Now the men of Israel had been saying, "Do you see this man who keeps coming out to defy Israel? To the man who kills him the king will give great riches. And he will give him his daughter in marriage and exempt his father's house from taxation in Israel." Now the men of Israel had been sayingThis phrase indicates a repeated conversation among the Israelite soldiers. The ongoing nature of the discussion suggests the fear and anxiety present in the camp due to Goliath's challenge. The soldiers' focus on the reward rather than the battle itself highlights their reluctance to face the giant. Do you see how this man keeps coming out to defy Israel?
Goliath's repeated defiance is a direct challenge not only to the Israelite army but also to their God. In ancient warfare, battles often represented the power of the gods of the respective nations. Goliath's taunts were an affront to the God of Israel, making this a spiritual as well as a physical confrontation. This echoes the earlier narrative of the Philistines capturing the Ark of the Covenant, where the power of God was similarly challenged. To the man who kills him the king will give great riches.
The promise of great riches reflects the high stakes of the battle and the desperation of King Saul. In the ancient Near East, wealth was a sign of God's favor and a means of securing one's future. Saul's offer indicates the significant threat Goliath posed and the king's willingness to incentivize someone to face him. And he will give him his daughter in marriage
Offering a daughter in marriage was a common practice to secure alliances and reward bravery. This promise would elevate the victor's social status, integrating him into the royal family. It also reflects the cultural importance of marriage as a means of political and social advancement. and exempt his father’s house from taxation in Israel.
Tax exemption was a significant incentive, as it relieved the victor's family from financial burdens and obligations to the state. This offer underscores the king's desperation to find a champion willing to face Goliath. It also highlights the socio-economic structure of ancient Israel, where taxation was a common practice to support the monarchy and military endeavors. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsraelitesThe people of God, who are facing the Philistine threat and are intimidated by Goliath. 2. GoliathThe Philistine giant who defies the armies of Israel, representing a significant threat and challenge. 3. King SaulThe first king of Israel, who offers rewards to anyone who can defeat Goliath. 4. PhilistinesThe enemies of Israel, who are in conflict with them during this period. 5. DavidAlthough not mentioned in this specific verse, he is the young shepherd who eventually accepts the challenge to fight Goliath. Teaching Points Courage in the Face of IntimidationThe Israelites were intimidated by Goliath's size and strength. As believers, we are called to face our "giants" with faith, trusting in God's power rather than our own. God's Rewards for FaithfulnessKing Saul's offer of rewards for defeating Goliath can be seen as a parallel to the spiritual rewards God promises to those who are faithful and obedient. The Power of Defiance Against GodGoliath's defiance of Israel is ultimately a defiance against God. This reminds us that challenges against God's people are challenges against God Himself, and He will act on behalf of His people. Leadership and ResponsibilitySaul's role as king included protecting his people. His inability to face Goliath himself highlights the importance of godly leadership and reliance on God rather than human strength. Bible Study Questions 1. What "giants" or challenges are you currently facing in your life, and how can you apply the faith of David to these situations? 2. How does the promise of rewards from King Saul compare to the spiritual rewards God offers to those who are faithful? 3. In what ways can we see the defiance of Goliath as a reflection of the spiritual battles we face today? 4. How does the account of David and Goliath encourage us to trust in God's strength rather than our own abilities? 5. Reflect on a time when you felt intimidated by a situation. How did your faith in God help you overcome it, and what can you learn from David's example? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Samuel 16Provides background on David's anointing and his selection by God, setting the stage for his confrontation with Goliath. Numbers 13-14The account of the Israelite spies and their fear of the giants in the Promised Land, paralleling the fear of Goliath. Hebrews 11The "Hall of Faith" chapter, which highlights the faith of individuals like David who trusted God against overwhelming odds. People Abinadab, Abner, David, Elah, Eliab, Ephah, Goliath, Israelites, Jesse, Saul, ShammahPlaces Azekah, Bethlehem, Ekron, Ephes-dammim, Gath, Jerusalem, Shaaraim, Socoh, Valley of ElahTopics Clearly, Daughter, Defy, Enrich, Exempt, Family, Father's, Free, Keeps, Kill, Killeth, Kills, Marriage, Overcomes, Reproach, Riches, Saying, Shame, Smites, Smiteth, Surely, Taunt, Taxes, WealthDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Samuel 17:17-26 5086 David, rise of 1 Samuel 17:20-51 5658 boys 1 Samuel 17:23-25 5501 reward, human 1 Samuel 17:23-26 5836 disgrace 1 Samuel 17:25-26 5829 defiance Library The victory of Unarmed Faith
'And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34. And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock; 35. And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureApril the Thirtieth the Test of victory
"David behaveth himself wisely." --1 SAMUEL xvii. 55--xviii. 5. The hour of victory is a more severe moral test than the hour of defeat. Many a man can brave the perils of adversity who succumbs to the seductions of prosperity. He can stand the cold better than the heat! He is enriched by failure, but "spoilt by success." To test the real quality of a man, let us regard him just when he has slain Goliath! "David behaved himself wisely"! He was not "eaten up with pride." He developed no "side." …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year April the Twenty-Ninth the Mood of Triumph
"I come to thee in the name of the Lord of Hosts." --1 SAMUEL xvii. 38-54. The man who comes up to his foes with this assurance will fight and win. Reasonable confidence is one of the most important weapons in the warrior's armoury. Fear is always wasteful. The man who calmly expects to win has already begun to conquer. Our mood has so much to do with our might. And therefore does the Word of God counsel us to attend to our dispositions, lest, having carefully collected our material implements, …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year The Call of David.
"So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone."--1 Samuel xvii. 50. These words, which are taken from the chapter which you heard read just now in the course of the Service[1], declare the victory which David, the man after God's own heart, gained over Goliath, who came out of the army of the Philistines to defy the Living God; and they declare the manner of his gaining it. He gained it with a sling and with a stone; that is, by means, which to man might seem weak and …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII How David Prevailed.
"So David prevailed over the Philistine!"--1 SAMUEL xvii. 50. Yes, he did, but he would not have done so if he had remained as quiet as the other Israelites. David was one of those who could not be easy so long as the enemies of his country were in the ascendant. To see a Philistine strutting about, defying the armies of the living God, was more than he could bear. Is not this the spirit which should animate Christians to-day? It is not one GOLIATH merely, there are many. DRUNKENNESS, PROFANITY, …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread Knox -- the First Temptation of Christ
John Knox, the great Scottish reformer, was born at Giffordgate, four miles from Haddington, Scotland, in 1505. He first made his appearance as a preacher in Edinburgh, where he thundered against popery, but was imprisoned and sent to the galleys in 1546. In 1547 Edward VI secured his release and made him a royal chaplain, when he acquired the friendship of Cranmer and other reformers. On the accession of Mary (1553) he took refuge on the Continent. In 1556 he accepted the charge of a church in Geneva, …
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume I Hwochow Women's Bible Training School
COURSE OF STUDY FIRST TERM Book of Genesis. Gospel according to St. Luke or St. Mark. Acts of the Apostles, chapters i. to ix. "A Synopsis of the Central Themes of the Holy Bible." Reading Lessons, with necessary Explanation and Writing of Chinese Character. Arithmetic. Singing and Memorisation of Hymns. SECOND TERM Book of Exodus, Numbers, and 1 Samuel i. to xvi. The Gospel according to St. John. The Epistle of St James. "A Synopsis of the Central Themes of the Holy Bible"--(continued). Reading …
A. Mildred Cable—The Fulfilment of a Dream of Pastor Hsi's He Does Battle for the Faith; He Restores Peace among those who were at Variance; He Takes in Hand to Build a Stone Church.
57. (32). There was a certain clerk in Lismore whose life, as it is said, was good, but his faith not so. He was a man of some knowledge in his own eyes, and dared to say that in the Eucharist there is only a sacrament and not the fact[718] of the sacrament, that is, mere sanctification and not the truth of the Body. On this subject he was often addressed by Malachy in secret, but in vain; and finally he was called before a public assembly, the laity however being excluded, in order that if it were …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh The Shepherd-King
'And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt them mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel! fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons. 2. And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the Lord. 3. And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Temporal Advantages.
"We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content."--1 Tim. vi. 7, 8. Every age has its own special sins and temptations. Impatience with their lot, murmuring, grudging, unthankfulness, discontent, are sins common to men at all times, but I suppose one of those sins which belongs to our age more than to another, is desire of a greater portion of worldly goods than God has given us,--ambition and covetousness …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Blessing of Jacob Upon Judah. (Gen. Xlix. 8-10. )
Ver. 8. "Judah, thou, thy brethren shall praise thee; thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies; before thee shall bow down the sons of thy father. Ver. 9. A lion's whelp is Judah; from the prey, my son, thou goest up; he stoopeth down, he coucheth as a lion, and as a full-grown lion, who shall rouse him up? Ver. 10. The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto Him the people shall adhere." Thus does dying Jacob, in announcing …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners:
A BRIEF AND FAITHFUL RELATION OF THE EXCEEDING MERCY OF GOD IN CHRIST TO HIS POOR SERVANT, JOHN BUNYAN; WHEREIN IS PARTICULARLY SHOWED THE MANNER OF HIS CONVERSION, HIS SIGHT AND TROUBLE FOR SIN, HIS DREADFUL TEMPTATIONS, ALSO HOW HE DESPAIRED OF GOD'S MERCY, AND HOW THE LORD AT LENGTH THROUGH CHRIST DID DELIVER HIM FROM ALL THE GUILT AND TERROR THAT LAY UPON HIM. Whereunto is added a brief relation of his call to the work of the ministry, of his temptations therein, as also what he hath met with …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Samuel 17:25 NIV1 Samuel 17:25 NLT1 Samuel 17:25 ESV1 Samuel 17:25 NASB1 Samuel 17:25 KJV
1 Samuel 17:25 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
