1 Samuel 16 left us with a new king anointed and the current king tormented. God has rejected Saul who, like the people of Israel, rejected God. Chapter 17 is one that has been preached and taught in a variety of ways throughout Christianity, but we should be very careful not to disconnect this event from the big story of the Bible. In fact, we should examine in the context of Samuel as a book. What do we have so far? A people that have rejected the direct rule of God because they distrust God’s care and protection and despise His judgment. These people ask for a king and an institution. They want someone to protect them. They want something different than God. They have received Saul who is everything that could be wanted as a king outwardly. Like all of Israel’s other idols, Saul is unable to save and deliver. Humans are very poor judges of what is valuable and good and the reign of Saul is a case study to prove it. The book of Samuel is primarily focused on David, and he is contrasted with Saul in these first few chapters introducing his life. Chapter 17 digs further into these differences. Saul was religious and superstitious. David was passionate about relationship with God. The difference shows up here. The primary message of Samuel’s account of David and Goliath is not “be like David and you can slay giants.” It is “trust God because only He can.” Neither David or Saul was worthy to be king of Israel, only God was. The difference between David and Saul is that only David recognized this. Why take time for the details of this account (the longest recording of any event in David’s life)? God wants us to know that His work, plan, and covenant cannot broken by any evil challenge or even our own ineptness. He is a God who speaks and acts. His truth and hope are rooted in His activity and not ours. We do not look to David and learn, “Work harder; be braver; do better; and try more.” We learn of a God who is not limited by our inability or shortcomings. Trust Him!

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Samuel 17:1-52, 1 Peter 2:22-25, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 13:20-21, Romans 8:34, Revelation 19:11-16, John 10:11-16, Hebrews 7:23-25, 1 Samuel 14:52, Hebrews 7:23-25, 1 Samuel 16:18

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From Series: "A Study of Samuel"

1 Samuel 16 left us with a new king anointed and the current king tormented. God has rejected Saul who, like the people of Israel, rejected God. Chapter 17 is one that has been preached and taught in a variety of ways throughout Christianity, but we should be very careful not to disconnect this event from the big story of the Bible. In fact, we should examine in the context of Samuel as a book. What do we have so far? A people that have rejected the direct rule of God because they distrust God’s care and protection and despise His judgment. These people ask for a king and an institution. They want someone to protect them. They want something different than God. They have received Saul who is everything that could be wanted as a king outwardly. Like all of Israel’s other idols, Saul is unable to save and deliver. Humans are very poor judges of what is valuable and good and the reign of Saul is a case study to prove it. The book of Samuel is primarily focused on David, and he is contrasted with Saul in these first few chapters introducing his life. Chapter 17 digs further into these differences. Saul was religious and superstitious. David was passionate about relationship with God. The difference shows up here. The primary message of Samuel’s account of David and Goliath is not “be like David and you can slay giants.” It is “trust God because only He can.” Neither David or Saul was worthy to be king of Israel, only God was. The difference between David and Saul is that only David recognized this. Why take time for the details of this account (the longest recording of any event in David’s life)? God wants us to know that His work, plan, and covenant cannot broken by any evil challenge or even our own ineptness. He is a God who speaks and acts. His truth and hope are rooted in His activity and not ours. We do not look to David and learn, “Work harder; be braver; do better; and try more.” We learn of a God who is not limited by our inability or shortcomings. Trust Him!

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Samuel 17:1-52, 1 Peter 2:22-25, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 13:20-21, Romans 8:34, Revelation 19:11-16, John 10:11-16, Hebrews 7:23-25, 1 Samuel 14:52, Hebrews 7:23-25, 1 Samuel 16:18

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1 Samuel 16 left us with a new king anointed and the current king tormented. God has rejected Saul who, like the people of Israel, rejected God. Chapter 17 is one that has been preached and taught in a variety of ways throughout Christianity, but we should be very careful not to disconnect this event from the big story of the Bible. In fact, we should examine in the context of Samuel as a book. What do we have so far? A people that have rejected the direct rule of God because they distrust God’s care and protection and despise His judgment. These people ask for a king and an institution. They want someone to protect them. They want something different than God. They have received Saul who is everything that could be wanted as a king outwardly. Like all of Israel’s other idols, Saul is unable to save and deliver. Humans are very poor judges of what is valuable and good and the reign of Saul is a case study to prove it. The book of Samuel is primarily focused on David, and he is contrasted with Saul in these first few chapters introducing his life. Chapter 17 digs further into these differences. Saul was religious and superstitious. David was passionate about relationship with God. The difference shows up here. The primary message of Samuel’s account of David and Goliath is not “be like David and you can slay giants.” It is “trust God because only He can.” Neither David or Saul was worthy to be king of Israel, only God was. The difference between David and Saul is that only David recognized this. Why take time for the details of this account (the longest recording of any event in David’s life)? God wants us to know that His work, plan, and covenant cannot broken by any evil challenge or even our own ineptness. He is a God who speaks and acts. His truth and hope are rooted in His activity and not ours. We do not look to David and learn, “Work harder; be braver; do better; and try more.” We learn of a God who is not limited by our inability or shortcomings. Trust Him!

Scripture References: 2 Corinthians 5:21, 1 Samuel 17:1-52, 1 Peter 2:22-25, Hebrews 2:17, Hebrews 13:20-21, Romans 8:34, Revelation 19:11-16, John 10:11-16, Hebrews 7:23-25, 1 Samuel 14:52, Hebrews 7:23-25, 1 Samuel 16:18

More Messages from James Sumpter | Download Audio

From Series: "A Study of Samuel"