You & Goliath

You will fight many battles. You will face giants. Never forget that the battle belongs to the Lord and we will see victory. 

“Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war…A champion named Goliath…Goliath stood and shouted…Choose a man and have him come down to me…Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified…David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart…your servant will go and fight him.” Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man…David said to Saul, “Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion…will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine…he…chose five smooth stones from the stream…with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. David said…I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty…This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands…All…will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s…As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran…taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.” 

1 Samuel 17:1-51

There are so many incredible lessons that we can learn from the story of David and Goliath. There is an entire lesson to be learned about understanding how all you are going through is preparing you for what God has planned for you. Think of the hard times where David was all alone and had to fight a lion in a bear just to protect his flock. You are enduring times of pressure and difficulty that God will use as He prepares you for something greater. 

There is a lesson about pride and arrogance. Everyone on the battlefield feared Goliath because they saw how big he was. David feared God alone and strengthened others by his faith. David was willing to lay down his life to save others. By being willing to offer his life for others, God lifted him up. There is victory in surrendering to God’s will, plan, and purposes. What would you have done in that circumstance? What do we do when we face an obstacle greater than what we can solve in our own strength? There is a great line in film Braveheart, where William Wallace says, "everyone dies. Not everyone really lives." David lived. 

There is a lesson about comparison and walking in who God made you to be. David did not try to be like anyone else nor did he wear Saul’s armor. He had to be who he was and fight with the strengths that he was given. Would David have lost the battle if he had fought with a sword instead of a sling and stones?  How often do we try to be like other people when God is telling us to be who He made us to be? Our culture teaches conformity, where God’s word celebrates individuality. What are your greatest strengths? How could you use those to protect others? 

There is a deeper lesson about the battles we face every single day. The battle of faith or fear. The battle of serving God or serving the world. The battle of becoming who you are made to be or becoming like everyone else. The word of God says the battle belongs to the Lord. 

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us…for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.” Psalms 103:1-20

Winning is fun. We love to celebrate winners. We look around to see who is winning in our world. We celebrate people who win Super Bowls and World Series. Our world celebrates celebrities and successful entrepreneurs. One incredible truth of the Bible is that God uses the lowest and the humble to carry His victory. Think of Gideon or David. They were the lowest and the least. What if we learned to look at people differently?

David says we should all celebrate God. We should praise him day and night from the beginning of the morning to the end of the evening. David says if you open your mouth it should be to praise God. What do you celebrate? What is worthy of your celebration? Is it the person who has worldly power or the Almighty Creator? 

David reminds us of all the reasons we should praise God. He reminds us that God saved us from the pit of despair, He paid the penalty for our sins and instead He crowns us with righteousness. As King, He gives us a crown and calls us to become love and compassion to the world. David describes the goodness of God. What reason would you give for why others should praise God? 

In scientific terms, if you were to consider the idea that God‘s love is higher than the heavens, you would realize that your view of God is too small. David says that as far as the east is from the west are your transgressions removed. Is this true for you? If God has forgiven and forgotten your sins, have you? How often do we live with regret, guilt or shame? 

David said the Lord reigns. He wins every battle, He can never be beaten, His power is beyond measure. His purposes are greater. Angels and each of us are called to obey Him, participate in bringing His kingdom, and belong to Him. Jesus told us to redirect our focus that we might see above the raging seas. Imagine how David’s mindset could have been if he had considered how big Goliath was how and truly how small he was.  Instead, he focused on how great and powerful God is. Is that your approach? Are you looking at your problems and the pressures you face or are you praising the Lord? 

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” Song of Songs 6:3 

God is bigger than big and greater than great. He is more powerful that we could imagine and exists outside of all that we know. We could spend our lifetime talking about how perfect His love is and how unending His compassion is. What changes us most is when we realize how personal He is.  God is closer than close. He is God with us and within us.

In Psalm 103 He said He knew us in the womb. He was with David when he was all alone fighting the lions, and God is with you when you feel like no one knows what you’re going through. It is his great promise and the truth that will never be broken. You are His and He is yours. He sees you, He loves you, He chooses you, and He crowns you. You are not a mistake nor made to live a meaningless life. God does not make mistakes. He makes miracles. 

“He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares…Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Come…let us walk in the light of the Lord…people will be brought low and everyone humbled— do not forgive them. The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. The Lord Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty…The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and the idols will totally disappear. Stop trusting in mere humans” Isaiah 2:3-22

Jesus began the sermon on the mount by saying, "blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." He was the fulfillment of the scripture and showed us what it means to walk in the light of the Lord. The natural question arises. How is pride impacting your life? How is it impacting your relationship with others and with God?

Consider this text from Isaiah in light of the Samuel text.   How arrogant was Goliath? How prideful was he? Those who are arrogant will be brought low says the Lord. Just like David we are invited to praise the Lord and exalt his name alone. Where could more humility help open the door for more victory? 

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, “Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.” The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the land, and ugly, festering sores broke out on the people who had the mark of the beast…The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood…they have shed the blood of your holy people and your prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve…The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness…but they refused to repent of what they had done…Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake…a loud voice from the throne, saying, “It is done!” From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people.” Revelation 16:1-21

The Lord Almighty is righteous and just. He shows that in the punishments that He pours out upon the people who will not turn to Him, He gives them exactly what they gave others. You reap what you sow. To the person who shed blood, they drink blood. To the person who marked their body with the beast mark, He marks their body with sores. To the beast who led people into darkness, He is sent to darkness.  Throughout it all, Jesus continues to invite them to turn to Him but the text says they refuse.  

Jesus calls out to the people just like He did on the cross. He says it is done because the battle belongs to God. The battle has always belonged to God. He will always be victorious. Nothing can stand against Him. It is remarkable to see the text align after over two hundred days of the reading the Bible. The text align today in a connection between how God sends hailstones as part of His victory and how David threw a stone to triumph over Goliath.  Only God could make a connection like that on this day, but that should come is no surprise. God orders our days and His word is alive. 

Jesus says blessed is the one who stays awake. Fear made everyone want to run and hide. Fear sends us into darkness.  Jesus wants us to open our eyes and see how like David we can step into the battle to use our God given gifts to save others. The word for faith means confidence. Everything changes when we learn to walk in victory, confident that He who began a good work will carry it to completion. 

David said to Saul that the same God who saved me from the lion will save me on this day of battle. That is our victory cry today. The same God who we praise for having fought our fights, forgave our sins and freed us to become who He made us to be will show up again today. So let us join in the song of David and praise the Lord. Praise the Lord by stepping up and serving others. Praise the Lord by singing songs and speaking life. Today is an invitation to believe boldly that the battle belongs to God and we will win. The same spirit that raised Christ from the dead and crushed the fear of Goliath lives in us. So why should we fear? If God is with us, who can stand against you? Not your greatest fear, nor any giant, for God is with you.