Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We continue with our look at the historical Scriptural accounting of David and Goliath in I Samuel 17. As mentioned in last week’s message, there are parallels between I Samuel 17 and our everyday lives as Believers in the world today. The Holy Spirit put this historical accounting in The Scriptures to teach us, as Believers, how to overcome the enemy in this earth.
Every day on this earth, the curse markets fear to all mankind. All you have to do is watch 15 minutes of television, and fear is constantly marketed in the commercials and in the shows. There are an astounding number of commercials about sickness, disease, addiction, divorce, death, finances, failure, loss, lust, abortion, etc., rather than of life, faith, health, prosperity, winning, protection, deliverance, boldness, or Jesus Christ and The Kingdom of God. This is the contrast between the Babylonian system of satan and The Kingdom of God.
Notice in I Samuel 17:4-7 how the verses read like a bad news report from a doctor, a weatherman, a banker, a lawyer, etc. We can imagine this same information was prevalent in the camp of the Army of Israel and feeding their hearts. This is the marketing and written word and advertising of the curse. Always working to make the object appear to be greater in physical facts than the Spiritual Truth.
In I Samuel 17:8-10, we have Goliath himself challenging the Army of Israel with words. For forty days, twice daily, Goliath challenged the Army of Israel.
I Samuel 17:16
And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
The number “40” has significant meaning in Hebrew. Every time one finds the number forty in the Torah, its inner meaning is the “ascent from one level to the next higher one.” Forty, then, represents both the completion of the previous level, and leaving it behind, nullifying it, and forty also represents the inauguration and structuring of a new existence (the Torah given in forty days, the development of the fetus, and so forth).
We will see how the Army of Israel, the nation of Israel, and David complete a previous level of fear and ascend to a new level and existence of faith physically and Spiritually through what happens in I Samuel 17.
Notice Saul and the Army of Israel’s reaction in I Samuel 17:11 when Goliath comes forth each day, twice daily, for forty days to challenge them.
I Samuel 17:11
When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Saul and the Army of Israel represent the fearful Believer in today’s world. Yes, they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Yes, they are bound for Heaven upon death. But, in this world they will live a life that will not appear to be much, or any, different than the unsaved. They will suffer the same sicknesses, diseases, viruses, old age maladies, financial struggles, fear, doubt, and unbelief as the unsaved. Why would any unsaved person want the same Jesus of these Believers? In the unsaved mind, they are thinking, “why do I need Jesus when they are no different than me. If Jesus can’t or won’t do it for them, why would He do it for me?” Sad but true this is the testimony of many Believers when the world views them.
In I Samuel 17:12-22, we learn about David, the son of Jesse of Bethlehem Ephrathah. Of note, Bethlehem Ephrathah is Hebrew for “House of Bread and Fruitfulness.” This is where Jesus would be born a thousand years later. Jesus is “The Bread of Life” in John 6:35 and “The One Who Alone Can Produce Fruit Within Us” in John 15:5. We also know during the time of Jesus’ life on earth, the sacrificial lambs of the Temple in Jerusalem were raised in Bethlehem Ephrathah. This is symbolic with Jesus being the “Sacrificial Lamb of God” for the once and forever sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.
David was the youngest of seven brothers. David had three brothers in the army. In Israel at the time, you had to be 20 years old or older to be in the army. David’s other three brothers had to be under 20 years of age. We can assume they may have been between 16-19 years of age with David being around 14-15 years old.
Notice how it states in several verses how the Army of Israel and the Philistines were set in array against one another, and it even says in verse 19 that Saul and the Army of Israel were fighting with the Philistines. But we know they never actually engaged in physical combat prior to David killing Goliath. They were engaged in what could be termed a spiritual fight.
We note that David has obeyed his father, Jesse, and has taken food to his brothers and other army officials, and to get his brother’s report. When David arrives, he finds the army cowering in fear hiding from Goliath as he issues his challenge and mocks Israel. David hears the words of Goliath. One thing of particular importance to note is David never, ever, acknowledges what Goliath has to say. In fact, he barely even acknowledges there is a Goliath. David certainly never shows or speaks anything of fear.
One area of Scripture that puzzled me for some time is I Samuel 17:25-30. In this Scripture, David hears once before he asks two more times the following:
I Samuel 17:23-27
23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.
26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?
27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
My question of The Holy Spirit was “why did David ask two more times, after hearing it once before, what would happen to the man that killed Goliath and removed the reproach from Israel? The Holy Spirit taught me that David was establishing God’s Spiritual law over the situation he, David, a covenant man, was about to enter.
Deuteronomy 17:6
At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
Deuteronomy 19:15
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.
David was enforcing God’s Spiritual laws in the earth by having two, or three witnesses condemn, or sentence Goliath to death by their witness against Goliath. AMAZING!! Now it made perfect sense to me. David heard the men of the Army of Israel the first time they proclaimed what Saul would do for the man that killed Goliath. David wasn’t hard of hearing or stupid. In fact, David was brilliant in The Word of God. David wanted two more witnesses to mouth that Goliath was worthy of death so God’s Spiritual law would be enacted. We can see now why David had NO FEAR of Goliath. David believed in the covenant and in every Word of the covenant. David used the Spiritual laws of the covenant to condemn Goliath to death. Once that third witness spoke, I know David said in his heart, “I’ve got you now!”
We know David wrote most of the Book of Psalms. And much of it was from the time David was a shepherd boy. We can tell what David was doing all day long as a shepherd boy by what he wrote and the way he conducted his life. Yes, David wasn’t perfect, but he is the man God said, “was a man after God’s own heart” (I Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). This means David valued God’s Word over anything and everything in this world. Nothing came before or ahead of The Word of God. And when David failed, he didn’t blame others. David took accountability for his wrongs before The Lord.
I find it simply outstanding and exhilarating that David’s knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word and his faith in The Word, created a heart with NO FEAR. David expertly maneuvered satan’s prodigy, Goliath, into an unavoidable and unremovable sentence of death. Praise God!! Do we realize if David can do this, we, too, can do this today in our lives? But it requires us to sell out to God’s Word. Study It, memorize It, meditate It, decree It in faith, and expect It to perform and return to us having accomplished that which God pleases and prospering in the thing whereto God sent It. God’s Word is a honeycomb to our mouths, marrow to our bones, health to our naval, giving us long life, length of days, and peace, and we shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of His house, and He shall cause us to drink of the river of His pleasures. Can the world do this for us?
Next week’s message will finish our examination of I Samuel 17. I hope we will take the time to examine I Samuel 17 and compare and contrast it to our lives. Are we like Saul and the Army of Israel, hiding, cowering in fear, living well beneath our station in life as royalty and children of The Most High God? Or are we like David in that we know God’s Word, His Covenant with us through Jesus Christ, and we exercise our royalty, our authority, and our power in this earth for the further of The Kingdom of God?
In Christ Jesus,
Larry