“A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. His height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and it’s iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.” (1 Samuel 27:4-7 NIV)
I have never had the opportunity to preach on David and Goliath. It’s strange, I know, this story is favorite fodder for most preachers. But for whatever reason, this underdog account has not been a preaching priority for me personally. But we are in a nationwide series and Sunday’s text is 1 Samuel 17 and I’m at bat.
So yesterday, I settled in at my desk with a cup of hot coffee and an open heart. And I began to read 1 Samuel 17 aloud, only pausing to take notes.
I got stuck on these three verses. I pictured Goliath: an imposing figure for sure. Seven to ten feet of warrior, outfitted from head to toe in bronze. Scripture describes his battle costume at length: a helmet, a chain-mail coat, shin-guards, a javelin and a shield bearer before him. Goliath was near-dripping with bronze, gleaming darkly in the Judean sun.
Then I remembered how bronze often symbolized judgement for the Old Testament believer. Moses had lifted a bronze serpent on a pole to point His people toward repentance and ultimately relief from the snake bites of their sin. The structures of the outer court of the Tabernacle were made of bronze: including both the ceremonial wash basin and the brazen altar. Later, when the Temple was ransacked and the gold instruments were carried off, they were replaced with the more affordable bronze variety. When Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, the imposing statue had a belly and thighs of bronze. Bronze meant judgement, which King Saul – who would have been familiar with scripture because of his personal copy – should have known.
At this point, it’s important to recall where King Saul was in his relationship with God. In 1 Samuel 13, he had sinned against Him by acting as both priest and king: two roles God had intentionally divided to protect against rampant human aspirations. Saul had felt God’s Spirit retreat after his blatant in 1 Samuel 16:14 and even then, he did not repent from his wicked ways. So then, when in chapter 17, a giant clad in bronze showed up on his property, Saul certainly saw Goliath as a personal judgement and he was shaking in his sandals.
Several years ago a friend and I attended a Nick Cave art exhibit. Nick Cave is an unusual guy with a wild imagination. If I remember right, he lived a season of his life as a homeless man in Central Park and during those days he noticed the noiselessness of his presence. Homeless souls are often overlooked and ignored. This is what inspired him to start assembling what he calls soundsuits: typically a riot of color or texture or movement that visually exclaims existence. Nick’s soundsuits are so visceral that they cannot be be ignored or excused; they demand a response.
My friend and I were fascinated by these soundsuits. We discussed – at length – creating our own. We each considered what might warrant inclusion. I believe her priorities at the time were patient notes and X-rays and scalpels (she’s an orthopedic surgeon) and perhaps the occasional lego thrown in for good measure because she had littles. Mine was mostly car titles and old keys, with scripture verses pasted in between (I was buried in my dad’s estate at the time).
When I read Goliath’s description, I pictured his armor as a soundsuit – the scariest soundsuit that could ever come after Saul. No wonder he cowered in fear! Now wonder he let a shepherd boy battle in what should only be a king’s fight!
Saul took the terrible route when his sin came to light. He made mistakes with God and he felt the fire of judgement but he did not allow the heat to soften his heart. He gave the prophet lip service: “I have sinned” (1 Samuel 15:30) but he refused to truly repent and seek God fully. Saul suffered deep consequences and eventually lost his place the Kingdom.
Friend: don’t wait for a soundsuit composed of your worst fear to arrive on your soil. Acknowledge your sin, repent and turn back towards God completely. Ask for His Spirit to strengthen your obedience muscle and take steps today to move toward God and His good plan for you.
“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come form the Lord.” (Acts 3:19 NIV)
Lord, we see through Saul’s story that repentance is the key to right relationship with You. Judgement is a tool that You employ to turn us back in Your direction. May we do this sooner than later. Let us live with You at the lead: stopping and starting in accordance with Your Spirit, confessing quickly when we miss the mark. We long to live for You. Amen.