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I preached in Chapel on the Orlando campus of Asbury Theological Seminary today.

Here is a link to the Audio. Select my sermon from March 18 “Conversations in the Valley”.

If you are interested, here are some notes that I put together in preparation. The notes are not comprehensive of the content of the message but give some hints.

Conversations in the Valley: A Life that Demands Explanation
1 Samuel 17 records the familiar narrative of David slaying Goliath with a sling and a rock. This story enters our cultural lexicon as a classic underdog tale. But there is much more to this story. At its heart, it is missional. God is at work in Israel, and David steps into a moment that intersects with God’s work in the world.

This story is also full of irony and contrast. David the youngest son of Jesse slays the giant and is propelled toward a future that includes serving as king of Israel. On the other hand, the powerful and known at the time–the army and King Saul shirk responsibility and are debilitated by fear of Goliath.
Who was Goliath? He was a fearsome warrior of uncommon size. He dwarfed normal men. The very weapons that he deployed were massive and formidable. His body armor alone weighed 125 lbs. His spearhead was 15 lbs. This monster of a champion stood between Israel and victory.

Why did David volunteer to fight the giant when other more experienced warriors including his own brothers did not? As we answer this question, we can gain valuable insight into what a life that demands explanation looks like…

1) David Acts because He understands the True Problem
“Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (v. 26) also vv. 36 and 45
David recognized the problem for what it truly represented. It was not about Goliath, the Philistines, Israel, or even victory. The issue was God. Israel was God’s people through whom God desired to bless the nations (Gen 12:3; Exod 19:4-6). David stepped into the moment because he sensed that God’s mission was at stake.

2) David Acts Despite Questions of Motive
David receives a less than hospitable welcome from his own brothers.
Eliab: “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 came down only to watch the battle? (17:28)
David was accused of impure motives by his own brothers. Notice the phrase “how wicked your heart is.” “Heart” points to the center of one’s volition. This language is vital because it resonates with language that we have encountered earlier in 1 Samuel:
“the LORD has sought out a man after his own heart” 1 Sam 13:14
1 Samuel 12:24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart;
Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 16:7
God is very concerned with one’s intentions. David has been approved by God as a “man after his own heart.” David can move through the accusations of others because he has already passed muster with the only personal being who matters: God.
Whom do we allow to paralyze us with questions of motive? Are we secure in our calling from God?

3) David Acts Despite the Expressed Doubts of Others
Saul is incredulous at David’s offer to fight.
32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”?33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth.”?34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,?35 I 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 defied the armies of the living God.
David is able to move forward on his mission because he recognizes that he is acting on behalf of God. Yes, he is only a boy. Yes, Goliath has been a warrior from his youth. None of these matters. David is a man on a mission.
Whose doubts are paralyzing you?

4) David Acts Out of a Life of faithfulness
David had been a shepherd for all his life. This was not glamorous work. He was the youngest of Jesse’s sons. While his brothers were off at war, he was keeping sheep. But David was already preparing for a future because he was faithful as a shepherd. He had already learned about risk and danger by confronting and killing a bear and lion that had threatened his flock. These were extraordinary acts because they demonstrated the depths of David’s faithfulness in small matters. Why risk one’s neck for a sheep? Yet David did and these actions prepared him for his day with Goliath.
Are we faithful in small things? Do we see our lives as preparation for God’s future or do we lament our own lack of opportunities?

5) David Acts for the Mission of God
Goliath thinks that he is merely fighting another battle. In fact, he is underwhelmed by the site of David.
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 the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”?45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and 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 Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.?47 All those gathered here will know that it is 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.”
David on the other hand frames the insuing battle in terms of God’s mission. It is not about David and Goliath. It is about the whole world knowing that there is a God in Israel. Living a life that demands explanation always serves as a witness to the greatness and glory of God.

6) A Life that Demands Explanation
After killing Goliath, David was brought before Saul.
Listen carefully to Saul’s response:
Whose son are you, young man? v. 58
Saul asks a profound question. David identifies himself as the son of Jesse, but this doesn’t explain what Saul just witnessed. It was more than merely a question of genealogy. David lived a life that demanded explanation. His life pointed to God’s work in the world.
Will ours? Do our lives point to something bigger than ourselves? Do our lives incarnate for others the message and ethos of God?

Tags: 1 Samuel, Biblical Studies, Mission, Old Testament, Preaching, asbury theological seminary, calling, humanity, missional church, missional reading, world mission //