A GIANT KILLER?
Memorise: For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but
if ye through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. Romans 8:13
Read: Colossians 3:1-6, 3 If ye then be risen with Christ,
seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of
God.
2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth.
3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye
also appear with him in glory.
5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;
fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and
covetousness, which is idolatry:
6 For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the
children of disobedience:
Bible in one year: 1st Colossians 1:1-4:23, Proverbs 26:1-14
MESSAGE
David is the biblical man for all seasons, the most complex
and many-sided human character in the Scripture. David was variously shepherd,
fugitive, politician, king, poet, musician, prophet, warrior, friend (of
Jonathan), lover, father, sinner (adulterer and murderer), penitent and “type”
of Christ. David is unique among bible characters by virtue of being fully
known to us, both from the outside (as subject of narrative writing) and from
the inside (as writer of Lyric poems). While many post biblical exegetical and
literary traditions take extravagant liberties with biblical data, the traditions
stemming from David can all find biblical basis. This includes the Puritan
image of David the reformer, the true child of God resisting the assaults of a
tyrannical king (Saul), beset by slanderers and enemies; the champion who
fought against God’s enemies, the king who reformed the nation and established
worship on a holy foundation.
The role in which David is best known to the Western
imagination is that of ‘boy hero and giant killer’. When David killed Goliath,
he became an instant public hero, a civic liberator providing possible
inspiration for fictional heroes, following in his wake from Beowulf to Jack
(of the beanstalk). To this day we read in the newspapers about someone pulling
of a “little David” act in sports or politics, or about a “David and Goliath”
contest. David’s success in expanding the territory of Israel was unequalled in
the annals of Israeli history.
David’s career as a national hero was preceded by his career
as an underdog. The youngest son, belittled by his older siblings (1st Samuel
17:28-29), David was considered so unlikely a candidate among Jesse’s sons to
be anointed as the future king that he had to be summoned from tending the
sheep after the other brothers had been passed over (1st Samuel 16:6-11).
Subsequently, he had
a career as a fugitive, fleeing from the wrathful Saul, living continuously on
the edge. There is even a touch of David as a rebel and a desperado. Jesus
cited David as a precedent for disobeying the Levitical laws on the basis of
the time when David took consecrated bread to feed his hungry men, and also ate
from it too (Matthew 12:3-4). Then there is David the political strategist.
Even after he was anointed king of Judah, David had to undertake a long process
of consolidating his power until he eventually became king of the entire nation
(2nd Samuel 2-5).
Anyone who has ever been to Sunday school probably knows the
story of David and Goliath. In fact, the concept of a boy giant-killer excites
even the imaginations of unbelievers. And well it should. Not only is this an
actual historical event and a wonderful Bible story to tell our children, it is
also a powerful demonstration of victorious spiritual warfare. It’s a story we
need to revisit often as we mature in the Lord. The imagery in this story is
rich with profound spiritual truths and insights that can help strengthen our
own understanding of how to engage effectively in spiritual battle. With your
study group, read through this passage, ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind
and heart to new truths, and then together begin to ‘mine’ the rich treasure
contained in this passage.
Prayer Point
Father, please give me the grace to achieve greater feats
than David.
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