1Sa 17:12-27

Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced in years among men.

The three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle.
And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn,
and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul,

but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

The Philistine came [fn]forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand.

Then Jesse said to David his son,
“Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain
and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers.

“Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them.

“For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah,
fighting with the Philistines.”

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. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry.

Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army.

Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper,
and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers.

As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines,
and he spoke these same words; and David heard them.

When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid.

The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up?
Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?”

The people [fn]answered him in accord with this word, saying,
“Thus it will be done for the man who kills him.”

David was sent by his father to resupply his brothers.

Jesse thought Israel was fighting.
They were not!
They were cowering.
They had experienced forty days of intense “psychological warfare”.

You saw how they responded when Goliath came out.
The fled from him.
They were greatly afraid.

This included Saul.
Saul had reached the point that he was now offering a strong bribe to anyone who would confront/kill Goliath.
The King would enrich the man.
The King would give the man his daughter.
The King would wave all taxes for this victorious man’s household - this is serious bribery. LOL

The truth is this.
Saul should have led the charge.
Rather, he led in fear.
Every day the fear increased.

This is what happens when we trust in what we see rather than in the Lord.

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