The Boasting of Goliath: Part ONE by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

1 Samuel 17:8- 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? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. This is PART ONE of the series about the Boasting of Goliath. Imagine the first morning when Goliath came on the scene at the battlefield in the Valley of Elah. When the morning mist from the ground had dispersed from the western breezes coming from the Mediterranean Sea, the Hebrews saw someone who caused them to rub their eyes for clarity because they could not believe what they were seeing and what was standing defiantly before them like a bull snorting before the matador or a lion refusing to yield its ground. A warrior, who was like a walking tank, stepped down the rocky hill peppered with small lentisk evergreen bushes. He stood before the armies of Israel on the other side of the ravine with its red banks and creek bed of ivory stones. Goliath glistened like dew upon the grass at dawn as he mirrored the morning rays of the eastern sun that reflected off the copper armor he wore. The Hebrews could not help being astounded, astonished, amazed, and awe-struck. They probably felt the same way the Hebrews felt when they spied out the Promised Land. Those spies described themselves as grasshoppers compared to the giants in the land. These guys may have felt the same way. Goliath was definitely a part of the Philistine Psychological Warfare. His task was to complete Operation Intimidation. Goliath towered over the companions around him in his camp like a thundercloud looming over the plain. In fact, if King Saul happened to be 6 ½ feet tall, Goliath would have been around 3 feet taller than the man who was one of the tallest men in the nation of Israel. The head of King Saul would have reached the height of Goliath's stomach. Do you think the king might have felt a little intimidated? Goliath definitely had an intimidating presence. If the Hebrews could have watched the Wizard of Oz in their day, they too might have sung, "Lions, tigers, bears, and giants! Oh my!" What made matters worse was Goliath's voice. Without a megaphone or P.A. system, he cried out to the multitudes of Hebrew soldiers that were camped on the mound of the rocky hills and slopes that were across from the Philistine camps. They could hear his shouts that were like a lion's roar echoing in the wilderness. He definitely had a huge set of lungs that could blast out his challenges, criticisms, condemnations, contempt, and curses. The fact that Goliath stood and shouted at the Hebrews demonstrated his confidence and defiance. He was not scared of Saul or the Hebrew soldiers. Facing one more army was nothing new to him. He was not a rookie warrior. He was a veteran champion. He was like the "go to" player on a football team that scored touchdowns or tackled quarterbacks. He was like the swift-running anchorman on the school track team that ran the last leg of the 440 yd. Relay team. Goliath’s pride and arrogance led to him bragging and boasting about himself. We begin to take a look in this message the problems that are attached to boasting. They are like ticks on a deer. This message was preached on Wednesday night September 3, 2025, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.

Topics

• Pride