SERMON: THE GIANTS KEEP A-COMING10:30 Worship Service | Sunday, May 24, 2020 2nd Samuel 21:15-22 (15) Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint. (16) And Ish-bi-be-nob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David. (17) But A-bish-a-i the son of Zer-u-i-ah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel. (18) And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sib-be-chai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant. (19) And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where El-ha-nan the son of Ja-a-re-or-e-gim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. (20) And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant. (21) And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shim-e-ah the brother of David slew him. (22) These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. Introduction Most of us are familiar with the story of David and the giant Goliath. Traditionally, without giving much thought to the matter, a number of us have concluded that the story of his battle with Goliath comprises the sum total of David’s experience of dealing with giants. However, according to this text, David had to fight many giants. They were the relatives of Goliath. Yes, in everyone’s life the giants keep a-coming. We must remember our God is greater than any giant we will ever encounter. Exposition 1. Nobody Goes Through Life with Only One Giant. (David was a marked man. After you kill the first giant, his relatives come after you.) 2. Some Of the Biggest Giants Are From Within- Not From Without. (Let’s Keep It Real.) 3. Many Giants Are Fought Not By Standing on Your Feet, But By Falling On Your Knees. (Our Weapons Are Not Carnal- 2nd Corinthians 10:4-5.) 4. Some People Have Fought So Many Giants Until They Are Battle Weary, Beaten Down, and Bitter. (Sickness, Loss of Job, Financial Problems, Domestic Problems) 5. Giants Come When It Appears You Are Least Prepared To Fight Them. (They Came When David Was Very Young And When He Was Very Old; No Military Experience-No Energy.)
6. When David Became Too Old and Too Weak To Fight His Giants, His Troops Came To His Rescue. (We must continue to help each other.) 7. With Jesus the “Super Trooper,” We Can Defeat Any Giant. (The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall.) Closing Thoughts Dorothy Norwood said it best: “Victory is mine, Victory is mine, I told satan, ‘Get thee behind.’ Victory, today, is mine!” We can defeat every giant if we allow God to lead and guide us. Give God glory! Give God all the glory! End Notes 1. This is one of those sermons that begs to be preached every three or four years. After listening to several of our members relate the succession of challenges they have faced and are facing, I was led to preach this sermon again. This sermon was preached on August 20, 2017. There is a part of me that doesn’t like to preach the same sermon more than once. Then I remember the words of the late Reverend Caesar Clark. “If it ain’t worth preaching but one time, it ain’t worth preaching at all. John Newton didn’t write Amazing Grace just to be sung only one time. Preach it, then wait a while and preach it again, then wait a while and preach it again. Just make sure you preach it better each time.” 2. Many people have a real problem with the violence in the Bible, especially the violence in the Old Testament. They don’t know what to make of it, or how to interpret it. This is nothing new; many theologians, such as St. Augustine, have addressed it in their writings. One of the best responses, in my opinion, comes from Stephen Leston, who did a major study of biblical battles. So I will quote him directly. “My prayer as you read about the violence in the Bible is that you will be struck by the majesty and power of God. I pray that you will see His grace at work in spite of sinful people and that you will discover how a Holy God can overcome the most sinful situations to accomplish His plan. God’s plan includes the redemption of the lost, the healing of the hurting, and the lifting of the downtrodden.” Amen to that! Source Acknowledgement Dr. John Bryant and Dr. William D. Watley have both preached on this theme using slightly different sermon titles, both at Morehouse College chapel services. Back in the day, the Morehouse chapel services were “something else.” People, who were not students, would attend to hear the preaching and to hear Dr. Wendell P. Whalum perform on the organ. The postlude became a mini-concert. People often requested Dr. Whalum to perform the Toccata from Leon Boellman’s Suite Gothique. This piece required a lot of fancy footwork on the pedals. Copyright (c) 2017 by James C. Ward All rights reserved
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