I know there is much spoken in regards to the battle we see fought between David and Goliath
in the first book of Samuel. There are a lot of details given in the text about what has taken place. I hope in Christ we may see the reality, the truth which it was pointing to, for what we discuss is not primarily right and wrong, but life and death and this not momentary but eternal.
As we see the armies of Israel and the Philistines facing each other for battle; Goliath, the Philistine champion comes out in all his grandeur and shouts to the ranks of Israel “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us” (1 Samuel 17:8-9 ESV).
As we see, this giant’s calling was for one battle to decide victory and loss for the two nations. This fight was not to wound, but to kill; for the victory of one would be the ceasing of the other. The dead warrior would no longer have any power or authority. Two kingdoms at war and only one anointed champion declared it to be a defilement of the armies of the living God. David not only announced, but lived out his enthusiastic trust on the One-True-Living God by going down to where the fight was to take place. As this ruddy, handsome youth stood before Goliath of Gath; man of war from his youth, he spoke “You come to me with a sword and 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.” These are not the words of a lost and rebellious young man, but the words of one who was anointed and had intimacy with his Lord; one who knew his God.
Jesus walked upon this earth as David did, but the battle which he alone was anointed to fight did not guarantee a nations’ victory through a moment in history. The battle Jesus Christ came down to fight and raised victorious grants an eternity of life, beginning here and now to all who will embrace and be embraced in the reality of His victory. He fought and conquered the giant of sin on the cross
at Calvary, swallowed up death in His life and took away all legality from satan in attempting to accuse the saints. Yes he was born and yes he did die, but unlike David, his body did not see corruption. For God raised him up and by this, lifting up high in His son a hope which does not fade nor brings confusion, but keeps us steadfast in His unfailing love. “And this is the victory that has overcome the world-our faith” (1 John 5:4b ESV). May your spirit be made alive by the resurrection-power of the word of God.
“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans8:3-4 ESV).
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