DAVID AND GOLIATHPART 1: A STORY OF FAITHFULNESS

July 11, 2025

So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took the supplies and went as Jesse had commanded him. 1 Samuel 17:20

1. DAVID WAS FAITHFUL IN THE SMALL THINGS. After the prophet Samuel anointed David to be the future king of Israel, David returned to his dad, Jesse, and worked as a shepherd. He tended the sheep while his three oldest brothers went to fight the Philistines, including the giant Goliath. One day Jesse asked David, who was about seventeen, to bring food to them. David left his sheep with another shepherd, took the supplies, and went as his dad had told him (1 Samuel 17:20). Jesus said, “He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much” (Luke 16:10). These small acts of obedience prepared David for his moment with Goliath.

2. DAVID KNEW GOD WAS FAITHFUL. As David talked with his brothers, Goliath mocked the army of Israel. The men fled in fear, but David asked, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine to taunt the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). That wasn’t a casual statement. It showed David’s deep awareness of God’s power and faithfulness.

3. DAVID WAS READY BECAUSE HE KNEW THE BATTLE WAS THE LORD’S. We may not see literal nine-foot giants anymore, but we face real opposition. “Goliaths” are anything that antagonizes the people of God and tries to disrupt God’s plan and purpose. When you get some time, read or listen to all of 1 Samuel 17, the story of David and Goliath. Whatever you are facing in your life right now, remember the battle belongs to the Lord (1 Samuel 17:47).

DEFINITION
faith·ful, adj. 
Dependable; reliable. Responsible; conscientious. Full of faith.

SAY THIS OUT LOUD:
God, help me to be faithful in the small things as I prepare for the bigger things (Luke 16:10). I will not fear, because the battle is Yours, Lord (1 Samuel 17:47).

^{Copyright © 2025 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Faithful, adj.” American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Harper Collins Publishers, 2022,
https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=faithful.}