40 Days with Goliath - Final

For forty days the Philistine came forward
every morning and evening and​
​took his stand.

1 Samuel 17:40-54

      This week we took our fluffy, white puppy to a geology camp with our kids. They got to learn about dinosaurs, handle real fossils and petrified dinosaur eggs, be awed by a plethora of fluorescent rocks, and dig in the dirt to find their own fossils.
     The owners of the camp had three large Great Pyranees, who nightly scouted their 180+ acre farm in the desert of Washington for grizzlies, wolves and cougars who regularly frequented the ranch. Last fall, their pyranees had attacked and treed a cougar on the property.
     During the day, as we watched from a distance, our small bundle of fluff, about the size of an Australian Terrier, would crawl on her belly toward these giant dogs. Her nose running along the ground, she would inch and pause, inch and pause, positioning herself as close as she dared to them. As soon as she reached them, she would flip her belly into the air, pleading for their mercy, and then snuggle up close for their protection.
     Bedtime, however, was another story! As we would settle in for the night, spanning the length of a log bunkhouse with our kids, we would give our dog her food next to her crate on the porch. Next to us, she had all kinds of courage. In her mind, though not in mine, we were much more powerful than these pyranees! As the other dogs would advance, tails wagging, to check out the smell from her dog bowl, she would bristle, bark, and growl at them. It was hilarious to watch her challenge them from the vantage of the porch, with her family behind her!
     As I watched her take courage based on her faith in our abilities, it reminded me of little David's courage as he fought Goliath. A courageous faith, that, unlike our dog's, was not misplaced.
     In Part 1, we studied the place and stance of our fight, and who our Goliaths are. In Part 2, we looked at some of the first problems David encountered before he even had to stand up to his Goliath, and how he rooted himself firmly in his identity and future. In Part 3, we focused on how David negotiated closed doors, discrimination, and how to maintain an effective defense in a new battle situation. Today, I want to dig in to the Covenant relationship we have with God, how to gather our resources, estimate the cost, and how to turn the enemy's weapons against himself!
​

COVENANT
Let's declare our loyalty and love for God above all!​

     Goliath appeared “morning and evening,” when the Shema was to be declared. The Shema was Israel's affirmation of faith in God as their Covenant King--the Covenant authority Goliath was trying to replace by usurpation:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord [YHWH\ our God [Elohim, plural for God\, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 
​You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 
Deut. 6:4-7 NKJV
​

     God's people were commanded to declare vocally that the Lord was their God, in all of His triune, plural Godhead. They were to declare the command to love God with everything that was in them. Morning and evening, they were to rise and make these declarations over their lives and that of their families and nation. It was and is the quintessential statement of their faith in God.
    It was their enemy's goal to make Israel, God's people, omit this affirmation of faith and to  transfer their faith and obedience to his mastery over them.
     Our enemy wants to take God's place in our lives in order to imprison and destroy us. It has been his goal from the very beginning, when he challenged the Godhead! (Isa. 14:12-21)
But God has not left us without resources.
​

COMPILE
Let's gather what we need!
​

Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself 
five smooth stones from the brook,
​and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had,
and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine.
1 Sam. 17:40

     As a shepherd, these are the typical things David would have already been using regularly. David gathered his staff, his bag, and his sling. The staff he brought to the fight would have been a smaller, blunt, club-like stick. This stick was different than the rod, or shepherd's crook, that he would have used to guide, discipline and rescue the sheep.  This particular staff would have been what David used to beat away predators, wild dogs, lions, and bears. The sling would be slung with a stone at a predator from more distance: efficient and deadly.
     God wants us to be resourceful. While He is the God who creates everything out of nothing, He still chooses to participate with us so that we can join Him in the pleasure and reward of victory!
      What do we have in our hand today? It is enough. 
     It is enough because we have a God who multiplies. He multiplies our time, energies and resources. He just wants a willing and giving heart. “For if there is first a willing mind, [the gift] is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” (2 Cor. 8:12)
     It is enough because He is the One who is our strength. He is the God of angel armies. “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him (2 Chron. 16:9a).
     David gathered five stones.
    At first glance, the five stones seem like backup plans. If the first stone failed, he would have more to try again. But that wasn't the purpose. Just as Jesus died once for all, (1 Pet. 3:18) so David would defeat the giant with one blow.

     No, these extra stones were a preparation for David's future. You see, Goliath had four more brothers, all giants. They ruled with the Philistines, their allies, in the five cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Gath, which was situated within the southeastern shore of Israel's border along the the Mediterranean Sea.1
     These giants were descended from Anak, of the giant ethnic group of the Nephilim, which began pre-flood, but whose lineage continued post-flood. The descendants of Anak had settled in the best, most fertile land of Canaan, in the mountainous and well-watered region of what would be called the land of Hebron. (Gen. 6:4; Deut. 9:2; Josh 15:3)
     God knew that His people would be tempted to fear the giants. God never denied that His people are unequal to the giants. Rather, He wants to change our perspective to see the giants in juxtaposition to His own might!
     
     Just as God's people were to cross over to occupy the Promised Land, God gave them this promise:

---

Hear, O Israel: You are to cross over the Jordan today, and go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourself, cities great and fortified up to heaven, a people great and tall, the descendants of the Anakim, whom you know, and of whom you heard it said, ‘Who can stand before the descendants of Anak?’ Therefore understand today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said to you.
​Deut. 9:1-3

     When the twelve spies were sent by the Israelites before they were to go into conquer the land, only two men, Joshua and Caleb(from the tribe of Judah), came back with a good report of the land.
     After 40 days of spying out the land—40 days of seeing the goodness of what God had promised to give them and 40 days of witnessing the intimidating power of the giants—Caleb and Joshua alone saw the power of the giants in relation to God. They saw the immense benefit of the land. The rest of the spies could only focus on the giants in relation to themselves: We were as grasshoppers in their sight!” (Num. 13:33)
     As an old man, it was Caleb of the tribe of Judah who would ask to inherit the specific region of the giants, Hebron, that he might drive them out. Many years later, it would be in Hebron that David would first occupy as reigning king (2 Sam. 5:3).
     David knew that once he took on this fight with Goliath, it would necessitate an all-out war against the rest of the giants in the land of Philistia (2 Sam 21:18-22). David was making a commitment with the Lord to participate fully in walking in victory over everything that God had promised him. The gathering of stones was an act of faith--not only for this day of battle, but for a lifetime with God.
     Like his aged ancestor, Caleb, the youth David wanted to have complete victory with God. At either spectrum of weakness, they two showed us the power of God to empower us in our weakness!
   What are those battle areas in our lives that we know will follow on the heels of victory? Where are the strongholds that you can identify today, that you know you will need to deal with in the Lord-- Those places of defeat, of family history, or intimidation?
    While God doesn't ask us to fight every battle all at once, we can still make some preparation now. What steps can you take in faith now, to prepare for when those battles will come to you?
​

COMPARE
Let's assess the situation from a right perspective!
​

So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.
1 Sam. 17:41-47 NKJV
​

     David took stock. He inventoried what his enemy had, and of what he himself had. His enemy had formidable, real, and powerful weapons and stature. He himself had the Name of the God of angel armies. David compared the two, and declared his side to be the more powerful. He knew that the One within us is greater than the enemy (1 John 4:4).
     Jesus showed us in Luke 14:28-32 that as His disciples, He expects us to first sit down and weigh the cost of discipleship. Is our God big enough? Is the reward worth it? Are we willing to invest all that we have?
     Since the investment of ourselves in this battle is very costly, God wants us to know that this battle is important enough to Him to commit all that He has to the battle with us.
     There are two reasons why God is committed to work with you to defeat your giants:
    God wants to be glorified in the entire earth as the only true and all-powerful God, with nothing and no one comparable to Him.
     God wants all the people who know you personally to have a deeper understanding of how God works for His people. He wants them to respond to Him in faith in their own lives.
     Once we have weighed the balances, once we have made up our minds whose side we are on, there must be no hesitation. It is the time to run into the battle!

CHARGE!
Let's wield the weapon the enemy uses with confidence!
​

So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
​1 Sam. 17:48-54

     David didn't start into the fight with a sword to kill Goliath--it was the sword Goliath carried that David used to kill him! It would be the sword that David used again and again throughout his fighting battles against the Philistines and any who would encroach upon the territory he was commissioned to guard (1 Sam. 21:9).
     Goliath's sword stands for the Word of God (Eph 6:17). It is the Sword that the enemy uses to accuse us to God night and day, morning and evening (Zech 3:1; Rev. 12:10). God's Word contains the law of commandments, the handwriting of ordinances, under which we, as lawbreakers, stand condemned before God as the Righteous Judge.
     The devil uses God's own words to declare us guilty—to declare that we have no help from God because of our sin. It is that same Word of God that we must use to shut down the voice of the enemy. We can acknowledge the accusation---”Yes, by God's standards I was guilty of that sin. Yes, by God's Word I had no standing on my own with God because of that guilt. But that is why the blood of Christ was so important. He paid the penalty for me, and I have been brought near into covenant relationship with God through the blood of Christ (Eph 2:13)!
     This Sword, the Word of God, also contains the Promises of God for us as the People of God. The devil tries to use the Promises of God to derail us from our purposes in the Will of God.
     In Jesus' temptation in the wilderness after His baptism and anointing by the Spirit--Jesus' own battle with Goliath--we see three Promises of God that Satan wielded to try to derail Jesus from His purpose in Luke 4:1-13:

“God promised to provide for you.”
“God promised to give you the kingdom.”
“God promised to protect you.”

     In each of these temptations, there was a legitimate and real promise of God found in Scripture for God's people that Satan tried to persuade Jesus to obtain outside of the Will of God. In each temptation, Jesus wielded the Word of God back to the devil to declare the larger and more complete purpose of God.  Because Jesus had a complete understanding of God's greater plan of redemption, Jesus left these promises unfulfilled in His earthly life. Even though Jesus had the actual power to make these promises happen physically at that time, He chose to give them up to God's better will for His life in order to bring us into His joy along with Him.
     Jesus gave up His provision (Matt 8:20), his kingdom (John 18:36), and His protection (Matt. 26:53) in a temporal setting in exchange for a lasting and eternal Promise (Phil 2:6-11).
     Ultimately, as Jesus died on the cross, he fulfilled the promise of redemption for us from the enemy found in Genesis 3:15 AMP “And I will put enmity (open hostility) between you[the devil] and the woman, and between your seed (offspring) and her Seed [Jesus]. He shall [fatally] bruise your[the devil's] head, and you shall [only] bruise His heel.”
     Just as David used the sword of Goliath to render the enemy in his life powerless, so Jesus used the very weapon Satan tried to use against Himself to destroy the devil and to render him powerless. Jesus' own death resulted in Satan's destruction: “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O Death, I will be your plagues! O Grave, I will be your destruction!” (Hos 13:14)
     It was this laying down of Jesus' rights under the Word of God for our sake that reconciled us to God:

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities[all evil spirits\, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Col. 2:13-15 NIV

     When you take courage and find these battles in your life, people around you will see that God is able to deliver them. Many of them will take courage and come to the battle as well. Not only did the Israelites join with David in the battle, but they were also able to plunder the Philistines, securing their border and taking home a reward.
     David, however, knew that there was something else he must do. He must place physical reminders--memorials--of the victories he had with God, in prominent locations. The head of the giant went to Jerusalem, and the armor David placed in his own home.
     These memorials would be not only be for the present, placed in his current dwelling place, but also in Jerusalem: the future of where he would ultimately reside as King of Israel, and the location where Satan's head would, one day, be crushed by Jesus Himself as Jesus gave His own life on the cross.
     What can you do to establish memorials pointing to the victory of Christ for yourself and for successive generations?
     How will you point to your reminders and tell your story?

Reference:
Palestine-David-Solomon.jpg (912×1600) (britannica.com)1