Follow Along with the Message

Giants Aren’t Always What they Seem

Pastor Tom Lundeen

Giants are problems/obstacles that  large over us, often produce fear, and paralyze us moving forward.

Everyone  giants in their life.

What do you do when you encounter a giant in your life?

1.This is  

This is a real  in a real place with real people.

We need to remember that all history is .

God is the author of history and the Scriptures are a compilation and  of divine and human history.

David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the  of Battling Giants (by Malcolm Gladwell)

2. This is a Real  (note 1 Samuel 17:1-3)

This encounter takes place in an  geographic location.

 = in between plains and mountains... and many battles fought for control of Israel here.

3. These are Real  

Philistines—they are a real nation and people that were prominent for 300 years; they came from the island of .

King Saul gets word and brings his army down from the mountains to meet with Philistines in the Valley of Elah.

Single combat

4. These are Real  

A. Goliath (note 1 Samuel 17:4-11, 41-44) - his armor, size, and his record () kept the entire army of Israel  by fear for 40 days. Why would a great  need to be led to the valley floor by an assistant? He also moves  and seems to take a while to figure out what’s going on (note 1 Samuel 17:43-44).  or acromegaly = caused by a tumor on the pituitary gland producing too much human growth hormone. A common side effect = severely restricted . What gave him his great size was also his greatest .

B. David—he rejects Saul’s armor and weapons because they’re too big and  (note 1 Samuel 17:38-40). In the ancient world, there were 3 types of soldiers:

i.   

ii.  

iii. Artillery—(bows, arrows, and ) - an experienced slinger would rotate his sling 6 to 7 times and the rock would travel at ! A common rock in the Valley of Elah =  (very heavy rock). It would have the same force as a bullet from a  caliber hand gun. Extremely accurate (note 1 Chronicles 12:2a and Judges 20:16).

What’s your giant?:

• So who’s really the  here?
• Giants always look like the .
• What the account of David and Goliath tells us is that giants are not what they appear.
• ...we all have to deal with other obstacles and  and challenges that can seem like giants.
• But if we look closely, we’ll discover that they’re not as  and overpowering as they appear at first…
• ...especially if we are connecting to, trusting in, and  the Lord (note 1 Samuel 17:45, 47).

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