What really drew my attention (after Pastor Al pointed it out…) was Goliath’s response to David. When David walks up to Goliath to face him in battle Goliath looks him up and down and seeing that he is only a boy says: “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” (1 Samuel 17:43-44).
As I read these verses, instead of imagining Goliath spitting these words out at David I saw Satan screaming them at me in a mocking tone. Satan will try to belittle us and deceive us into thinking that we can’t win in battle against him; that we are too little, too weak and too foolish. He will try to instill enough fear into our hearts that we turn and run away, and then he will fill us with shame for being weak and backing down.
But instead of giving in to Satan’s (Goliath’s) taunts, David stood firm and gave this response:
“45 David said to the Philistine, “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. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 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).
As I’m sure you know- David wins. David used God as his weapon and defeated Goliath. David fought for God’s glory and with God’s strength, not his own, and therefore he couldn’t be defeated.
It reminds me of Threads of Hope here in the Philippines. Alex, the founder of the organization, has saved over 400 women from prostitution by selling bracelets. Bracelets. Imagine how foolish satan tried to make him feel, imagine how often satan whispered in his ear that it wasn’t going to work, that he wasn’t good enough or strong enough, that his idea was stupid and wouldn’t make a difference.
David conquered satan (in the form of Goliath) with a pebble from the river.
Alex is conquering satan (in the form of bondage and shame through prostitution) with some thread.
God is so beautiful. If only we listen to His voice we can change this world in radical ways with the simplest of weapons. Fight for Him. Fight with His strength. Know that Satan will do everything in his power to trick you out of it- but it doesn’t matter, because God wins.
