Apr. 21, 2021

“THE POWERFUL NAMES OF GOD”

“JEHOVAH TSABA-THE LORD OUR WARRIOR”

1 SAMUEL 17:1-54

The Details of the Giant:

Towering at nine feet nine inches tall, this mammoth specimen was Goliath from Gath.

Goliath was more than just big. He hailed from a group of people who traced their roots from beyond this planet. We’re first introduced to them in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 6:4 “There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

2 Samuel 21:20 “Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was born to the giant.”

Deuteronomy 3:11 ““For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants. Indeed his bedstead was an iron bedstead. (Is it not in Rabbah of the people of Ammon?) Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its width, according to the standard cubit.”

Numbers 13:32-33 “And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”

1 Samuel 17:6-7 “And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. 7Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.”

Goliath was bad, and I don’t mean that in a good way. He was big, dangerous, and daunting.

This battle takes place between the Israelites and the Philistines.

1 Samuel 17:3 “The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.”

Goliath-came forward from the ranks of the Philistines and offered a challenge.

1 Samuel 17:8-9 “Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9If 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.”

1 Samuel 17:11 “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.”

You know you’re in a giant-sized battle not only by its massive size but also by the effect it has on you. The Israelites were afraid. And because of their fear, they became paralyzed.

Has the fear of a giant ever gripped you to such a degree that it prevented you from moving forward?

1 Samuel 17:16 “And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.”

David’s Attitude Toward the Giant:

1 Samuel 17:15 “But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.”

1 Samuel 17:25 “So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

Keep in mind that perspective is never just what you see. Perspective is how you view what you see. Perspective is a key to knowing and applying the character of God’s names in order to live the abundant life.

1 Samuel 17:26 “Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “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 Israelites were overwhelmed with fear, and many of us today crumble in the shadow of a giant for the same reason-we look at the wrong thing.

Giants rule many of our hearts and our homes today because we’ve lost the ability to look beyond what we see in order to view the spiritual reality surrounding it.

Ephesians 2:6 “And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

The term “heavenly places” refers to the spiritual realm.

Do you know where David got his confidence to defeat this giant of a man?

How to Deal With A Giant:

How do we deal with Goliath-sized problems?

I Samuel 17:33-39 read

You can’t expect to win your battle in someone else’s armor.

When David approached Goliath, he did it with what he knew, he did it with what he had.

1 Samuel 17:40 “Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.”

Goliath responds to David’s advance with his own disdain:

1 Samuel 17:42-43 “And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. 43So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.”

1 Samuel 17:45-47 “Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a 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. 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

David said he came “in the name of the Lord of host.” God’s name was enough for David to win this war because David knew God’s name was more than simply a name-it was a gateway to His power.

He said, “I come to you in the name of Jehovah Tsaba.” The name Tsaba essentially means “army, or host.” David knew that because God was the Lord of the army and the Creator over all, the victory was His.

What To Do When You Kill A Giant:

What Does God Say About This?

Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” 

David killed Goliath because he knew the battle wasn’t his own.

David’s rest and confidence in God didn’t just send him to a prayer tent to hang out and wait it out. Prayer is essential, but rarely is it the only thing God asks you to do. David’s rest and confidence led him to a brook, where he grabbed five stones, and then:

1 Samuel 17:49-50 “Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David.”

After David killed Goliath, he put him on display.

1 Samuel 17:54 “And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.”

God gives us things to share with others, but He also gives us victories that are just for us to remember. They remind us what to do when the next giant shows up.

Taking Back What The Enemy Has Stolen:

David chose to position himself in God’s name, so he was able to take down a giant. He positioned himself in the power of God’s name because he viewed the situation from God’s perspective and not man’s.

1 Samuel 17:51-53 “Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. 53Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents.”

When God secures your victory in His name, have confidence that His name also has the power to give you back what “the swarming locust has eaten.” Joel 2:25

God’s name covers all: past, present, future. But it especially covers the giants that taunt you in your life. Trust Jehovah Tsaba. He has got you covered.