There’s a certain fascination with the story of David and Goliath, isn’t there? I’ve been thinking about it for a week now, and the Lord keeps bringing a couple of phrases from the story to my mind to think about in deeper ways. Here’s my list:
1) 1 Samuel 17:16: “For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.” This reminds me of another forty-day stretch – the time Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Matt. 4:1-11).
2) 1 Samuel 17:43b: Goliath “cursed David by his gods. ” David didn’t curse, he came in the name of the Lord Almighty. He gave us proof that God’s name is all-powerful.
3) 1 Samuel 17:45: “David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin…’” Three powerful weapons of warfare, to be sure. (Goliath’s spear had an iron point that weighed about a hundred and twenty five pounds.) In the wilderness Jesus came against weapons of warfare, too – identity, provision, and power. Three weapons that he countered with something far more powerful than anything made of steel – he used the written Word of God.
4) 1 Samuel 17:47: “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves…” Many, many years after this battle was fought and won, the Apostle Peter faced a Goliath of his own, and gave this defense before the Sanhedrin: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
In these ways, and more, this battle between David and Goliath reminds me of the battle we fight every day – the battle for our heart. Will we take up our weapons of warfare? Do we fully understand what those weapons are? The Apostle Paul reminds us that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). Our armor, like David’s, is not made of steel; it is invincible. But it’s not invisible. In thought, word and deed, we wear it every day. It’s our identity in Christ.
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