No matter the physical strength or stature of Goliath, David was not afraid. Like Goliath did to the armies of Israel, the enemy will keep taunting you until you can prove why you are more powerful than him. Goliath presented himself for forty days for any challenger to come out and face him. The enemy does not believe you are equal to him at any time. He seeks to destroy you, but does not like an open challenge from you. The moment he sees someone who does, he takes a special interest in that person. He may still spoil for a fight to establish his superiority, but do not give up.
The use of such ideas as “mind control” and “brainwashing” reflects the influence of Western anti-cult literature as well.’
We recall that David chose five smooth stones before he went to confront the Giant Goliath. This was not because he thought it would take five stones to defeat Goliath; it was because Goliath had four brothers, and David was going to confront and defeat all of them. Your giant has other giants. Your greatest giant has other giants standing with him, battling over control in your life. The other giants might be your own emotions, your doubts, your low self-value, your regrets, or a number of other things. When Goliath fell to his death, the other giants, along with the entire Philistine army, fled. When you defeat the primary giant, the other ones will fall one by one, but they must all be confronted.
The King was so impressed by David’s courage, bravery and faith that he wanted to know whose son he was, who had raised such a brave warrior, who was this young man’s father? Here is something for you to meditate on. If you are trusting in Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then you are a child of God. You are His, and He is yours, and God’s children are all Giant slayers. So as any time you go forth to confront a Giant in your life, no matter how enormous, believe in your heart that Jesus Christ loves you and through your faith in Him, you are a child of God, and God’s children are Giant Slayers.
And he (Goliath) stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but i f I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us (1 Sam. 17:8-9).
The above verses represent the typical challenge from the kingdom of dark-ness to every Christian today. The devil is not afraid of you until you show him the reason why you are superior to him spiritually. Those who do not know the God they serve would instantly be afraid when the enemy howls.
Like David did, have your ears to the ground and listen, but do not accept the superiority of the enemy. Do not feign ignorance because of fear. You have God on your side.
No matter the physical strength or stature of Goliath, David was not afraid. Note that Goliath was called a champion, a local champion of some sort. The strongman is a champion any day if you see him so. For forty days, Israel saw Goliath as a champion who would wrestle and defeat men who confront him in human strength. Goliath of Gath was a formidable champion.
When you keep running away day by day, the enemy will come again and again to test you and see if you have any courage to challenge him. 1 Samuel 17:24 says: “All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid (including David’s brothers).”
Brave people are not stupid. They weigh the cost against the reward. However, bravery without divine wisdom is real ignorance, which equates to stupidity because there is no solid foundation on which such bravery is based.
Bravery and strength have to be accompanied by divine wisdom to achieve lasting results. With God on our side, the enemy flees and loses the battle to you and me. Young David weighed the reward before he challenged Goliath. David spake to the men that stood by him, saying,
What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? (1 Sam. 17:26). When you defeat the enemy, there is a reward for you, for your immedi-ate family and for the church.
As an open invitation to everyone in Israel, the package for anyone who defeated Goliath was: he would marry the king’s daughter; he would be enriched with great riches by the king; his father’s house would be free in Israel.
The rewards were to come only after the person fought the battle and won, not before. The real test for such a person was to muster enough courage to challenge the enemy and overcome him.
The rewards were to come only after the person fought the battle and won, not before. The real test for such a person was to muster enough courage to challenge the enemy and overcome him.
