Just a thought… 26 Oct

“David said to [Goliath], “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 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.”” (1 Samuel 17:45-47)

David said these words shortly before he killed Goliath the Philistine giant with a slingshot, directed by God to be a fatal hit. David knew he couldn’t win in his own strength, yet his trust was in God.

This is what Paul also commanded us to do, as we heard on Sunday morning: “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (Ephesians 6:10). Saul’s armour wasn’t going to help David; instead he wore God’s armour. We looked at the different parts of the armour (Eph. 4:14-17) and can see them too in the way David acted (see text above): he stood firm on the truth of who the real God is; he knew he was right with God; he boldly witnessed to Goliath who had defied God’s name; he believed God would deliver Goliath into his hands; and through this all will know that the LORD saves not through human strength.

In all this, David foreshadowed his greater Son, the Messiah. Jesus was victorious over ‘giant enemy’ Satan at the cross (Colossians 2:15). This gives us every reason to trust him for the battle that’s still raging around us. Because don’t forget: we’re at war – a spiritual war – and we, like David, can only remain standing in God’s strength, wearing God’s armour and wielding God’s weapons (Eph. 6:17b-18)!

For us though, God’s armour is so much ‘clearer’ than for David, because we don’t just have a promise of a coming Messiah, but a living, risen, King Jesus. Let’s stand firm therefore, and faithfully live as his saved people, in preparation for that glorious eternity when the spiritual war will finally be over!  

Klaas-Jan Gunnink