29/07/12

Your testimonies and knowledge of God will save you

1 Samuel 17:34-36
34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.



David came from a God fearing family. Like him, his brothers too were people who had faith in God so also were most of the Israelites. But when Goliath stood before them this one man caused the faith of all the Israelites including David's brothers' faith to be shaken.

First thing Goliath was not a surprise for the Israelites. When they went to war with the Philistines they were aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the enemy as any other good armies do. They had many experiences of battling with giants even bigger than Goliath but yet we see this one individual caused all the Israelites to tremble. What they did not expect to happen stood before them staring at their faces and bringing fear in them.

The Philistines and the Israelites regularly fought against each other. The Philistines knew the strengths of the Israelites so this time they tested them in a new area. The Israelites, even though lesser in number than the Philistines, had at numerous occasions defeated them and even larger armies. So this time around the Philistines did not come to the Israelites as an army but send forth an individual. They had their most fearful solider Goliath to challenge them. This solider was in reality no giant but a larger than normal person. True giants in the Bible were stated to be about 12 to 13 feet tall but Goliath was only about 9 feet 9 inches tall. The weight of his coat was about 71kgs / 156 pounds and the weight of his spear was about 17kgs / 37.5 pounds. To carry such a weight would require him to also be a very heavy person more like one of the huge WWF giant superstars wearing a great metal coat, armed with great spear, a sword and a shield.

King Og was the last of the real giants which were the outcome of fallen angels impregnating the women whom they found attractive / pleasing.

What took the Israelites on a back foot about this huge individual Goliath was that he did not challenge the whole Israelite army but an individual from the whole army. The battle between the two armies now took a form of a battle between individuals, one champion against another. Since now the battle was not against an army with another, the Israelites started looked at themselves as an individual and not as an army that was blessed by the Lord, and since each one did not find themselves worthy they started having fear enter themselves individually. Then they started speaking out this fear and thus fear started griping them collectively even more.

David as an individual never thought of himself as a great person therefore took the humble job of looking after the sheep and doing the house chores while his brothers joined the army, but on the other hand David had testimonies of the Lord doing great and mighty things in these little jobs and these testimonies stood between him and the fear of Goliath. David did not compare Goliath to the lion or the bear he killed while protecting the sheep. Like here even then there was not much time between David and the lion or the bear, one hit of the paw of the lion or the bear or bite of them can dismember a human. David believed in the extra ordinary power of God working through him. He knew since the Lord had done those great things through him even now the Lord would not fail him and would do the same.

When the traditional armory of King Saul was put on him David could not carry it, leave alone fight with it, for King Saul was a very tall person possibly a seven footer since ancient traditional Israelites were about 5and half feet tall and Saul was taller than them. David knowing only two weapons a staff and a sling very well thus preferred going to the battle only with them. He knew even if he wore the armory one hit of Goliath's heavy spear or sword would not save him and was enough to kill him.

A staff / rod symbolize authority. A shepherd does not fear the wild animals because of the staff in his hand. He knows how to use it, how to protect himself and his sheep with it. One more were important thing we need to note is David picked up 5 stones even though he was aware once Goliath charged at him there was very less chance of him getting to use another stone. The only way David would have been able to use more than one stone would require him to run away from Goliath while having Goliath chasing him, and this was not on David's mind since he charged at Goliath to hit him. He also spoke against his enemy as he charged against Goliath. If one knows Bible Numerics 5 symbolized man and 1 symbolizes God (Godhead). God being Truth, David fought Goliath with the truth of knowing who his God is and who he was in God. The stone which hit Goliath bought him down in an unnatural way for even though it hit him in the forehead he fell face down. David did not start jumping with joy at the moment Goliath fell down, he still had to go to the fallen Goliath, take Goliath's sword out of its sheath and cut of his head.

Today the Lord is telling us when situations come to test us or bring fear in us we should remember the testimonies where the Lord has done great things in our lives or in other people's lives. These testimonies will prevent fear to come inside us. These testimonies will not defeat the enemy, but when we take the truth of who God is and who we are in Him, that will empower us in a supernatural way to overcome our enemy. The truth will bring the enemy down but yet we will need to act. Confessing scriptures or speaking the truth is not sufficient we need to act in the truth to complete our belief in it.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord, the enemy starts his destruction in us by imputing his worms like fear into us. Lord, like the Israelites carried the pot on Manna which always remained fresh in the Ark everywhere they went so also help us keep a fresh reminder of our testimony in You. Lord, help us always remember Who You are and who we are in You. Help us have courage be people of action and only words, to act in what we believe and have authority over things as You have given us. Help us to be like David who face his Goliath. Like David took truth as his weapon against Goliath help us remember at times we can also use love as our weapon for You are also love...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference Scriptures ]
Deuteronomy 3:11 - For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man.

1 Samuel 9:2 - And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.

Read 1 Samuel 17


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