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equipment than “the name of the LORD of hosts.” But when any man can truly say that he goes into battle in the “name of * the LORD of hosts” his victory is sure. Jehovah was “the God of the armies of Is rael,” and He is the God of the church to day; and so no assault of the enemy, no matter how dangerous it may appear, can avail anything (cf. Matt. 16:18). David made a great deal of the fact that Goliath had “defied the LORD” (cf. vs. 26, 36). v. 46. “This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand: and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” Calmly, but fearlessly, David declared to Goliath the sure outcome of the battle. He took no credit whatever to himself, he said, “The LORD will deliver thee into my hand.” David knew this by faith alone, there was nothing whatever for sense to build upon (cf. Heb. 11:1). David would smite Goliath, not because of any strength - of his own, but only because God would “deliver” him into his hand. He told Go liath that he would do to him, and to the ' “host of the Philistines,” just what Goliath had boasted that he would do to David (cf. v. 44). God’s purpose in giving this great victory to David was, not merely to magnify David but, too,- “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” 3 David was not aiming at his own honor, but at Je hovah’s honor, but in point of fact he got great honor for himself (ch. 18;6, 7). v. 47. R. V. “And that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah’s, and He will give you into our hand.” Is rael needed to learn the lesson, as well as the worlds and the church today needs to learn the same lesson, that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear, and that the bat tle is Jehovah’s, and He gives it to whom He will. The decision of the battle is al ways in Jehovah’s hands, He will give the battle into the hands of those who trust Him and obey Him.
liath regarded David, namely, with utter disdain, is the way in which the Philistines usually regard God’s champion. But the Philistine’s disdain turned out very badly for the Philistine himself, and the disdain of our modern Philistines for God’s repre sentatives will turn out very badly for' them. Goliath’s disdain did not hurt David’s feel ings at all 'because David knew he would win. The disdain of the world is always a small thing to an intelligent believer. vs. 43, 44. “And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou earnest to me with staves? And the Philistine dursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the held." Goliath met David with the usual spirit of infidelity, boasting and contempt, but Goliath’s boasting did not help him any; neither will the infidel’s' boasting today help him in the least. Go liath was lying when he said, “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field,” and the Goliaths of modern infidelity are usually lying in the assertions that they make. One of their commonest lies is to say that “All scholars are agreed” on certain things upon which scholars are not agreed at all, and which some of the best scholars utterly re ject. v. 45. “Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield (javelin): but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts,.the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.’’ All Israel had been frightened by Goliath’s boasts but David was not at all frightened, simply because his whole trust was “In the name of the LORD of hosts.” Many a professed Christian in these days is terribly frightened by the blatant boasts of infidelity but the true man of faith is not at all disturbed by all this bluster. David’s answer is well worth studying. Our answer to the boasts of un belief today ought to be the same as his. To the eye of sense, “the sword” and “the spear” and “the javelin” seem like a better
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