Before Giants 3
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Before Giants
Before Giants
So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
We left David with King Saul telling him that he could not defeat this giant
And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
It reminded me of another time that the Israelites could not see with God’s eyes but there own!
Joshua and the spies
Those who saw with their eyes, and believed their own report never reaped the benefits of the promise of God
So now here we see the same story re enacted once again
God promised them victory but they choose to walk in defeat
And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
The word demonstrate here is the Greek word Apodexise - meaning to show that one knows something by showing proof, evidence, or verification
It is when we are at our weakest that our actions reveal what is truly the location of our strength!
David knows in his heart that he can trust God with the outcome of this battle, Saul on the other hand feels he must help David defeat the giant
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.
When you are about to do battle, your strength can only come from one place…your experience with God and His promises
someone else's testimony can encourage you but it cannot defend you
Someone else’s experience can give you insight, but ony God can give you wisdom
Someone else’s victory can give you hope, but only God can give you deliverance!
Each encounter with life requires new strategy from the Holy Spirit
Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
From that point on His life decisions and strength for tomorrow came from His intimacy with the Holy Spirit
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
The operative phrase here is “will guide you”
If a blind man does not yield and trust the dog that is leading him then he man find himself in a terrible way!
We are like the blind when it comes to the true holiness of God
We must trust in the Holy Spirit and yield to his leading and comfort if victory is to be ours
Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him.
We find now the moment of truth, the moment where it all comes down to trusting God and then putting that trust into action!
I notice here that a fervent that David was, the enemy the same! Both walked onto the battlefield that day claiming victory would be theirs but only one would walk away.
See that David reverts back to what he knows his abilities are and that God will multiply them to meet the task!
And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
Pride goes before destruction,
And a haughty spirit before a fall.
Man’s arrogance will be the testimony against him!
Goliath was resting wholly in his own strength but look at David’s reply:
Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, 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. 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.
David’s reply was bold by all means! Goliath said that he would feed David’s carcass to the birds! David’s reply…not only you but all of the camp!
You see Goliath was blinded by rage and pride while David derives his authority from God
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
David depended on God for his success
“This day God will deliver you into my hand”
David gave the glory to God
“That all the earth may know there is a God in Isreal”
Remember that Jesus likened life’s challenges to a stormy sea. The waves are beating against the rock upon which we have built our house, sometimes we confuse the attack on us to be personal…not so....most of Satan’s attacks come against the character of God and call into question His faithfulness!
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
And how do we stand...
Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.