We have a good GOD. He is good GOD Almighty!
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." - Isaiah 41:10
Have you ever been involved in a battle so unfair that you were paralyzed by fear? The odds were so much against you that you were unable to really engage as you should and while you were physically present, you had mentally checked out and just resigned yourself to lose?
What if I told you that this was all an illusion and the giant you are encountering today, you can defeat once and for all?! Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1
We all face many types of battles - battles with enemies, battles with friends, court battles, financial battles, internal battles – all of these can be overwhelming and leave us feeling as though there is no point in even trying. The opposing side appears to have everything on their side to win and victory just seems impossible.
This is the scenario we see in 1 Samuel 17 as it details the famous battle between David and Goliath. Though this blog will not delve into the importance of the location of this battle, it is worthy of mention that Shochoh was land given to the tribe of Judah Israelites by Yahweh after they were delivered from Egypt. You can read more about this location and it’s history on BibleWalks.com.
Goliath was on their territory, but they would still need to fight and win in order to take back what was rightfully theirs.
1 Samuel 17:1-4 recounts:
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongs to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim.
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
The Philistines champion was not only larger in size, better trained and equipped, he also used intimidation to incite fear in the Israeli army so they would cower in terror and delay challenging him in the valley between them.
Verses 4-7 provides a detailed description of Goliath's armor. He was not only bigger, he was also better prepared.
Goliath did not know that his days were coming to an abrupt end. Despite his training, his plan to intimidate the Israeli army, and his heavy armor, he was just hours away from his final breath.
It is interesting to note that when we read about the anointing of King Saul, he is described as “head and shoulders” above the others (see 1 Samuel 10:23). King Saul was the leader of Israel during this standoff, but Goliath was bigger than Saul. No matter how equipped we may feel, there is likely someone more equipped and this is why we must put our trust solely in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now enters David, whose physique and experience was in complete contrast to Goliath. Goliath had been a military warrior since his youth while David had no military experience. All he had was the anointing given to him by the prophet Samuel and his experience of deliverance when a lion and bear attacked his sheep.
1 Samuel 37: David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
1 Samuel 17:42: When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
In the natural realm Israel was facing imminent defeat and it did not help that their leader had lost his connection with The LORD. They no longer had the confidence in Yahweh they needed to face the issue head on. King Saul had disobeyed the voice of the LORD several times and The LORD had left him to his own devices.
Allow me to focus here for a moment because it is relevant to the fear the children of Israel were encountering. King Saul was anointed king by the prophet Samuel. Jehovah had him anointed at the request of the children of Israel – they wanted a king like the nations around them.
They had experienced the goodness of the LORD repeatedly since their deliverance from Egypt, but their mind was not settled on the fact that The LORD was their GOD and King. He had gone before them and behind them, fed, sheltered and clothed them; healed and restored many who had become ill from sinful behavior in the wilderness.
Besides all that the LORD had done for them, they were still blind to His power, His mercy, His goodness, His grace. Grace is not a New Testament concept, it has always been available to those who put their trust wholly in the LORD.
King Saul’s apostate mindset was a reflection of the hearts of many. In ritual and words they believed in Yahweh, but when the tests came and instructions were given by the LORD for their own good, they disobeyed and ignored them. To make it worse, they refused to acknowledge this and continually looked to the LORD for victory but refused to honor, obey and love Him with their whole hearts.
They needed to repent but their hearts could not perceive this since sin has a hardening effect on the heart and darkening impact on the eyes. They were not able to see their need to turn back to The Lord.
We can learn so much from this!
It is our own half hearted obedience that leads us to certain situations, then when The LORD does not show up as we think He should, we become fearful. The fear comes from knowing that we have not obeyed and loved the LORD as we should yet many refuse to repent.
This is dangerous because the fearful and unbelieving cannot inherit the Kingdom of GOD, nor is it possible to please GOD in fear since it is the nemesis of faith.
There is a confidence we can have in the LORD when we consistently obey and follow His commandments. This confidence is diminished when we know that we must rely on the LORD’s mercy. His mercy is new every morning, and we thank GOD for that, but there is a secret place we can dwell when we are clothed in obedience and holiness. Our trust in the LORD can be cemented in His faithfulness to His Word and covenants toward Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is not salvation by works, but as James shares with the church, Faith without works is dead (James 2:14-26).
In Deuteronomy 28 we see the conditions given to the children of Israel to walk in His blessing. Today, we have full access to the Holy Spirit to help us walk in His ways, whereas not all Israelites were Holy Spirit filled. There were those who The LORD filled from their mother’s womb but the Holy Spirit was not dwelling in every Israelite as it should be in every member of the Body of Christ.
So the fear that gripped the Israelites was a reflection of their inconsistent walk with the Lord. In previous chapters we read where they had been defeated by the Philistines so this was likely part of their hesitation as well. May we all walk in the grace of Jesus Christ so we can obey and honor the LORD as we should.
Goliath mocked and prodded the children of Israel for forty days and forty nights. He had no respect for their GOD, their customs, or them. 1 Samuel 17:16, “And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.”
Goliath was not aware that Yahweh had already anointed a new king. He was ignorant of his true opponent as he provoked the Israelites, but he would soon find out that he was challenging Yahweh.
When we are challenged, we should take time to consider what is actually happening. Those who come out against us are not just challenging us, but coming out against a living GOD, also known as the Lord of Hosts. He will fight for us and give us victory when we walk in His ways and place our trust in His deliverance.
Just as the Apostle Paul instructed the church in Ephesus “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).”
Goliath was backed up by his army and so were the children of Israel. It would take a small shepherd boy to remind the mighty army of Israel that the Philistine was fighting against the armies of the Lord. He had to bring the unseen into the seen. For faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.
He was relying on his past experiences of deliverance from deadly opponents. In normal circumstances, he would have never been given access to such a battle, but this was a divinely inspired event. The giant was destined to die and the "boy" was destined to reign as king.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of GOD. - Romans 10:17
If faith can come by what we hear, so can doubt and unbelief. We must be careful who and what we are hearing because what we hear produces something in us; it can be positive or negative. It is up to us!
I caution every person hearing a voice of doubt in their minds as they read this: cast down any thoughts of unbelief. Unbelief is an enemy of your destiny and soul! It is dangerous to walk that path since doubt and unbelief is why so many of the children of Israel never made it to the Promised Land.
The author of Hebrews warns us in 4:2, Indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
David's faith brought deliverance to his nation. His faith would be the cornerstone of his reign as king, and give him a reference point from which to rely on The LORD in many difficult times.
Let's read on to see the confidence David had in defeating this foe once and for all:
1 Samuel 17:45-47: "David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
This is not a fairytale or fable. This same GOD who showed up for David will show up for you in your battle. He will give you victory and show Himself strong.
1 Samuel 17:48-50 "As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and 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; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
There is an old school song by Gospel Artist Fred Hammond called Show Yourself Strong that tells the story of someone looking for the LORD to show up on their behalf. This is a favorite warfare song of mine because it is so biblically accurate and encouraging when you know that the battle is the LORD's.
David used what he had - faith and trust in the delivering power of GOD to get closer to what the LORD promised him, the throne. He is an example of what The LORD wants to do in our lives if we are willing to trust and obey Him. Every giant will have to die in the face of our GOD, I AM. We can be assured of victory when the odds are stacked against us and we know what The LORD has promised.
Fear has no place in the heart of those filled with faith!
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