Once upon a time there was a young lad called David. HIs family were of modest means but it was a large family. David had seven older brothers. They were all adults. Three of David’s brothers were in the king’s army while the rest helped their parent’s on the farm.
David had many interests but he loved music. He learned to play the harp at a very young age.
David’s job was to look after the sheep and to protect them from predators. Lions and bears waiting to attack stray sheep and even knew his sheep by name.
Did fought with lions and bears and they learned to avoid him when he was guarding the sheep.
King Saul was ill because the spirit of the Lord had left him and a spirit tormented him. Saul’s attendants had an idea. They said to him “Let our word command us to find someone who can play the harp. He will play the harp when the evil spirit comes upon you and you will feel much better.”
1 Sam 23 Whenever thespirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play then relief would come to Saul. He would feel better and the evil spirit would leave him.
1 Samuel 17 1-2
Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the valley of Etah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines.
A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, camp out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his had and wore a coat of armour o bronze weighing five thousand shekels, and on his legs h wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. 1 Samuel 17 4-6
s spear shaft was like a weaver’s road, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israelites, “Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philstine, and are you not servants of Saul? choose a man and have him come to me, “If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become subjects, but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”
1 Samuel 17-10
Then the Philistine said, this day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other,” On hearing the Philistine’s words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. Now David was the son of an Ephrathite, named Jesse who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had 8 sons and in Saul’s time he was old and well advanced in years.
1 Samuel 17-13-14
Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul in the war. The first born was Elab; the second Abina; and the third Shammah. David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
1 Samuel 17-16 For forty days, the Philistine came forward every morning and every night and took his stand. Now Jesse, said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers nd hurry to their camp.”
1 Samuel 17-18 Take along these cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines.
1 Sam 17-20 Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry.
1 Samuel 21-23 Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their battle lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. AS he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine, from Gath stepped out of his lines and showed his usual defence which David heard. The Israelites ran in terror when they heard Goliath.
1 SAMUEL 17-25
25 Now, the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father’s family from taxes in Israel.
26 David asked the men standing next to him, “What will be done for this man who kills this Philistine and eremoves this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, “This is what will be done for the man who kills him.”
28 When Eliah, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger of him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is, you come down only to watch the battle.”
29 “Now what have I done? said David. “Can’t I even speak?” 30 He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. 31 What David had said was overheard and reported to Saul.
1 SAMUEL 32-41
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart of this Philistine, your servant will go and fight him.”
33Saul replied, “You are not able to go against this Philistine and fight him, you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”
34But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear, this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defiled the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand f this Philistine.”
Saul said to David, “Go and the Lord be with you.”
38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armour on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.
“I cannot go in these” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off.
40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine (Goliath).
1 SAMUEL 17-41-47
Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his sheild bearer uin front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “And I’ll give your flesh to rthe birds of the air and the beasts of rte field.”
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the god of the armies of Israel whom you have defied.” 46 This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Phistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world wuill know there is a God in Israel.” 47 All those gathered here will know that its not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
48 As the Philistine move closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching in his bag and taking out a stone he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
51David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and beheaded him.
When the Philistine’s saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.
52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
53 When the Israelite returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.
54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem and he put the Philistine’s weapon in his own tent.
christiancapers 