1 Samuel 17

Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines.

The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders.

Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him.

 

Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them,

“Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.”

 

And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”

 

When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

Now David was the youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem, who had eight sons.

The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle.

But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

 

Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.”

 

So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took lunch as his father commanded him.

As he came to the camp the army was going out to fight and Goliath came forward with his challenge.

 

The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

 

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”

 

Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him.

Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”

 

And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this giant; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

 

But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”

Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

 

And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”

 

So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, but they did not fit his small stature.

And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these.” So David took them off.

 

Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand.

And he drew near to the Philistine.

So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.

And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth.

 

So Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks?”

And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

And he said to David, “Come, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

 

Then David said to the Philistine,

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin.

But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

 

So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth.

 

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him.

But there was no sword in the hand of David.

Made for a Miracle by Mike Slaughter continues on Friday June 2nd at 11:00AM.  

On June 11^th we will serve a meal to our hungry and homeless friends in the Stroudsburg area, at the Stroudsburg UMC at 2 pm. The meal is being prepared in such a way that you can help! We are asking 5 people to make a tray of baked ziti with meat; 5 people to bring a tray of cooked vegetables; we need 5 dozen dinner rolls; 5 dozen individually wrapped cookies or brownies. All items will be brought to church on the morning of June 11 so our volunteers can transport them to the church.  A sign up sheet is in the back of the church.