When Giants Fall but Fear Remains | 1 Samuel 21

ILLUSTRATION

Do you know that in some place cows and buffalos that are left open in the fields to graze. Some states in India too practice such this. It is said that when the cows sense the storm coming from the west and they start to try to run toward the east. The only problem is that cows aren’t very fast. So the storm catches up with the cows rather quickly. The cows continue to try to outrun the storm, but instead of outrunning the storm they actually run right along with the storm, maximizing the amount of pain and time and frustration they experience from that storm!

When was the last time you faced a storm in life?

Maybe some of you are facing a storm, a challenging situation now.

You feel like an army is charging against?

What will you do when you are faced with a challenging situation?

I have felt it many times in my life that my life is hitting against a wall or I am going through a situation that I cannot overcome. This automatically leads to worry, fear and loss of joy.

CONTEXT

In 1 Samuel 17, Israel was facing a storm in the form of a Philistine warrior named, Goliath. This huge warrior, like a walking armoury. He was challenging Israel to send a champion out to fight him on a one-on-one combat. Israel was shaking in their boots. Saul and the whole army was afraid.

David enters the scene. David knows what to do. He is going to use his confidence in the Lord to defeat this giant. David surprises everyone by using a sling and a stone to defeat and kill Goliath. In the hands of a very trained slinger, this is a very deadly weapon. But it was not really David’s skill or plan that won the victory. It was his God in whom he placed his faith.

He had to have a steady hand and an accurate eye. He picked 5 stones as if he was expecting it to require about that amount of ammunition. But David got him in the first shot. The Lord gave him a steady hand and an accurate eye. David knew that God was the key to victory. He talks a lot about God before and after this battle.

He twice calls God the living God – The Lord who is alive and who actively intervenes in the life of his people.

1 Samuel 17:34-37

³⁴But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

1 Samuel 17:45

⁴⁵David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

How did David face Goliath?

• David remembered what God had done.
• David focused on God’s powerful presence in the here and now.

Transition: Despite his great success against Goliath, things did not go well for David. Saul began to be jealous, threw a spear at him twice, trying to kill him. Saul tried to assassinate David in his bedroom. Finally, with help from Saul’s son and his best friend, Jonathan, David decided he needed to leave town. He needed to run away. David knew that he could not raise a hand against the Lord’s anointed, and so it was as if his hands were tied behind him. So he decided to leave, and he decided to go to the town of Nob. We read about it in 1 Samuel 21.

1 Samuel 21 – David on the Run

David is in panic mode now. Life is sometimes like this: One moment we can stand before the giant and be bold but the very next moment we can run away and be in panic and fear.

Being in a right relationship with God does not guarantee a trouble-free life.

Being in a right relationship with God guarantees God’s presence in our life. That is enough.

David goes to the town of Nob which is a priestly town.

1 Samuel 21:1

David went to Nob, to Ahimelek the priest (It appears that Nob has become the major sanctuary.). Ahimelek trembled when he met him, and asked, “Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?”

In fear, David starts off by doing the right thing. He is going to the priest, he is going to the sanctuary. But what he does in the sanctuary is troubling. Ahimelek probably heard the conflict between Saul and David. He is suspecting that David is on the run. David comes up with an explanation.

1 Samuel 21:2-3

²David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission (Lie #1) and said to me, ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ (Lie #2) As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. (Lie #3) ³Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find.”

Lying is an abomination to God

Proverbs 12:22 – “The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”

God calls His people to truthfulness because He Himself is a God of truth (John 14:6).

Lies bring temporary escape but long-term consequences

David’s lie led to tragic consequences—Ahimelek and the priests of Nob were later slaughtered by Saul (1 Samuel 22:18-19).

Proverbs 19:9 – “A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish.”

Lies may seem to offer a way out in the moment, but they often create greater problems later.

Satan is the father of lies

John 8:44

“You belong to your father, the devil… He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him… he is a liar and the father of lies.”

When we lie, we act more like the enemy than like children of God.

God desires truth in our hearts

ILLUSTRATION: The Boy Who Cried Wolf

A shepherd boy falsely cried, “Wolf! Wolf!” to get attention. His friends would come to save him but were pranked. One day, when a real wolf appeared, no one believed him, and he suffered the consequences. Lies may seem small, but they damage trust and create greater problems later.

Psalm 34:13-14

“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”

Coming Back,

In 1 Samuel 17, David brought provisions. He brought bread for his brothers

In 1 Samuel 21, David is looking for bread.

Application: David did not do anything wrong until now, just following the way the Lord is leading him but he is ending up in a situation where he is lacking bread. David is struggling for even a loaf of bread. God has led many of us through such situations where we do not know where our next bread will come from. God understands when we are lacking basic necessities of life. God will provide. Widow of Zarephath; 1 Kg. 17.

1 Samuel 21:4

But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.”

Context: This is the so called bread of the presence which is placed before the Lord and then it is replaced by fresh bread on the Sabbath Day. Once that bread is removed and is replaced by fresh bread, the Aaronic priests were to eat it in a holy place. David is in a desperate situation, so Ahimelek is willing to bend the rules a little bit, provided David and his men have kept them consecrated for the battle. Jesus later affirms this, that variance from the law was sometimes allowed to save life. David assures him, “Yes, everything is fine in that regard.”

1 Samuel 21:5-6

⁵David replied, “Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men’s bodies are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!” ⁶So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the Lord and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

Now there is a problem:

1 Samuel 21:7

Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd.

So there is an enemy here. One of Saul’s men. He is an Edomite. Later as time goes on the Edomites become enemies of Israel. So later Israelite reader would see this man as an enemy of Israel, but not now. Now he is Saul’s chief shepherd and the enemy of David.

1 Samuel 21:8

David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.” (Lie #4).

This is an odd statement to make, if he is sent by Saul, he must at least grab a weapon. There is something fishy going on here. When David goes into panic mode, he does not do well with some of these situations. We will discover this in 2 Samuel 11, after his sin with Bathsheba.

I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.

1 Samuel 21:9

⁹The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; (In the battle with Goliath, David remembered God. Here, it is like God intentionally reminds David of what he accomplished. He senses that David is in trouble and he is reminding David of how he won this great victory in the past.) it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one.” David said, “There is none like it; give it to me.”

David is in panic mode. He just feels like he needs a weapon. This sword did not protect Goliath, now David is having this sword. He is trusting in that sword. David is putting his trust in weapons than in his God, now.

David’s attitude seems to have changed toward swords. Earlier, he had said in 1 Samuel 17, “The Lord doesn’t deliver with a sword or a spear. You’re coming against me with a sword or a spear, but the Lord’s going to give me the victory.” Now, when he sees Doeg and realizes Saul is after him, he’s really into swords, especially Goliath’s sword. David seems to have forgotten.

David is now armed with Goliath’s weapon. It gets worse. Now in a radically desperate move, he decides to go to Philistine territory.

1 Samuel 21:10

¹⁰That day David fled from Saul (Here he is. He has the sword of the Philistine champion that he killed and he is running from Saul who was terrified by Goliath. It was David who had such bravery and faith that day, that is all gone. He is running.) and went to Achish king of Gath.

That is Goliath’s hometown. David arrives at Goliath’s hometown with Goliath’s sword. Here, David has become Goliath.

So here’s David, walking down the road with Goliath’s sword in hand, and he comes into Gath. He wants to sign up with Achish’s army. This is unbelievable.

1 Samuel 2:11-12

¹¹But the servants of Achish said to him, “Isn’t this David, the king of the land? Isn’t he the one they sing about in their dances:

“‘Saul has slain his thousands,

and David his tens of thousands’?”

¹²David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath.

Though Saul’s the king, they’ve heard about the fact that David is going to be the next king.

They remember David’s Past victory over Goliath. David doesn’t seem to be remembering.

David may have forgotten his destiny, but the Philistines have not forgotten his destiny.

God is reminding David of what God did and what God’s presence can do to him now.

This is not good. This is very, very sad in many ways because it seems that David has forgotten. But the Lord is getting his attention, ironically through the Philistines. The Lord uses them to remind David.

• Remember when David went out into the battlefield against Goliath, what did he do?
• He remembered. He remembered what God had done for him.
• He remembered those times when the lions and bears had come and the Lord enabled him to defeat those lions and the bears.
• He remembered and he was very much aware of God’s presence.
• He knew that God was with him that day in the battlefield. He told Saul that. He told Goliath that. “The Lord will give me the victory.”
• David remembered what God had done and he was very much aware of God’s powerful presence.

But David is in trouble. He is coming up with a scheme. David suddenly realises that they are going to treat him as an enemy and he has walked straight into the enemy camp with the sword of their famous hero that he killed in battle.

1 Samuel 21:13

So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard.

David is acting like he was insane. This is probably going to work because the Philistines are thinking as to why would anybody in his right mind. David pretends he is not in his right mind.

1 Samuel 21:14-15

¹⁴Achish said to his servants, “Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? ¹⁵Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?”

Achish seems to be saying that he has enough mad men in his government. So he just wants David gone. This scheme of David works. David acts insane, and that’s what fear will do to you.

ILLUSTRATION

We have a couple of dogs in our neighbourhood. We take time to pet these dogs and feed these dogs. These dogs are fierce. When others walk their big dogs, they will growl and bark at these dogs wanting to attack huge dogs. The dogs are usually kind to people, but at night they are very alert or if it senses suspicious people or movements, they bark their heart out. Once when I was going to put food them, the plate fell down making a loud noise. These dogs who is so fierce just ran with a cry. One ran this direction, another one jumped over the compound and hid.

Fear just makes you do insane kinds of things, and that’s David. David faced Goliath, now he’s afraid of Saul and Achish’s people. He puts his faith in Goliath’s sword. He’s in Goliath’s hometown. He has become Goliath. This is insane, and that’s what fear and lack of faith will do to you.

I’ve always had trouble with worry for most of my life, I’ve been a worrier. Some of you are there now, you are a worrier. Worried about everything in life. You know, “I’d have a need, the Lord would provide,” but you know, next month when another need arises, there I am, worrying again. Forgot about how the Lord had delivered a month ago, just kind of forgot.

Friend, don’t worry. Worry will lead you to fear.

So, how do we face our fears? We find the answer in the scripture we mediated today.

What did we learn from today’s scripture?

How do we face our fear?

How can I overcome my worry?

See how David faced Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.

Compare it with how David ran from Saul in 1 Samuel 21.

We find two different approaches.

In 1 Samuel 17, against Goliath:

David remembered what God had done in his life. Killing the bear and the Lion.

David knew that God was with him in the present battle. God’s presence right in the here and now.

Overcoming Fear

• Remember what God has done (past faithfulness).
• Acknowledge God’s presence (trust Him now).
• Face your fears with faith.
• Focus on Jesus, the Greater David

Christ has already won our battles—trust Him through every storm.

“Faith remembers what fear forgets: God is always with you.”

ILLUSTRATION

Children often struggle with fear at night, imagining monsters, ghosts, or shadows lurking in the darkness. Despite reassurance that nothing is there, their fear feels real. Parents may try to explain logically—telling them that monsters don’t exist, showing them an empty closet, or turning on a light to prove there’s nothing to fear. But often, logic does little to ease their anxiety.

What truly comforts a child is presence. When a parent simply sits beside them, holds their hand, or lies down next to them, hug them, fear fades. The child, once restless and afraid, falls asleep peacefully—not because the logic made sense, but because they felt safe and secure in the presence of someone they trust.

This is a powerful reminder for all of us. When fear and uncertainty overwhelm us, God’s presence brings the peace that logic cannot. It is not just knowledge but His nearness that calms our hearts.

And sometimes presence makes all the difference. And do you really realize God is present with us? He promises to be, and He is. Christ is present with us through His Spirit. He’s present with us. And so when you face the storm, God is there with us.

ILLUSTRATION

I started by telling you that when storms come the cows actually run right along with the storm. Maximizing the amount of pain and time and frustration they experience from that storm!

What buffalos do on the other hand is very unique for the animal kingdom. Buffalo wait for the storm to cross right over the crest of the peak of the mountaintop and as the storm rolls over the ridge the buffalo turn and charge directly into the storm. Instead of running away from the storm they run directly at the storm. By running at the storm they run straight through it. Minimizing the amount of pain and time and frustration they experience from that storm.

Notice how it’s the exact same storm both cows and buffalos have different approaches,

We can face any storms through Jesus Christ our Lord. The greater David, Jesus has defeated our enemy on the cross. Remember Jesus is with us. He loves us and he will lead us through.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

2 Corinthians 1:8-11

⁸We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. ⁹Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

LIFE APPLICATION

Remember God’s Past Faithfulness.

Practice God’s Presence Daily.

Face Your Fears with Faith, not Fight.

Trust in Christ, the Ultimate Deliverer. He has already won us the victory.