1 Samuel 17:8 Commentary and Bible Study

We imagine that he had a mighty voice. ‘And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array?’ He announces the Philistine proposal that he as a champion or representative would be contested by one of the Israelites, and that will determine the battle. Why have you bought forces with you – ‘Am am not I a Philistine, and ye servants’ – actually ‘slaves’: ‘and you the [slaves] of Saul?’ This is the derisive tone in which it is all said, undoubtedly. ‘Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.’ ‘Down’, you notice: at the moment Goliath seems to have descended the mountain or hillside where the Philistines were, and is standing in that dry wadi at the bottom, shouting up to the Israelites. He seems, as his shouting goes on to advance further, because we are soon going to read this went on over forty days: a morning shout and a late afternoon or evening shout, one would guess. As he performs this ritual every day, he proceeds further and further into Israelite ground, until he so near that by the time David arrives, and he bellows out his challenge, that the Israelite soldiers nearest to him scatter in fear. He is proceeding up into their ranks, possibly shout by shout.‘If he [the champion chosen by Israel] be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.’ Well, they already were serving to a degree. They were occupied by the Philistines, but the Philistines wanted it to be much more controlling than that, and wanted them in a very servile state and condition, and this was how it would be achieved, or so they hoped. In fact, of course, Goliath was killed, but the Philistines never kept the terms of this dual; instead they fled. ‘And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day.’ This is religious language; it is very significant. This is separated out; it is so important. The narrative seems to slow down for this – ‘I defy the armies of Israel this day.’ Obviously the word ‘defy’ is intended as an insult. I deprecate, I despise the armies of Israel. But it actually comes from the Hebrew verb ‘to expose’ and that's rather the sense. I expose the Israelite army. I expose you all, he says. This is the purpose of this challenge. ‘Look at your inferiority and your feebleness! I'm coming to challenge you as an individual, to strip bare the impotence of this army of yours.’ That is the kind of language which is being used, and that word ‘defy’, meaning ‘I expose you’. He denigrates the powers of Israel, and their God.And this language had a tremendous effect. ‘When Saul’ – start with Saul – ‘heard these words, [he was] dismayed, and greatly afraid. It starts with him. If the king and the commander is terrified out of his wits, and doesn't know what to do and where to turn, what about his generals around him? What about the officers nearest to him: those that can see the dismay written on his face, and the utter demoralisation of all Israel's army? Even Jonathan Saul's son, who had been so full of faith, and so courageous on a previous incident, and caused the tremendous flight of the Philistines; even he doesn't come forward at this point. He isn't actually mentioned; maybe this is doing him an injustice, but certainly Saul and all Israel were greatly afraid. The Holy Spirit had given particular gifts and powers of leadership to Saul, but on his disobedience those gifts had been withdrawn, and Saul, head and shoulders taller than anyone else and a powerful man, now stood trembling. They were not only terrified, but they were distraught in the sense that they couldn't imagine where this would lead. This could not be contested; this would be impossible.