And the Philistines assembled their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
Two armies face each other across a valley: the Philistines on Judah's soil at Socoh, Israel opposite in the valley of Elah. Commentators read this verse as the stage God set to show what Saul's kingship was worth, and to bring forward the man He had already anointed.
The geography is not decoration. The positions here make attack costly for whoever moves first.
The time comes when both Saul and David are put to a public test of their fitness to rule Israel. Jonathan's faith had defeated the Philistines before. Now they come back to challenge Israel, but in a different way. Israel's army holds high ground on one side of a valley. The Philistines hold high ground on the other side. To attack, an army would have to cross the valley and climb the far slope. That would leave it at a great disadvantage.
God had already set Saul aside. One writer weighs what Saul's reign amounted to, and what his failure made room for.
In moral terms, Saul did nothing of what he was chosen to do. He only showed how useless and fruitless man is. He is under sentence now, though not yet removed. So he gives God the occasion to form His chosen one, in mighty and gracious power, to do His work.
Another writer weighs what Saul lacked, and names the one thing that would have made up for it.
Saul's incompetence and helplessness show up plainly — as a man and as a king. As king, he should have been the one to take up the challenge of Goliath. Faith in God would have more than made up for the difference in size, which he felt keenly. Faith is the only safe ground to act on.
The same crisis will measure two men, and pressure is what does the measuring.
"Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle." Here we come to something designed to bring out the true character and worth of Saul and David — the man of form and the man of power. It is trial that brings out the reality of a man's resources.
The nation had to learn again where its rescue came from.
It is plain that God was about to show Israel again that they were powerless as a people. Their only rescue, as in the past, was the arm of the LORD. He was still ready to act in His wonderful character as "a man of war," whenever faith called on Him as such.
Several writers pause over the place names in this verse, though they differ on what the Hebrew means. One writer simply lists what the names mean:
the Philistines gather at Socoh of Judah, which means "enclosure of praise." They camp between it and Azekah, which means "field broken up," at Ephes-dammim, which means "end of bloodshed." Saul and the men of Israel gather in the valley of Elah, which means "strength."
Another writer takes Socoh as God's own dwelling and Azekah as the fence around it, and is careful to admit the uncertainty:
The meaning of these names is not beyond question. Still, they may give us more than a glimmer of light. Elsewhere we have taken Socoh to mean "His tabernacle," as in Lamentations 2:6 — God's dwelling place. That is the main point the Philistines aim at, and their camp lies between it and Azekah, the "fence" with which He would guard it.
Beneath the troop movements lay a question about God Himself.
This was the question about to be settled, quickly and solemnly. Did God really have a people on earth in Israel? Was the name of the LORD, tied to Israel's name, a truth or a lie — a living power or a sham? The Philistine took the side of nature and judged by appearances. That is how unbelief reasons.
While the armies faced off, God's chosen man was elsewhere, keeping sheep.
God begins with David by calling him away from the humble work of keeping sheep. He brings him right into Israel's troubles, so that He might see how David viewed them and how they would affect him.
- Ground. Two armies hold two hills with a valley between. Whoever attacks first fights uphill. It is a deadlock no human plan can break.
- King. Saul is already under sentence. The standoff puts his failure on public view.
- Trial. Pressure is the test that separates "the man of form" from "the man of power" — resources show up only under strain.
- Question. The real issue is not troop strength. It is whether God has a people. Unbelief judges by appearances and says He does not.
- Answer. God's reply is not a stronger army but a shepherd. He calls David from the sheepfold into the middle of the trouble.
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of terebinths, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
Two armies face each other across a valley, and Israel draws up its line for war. It looks like the opening of a battle, but it is the opening of a test — of Israel, of Saul, and of David.
The lay of the land explains why neither army moved.
The time comes when both Saul and David are to be publicly proven as regards their fitness to rule over Israel. The Philistines had been beaten before through Jonathan's faith. Now they return to challenge Israel, but with a different approach. The armies of Israel hold a height on one side of the valley, and the Philistines are stationed on the other side. If one army wanted to attack, they would have to cross the valley and climb up the other side, which would put them at great disadvantage.
The valley is named after a tree, and that tree stands for strength.
Saul and the army of Israel are encamped in the valley of Elah, or "the terebinth," named like the oak from its strength. It is one thing to be in that position, and another to have gained the blessing of it. Under their failed head, the Israelites have not gained it. In the presence of the enemy they have no strength.
This gathering of armies is a test, and Saul has faced one before.
Here we come to something designed to bring out the true character and worth of Saul and David — the man of form and the man of power. It is trial that brings out the reality of a man's resources. Saul had already been proved, for "all the people had followed him trembling," nor was he likely to prove a more soul-stirring leader on this occasion. A man forsaken by God and troubled by an evil spirit was hardly fit to lead an army into battle. He was even less fit to face the powerful giant of Gath alone.
Rank and title should have settled who would answer Goliath. It did not.
Saul's incompetence and helplessness show themselves — personally and officially. As king, he should have been the one to take up Goliath's challenge. Faith in God would have more than made up for the difference in size, which he felt painfully. Faith is the only safe principle to act on. The reasoning of nature is always at fault, but faith has a line of reasoning all its own (Rom. 8:31-39), and David is the one to use it here.
A battle line drawn up is not the same as an army that will fight.
Saul might set the army in array. The hosts might go out to the place of fight and shout for the battle (1 Sam. 17:19-21). But then the champion came up out of the ranks of the Philistines — Goliath of Gath — and spoke the same words as before. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid (1 Sam. 17:23-24). This happened just as David reached the camp.
Behind the military question stood a far larger one. The Philistine judged it by what he could see.
This was the very question coming to a swift and solemn decision. Did God really have a people on earth in Israel? Was the name of Jehovah, tied to the name of Israel, a truth or a falsehood, a living power or a sham? The Philistine took the side of nature, founded on appearances. And indeed there was little to show that Israel were the people of God. Their condition was deplorable and their degradation almost complete. So the Philistine could find plenty of reasons to believe it was all pretence. So unbelief usually reasons — from appearances.
The armies in this verse are the setting, not the contest.
In that well known scene in the valley of Elah (1 Samuel 17), the conflict lay between the champions of Israel and Philistia, David and Goliath. On either side of the valley stood the two armies in battle array, yet the battle lay wholly between their representatives.
Mackintosh sees a purpose behind Israel's helplessness.
It is plain that the blessed God was about to show Israel again that, as a people, they were powerless. Their only deliverance, as of old, was the arm of Jehovah. He was still ready to act in His wonderful character of "a man of war," whenever faith addressed Him as such.
- Position. Israel camped in a valley named for strength, but holding the position is not the same as having the power.
- Pressure. Trial brings out what a man really has, and Saul had nothing.
- Parade. Israel could form ranks and shout for battle, then flee at the sight of one man.
- Point. The real question was not military. Was the Lord's link with this people a living power or a sham?
- Proxy. Two armies watched from the hills while one man settled it. Israel had to learn that deliverance was the arm of the Lord alone.
And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side; and the ravine was between them.
Two armies face each other from opposite hills. The verse turns on the ground between them — a valley neither side dares cross. Older translations call it a ravine. Everything in the chapter hangs on that empty space: who will go down into it, and for whom?
Each army held high ground. The gap between them made the first move the costly one.
The time comes when both Saul and David are to be publicly proven as regards their fitness to rule over Israel. The Philistines had been beaten before, through Jonathan's faith. Now they come back to challenge Israel, but with a different approach. The armies of Israel hold a height on one side of a valley, and the Philistines hold a height on the other. To attack, an army would have to cross the valley and climb the far side. That would put it at great disadvantage.
One writer takes the two facing armies as a picture of the world we live in.
High mountains on either side, and the deep valley in between. Notice how boldly the giant went down into the valley, and demanded somebody to meet him there. The armies of Israel are on one side of the valley, and the Philistines on the other — a picture, I do not doubt, of what is in this world. Satan has his forces and armies, plenty of them. What is more, he is the enemy of God and man. Let me tell you, friend, that you cannot cope with him.
Goliath's challenge changed the kind of war it was. One man on each side would now settle it.
Goliath's challenge to settle the matter by single combat made the struggle in the valley of Elah very unusual. It was exactly the kind of fight in which one man could distinguish himself. This was not army against army, as usual. The question was who, in all the army of Israel, would dare to stand before the terrible uncircumcised enemy. In fact, the blessed God was clearly about to show Israel again that, as a people, they were completely powerless. Their only deliverance, as of old, was the arm of the Lord. He was still ready to act in His wonderful character of "a man of war," whenever faith called on Him as such.
Both armies stood and watched. One man on each side fought, and everyone else lived with the result.
This is strikingly illustrated by that well known scene in the valley of Elah (1 Samuel 17). The conflict lay between the champions of Israel and Philistia, David and Goliath. The two armies stood drawn up for battle on either side of the valley. Yet the battle lay wholly between their two representatives.
Day after day the challenge came, and no one in Israel answered. Commentators ask what that deadlock pictures.
In Goliath we see the power of the enemy by which he held the soul in terrible bondage. From this power there was no means of deliverance within human reach. The challenge could go out day after day — but all in vain. From age to age the solemn verdict sounded among the countless people of Adam's fallen race: "it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment." The only answer man could give was the answer Israel gave in the valley of Elah — dismay, deep, deep dismay. "Through fear of death" they were "subject to lifelong slavery." This was man's response.
One writer sets out four layers of meaning in the chapter.
It is a story which describes the unshakable courage of a young man. It is history, and that makes it interesting — though not all history is interesting or instructive. It illustrates the eventual triumph of the remnant of Israel over their Gentile enemies. It gives Christians valuable instruction. It helps them overcome problems that look impossible in a hostile world. Most importantly, it gives a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ and His great victory over the power of Satan.
- Valley — Neither side could cross without great loss, so both armies froze. The setting itself creates the deadlock.
- Deadlock — Goliath's challenge turned a national war into single combat. No man in Israel would go down, and that proved the people powerless.
- Enemy — Goliath pictures a power that holds the soul in bondage. No deliverance lay within human reach, and dismay was the only answer.
- Substitute — Both armies stood still while two representatives fought. The outcome for everyone hung on one man.
- Victory — The scene points to Israel's future triumph. It speaks to Christians facing impossible problems. Above all it points to Christ's victory over Satan.
And there went out a champion from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
Two armies face each other across the valley of Elah. Out of one camp steps a single man whose size settles the argument before a blow is struck. His title, his town and his measurements all mark out a power no one in Israel can match.
The Philistines did not send an army into the valley. They sent one man.
It appears that the Philistines had a champion: Goliath of Gath, "a man of war from his youth". His height was six cubits and a span, or about ten feet. That is a very tall man!... In plain language, to human eyes the leader of the Philistine army could not be harmed. No man dared to fight him or answer his challenge.
His town explains his size. Scripture links Gath with the last survivors of a race of giants.
The city of Gath was famous as the dwelling place of the last of the Anakims — a race of giants (Joshua 11:21-22; 1 Sam. 17:4). However, the might of man proves to be of no avail against the power of God.
The number six runs through Goliath's description. Commentators read it as the number of man at full stretch, and still under God's limit.
The way Scripture uses six suggests its meaning. The six days speak of work and its limit... The number is often tied to men's effort to be independent of God. It shaped the height of Goliath, the defier of Israel, and the weight of his spear (1 Sam. 17:4-7)... But Goliath was overthrown, in the name of the living God, by David... So God has put His limit upon man's day, and will triumph over him when he reaches his highest point.
The pattern is not limited to his height. One writer counts it through the whole description:
It is significant that six is a number stamped upon the Philistine giants — see 1 Samuel 17:4-7; 2 Samuel 21:20. Goliath's height was six cubits and a span, six pieces of his armour are specified, his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels.
The two names carry a message of their own.
Goliath means, we believe, "banishment, exile", and the name of his city makes that meaning even stronger. Gath means the "wine-press". We have linked it before with what seems its only explanation here — the weighty saying in Revelation, "He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty." "Banishment from God in His wrath" we may take as the true thought carried by the frightening figure of Goliath of Gath.
Goliath aimed his taunt at soldiers. He had misjudged who stood behind them.
Sure of his strength, he stands out before the assembled people and challenges them. Once he has filled with terror the people he wants to subdue, he cries out, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day!" He does not know that he is not dealing with Israel but with God. In defying God's people, he is defying God Himself. This is his downfall.
His confidence had evidence behind it. Israel looked like nothing.
The Philistine took the side of nature, founded on appearances. And indeed there was little to show that Israel were the people of God. Their condition was wretched and their humiliation almost complete, so the Philistine could find plenty of reasons to think the whole claim was empty pretence... This is how unbelief usually reasons from appearances.
Israel had a king of its own. Beside Goliath he counted for nothing.
Against such armour and such a height, the king of Israel looks tiny and his armour worthless, for he has nothing but his natural advantages. Even Jonathan, a man of faith, cannot stand up to this terrifying attack... All of this is striking. Israel's utter powerlessness to do anything shows how completely they needed a deliverer.
Several writers read the giant as a picture of a greater enemy, and David's method as a picture of how that enemy fell.
If David is a picture of the Messiah, Goliath is just as truly a symbol of Satan's power... The great enemy is not yet banished from the scene of Messiah's glory, but he must learn the power of Israel's future king.
Death was that enemy's weapon, and it became the means of his own defeat.
The Lord Jesus used the very weapon that made men tremble to defeat Satan and break the power of death. For it is written, "Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery" (Heb. 2:14-15).
- Champion. One man from Gath, the town where the last of the giants lived, was enough to stop a whole army.
- Six. Six marks his height and his gear — the number of man at full stretch, still under God's limit.
- Banishment. Commentators read his name as "exile" and Gath as "wine-press" — together a picture of banishment from God in His wrath.
- Defiance. He thought he was insulting Israel's ranks; he was defying God, and that was his ruin.
- Deliverer. The king looked tiny beside him and Jonathan could not face him. Israel needed someone else — and in the end the enemy fell by his own weapon.
And he had a helmet of bronze upon his head, and he was clothed with a corselet of scales; and the weight of the corselet was five thousand shekels of bronze.
Goliath is described by what he wears, not by what he does. Scripture counts his gear piece by piece, and commentators ask two things of that list: what the metal and the weight were, and why the count matters.
One writer sums up the impression this equipment made:
The Philistines had a champion — Goliath of Gath, "a man of war from his youth" — whose height was six cubits and a span, or about ten feet. … In plain language, the leader of the Philistine armies, to man's eye, was invulnerable. No man dared to meet him in conflict, or respond to his challenge.
The word behind "coat of mail" is shiryon. It turns up again a few verses later, when Saul puts his own armour on David:
Saul put on David a "coat of mail," shiryon. 1 Sam. 17:5, 38. This word is translated "habergeon" in 2 Chr. 26:14; Neh. 4:16, which also means "coat of mail," and there is a similar word in Job 41:26. It was made of brass scales fastened together. The weight of Goliath's coat of mail was 5,000 shekels.
The verse names the metal twice. Older translations call it brass; the ESV calls it bronze. One writer draws a meaning from that metal, then stops:
He is in armour of brass, a metal so often connected with the unyielding character of judgment. His heart is shut in with scales of brass. We have too little practice in divine symbolism to go further here safely.
Count the pieces of armour listed in verses 5 to 7. The same number runs through his height and his spear:
Just as seven is the number of completeness and perfection, so six is the number of human incompleteness and imperfection. It is significant that six is a number stamped upon the Philistine giants — see 1 Samuel 17:4-7; 2 Samuel 21:20. Goliath's height was six cubits and a span; six pieces of his armour are specified; his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels.
Another writer follows that number through Scripture and shows how it always ends:
The number is often linked with the effort of men to be independent of God. It entered into the height of Goliath, the defier of Israel, and the weight of his spear (1 Sam. 17:4-7). It was also a factor in the idolatrous image set up by Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:1). That image foreshadowed the "Beast," who gathers to himself all that is great in manhood to oppose God, and whose number is the number of a man, 666 (Rev. 13:18). But Goliath was overthrown, in the name of the living God, by David … and the Beast is to be cast into the lake of fire. So God has put His limit upon man's day, and will triumph over him when he reaches his highest point.
One writer reads each piece of the armour as a picture. The helmet gets the most pointed treatment:
His armour is mentioned, first his helmet of brass. As a picture, this tells us he has closed his head (his mind) to the influence of the word of God. For "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers" (2 Cor. 4:4). His whole body was protected in the same way by armour of great weight, so that a sword in the hand of a weaker man would mean nothing. He illustrates the stature and power of the well-trained debaters of this world, the boasted strength of man in the flesh.
Israel had a king with armour of his own. Set beside Goliath, he counts for nothing:
Against such armour and such a stature, the king of Israel appears as a dwarf, and his armour worthless. He has no excellence except what belongs to him by nature. Even Jonathan, man of faith though he is, cannot withstand the fearful assault. All here is most striking and suggestive. The utter powerlessness of Israel to do anything shows the complete need of a deliverer.
The giant's strength and protection are itemised. David's are not:
The giant's strength was expressed by his sword and his spear. His protection was his helmet of brass, his greaves of brass, his small shield of brass, and the man who carried his shield. David's strength and protection were "in the name of the LORD of hosts."
- Bronze. The coat was brass scales fastened together, weighing five thousand shekels. The same word describes the armour Saul later put on David.
- Judgment. Scripture ties that metal to unyielding judgment. Here it closes around a heart shut in behind scales.
- Six. Six cubits tall, six pieces of armour, six hundred shekels in his spearhead. Six is the number of human incompleteness — man at his proudest.
- Helplessness. Set beside this, Israel's own king and his armour count for nothing. No man there could answer the challenge.
- Deliverer. The giant's strength is weighed piece by piece. David's strength was the name of the LORD of hosts. God sets His limit on man's day at his highest point.
And he had greaves of bronze upon his legs, and a javelin of bronze between his shoulders.
This verse ends the head-to-foot list of Goliath's gear: metal on his legs, metal slung across his back. The details are not filler. They raise the question the whole chapter turns on: can appearances settle anything when God is in the field?
Two rare Hebrew words sit in this verse, and one of them is hard to pin down:
GREAVES. The giant wore Greaves of brass upon his legs (1 Samuel 17:6). The word is mitschah, and occurs nowhere else.
TARGET. He had a target of brass between his shoulders (1 Samuel 17:6). The word is kidon. Elsewhere it is translated both 'shield' and 'spear.' Here it was most likely a small spear carried between the shoulders.
Older English Bibles read "target" , a small shield. Modern versions read javelin instead, and so does one writer as he runs through the giant's gear:
Why all that armour? Why the helmet, the coat of mail, the greaves of brass on his legs, a javelin of brass — not a small shield — between his shoulders, and a shield-bearer walking in front of him?
The list is not only a description. A man sure of himself does not need this much cover:
What care Goliath had taken for his own safety! He was covered in scaly armour, and a man walked ahead of him carrying a shield that hid his whole body. Dressed like that, and only after taking all those precautions, this giant challenged the Israelites to single combat to the death. Appearances were all in his favour: his height was impressive, and his armour looked impossible to pierce. But those precautions showed he had no real confidence in himself. He was afraid of the men he sneered at as the servants of Saul. How bold the enemy can be before those who are afraid of him!
Israel's refusal was not simple cowardice. One writer reads their fear as good sense:
Do you say, What cowards? You and I would have done just the same, I expect. That is the real truth. They knew it was no use. It was certain death for them to face the giant. With his huge weapons, and the strength to swing them, standing against him could only end in defeat. "They were dismayed and greatly afraid" — and I don't call them a pack of cowards. I think the men were wise.
The brass here is copper, and Scripture gives that metal a settled meaning:
These verses, and others we could add, make clear what copper stands for — durability, strength, and a refusal to bend, whether in protection, in chains, or in war. Applied to the nature of God, it speaks of His unchanging character, His strength, and the impossibility of escaping His judgment. On the other side, it speaks of the safety of those under His protection.
On a man, the same metal pictures a mind sealed shut and a body no ordinary attack can reach:
His helmet of brass tells us he has closed his head — his mind — to the word of God... In the same way, heavy armour covered his whole body, so a sword in a weaker man's hand would mean nothing. His spear stands out for its size, both the shaft and the head. He could reach past any ordinary opponent and kill him before that man got close enough to strike. He pictures the size and power of this world's trained debaters, the boasted strength of human nature.
Set the giant's gear beside David's, and the contrast speaks for itself:
The giant's strength lay in his sword and his spear. His protection lay in his helmet of brass, his greaves of brass, his target of brass, and the man who carried his shield. David's strength and protection were "in the name of the LORD of hosts."
Underneath the standoff lay a deeper argument, and the giant had taken a side in it:
The Philistine took the side of nature, judging by appearances. And there really was little to show that Israel were the people of God. Their condition was wretched and their disgrace almost complete, so the Philistine could find plenty of reasons to think the whole claim was nothing more than a pretence... This is how unbelief normally reasons from appearances.
- Words. The word for greaves appears nowhere else in the Bible, and the thing between his shoulders was most likely a javelin, not a shield.
- Armour. The brass covering him head to foot put the giant out of reach of any weapon a weaker man could swing.
- Fear. All that cover, plus a shield-bearer walking ahead, exposes a champion less sure of himself than his shouting suggested.
- Appearances. Goliath argued from what he could see, and by that measure Israel had no case. Unbelief still argues the same way.
- Answer. Brass met a sling. What decided the day was not David's gear but the name of the LORD of hosts.
And the shaft of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and the shield-bearer went before him.
This verse ends the description of Goliath's gear, right down to the man who carried his shield in front of him. Commentators find meaning in the reach of the spear, in the repeated number six, and in that extra man.
A dictionary of Bible terms explains where the image comes from:
The Israelites knew how to weave, and they used the skill to make fine work for the tabernacle and the priests' robes. Scripture often mentions a weaver's beam as a heavy thing for a man to use as a weapon.
One writer weighs that spear and that armour against an ordinary fighter:
Heavy armour covered his whole body, so a sword in the hand of a weaker man would mean nothing. The account stresses the size of his weapon, his spear — both the shaft and the head. He could outreach any ordinary opponent and kill him before that man came close enough to strike. He shows us the size and power of the trained debaters of this world, the boasted strength of man in the flesh.
The figure of six hundred is not the only six in the passage. One writer counts them:
Just as seven is the number of completeness and perfection, so six is the number of human incompleteness and imperfection. It is significant that six is a number stamped upon the Philistine giants — see 1 Samuel 17:4-7; 2 Samuel 21:20. Goliath stood six cubits and a span tall. The text lists six pieces of his armour. His spear's head weighed six hundred shekels.
The same number turns up elsewhere in Scripture, and each time God has the last word:
Scripture often links this number with man's effort to be independent of God. It entered into the height of Goliath, the defier of Israel, and the weight of his spear (1 Sam. 17:4-7). It shaped both the width and the height of the idol image that Nebuchadnezzar set up (Dan. 3:1). That image points forward to the "Beast," who gathers to himself all that is great in man to oppose God, and whose number, the number of a man, is 666 (Rev. 13:18). But David overthrew Goliath in the name of the living God. Men of faith despised and insulted Nebuchadnezzar's great image, going into the fiery furnace rather than bow to it. And the Beast will be thrown into the lake of fire. So God has put His limit upon man's day, and will triumph over him when he reaches his highest point.
One writer reads the shield-bearer as a sign of the giant's own fear:
Why all that armour — the helmet, the coat of mail, the brass leg guards, a brass javelin (not a small shield) slung between his shoulders, and an armour-bearer walking ahead of him with a shield? What care Goliath had taken to keep himself safe!... Everything about him looked impressive. His height was imposing, and his armour looked impossible to pierce. But all these precautions showed that he did not trust himself, and that he feared the men he sneered at as the servants of Saul. How bold the enemy can be in front of people who are afraid of him!
Commentators read the giant in more than one way. Grant, above, sees human strength on show. Another sees the enemy behind that power:
Goliath, the giant, is a picture of Satan, the prince of this world, who has the power of death... The bold and defiant language Goliath used, and the terror he spread among the people of God, apply easily to Satan and his power.
The contrast the chapter sets up is between two kinds of equipment:
The giant's strength lay in his sword and his spear. His protection lay in his brass helmet, his brass leg guards, his small brass shield, and the man who carried his shield for him. David's strength and protection were "in the name of the LORD of hosts."
And the outcome turned the giant's own equipment against him:
The giant might look down on the young man and his shepherd's staff, but the young man overcame him and killed him with his own sword. In the same way, death brought Satan and his power to nothing — and death was the very weapon Satan had used to terrify people.
- Measured — a shaft like a weaver's beam and a six-hundred-shekel head gave Goliath reach. He could strike before an ordinary opponent got near.
- Numbered — six cubits tall, six pieces of armour, six hundred shekels of iron. Six is the number of man apart from God, and it runs on to the 666 of Revelation.
- Guarded — the shield-bearer walking in front shows the fear behind the boast. The enemy is boldest in front of people who already fear him.
- Limited — the image in Daniel 3 and the Beast end as Goliath ended. God sets a limit on man's day and defeats human power at its peak.
- Answered — the giant's strength lay in his sword and spear. David's lay in the name of the LORD of hosts, and the giant died by his own sword.
And he stood and cried to the ranks of Israel, and said to them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I the Philistine, and ye servants of Saul? choose for yourselves a man, and let him come down to me.
Two armies face each other across the valley of Elah, and instead of a battle there is a speech. A giant steps out and turns the war into a contest between two men. His first words are not a boast but an insult about what Israel had become.
Goliath's sneer about serving Saul was not just abuse. It named something Israel had brought on themselves, and Samuel had warned them of it long before.
For forty days in a row the Philistine came near and presented himself in view of the unhappy Saul and his terrified army. Notice his bitter taunt — "Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?" Sadly, it was all too true. They had come down from their high position as servants of Jehovah to become mere servants of Saul. Samuel had warned them of all this. He had told them they would become footmen, bakers, cooks and confectioners to the master they had chosen for themselves. And all this was their own choice, instead of having the Lord God of Israel as their only master and King.
Notice the two titles set side by side. Goliath names Israel by their king; David will later name them by their God.
The giant of Gath puts the question of supremacy very plainly: "Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?" Not servants of Jehovah — or, as David calls the hosts of Israel, the armies of the living God. It is the anointed king who lays the champion low.
Goliath judged Israel by what he could see. A bigger question stood behind the taunt.
This was the question now coming to a swift and solemn test: did God really have a people on earth in Israel? Was the name of Jehovah, bound up with Israel's name, a truth or a lie, a living power or a sham? The Philistine took the side of nature, founded on appearances. And indeed there was little to show that Israel were the people of God. Their condition was pitiful, their humiliation almost complete, and the Philistine could find plenty of reasons to believe it was all just a pretence. Their rescue from Egypt, their journey through the desert, even the conquest of Canaan — what were these but the lying legends of their priests? ... It is in this way that unbelief usually reasons from appearances.
The terms he shouted across the valley left no middle ground.
He challenged anyone to single combat, and slavery was the penalty for the losing side. The crisis had now come, and the question was put squarely. If Israel's champion lost, Israel would serve the Philistines. If Goliath was killed, the Philistines offered to serve Israel. The enemy would allow no compromise now. Victory or slavery, with no hope or prospect that it would ever end.
Goliath asked for one champion, not army against army.
Goliath's challenge to settle the matter by single combat made the struggle in the valley of Elah very unusual. It was exactly the kind of contest in which one man might be singled out. It was not army against army, as in ordinary cases. The question was who, in the whole host of Israel, would dare to stand before the terrifying uncircumcised enemy. In fact, it is plain that the blessed God was about to show Israel again that, as a people, they had no power at all. Their only deliverance, as in the past, was the arm of Jehovah, who was still ready to act in His wonderful character of "a man of war," whenever faith called on Him as such.
One writer sees this demand for a champion pointing far beyond the valley:
That is the boldest challenge, I think, found in all the Bible. And what man could come? No man in Israel's army would come. Saul would not go out, and he was head and shoulders above the rest. And Jonathan would not go out. They were wise. "Choose a man for yourselves" was the word. But the chosen man was not there. Do you know where He came from? He came down from the Father's side. God's man was no mere child of Adam. What child of Adam could overcome Satan?
The same reproach has landed since. God's people can still take their standing from the favour of rulers.
The Churches, in their zeal against the papacy and their unwise excitement over the favour of kings, really took up the very position the Philistine had thrown at Israel — being "servants to Saul."
- Servants. The insult exposed a real loss: a people meant to serve God had settled for serving the king they chose.
- Supremacy. The giant made it a question of who rules — Saul's servants or the armies of the living God.
- Sight. Judging Israel by appearances, he concluded their whole history with God was a fable; that is how unbelief usually reasons.
- Stalemate. His terms allowed no compromise: one champion, and the loser's side into endless slavery.
- Saviour. "Choose a man" found no one in Israel's ranks — the man who came was God's choice, not theirs.
If he be able to fight with me, and to smite me, then will we be your servants; but if I overcome and smite him, then shall ye be our servants and serve us.
Two armies face each other across the valley of Elah. A giant offers to settle the whole war with one fight, and the losing nation becomes slaves — so who in Israel will stand?
The offer sounds almost sporting, but it closes every other door. For forty days the same demand was made, and the penalty fixed to it left no middle ground:
For forty days he defied Israel — a pitiful sight — challenging anyone to single combat, with slavery as the penalty for the loser. The crisis had now come, and the question was put plainly. If Goliath beat their champion, Israel would be servants to the Philistines. If Israel's champion killed Goliath, the Philistines offered to be servants to Israel. The enemy would no longer allow any compromise. Victory or slavery, with no hope or prospect of any end to it.
A single fight leaves a nation nowhere to hide. Commentators see God's hand in the shape of the challenge:
Goliath's challenge to settle the matter by single combat made the struggle in the valley of Elah very unusual. It was not army against army, as in ordinary battles. It was a question of who, in all the army of Israel, would dare to stand before that terrible uncircumcised foe. In fact, it is plain that God was about to make clear to Israel again that, as a people, they were completely powerless. Their only deliverance, as of old, was the arm of the LORD.
Israel's tallest man was their king, and he was as afraid as the rest.
Goliath's challenge fills the hearts of the men of Israel (including Saul) with fear and dismay. He defies the armies of Israel, asking for one man to come and fight with him. The whole issue of victory for either side would depend on which man killed the other. Even Saul, though head and shoulders above the rest of the people, was no match for the giant. He had rejected the Word of the LORD, so he could expect no help from Him.
Goliath's opening taunt fixes a label on Israel before he ever names his terms, and the label itself is part of the attack:
The question of supremacy is very definitely put by the giant of Gath in 1 Samuel 17:8-9: "Am not I a Philistine, and you servants of Saul?" (not servants of the LORD, or, as David calls the hosts of Israel, the armies of the living God).
David, arriving later, refuses that description of his people:
Goliath called his opponents the servants of Saul... He, however, remembered who Israel really were, namely, the armies of the living God. In this way he answered them, and in the same way he spoke to Saul... Could the armies of the living God be overthrown? Could death triumph in such circumstances? His words were the simple truth. They should have settled the question for Saul and for Israel, as it was already settled for him.
Commentators see in Goliath a picture of an enemy still at work:
Goliath, as the enemy of the LORD's people, is only a figure of the power of Satan; and Satan is more than a match for you or me. Satan is crafty as well as powerful... I know perfectly well that people say, "I don't believe in him, or in his power." That is just the evidence of his power. He blinds men's eyes to their true state. They are really captive, but think themselves free.
His name and his hometown point the same way:
Goliath means, we believe, "banishment, exile"; and the city he belongs to adds to the force of it. Gath means the "wine-press"... We may take "banishment from God in His wrath" as the true thought carried by the threatening figure of Goliath of Gath.
The terms cut both ways. If the stakes of the fight fall on everyone, so does the win:
"And the men of Israel and of Judah rose with a shout." Every doubt and fear vanished when their victorious representative returned. His victory was their victory. They were as clear and as free from the Philistine oppressor as he was... Our Lord Jesus, greater than David, has gone into death's dark valley, "delivered up for our trespasses." ... Our great Representative has defeated the foe. He has come up out of the valley, "raised for our justification." His victory is our victory. His freedom is our freedom.
- The terms. One fight, two outcomes, no compromise: victory or slavery with no end in sight.
- The exposure. Single combat left the nation nowhere to hide: a powerless people, and a king who could expect no help from God.
- The taunt. Goliath called them servants of Saul. David called them the armies of the living God, and that one name settled the question for him.
- The real enemy. Goliath pictures a power that holds people captive while they think they are free. Even his name carries the thought of banishment from God.
- The representative. Because the battle rested on one man, his win became everyone's win. That is the pattern of a greater Champion who went down into the valley and came up again — and His freedom is now ours.
And the Philistine said, I have defied the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
Twice a day for forty days, Goliath came out and called for one man to fight him. No one in Israel moved. His challenge raised a bigger question: did the God of Israel still have a people on earth?
The giant's taunt stung because it was true. He called them servants of Saul, and that is what the nation had chosen to become.
Notice his bitter taunt — "Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?" Sadly, it was all too true. They had come down from their high position as servants of the Lord to become mere servants of Saul. Samuel had warned them of all this. He had told them they would become runners, bakers, cooks and confectioners to the master they chose for themselves. That was their choice, instead of having the Lord God of Israel as their only master and King.
Goliath named Israel. Faith heard another name. (Older translations read "I defy the armies of Israel" here.)
Goliath's defiance insulted the Lord's name. That insult stirred the devout shepherd boy and drove him out to stand in the gap. "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" This was David's view of the situation. The giant of Gath stood and cried, "I defy the armies of Israel," but David was not misled by his words at all. (1 Sam. 17:10, 26.) Whatever the enemy might claim about the nation's weakness and decline, the armies of Israel were still the armies of the living God.
The giant's confidence rested on a mistake about who his real opponent was.
Sure of his strength, he presents himself before the assembled people and challenges them. When he has managed to strike terror into those he wants to subdue, he cries out: "I defy the ranks of Israel this day!" He does not know that he is not dealing with Israel, but with God. In defying His people he is defying God Himself. This is his downfall.
Goliath was arguing from what anyone could see.
This was the very question coming to a quick and serious test. Did God really have a people on earth in Israel? Is the name of the Lord, tied to Israel's name, a truth or a lie, a living power or a sham? The Philistine took the side of nature, based on appearances. And indeed there was little to show that Israel were the people of God. Their condition was wretched and their humiliation nearly complete. The Philistine could find plenty of reasons to believe it was all mere pretence… This is how unbelief usually reasons from appearances.
Goliath repeated his demand morning and evening, and no one came out. One writer sees purpose in the delay.
I can well understand the feelings of those men, Saul and all. This giant came out the first morning and evening, saying, "Give me a man." They look round for the man, but he was not there. Then the second day, "Give me a man," rings in their ears again, and the same thing goes on for forty long days. This tests the hosts of Israel completely and shows their weakness and total inability. Dismay and deep anxiety grip them. No deliverer appears until they have a true and deep sense of their own helplessness. Then is the moment for God to step in. "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).
One commentator asks about a man who is missing from this scene.
What about Jonathan in all this? He had acted with such simple faith and energy before. Why was he not ready now to go out against this champion? … The flaw in his faith shows in the words, "if they say this." Faith never says "if"; it has to do only with God. … Here there was a demand for something far deeper than anything Jonathan had known.
Israel's leaders and strongest fighters all stayed silent.
Neither Saul, nor Jonathan, nor any of the mighty men of Israel felt able to accept Goliath's challenge. He called for a fight to the death. Then God brought forward His man. He came to meet the proud boasting of the giant, and to humble him before the armies of Israel and the armies of their enemies. What a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus! He met the enemy in his power and brought him down with weapons that the enemy had despised.
- The taunt — Goliath called Israel servants of Saul, and it was true. They had traded the Lord as King for a master of their own choosing.
- The target — he named Israel, but in defying God's people he was defying God. That mistake undid him.
- The evidence — his boast rested on appearances, and Israel's state gave him plenty to work with. Unbelief usually argues that way.
- The demand — "give me a man," twice a day for forty days. No one in the camp could answer, and God waits for that sense of helplessness.
- The answer — God brought forward His man, a picture of the Lord Jesus beating the enemy with weapons the enemy despised.
And Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Goliath calls for one man to fight him, and no one in Israel answers — not even the king. Why were God's own people left without a single man who could meet the enemy?
The dismay was not cowardice. One writer weighs the odds and finds the silence understandable.
Goliath says, "I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together." He would gladly have single combat. Who responds? No one... You tell me they were cowards. No, no. I do not call it bravery to enter the contest when a man knows he must be defeated. It is folly. If you know you cannot fight the foe, it is better to leave him to another who can. The Lord says: "What king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand?" That is to say, the wise man will say, "I cannot meet this power."
Israel had demanded a king for exactly this kind of crisis.
They began with a request: "Make us a king." In the end they stated their determination: "No, but we will have a king!" "That our king may fight our battles!" As if a king with his crown among them would guarantee them victory!
Saul was the tallest man in the nation, and it made no difference.
Goliath's challenge fills the hearts of the men of Israel (including Saul) with fear and dismay... Even Saul was no match for the giant, though he stood head and shoulders above the rest of the people. He had rejected the Word of the Lord, so he could expect no help from Him.
The single-combat terms were not an accident of war; they exposed something.
This was not army against army, as battles usually are. The question was who, in all the army of Israel, would dare to stand before the terrifying uncircumcised foe. It is plain that God was about to show Israel again that, as a people, they were powerless. Their only deliverance, as of old, was the arm of the Lord. He was still ready to act in His wonderful character of "a man of war," whenever faith called on Him as such... For forty days in a row the Philistine came near and presented himself in front of the unhappy Saul and his terrified army. Notice his bitter taunt: "Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul?" Sadly, it was all too true. They had come down from their high position as servants of the Lord to become mere servants of Saul.
The giant stands for something bigger than one battle.
Here we find a full-length portrait of the enemy of our souls. He is pictured in Goliath of Gath, in all his armour, with his armour-bearer going before him. When he made the challenge to Israel they were dismayed and they were greatly afraid... He is too much for man, he is too much for you and me.
The giant thought he was terrorising an army. He had misjudged whom he was speaking to.
Sure of his strength, he presents himself before the assembled people and challenges them. When he has filled with terror those he wants to subdue, he cries out: "I have defied the ranks of Israel this day!" He does not know that he is not dealing with Israel, but with God. In defying His people he is defying God Himself. This is his downfall.
The moment Israel runs out of answers, God moves.
I think they were afraid and dismayed because they felt it was impossible for them to cope with such a foe... While the giant is calling for a man, God introduces His man. And who is he? David, a beautiful picture of the One who is David's Son.
- Demand — Israel asked for a king to fight their battles. Goliath's challenge tests the king they chose.
- Dismay — Saul stood head and shoulders above everyone else and was still no match for Goliath. He had rejected God's word, so no help came from Him.
- Design — God was showing Israel that as a people they had no strength. Their only deliverance was His own arm.
- Defiance — the giant thought he was defying Israel. He was defying God, and that brought him down.
- Deliverer — while the giant still calls for a man, God brings forward His man. David is a picture of the One who is David's Son.