Never give up. Life is too important. You find a way to fight for every second of life.”
–C.J. Petit (Luke)
“Is there not a cause?… Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
“Is there not a cause?… Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
–1 Samuel 17:29, 32 (NKJV)
—————————————
I was fortunate that from the age of two onward, I was told or read the stories from the Bible. My aunt either told them told me, or read them to me, and they were certainly brought to my attention in Sunday School. I must have heard the story of David and Goliath over a hundred times because of this and subsequent sermons. Now I may have heard this somewhere before but it really didn’t stick in my thoughts until the other evening when I was reading a book by Alan Redpath.
I have always imagined Goliath strutting around, mocking the armies of Israel. When you read about his appearance he must have been something to behold. He was clothed in brass, and he was a majestic sight. Then add to his image that of his weapons. Wow, what a specimen, and he knew it. Not only was he a great warrior, but he was arrogant. “Look at me,” he would proclaim, and he did so in the sight of Israel’s army for forty days, challenging, mocking, and scorning them.
Satan is much the same. He strides through cities and countries in marvelous garb. It may be an ideology, it may be modern education, it may be evolution, it may be postmodernism, or any numerous other ideas. The modern mind is brought to the strutting being with his flashing garb of whatever it may be. He looks at Christians and mocks them. And much of the time we are like the army of Israel–pathetic. Fear grips us, compromise looks alluring, what could it hurt. Think of COVID and remember how the nations quaked in fear. “They were a people in covenant relationship with God, but actually in the bondage of fear before Goliath and all that he stood for!” (Redpath) Paul writes, “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NKJV). Man will believe the giants around him, but not the word of Almighty God. How foolish! Satan, like Goliath, defies the people of God.
I always wondered why Saul, the king, a warrior in his own right, did not go out to face Goliath. Wasn’t that his responsibility? But Saul, by this time had forfeited the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was once upon him. Disobedience, dabbling in the things of the world, things he was told not to do, Saul was quaking with the rest of the army. One the scene a champion. The giant was calling, “Give me a man!” (1 Samuel 17:10) David appears and in the larger sense, Jesus appears. Yet he was scorned, by his brethren, especially Eliab. Hmmm, why didn’t Eliab go face Goliath? He ridiculed David, “Eliab’s anger was aroused against David…I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” (1 Samuel 17:28, NKJV) A picture of our Lord, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11, NKJV) Isaiah said, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…” (Isaiah 53:3, NKJV)
David was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who overcame the “giant” (Satan) at Calvary. Know this, as it was with Goliath, who cried, “Give me a man!” The same is true of Satan, give me a man. The battle was to be decided by representatives of each side: Goliath–Satan; Jesus–church of believers. Satan, the giant who sneers at the Church, and on the scene comes a man. He doesn’t look like much. He is not arrayed in magnificent armor. All He has is the Word of God. He will face this giant for us. I am amazed that Saul even allowed David to go fight. After all, he was a representative. If he was killed then the Philistines would prevail and Israel would be their slaves. But Saul sends him out, his brothers are angry with him, but he doesn’t care–he has a mission. The world didn’t care about the coming of Christ–ah, but He had a mission.
—————————————
I was fortunate that from the age of two onward, I was told or read the stories from the Bible. My aunt either told them told me, or read them to me, and they were certainly brought to my attention in Sunday School. I must have heard the story of David and Goliath over a hundred times because of this and subsequent sermons. Now I may have heard this somewhere before but it really didn’t stick in my thoughts until the other evening when I was reading a book by Alan Redpath.
I have always imagined Goliath strutting around, mocking the armies of Israel. When you read about his appearance he must have been something to behold. He was clothed in brass, and he was a majestic sight. Then add to his image that of his weapons. Wow, what a specimen, and he knew it. Not only was he a great warrior, but he was arrogant. “Look at me,” he would proclaim, and he did so in the sight of Israel’s army for forty days, challenging, mocking, and scorning them.
Satan is much the same. He strides through cities and countries in marvelous garb. It may be an ideology, it may be modern education, it may be evolution, it may be postmodernism, or any numerous other ideas. The modern mind is brought to the strutting being with his flashing garb of whatever it may be. He looks at Christians and mocks them. And much of the time we are like the army of Israel–pathetic. Fear grips us, compromise looks alluring, what could it hurt. Think of COVID and remember how the nations quaked in fear. “They were a people in covenant relationship with God, but actually in the bondage of fear before Goliath and all that he stood for!” (Redpath) Paul writes, “Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4, NKJV). Man will believe the giants around him, but not the word of Almighty God. How foolish! Satan, like Goliath, defies the people of God.
I always wondered why Saul, the king, a warrior in his own right, did not go out to face Goliath. Wasn’t that his responsibility? But Saul, by this time had forfeited the anointing of the Holy Spirit that was once upon him. Disobedience, dabbling in the things of the world, things he was told not to do, Saul was quaking with the rest of the army. One the scene a champion. The giant was calling, “Give me a man!” (1 Samuel 17:10) David appears and in the larger sense, Jesus appears. Yet he was scorned, by his brethren, especially Eliab. Hmmm, why didn’t Eliab go face Goliath? He ridiculed David, “Eliab’s anger was aroused against David…I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” (1 Samuel 17:28, NKJV) A picture of our Lord, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11, NKJV) Isaiah said, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief…” (Isaiah 53:3, NKJV)
David was a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ, who overcame the “giant” (Satan) at Calvary. Know this, as it was with Goliath, who cried, “Give me a man!” The same is true of Satan, give me a man. The battle was to be decided by representatives of each side: Goliath–Satan; Jesus–church of believers. Satan, the giant who sneers at the Church, and on the scene comes a man. He doesn’t look like much. He is not arrayed in magnificent armor. All He has is the Word of God. He will face this giant for us. I am amazed that Saul even allowed David to go fight. After all, he was a representative. If he was killed then the Philistines would prevail and Israel would be their slaves. But Saul sends him out, his brothers are angry with him, but he doesn’t care–he has a mission. The world didn’t care about the coming of Christ–ah, but He had a mission.