The Battle is the Lord's

The Battle is the Lord’s

1 Samuel 17:45-47

“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.”

We’re all surely familiar with the OT account of David and Goliath. Even people who’ve never really gone to church or Sunday school can tell you about David taking out the Giant with just a slingshot! It’s a favorite childhood story for sure.

But it’s far more than a simple story. It’s God’s Word...

David stood before Goliath with no armor, no shield/or helmet, and no physical advantage. He was a shepherd, while Goliath was a seasoned warrior. By every reasonable metric, the battle belonged to the giant.

But David understood something that Goliath didn’t: David had put his hope, his faith, his assurance in the One TRUE God... David’s confidence was in God alone. Which meant the outcome of the battle did not depend, ultimately, on David’s strength. The battle belonged to the Lord.

It’s reminiscent of Zechariah 4:6, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord.” Exodus 14:14 comes to mind as well, “He will fight for you!” God requires of us faith and trust, believing that our battles belong to Him.

That’s an important distinction for us to understand as God’s People. Faith does not mean believing that we possess enough strength to overcome every obstacle before us. Faith means trusting the God who promises to always be with us. Faith means standing on God’s Word, and God’s plan, God’s purposes for our lives, over and above any plan or purposes of our own.

As followers of Christ, we’re called to find our strength in the Lord. We’re never called to depend on our own ability, or our own sufficiency. The Apostle Paul recognized his weakness... and “boasted in his weakness” and in-so-doing he set the standard for us (as Christians). Our attitude should be reflective of the fact that “in our weakness, Christ is our strength” (“for when I am weak, then I am strong” 2 Corinthians 12:10).

That means, that you and I have never been called to say or think: “I can handle this on my own... because I’m strong; because I’m sufficient; because I’m enough.” Instead, God’s Word teaches us to say, “God is enough, God is faithful, and God is sufficient.” We often struggle in faith because we refuse to actually walk in faith.

The same truth runs throughout Scripture. When Moses stood before the Red Sea, with the Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, God made a way, parting the waters and delivering His people.

Remember the disciples (Jesus’ disciples), terrified as a storm raged and threatened to overtake their boat. But when Jesus spoke, evoking the power of God’s Word, the wind and waves ceased.

And when Christ went to the cross, what appeared to be (by every conceivable determining factor) a defeat, became the very means by which God accomplished our salvation.

The greatest battle has already been won—not by our strength, but by Christ. Our salvation rests not upon our ability to save ourselves, but upon the finished work of Christ alone.

Listen: the fact is, we all have a Goliath.

For some it could be finances. Too much month at the end of the money! For others, maybe it’s a strained or broken relationship, a frightening diagnosis, a relative or friend who has wandered. It could be a job that feels impossible, making the weight of another week seem overwhelming before Monday even begins.

The problem with giants is that they dominate our field of vision.

That’s what had happened to the army of Israel. They took one look at Goliath and saw an impossible, overwhelming, un-removable obstacle.

It’s what happened when Peter... filled with faith, walking on the water towards Jesus... but lost his focus, paying more attention to his physical circumstances than keeping his countenance on Jesus... when his obstacle dominated his vision, he began to sink.

David looked at the same giant, that same obstacle, that the army of Israel faced, and all he could see, was a God who was bigger than the challenge!

Remember: David was not stronger than Goliath. He was not more experienced. He did not have better armor, better weapons, or better odds.

But what he did have, was faith.

David understood something, that others, for whatever reason, had seemed to have forgotten.

Because he understood that “The battle is the Lord’s.” 1 Samuel 17:47

Of course, that does NOT mean, that when you and I face our own Goliaths, that we get to sit back and do nothing. David still had to walk on the battlefield. He still had to pick up the stones... and wind-up his sling!

Faith requires follow-through! It never removes our responsibility to act. In fact, faith is actually trusting God enough to ACT! Faith changes the confidence with which we act. And that kind of faith proves our dependency on God!

So as you and I face our own giants, our own Goliaths...

Maybe we should spend less time measuring our problems.

And instead of fixating on how big our problem is - or how intimidating it looks - or how badly things could go - we should fix our eyes on Jesus.

Remember Who stands with you.

Your Goliath may be real. But your Savior is also real. And our God is bigger, and stronger, than any giant we will ever face. And “The battle is the LORD’s.” Amen.