Good Morning!
1 Samuel 17:4; “The Philistine
army’s champion came out of their camp. His name was Goliath from Gath. He was
seven feet tall.”
I sat back and listened as
the youngsters were talking. It was your typical young pre-teen talk. They were
talking about one of their opponents for the upcoming “Y” basketball tourney. “I
hear he’s 6’ 4”!” “I hear he can dunk it!” “He can’t be only 12!” They were
nervous until they saw him. He was about 5’ 10”. He could barely get both feet off the floor
at the same time; a couple of times he tripped over his own shoelaces. Their
“Goliath” wasn’t much of a Goliath.
Goliath is one of those
epic characters in the Bible. Different translations have him from seven feet
to ten feet tall. His armor weighed in at 125 pounds and the head of his spear
weighed 15 pounds. He was the biggest,
baddest man in the Bible. He was the fear of the Israelite army. He put down
the challenge to have a man on man fight with the winner winning the war and
the loser losing the war, as in servitude, high taxation, slavery, all that
stuff. Every single soldier feared him but who wouldn’t? He was a giant of a
man who could probably tear you limb from limb.
The story of Goliath
isn’t entirely about his size, but it does play a part. We all face our own
“Goliath” and often, just like those young boys, he never really measures up. Remember
when you or one of your children moved up a grade and you went from sitting in
one room to changing rooms? The first time or two can be scary. I remember in
college having a class in the auditorium of a building and it took me three
tries to find it. At the start of the third pass, I was convinced I would flunk
out of college and become a hobo (actually a gypsy). There are a lot of times when we face
something in our lives, and it seems like a Goliath staring us in the face.
There are doctor’s
appointments, the tax audit, the employee evaluation, the loan application, the
weather, any of these can become a “Goliath” in our life if we let them. And if
we let them, the devil will make sure “Goliath” goes from 5’ 10” to over 9’
tall in a hurry. This is what he does
best; to find our worries, our fears, and blow them up entirely out of
proportion.
The answer to Goliath in
the Bible was the faith of a young shepherd boy. The answer to our “Goliath” is
the exact same. God has promised to be with us and to sustain us from the
devil’s attacks. So remember, when you see a “Goliath” God gives you a way to
see it for what it truly is, just part of life.
God blesses us with the certainty that his love will always triumph in
our life. His love will conquer all.
Gracious Father, many
things appear to be a “Goliath” but with your mercy, we know that they are not.
Give us the strength of faith to trust in you. Help us to defeat our “Goliaths”
as David did, by faith. Be with those who are facing their “Goliath” now. Give
them the confidence to face it down. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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