1 Samuel 17:52
52Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward
with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the
gates of Ekron.
Observation:
The story
of David and Goliath is perhaps one of the most famous of Bible stories. David is
the hero; he is young, handsome, and God-fearing. He faces an epic struggle
against the mighty villain Goliath. Sadly, most people only see the story as
the little guy beating the big guy, but this is not what the story is about. It
is about faith in Yahweh, and the declaration there is only one god and it is
the God of Israel.
What is
fascinating is that Israel does not seem to get that their God is all-powerful.
Israel forgets their entire history with Yahweh and his mighty works. David
seems to be the only person who has complete faith in God. David has no fear of
the giant standing before him. He takes his stone, pelts Goliath in the head,
and kills him. David does not take credit for the victory he gives all the
glory to God.
Once the
giant is killed the army of Israel is emboldened and take off after the
Philistines. David stands out as God’s follower, and the people are no longer
afraid. David proves his point that God, Yahweh, is their deliverer, and the
folks decide it is safe to follow. Perhaps everyone needs a David to get the
people moving in the direction of God.
Application:
David is
not out matched by Goliath. Size and ability do not matter in God’s kingdom.
Or, do they? David is fairly common (other than his good looks). He is a talented
shepherd. Not typically, a trait seen in soldiers but God has prepared him
through his defense of flock, Israel. God did not choose someone without
ability, he chose someone who was good at what he did as a shepherd, and who
had faith that God could do anything through him.
We are not
all talented at everything. In fact, some of us are only talented in one thing.
However, we can all have the faith of David. Faith is not a talent, and I would
argue is not a natural strength. Faith
is cultivated through our response to God each day. As we trust God, he
strengthens our faith and prepares us to face the Goliaths in our life. Goliath
is an allusion. Just like death, he is a shadow that brings fear, but God is
truth. God is bigger than anything we ever face. There are no giants in the
Kingdom of God. Everything is small before him. God was not afraid of Goliath
and therefore David had no fear.
Just like
Israel, many today sit in fear of the Goliaths (Healthcare coverage, taxes,
lost jobs, etc.). God is not afraid of these things. He is not in fear of human
trafficking, child sexual assault, atheism, agnosticism, materialism, Satanism,
humanism, or any other ism we can muster. He is not afraid of the republicans
or the democrats, or any nation on earth. When we trust in God, Yahweh, Jesus,
we are more than conquerors. This does not mean every giant falls when we want
it to, but it does mean that God will be victorious in his time and his way.
Perhaps
what we need is to show the Body of Christ that there are David’s who do not
fear the enemies, and who are going out to battle in justice, and the powers of
darkness in this world. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood; people are
not our enemy. We must preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a message of Agape
(Love). It is like a stone that penetrates the mind and heart transforming us
in to the Image of God.
Prayer:
No comments:
Post a Comment