No Longer Intimidated

This morning I read 1 Samuel 17.
It tells the story about David and Goliath.

I noticed several things.

David "killed" Goliath four times.

First, he killed him with his words.

Check out verse 46.

David says to Goliath, "This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you! And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel!"I am quite sure he shouted this loud enough for both armies to hear.

Then he killed him with a stone from his sling.

He ran towards Goliath, put his hand in his leather bag and pulled out a smooth stone he had gathered from a nearby brook, slung that stone in his sling and struck Goliath in the most vulnerable exposed spot on his body-his forehead, and Goliath fell face down on the earth. Dead.

Then, having no sword of his own, and being sure that Goliath was not tricking him by playing dead, David ran over to Goliath, and took G's own sword and killed him with it. I'm not sure where he ran it through but there was no doubt in David's mind that his enemy would no longer taunt him.

And number four. He took that bloody sword and chopped off Goliath's head with it. He held it high for the enemies to see and then the enemy knew they were in trouble. They ran away as fast as they could.

The Israelites, taking courage from the events of the past five minutes, pursued their enemies for quite a ways. When they returned, they went to the enemies camp and plundered what was in their tents; perhaps taking back the things that had been stolen from them, but also, taking the goods that belonged to their enemies fair and square.

What gave David the courage to do these exploits?

He was certain of two things.

#1-That God, who not only protected him from the mouths of the lion and the bear but helped him destroy them, would also protect and help him destroy this enemy as well.

#2-That anyone who defies the armies of the living God defies God Himself, and is therefore, already doomed.

David had been faithful in what he would call the little things-protecting his flock from a lion and a bear. The situation he walked into felt familiar. Someone was trying to destroy the flock of God. How dare they destroy what was God's?! And in the fury and zeal that comes to the one who knows His God and the love God has for His people, he acted with courage and might and destroyed the enemy of his people. This gave courage to the trembling souls around him and they in turn pursued their enemies, destroying them, and upon returning, plundered what had once been in their enemies possession. Oh God, help me get this!

My dear people, we have been intimidated far too long. We've been created, not to just exist, but to win! And not just to win, but to be victorious! And not just to be victorious, but to overcome and plunder that which belongs to the enemy! Jesus did this very thing for us on the cross and on those days we thought He was in the tomb. He destroyed the enemy and plundered his goods and brought back that which had been held captive in the enemies camp. Then He dispersed goods to His people. These gifts equip us for the work of the ministry so we can edify one another in order that we will come into a unity of faith and know God and be full of Him, growing up in Him and being strengthened with love.

Rise up O Child of God!

David could have gone home.
He could have been safe.
And that I understand.
I am a lover, not a fighter.

But it's not so much about who we are;
It's about Whose we are.

How dare the enemy destroy those who belong to the Living God?
How dare the enemy intimidate and berate and tyrannize
those whom God holds in the palm of His hand?

God has won!
He has won in spite of the failures of His army, His people.

God has won!
And we are God's.
Therefore, we win too.

So lift up your heads and your hearts
and let the King of Glory come in.
Who is this King of Glory?
The LORD strong and mighty!
The LORD mighty in battle!
This is Our King of Glory!