  Here is a ‘Sunday School story’ with an adult application! A wonderful, timeless story – loved from childhood onwards. But what possible relevance can it have to our lives as we live them today? Goliath was a giant of a man who confronted God’s people and paralysed them with fear! He is not unlike some of those seemingly insurmountable problems that, from time to time, confront and intimidate us. Got any ‘giants’ currently astride your path?  If so, see what God’s people forgot as they faced theirs.  And take note of the clues given us by a youth called David as to how to overcome them.

I. (THE ISRAELITES) FACED BY A BIG PROBLEM 17.1-9, 16 GOLIATH IN VIEW!

 CONSIDER THE BIG PROBLEM:   17.1-7

How would you sum up the situation and problem the Israelites faced?

Just how big and real was the problem?

- how big physically was Goliath?  (Why do you think the Bible gives such a full record of all his vital statistics?) Would you fancy facing him??

Do we face similarly big and real problems?

 What are they – on a national level?  on a personal level?

 Is there one in your life at present?

  CONSIDER THE GREAT PANIC:    17.8-10, 16, 23-24

What was so serious about the affect this problem had (psychologically spiritually, emotionally) on the Israelites? (By what were they overwhelmed?)

 CONSIDER THE TOTAL PARALYSIS:   17.16, 24

What was the practical affect upon them of the great fear felt by the Israelites?

       - Talk together about the sort of ways fear damages and hampers our lives

Can you see that there are two quite different things to be distinguished from one another:

 > the objective problem or situation by which we may be faced (our Goliaths)

           > the internal affect we may allow that problem to have upon us (our fear etc)

And while we may not be able to prevent the problem we do have some control over the affect it has upon us.)

Talk this over, giving illustrations from your lives.  What sort of things do we allow our problems give rise to in us?

MAJORING ON PROBLEMS   -  RESULTING IN FEAR    -   GIANTS LIVE ON,  TO TERRIFY US!

II.  (DAVID) FOCUSSED ON A BIG GOD  17.32-47      GOD IN VIEW!

CONSIDER THE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

What major, new perspective did David bring to the situation?

What was so different about his outlook? What consideration had the Israelites totally ignored? (Whom had they left out of the picture?)    Do we do the same?

How does David’s recollection of the past help him when faced with Goliath? (33-37)

How can we do likewise?

And how is David’s perspective affected by his active recollection

of just who he and he Israelites are 26,36,45

of just who God is?  45     

What can we learn from this?

         MAGNIFYING GOD    - RESULTING IN FAITH       -     GIANTS SLAIN!