June 25
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: they will not go unpunished. ~Proverbs 16:5
Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”
David said to Goliath, “You come at 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 hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, 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.”
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So, David triumphed over the Philistines with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. ~1 Samuel 17:43-50
How do you approach your problems? Do you go forth in your own strength, seeing the giant before you, without a clue of how to tackle it, but hoping that God has your back? Or, do you approach your problems knowing that God is with you and will accomplish the task set before you for His glory? Do you go out in your strength, knowing how inadequate you are, or in His strength, knowing how sufficient He is?
How you approach your challenges in life may make all the difference in whether or not you will be successful. The story of David and Goliath are used in so many different ways to talk about how to face our challenges. I wonder why we always see ourselves as David in the story. I’ve never heard anyone talk about being concerned that, hmmm, they might be the Goliath?
I suppose, for one thing, we like being on the winning side. We also like being seen as the overcomer. The world likes overcomers. We’re always seeing stories of people rising to challenges, overcoming obstacles and soaring beyond what anyone expected. Our hearts warm to the Davids of the world. We don’t even want to consider the possibility that we could be a Goliath in a situation, yet, have any of us ever struggled with pride?
“The Lord detests all the proud of heart.” Let’s see, what did Goliath have to be proud of? He was big, and well equipped. He was strong. Physically, he was superior to those little Hebrews, who probably didn’t even have decent armor or swords. We’re told in 1 Samuel 13, that the Israelites had to go to the Philistines just to get their plows sharpened and their goads repointed because they weren’t allowed to do it for themselves, so the Hebrew army probably wasn’t outfitted well.
Then, there’s this young whipper snapper of a boy with the audacity to come toward him. Many Bible experts think that David may have been only between 8 and 12 years old. At any rate, he was very young, to young to serve in the army proper. Goliath must have been very sure of himself as he saw little David approaching. And he said so.
Have you ever gone into a situation feeling pretty sure of yourself, or even better yet, feeling pretty self-righteous about your views of your opponent? Have you ever had feelings of moral superiority? Have you ever seen yourself as healthier, cleaner, more capable, or just plain right? If any of that describes you from time to time, you just could be suffering from Goliath syndrome. And, you never know, God may just be seeing the other person as your David.
Paul says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4) Let’s be honest, sometimes, that can be very hard to do. Paul then goes on to describe how Christ set the example for us, demonstrating that, there are times that only through Him, we can do the same.
Let’s face it, God brings many people into our lives that make resisting the Goliath syndrome difficult. We think we are the Davids, and we want God to help us. However, there are the times that God will help us most to resist thinking like Goliath, put down our sword and listen to another point of view. Both David and Goliath need God’s help to drop the stones and swords and work it out. David needs to rely on Christ’s help for strength and wisdom. Goliath needs God’s strength to be humble, become a servant and want what’s best for David. If you really want to be like David, sometimes the Goliath that needs slaying is your own sinful nature.
Prayer: Father, Jesus taught about this when he talked about the log in my eye, one giant splinter that has to be dealt with before I can help my brother with his speck. I understand it Father. Now help me do it better. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Confidence
The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: they will not go unpunished. ~Proverbs 16:5
Goliath said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.”
David said to Goliath, “You come at 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 hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, 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.”
As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground. So, David triumphed over the Philistines with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. ~1 Samuel 17:43-50
How do you approach your problems? Do you go forth in your own strength, seeing the giant before you, without a clue of how to tackle it, but hoping that God has your back? Or, do you approach your problems knowing that God is with you and will accomplish the task set before you for His glory? Do you go out in your strength, knowing how inadequate you are, or in His strength, knowing how sufficient He is?
How you approach your challenges in life may make all the difference in whether or not you will be successful. The story of David and Goliath are used in so many different ways to talk about how to face our challenges. I wonder why we always see ourselves as David in the story. I’ve never heard anyone talk about being concerned that, hmmm, they might be the Goliath?
I suppose, for one thing, we like being on the winning side. We also like being seen as the overcomer. The world likes overcomers. We’re always seeing stories of people rising to challenges, overcoming obstacles and soaring beyond what anyone expected. Our hearts warm to the Davids of the world. We don’t even want to consider the possibility that we could be a Goliath in a situation, yet, have any of us ever struggled with pride?
“The Lord detests all the proud of heart.” Let’s see, what did Goliath have to be proud of? He was big, and well equipped. He was strong. Physically, he was superior to those little Hebrews, who probably didn’t even have decent armor or swords. We’re told in 1 Samuel 13, that the Israelites had to go to the Philistines just to get their plows sharpened and their goads repointed because they weren’t allowed to do it for themselves, so the Hebrew army probably wasn’t outfitted well.
Then, there’s this young whipper snapper of a boy with the audacity to come toward him. Many Bible experts think that David may have been only between 8 and 12 years old. At any rate, he was very young, to young to serve in the army proper. Goliath must have been very sure of himself as he saw little David approaching. And he said so.
Have you ever gone into a situation feeling pretty sure of yourself, or even better yet, feeling pretty self-righteous about your views of your opponent? Have you ever had feelings of moral superiority? Have you ever seen yourself as healthier, cleaner, more capable, or just plain right? If any of that describes you from time to time, you just could be suffering from Goliath syndrome. And, you never know, God may just be seeing the other person as your David.
Paul says: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4) Let’s be honest, sometimes, that can be very hard to do. Paul then goes on to describe how Christ set the example for us, demonstrating that, there are times that only through Him, we can do the same.
Let’s face it, God brings many people into our lives that make resisting the Goliath syndrome difficult. We think we are the Davids, and we want God to help us. However, there are the times that God will help us most to resist thinking like Goliath, put down our sword and listen to another point of view. Both David and Goliath need God’s help to drop the stones and swords and work it out. David needs to rely on Christ’s help for strength and wisdom. Goliath needs God’s strength to be humble, become a servant and want what’s best for David. If you really want to be like David, sometimes the Goliath that needs slaying is your own sinful nature.
Prayer: Father, Jesus taught about this when he talked about the log in my eye, one giant splinter that has to be dealt with before I can help my brother with his speck. I understand it Father. Now help me do it better. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Song: Confidence
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