The Big Challenge

January 10, 2016         NOTES NOT EDITED

Series: The Big Idea

The Big Challenge

1Samuel 17, esp. v. 40

SIS—God has a solution to every problem and an answer to every question.

There will always be challenges to face and problems to solve, even more so as we get older.  I remember reading the story about an elderly woman, 84 years young.  She started to feel she was getting out of shape (whatever that means for an 84 year old woman), and needed to get some exercise.  So, she joined an aerobics class for seniors at the local YMCA.  She said this, “On the first day I bent, twisted, gyrated back and forth, jumped up and down, and perspired for over an hour.  Sadly, by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over!”

Such is life—one challenge after another.

As we continue this series on “The Big Idea,” we can mark this truth down as a certainty:  “The bigger our ideas are for serving God, the more we can expect challenges.”  There are too many challenges to address all of them this morning.  Whatever “Big Challenge” you are facing today, someone else is facing a different, but just as big challenge somewhere else.  And, when you get done with the present Big Challenge you are facing, another one is waiting around the corner.

Max Lucado in his book, “Facing Your Giants,” points out that “the giants we face today may be unemployment, abandonment, sexual abuse, depression, bills, grades, whiskey, pornography, a career, a mistake or a future.”  You can add to these, “rejection, anger, resentment, stress, self-esteem issues, frustration, apathy, poor values, isolation, discouragement, and loneliness,” and you are just scratching the surface of the challenges we face in life.  When you consider the “spiritual giants” we will face when we get a “Big Idea” for God, the list gets even larger. 

The greatest giant killing story in all history is the Biblical story of David and Goliath.  Here’s how one well-respected source describes this story:  “Easily the most beloved story in 1, 2 Samuel—indeed, in all the Former Prophets—is the account of David killing Goliath. So compelling and well-known is the drama that it has become the primary historical metaphor in Western culture for describing any individual or group who overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds to defeat an oppressor” (NAC).

However, this story is much more than just a “motivational speech” about overcoming tough situations.  It is more than a story of “heroic courage.”  It is that, but much more.  Once again, a well-respected scholar points out, “the biblical narrative is not primarily a story about human courage and effort; instead, it is about the awesome power of a life built around bold faith in the Lord” (NAC).   The hero in the story is not David; it is God.  The weapon of victory is not a stone hurled from a skilled shepherd’s sling; the weapon of victory is faith.

You will recall the background of the story.  The arch enemy of Israel, the Philistines, (some believe the modern day Palestinians), had camped on one side of a wide valley and Israel had camped directly opposite the Philistines on the other side of the Valley of Elah.  A wadi, or a usually dry river bed, separated them.  Even worse for the Israelites is that that they were separated psychologically from the Philistines by “a deep chasm of fear” (NAC).  The Philistines sent their battle representative, a massive spectacle of humanity by the name of Goliath, to challenge the Israelites. Goliath is a soldier describe by the term, “champion.”  Literally, this word translates the phrase, “the man of the space between the two.”  This represents a practice common among pagan groups like the Philistines, but probably not practiced by semitic people like the Jews.  In pagan societies of the Middle East, one-on-one combat would often substitute for combat between two entire armies.  It was a fight to the death with the army of the losing combatant surrendering to the army of the winner.

The most remarkable feature of Goliath is his height—“six cubits and a span”—or. nine feet, nine inches.  He was not only tall, but stout, being able to carry a spear the size of a weaver’s beam and an iron tip weighing sixteen pounds and wearing armor weight over 200 pounds.  There have been “giants” recorded throughout history so, though his size is massive, it is not mythical.  David in comparison was at least three feet shorter and even the armor of a normal sized man like Saul was loose fitting. David was not even old enough for military service (20 years old), and was simply on an errand bringing food to his brothers.  He eventually made his way to King Saul and requested to be Israel’s representative in battle. The King, like David’s brothers moments before, thought the idea was absurd.  The King finally granted David’s request.  We’ll pick up reading the story as David stumbles out to meet Goliath in King Saul’s armor. 1Sam. 17:37-54.

As I said a moment ago, the challenges—will call them, “giants—we must face in life are myriad:  unemployment, abandonment, sexual abuse, depression, bills, grades, whiskey, pornography, a career, a mistake or a failure, rejection, anger, resentment, stress, self-esteem issues, frustration, apathy, poor values, isolation, discouragement, and loneliness.”  Each giant must be dealt with in somewhat unique ways, but there are three aspects of “giant-killing” that apply to every challenge we might face.

1.  The Odds Will Be Against Us (v33)

³³ But Saul replied, “You can’t go fight this Philistine. You’re just a youth, and he’s been a warrior since he was young.”

We’ve already examined the difference in size between David and Goliath.  We don’t know Goliath’s exact weight, but only that he wore over 200 pounds of armor.  However, through the miracle of mathematics I can make an educated guess.  I’ll get to that in a minute.

Many people in their 50’s or older grew up during the heyday of Professional Wrestling.  Folks our age can remember legendary names like: Bruno Samartino, Dominic Denucci, Johnny Valiant, Killer Kawaski, Haystack Calhoun, and a host of other “larger-than-life kings of the square circle.  A somewhat younger crowd might remember the likes of Hulk Hogan and Jesse The Body Ventura. 

The largest of these “larger-than-life theatrical wrestlers”—literally the largest—was a man called, “Andre the Giant.”  [PIC].  Andre The Giant stood seven feet, four inches and weighed over 520 pounds.  His hands were so big he could put a golf ball through his ring, and completely cover a coke can (usually it was beer, though) [PIC].  So, doing the math comparing this modern day giant who was 7 foot, 4 inches tall weighing 520 pounds, to Goliath who was 9 feet, 9 inches tall, Goliath probably weighed nearly 700 pounds!  David was probably six feet tall or less weighing maybe 150 to 170 pounds.  David was like an insect to Goliath whom Goliath planned to squash easily.

If we paraphrase Saul’s assessment of David’s chances we might say, “David, the odds are so incredibly against you that you don’t even have a remote chance of defeating Goliath.”  That’s how Saul might say it today, and do you know what—by all human standards and calculations, Saul would be right.  I may not need a lot of help getting out of bed in the morning, and thanks to McDonald’s, I don’t need a lot of help getting my breakfast.  But . . . when God calls upon me to represent Him in a wrestling match with a man who ways four times what I way and is 4 feet taller than I am, then I have to admit I’m overmatched.  The odds are definitely against me!

In all the challenges we face in life that actually matter, it will always be the case that the “odds will be against us,”  This is especially true when we get a “Big Idea” for a grand plan to serve God with enthusiastic abandon.  If we are facing an issue where the odds are NOT against us, then we are probably thinking “little thoughts” and you won’t need this message.  This message is for those with “Big Ideas” looking to take on really “Big Challenges” for the Lord.

Saul knew the odds were against David.  Every man in Saul’s army knew that the odds were against anyone that dared challenge Goliath.  Verse 24 makes this painfully clear:

When all the Israelite men saw Goliath,
they retreated from him terrified.

Really, who could blame these men?  Fighting Goliath was a bad bet with horrible odds for winning—actually, it was a sure bet to lose!  That’s how the game of “Big Ideas” works.  “Big Ideas” lead to “Big Challenges” where the odds are always against you.  All great accomplishments in the history of mankind have been by men and women who defied the odds. 

Have you ever noticed those rubber hoses that are sometimes stretched across a road.  The hoses are attached to boxes sitting on the sidewalk or somewhere near the edge of the road.  These are traffic counters.  Each time someone runs over the hose it generates a signal.  Well, a young man and his partner came up with an ingenious system to collect all that data and generate different types of reports for traffic engineers.  The invention was called, “Traf-O-Data.”  It wasn’t a huge success.  In fact, it was a failure.  The two men had set out in business and there first product failed miserably.  Most people do not know the name of the “junior partner” in this fledgling business, but Mr. Allen said this as the odds for success stacked up against them:  "Even though Traf-O-Data wasn’t a roaring success, it was seminal in preparing us to make Microsoft’s first product a couple of years later."  Paul Allen, against the odds, persevered with his partner and their eventual business became a smashing success, though a few years later.  Paul Allen’s partner’s name was Bill Gates, and their business eventually became Microsoft.  Against all odds Bill Gates became one of the richest men in the world, perhaps the richest.

That’s just one example of people who overcame great challenges against all odds.  Helen Keller was struck deaf and blind at age two and did not speak for many years until meeting Ann Sullivan.  She went on to graduate from a university and become a world-renown writer and advocate for person’s with disabilities.  Leonardo Davinci excelled in many disciplines from art to physics, but he had a severe learning disability.  Albert Einstein did not speak until he was three years old and was considered “retarded.”  The list of persons who have overcome great challenges to make great contributions to humanity, against all odds, would fill a bookshelf of books.

If you are going to overcome “Big Challenges” to see the fruit of your “Big Ideas,” then you need to know, the odds will be against you!

2.  However, God is For You (34-37)

³⁴ David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it, struck it down, and rescued the lamb from its mouth.  If it reared up against me, I would grab it by its fur,  strike it down, and kill it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed lions and bears; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Then David said, “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”  Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you.”

Overcoming “Big Challenges” requires a proper perspective on the size of that challenge.  Here’s where many people get in trouble.  People measure their challenges in one of two ways:  1)  they measure the challenge according to the size of the problem.  This almost always leads to an exaggerated size of the problem and inevitably it leads to “fear and retreat” just like we read earlier of the Israeli soldiers in verse 24.  Or, 2) one can measure the size of one’s challenge by the size of one’s God.  This always leads to an unshakable resolve and remarkable courage.  So, how will we measure our “Big Challenge?”  Shall we measure it by the size of the problem, or by the size of our God. 

The size of giants is relative.  When I stack my problem and challenges up beside my own human ingenuity or intelligence, I look small.  When I stack up those same problems and challenges beside the God I read about in the Bible and have a personal relationship with through Jesus Christ, those challenges look small.

Everybody, including the King was sizing up Goliath, and their hearts melted with fear.  What they should have been sizing up was Yahweh.  David had a personal relationship with Yahweh.  David had experienced Yahweh giving him strength, courage and victory in challenges against bears and lions.  David did not fear Goliath’s massive size, formidable weapons, and training as a soldier because David didn’t expect to overcome Goliath in his own strength.  David declared with bold, unshakable, tested-and-proved-worthy trust that “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (v.37).

Yes, as we get a “Big Idea” for God a move forward in faith we will have to face “Big Challenges” and the odds WILL be against us, but we don’t have to face those “Big Challenges” alone.  One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in Exodus 14:13-14: 

¹³ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

As David stands before Goliath he declares:  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.”

I love Southern Gospel music.  One song encourages to properly measure the size of our challenges:

I may not know what you’re going through

And I don’t know your pain.

I don’t know the valley you walking

Or the mountain you’re facing again.

I’m not sure what you’re feeling

Or how rough this road is that you trod

And I don’t know your situation

But friend I know the size of your God! (Matt Rankin)

The Bible never minimizes the challenges God’s people face as we try to “go big for God”—that is get a “Big Idea” and set about putting it into action.  God knows we will face troubles and challenges.  He never minimizes our anxiety and cares, but God calls upon us to “through our cares upon Him because He cares for us” (1Pet. 5:7).

God never trivializes the burdens that weigh us down in this life, but says, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mat. 11:28).

I promise you based upon the Word of God that if you get a “Big Idea” for God and begin to “love Him with ALL            your heart, and ALL your mind, and ALL your soul” (Mt. 22:37), you are going to face Goliath-sized challenges when the odds will be against you.  Here’s some good advice from a wise Christian writer,  “Focus on giants – you stumble. Focus on God – your giants tumble” (Lucado). 

This truth is portrayed in graphic fashion in verses 49-51:  ⁴⁹ David put his hand in the bag, took out a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground. ⁵⁰ David defeated the Philistine with a sling and a stone. Even though David had no sword, he struck down the Philistine and killed him. ⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He grabbed the Philistine’s sword, pulled it from its sheath, and used it to kill him. Then he cut off his head.

The odds WILL be against you—but, God WILL be for you!

3.  You Must PREPARE  (40)

⁴⁰ Instead, he took his staff in his hand  and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pouch, in his shepherd’s bag. Then, with his sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.

What stones are you putting into your bag today to use in your battles tomorrow?  There’s an adage that says, “It’s a little late to shut the barn door after the horses have bolted.”  The time to prepare for the “Big Challenge” is now—not when Goliath is knocing at your door.

A common question asked about these stones is:  “why did David choose five stones when there was only one giant?”  I can think of a couple possible answers:  1)  David lacked enough faith to believe God could hit His target with one stone.  This doesn’t fit David’s clear declaration of complete trust in God, nor does it explain why David had faith in five shots but not in one shot.  2)  David trusted God’s abilities, but doubted his “sling skills.”  Again, David already declared that the “battle was not his” and the outcome did not depend on his skills anyway.  3)  According to some Bible scholars, five is the number of representing a part of a whole (ten representing a whole).  As a practical matter, David couldn’t take all the stones so he just grabbed five fingers worth—or a handful.  He could get more later.  This is doubtful because when he used up the five, Goliath was not likely to give him a “time out” to refill his bag.”  4)  One very common explanation with some scriptural support is that David expected to take out four brothers of Goliath.  These other giants are mentioned in 2Samuel 21 by name.  There is no hint of a connection between fighting Goliath and fighting four relatives.  That is mere speculation. 

Two things come to mind in regard to the five stones as I examined the possibility four were reserved for Goliath’s brothers.  First, five stones would never have been sufficient to kill all the giants left among the tribe of Raphaim (the Hebrew term for these giants).  Our challenges in life never end.  We constantly need to keep stones in our bag.  Second, as I contemplated the number of “five” God spoke this to my heart:  “you will never face more giants than I have stones.” We never exhaust God’s grace and mercy.  His grace is an eternal fountain that does not diminish regardless of how much it refreshes.”

But, here’s the scoop on the stones.  The issue is not so much how many stones he picked up, but how “carefully” he selected them.  The word translated “chose” always refers to careful, purposeful action.  David’s preparation was “careful, diligent, and purposeful.”  David did not go out to meet Goliath “half-cocked” to borrow a metaphor from the Wild West.  David spent some time and deep reflection on preparing to meet “The Big Challenge.”  Preparation is essential to overcoming “The Big Challenge.”

I was reading a book the other day and came upon this story.  Two were hired to clear a field of trees.  The contract specified they would each be paid per tree.  Bill wanted the day to be profitable so he started out with a fury, grunting, sweating, and swinging the ax non-stop.  Ed seemed to be working at about half the rate of Bill.  At regular intervals, Ed would sit off to the side and take a break for a few minutes, and then get right back to work.  Bill chopped steadily until every muscle in his body screamed for rest.  At the end of the day, Bill and Ed went to collect their due.  Bill was cranky and soar, but Ed was smiling and joking.  Here’s the surprising part:  Ed cut down more trees than Bill with seeming half the effort.  Bill, a slight bit disgusted asked, “How did you outwork me?  I saw you taking several breaks while I worked without taking any breaks.  We both quit at the same time.  How’d you outwork me?”  Ed, not wanting to gloat or be prideful answered, “Did you notice that when I was sitting,  taking a break, that I was sharpening my ax?”

The Bible says David carefully, diligently, and purposefully choose five specific stones.  He took time to prepare for “The Big Challenge.”  In fact, his whole life was a preparation.  While he was protecting sheep from bears and lions, God was preparing him for “The Big Challenge.”

What are you doing to prepare for your “Big Challenge?”  Are you reading your Bible every day?  Do you spend a significant time each day in prayer?  Do you fellowship regularly with other believers?  Are you engaged every day in with non-believers ready and prepared to share the gospel?  Do you gather regularly and consistently with the Church to worship God in spirit and in truth?

You need to “choose” your activities carefully in order to fill your bag with stones of devotion you can use in your sling of faith.

There is so much more I’d could say about overcoming “The Big Challenge,” but understanding these three aspects will provide a good foundation for dealing with “The Big Challenge.”  You need to know that the odds are against you.  You need to know that God is for your.  And, you need to prepare every day, especially in regard to spiritual matters.

As we learned from the Senior Citizen as we started this message, life is full of challenges and these challenge increase the older we get.  One day it will even be a challenge to put on our leotards!