David, Goliath, and Our Giants

The story of David and Goliath in I Samuel 17 is pretty familiar to us, but it is one with many applications to our lives. When God interacts with man in the Old Testament, we should see ourselves in those interactions. Those lessons are our lessons. The failings of those people are often our failings, and those achievements and victories can be our achievements and victories. In this light, what can we draw from this familiar story that we can apply to our Christian walks today?

We know David as the youngest in his family, not yet old enough to serve in the military and charged with watching the flocks while his brothers are at war. When he arrives on the scene of Goliath challenging Israel’s army, he saw what had to be done, and he saw how it could be accomplished. In I Samuel 17:18-27, David learns of Goliath’s threat as well as the king’s reward for defeating the giant. When he approaches Saul in verse 32, he volunteers to go fight Goliath, but King Saul quickly dismisses the idea.

In verses 34-37, David expresses his faith in God’s deliverance, and we see ultimate trust in God, when his faith is put to the test, in verses 45-46. In verse 48, David does something remarkable. He begins running toward this seemingly invincible enemy where the others had run away. In verse 50, David prevails against impossible odds.

Giants We Face
We face obstacles that frighten us, that make us want to cower, things that we do not want to face. Think of the giant of worldliness in our lives, things that don’t necessarily have to be immoral but still inexorably draw us away from our God – a desire to fit in, success in our jobs, popularity among our peers. Taking a stand against these is intensely difficult, every bit as difficult as resisting those more immoral acts we often equate with worldliness. Despite the difficulties, however, we have to stand up to this giant.

Discouragement can also be a debilitating giant. We see a discouraged Paul in Acts 18 who is lifted up and encouraged by Timothy’s arrival later in the chapter. I Thessalonians 5:14, then, calls on those Christians and us to support one another in times of emotional need. Paul knew how the encouragement of another could help him slay that giant.

A final giant we face in our lives is that of indirection. We lack goals; we lack a clear path forward. We therefore become content to stagnate in our spiritual growth. King Saul and his army had grown comfortable in their roles as quailing victims before the threat of Goliath. David, however, was different. He set a goal to defeat the giant and reap the rewards. We must be likewise determined in our pursuit of the reward God promises us if we endure.

Conclusion
I John 5:4 tells us that faith helps us be victorious over the things of this world. I John 4:4 calls God greater than anything in this world. We have to have faith and trust in Him to help us drive toward the goal before us. In Philippians 2:5 calls on us to have the mindset of Christ, and Philippians 4:13 claims anything is possible in Christ, but we have to be willing to take action. James 2 encourages us to put our faith and trust in action. We know what must be done in our service to Christ, and we know we can accomplish it in Him. The God we serve deserves the very best, and, if we give Him that, we honor our Lord and defeat the giant of sin.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Identifying with Christ

Not all who teach God’s word in theological classrooms and seminaries really believe the words that they are teaching. In fact, such teachers have influenced some to lose their faith and turn away from the paths of Christ. How, then, can one teach the Bible and the tenets thereof without actually believing all contained therein? Unfortunately, such a faith is sometimes seen as extremist, but Jesus did not come to teach a middle-of-the-road, half-committed, cherry-picked doctrine. His approach was complete and absolute, so where do we stand in comparison to His teachings?

Jesus, On His Identity
Jesus did not come merely professing to be a philosopher or a good man. He did not settle for merely being a respected Rabbi. He did not call Himself a disciple or a spiritual son of God. No, in Luke 4, when reading from the book of Isaiah to the assembled congregation, Jesus claims to be the Messiah spoken of by that prophet. This passage is about one who would bring great change to God’s people, one who would have miraculous powers, and Jesus tells them that those words are fulfilled in Him. These claims would anger the crowd and turn them against Him, but Jesus never backs down from His claim that He was the Messiah who would reach out to both Jew and Gentile.

John 8:58 records Jesus calling Himself, “I AM.” This is a direct reference to the way Jehovah addressed Himself to Moses in the burning bush. Moreover, Jesus claims, “I am the bread of life. “I am the light of the world.” “I am the good shepherd.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” “I and My Father are one.” Where some theologians would call Jesus a teacher of moral platitudes or social reform, Jesus calls Himself God in the flesh. He claims to be more than a good man. He claims to be the source of salvation and eternal life. Matthew 16:24 −25 records Jesus telling His followers to completely deny self to follow Him.

If Jesus was just a man, then He was egotistical to an extreme, and He was a complete fraud. Otherwise, He was the Son of God and savior of the world. There is no real middle ground between those two. Therefore, if we say we believe in Him, then we completely dedicate ourselves to Him and His teachings.

The Inspiration of Scripture
Again, there are many who teach the Bible as a collection of good ideas with parts that are no longer applicable and other parts that can be dismissed entirely. John 12:46-48 has Jesus equating His words with God’s words; rejecting one rejects the other. Then, in John 14:16, Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will bring all of His words to remembrance, so they can accurately teach others, and we see this promise begin to be fulfilled in Acts 2. The apostles’ teachings were Jesus’ teachings, and II John 9 says the only way to abide in the Father is to abide in the doctrine of Christ. This would include the words in the gospels as well as the words spoken and written by His apostles. II Peter 1:3 simply concludes that God’s divine power has granted all knowledge pertaining life and godliness.

The Faith We Proclaim
When it comes to the name we wear – that of Christians, or those who belong to Christ – how can we proclaim that identity without wholly believing in Christ and refusing to live His will. That name is our identity at all times in all places, worn in good conscience and in complete faith. Matthew 12:30 records Jesus saying we are either entirely for or against Him, and He warns us against trying to serve two masters in Matthew 6:24.

We do not have to listen to the world or to disenchanted teachers to lose our faith; we can do that by looking at God’s word and doing nothing. We cannot simply play at being Christians. We cannot be content with simply being good people. We cannot be content with simple morality. If we would be complete, we should deny self, change to what Christ would have us be, leave behind all that separates us from God, and follow Christ.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Spiritual Goals

What impression do you make upon others? Much of it is based on what you believe of yourself. Are you encouraging or discouraging? Friendly or unfriendly? This is critical not only to who we are, but to our identity as a family in Christ. I Peter 3:15 tells us to, “regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. Yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience” Who do we want to be? What kind of person do we want others to see?

In building our spiritual character, Ephesians 4:14 calls us to abandon childish frivolity and uncertainty, so we can be certain of our place with God. Salvation is not random. We have to work toward it as certainly as we must work toward any other goal we have. Have we made planning for our next home a mission in our lives?

Goals in God’s Word
Joshua 24:15 records Joshua firmly stating, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua’s mission was to lead his family and his people in the ways of our Lord, and verse 31 shows how influential that decision was – both his generation and the next followed his example in staying faithful to God. Joshua’s goals and his character centered around one focus, and his impact on the world around him was significant.

Psalm 16:7-8 records David praising God, saying, “bless the LORD who gives me council; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” Chapter 18:22-23 then records David speaking of God’s word as always before him, determined to stay innocent in God’s eyes. Even when he failed to do so, we see the humility and eagerness he returned to God.

II Kings 22:1-2 describe king Josiah as one who walked in the ways of his forefather David, never turning to the left or the right. This was possible both because of Josiah’s resolute goal and because of the example he had to build upon because of David. Our character influences our own spiritual lives as well as others.

Our Own Goals
Jeremiah 6:16 calls on us to seek God’s paths and God’s ways, and II Peter 1:3-4 tells us we have all we need for our souls in His word and that we should strive to partake of His divine nature. We need specific goals in following Him. We need to be relying on Him and helping others grow closer to Him. We should be reviewing our goals and our mission daily so we never lose sight of that for which we are working.

Remember Jesus praying in the garden, declaring that it not be His own will that is done, but the will of the Father. Our goal should be the same. II Corinthians 13:5-6 challenges us to test ourselves, to examine ourselves, to see if we are truly living by faith and to assure ourselves that Christ lives in us. Our mission statements should be focused on and centered around God. We must determine to be the person we know we should be, knowing our own challenges and obstacles so we can face them in the confidence of God’s word. Through this confidence, we can resolutely press after God, keeping that Heavenly home forever in our sight.

lesson by Mike Mahoney

Eat of My Flesh

In John 6, we see a turning point in Jesus’ ministry where He begins focusing on eternal life. The chapter begins with Jesus feeding a great multitude from meager provisions of fish and bread, and, in verse 14, many see Him as the prophet coming in the footsteps of Moses. This conclusion comes out in verses 30-31 where they remind Jesus that Moses brought bread from Heaven to feed God’s people, but Jesus corrects them and reminds them that the bread they reference came from God.

In verse 33, Jesus turns their attention away from physical bread and onto Himself. In this, He begins to call Himself the living bread or the bread of life, and he, numerous times, calls on them to believe on Him and receive eternal life. He invites them to eat and drink of Him, but what is He talking about here? Is this talking about transubstantiation? Is this a reference to the Lord’s Supper? The Jews of the time were likewise confused by His words in this passage, and many turned away.

The language involved in these verses lend themselves to our ideas of the Lord’s Supper, but these words have no more to do with that memorial than does the song “Break Thou the Bread of Life.”

Break Thou the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,

As Thou didst break the loaves beside the sea;

Beyond the sacred page I seek Thee, Lord;

My spirit pants for Thee, O living Word!

In verse 63, Jesus focuses on spiritual sustenance, and He states that His words are spirit and life. To be a part of Him, to come to Him, to truly believe in Him, we must obey Him. Then, when many turn away from Jesus in verse 66, Jesus asks His apostles if they too will abandon Him, but Peter shows that he understands when he replies, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” If Jesus is to be a part of us, His words must be a part of us.

Jesus’ words are that of which we should be partaking. It is not enough to simply observe a physical memorial. We have to be hungry and thirsty enough for eternal life that we will ingest His words. These are what can give us eternal life. While we seek bread from Heaven, while we desire to partake of Jesus, we must take part of His teachings and let them fill our lives.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Professing Our Faith

Doing exactly what God desires of us – putting Him first, placing our faith and trust in Him, laying our lives wholly in His hands – has always been, and will always be challenging, to most people. It comes down to the profession of our faith in all things and around all people. In Matthew 10:24, Jesus reminds us that we should strive to be as our teacher, our master, our Lord. He then goes on in subsequent verses to speak of our confidence in our faith, time and again admonishing us to not fear, reminding us that confessing Christ before mankind leads Him to confess our names before the Father.

The Risk of Profession

It can be frightening to make ourselves into professors and confessors of our faith, for it takes adjustment in our conduct, in our attitudes, and in our speech; and some will not like this “new us” that we live in Christ. Still, Jesus says we can look past these fears to the hope we have in Him, a hope we should be willing to share with others. In I Kings 8:33, while Solomon is praying to dedicate the new temple to God, he asks that God will be forgiving to the people when they stray from His word, that He will forgive when they confess His name. He is speaking of their words, attitudes, and conduct reflecting, or professing, God’s power in their lives.

This type of profession is exactly what people were afraid to participate in for Christ’s sake during His ministry. In John 9:22, amidst pressure form the scribes and Pharisees for a healed blind man to condemn Jesus, we see the blind man’s parents fearful of the consequences associated with confessing the name of Jesus. In John 12:42, we see those, even among the rulers, who would not profess Christ because of fear. This is why, in Matthew 10, Jesus would couple confidence with our confession of faith.

The Importance of Our Profession

II Peter 3:9 explains God’s patience with us and His desire that all should repent. Likewise, in Philippians 2:10-11, while Paul describes the mindset of Christ, we see that every tongue should profess the name of Jesus. God wants all to change their lives and embrace His salvation, and He wants every person to then profess that faith in which they come to Him.

Matthew 10:32 calls on us to stand with Christ and for Him so He will stand with and for us before the Father. He calls on us to be unafraid in our profession of faith, so we will not be like those who fled from Christ when the world turned against Him. He calls on us to walk in faith and to live by faith so we may be saved by faith. Without this confidence faith, we simply begin to fall back on self and self-interest. Instead we should be aligned with Christ, exulting Him above all else.

Conclusion

How often do we have the opportunity to share our faith, to share prayer, to share thoughts from the Bible? How often do we have opportunity to demonstrate our priorities, putting God first in all things? Hebrews 3:1 calls on us to consider Jesus, the high priest of our confession. We need to be professing Christ daily; our priorities align with Christ’s; our words align with Christ’s teaching; our actions reflect His conduct. We have obligated ourselves to Him, and we should be reflecting Him in all things.

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

- Hebrews 4:14

lesson by Tim Smelser

Lessons from the Old Testament

In I Corinthians 10, Paul refers to the Old Testament, the “things written aforetime,” as something from which we can benefit and by which we can grow spiritually.

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did…They were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

- I Corinthians 10:6-12 (excerpted)

What can we take from these ancient writings to help us on our spiritual lives? What can we learn about our God and ourselves?

The Seriousness of Sin

In Genesis 3, after the creation of nature and humankind, Adam and Even are driven from the Garden of Eden because of sin. Genesis 4 sees Cain punished for his sinful conduct. Genesis 6 tells of a population who care for nothing but evil conduct. We can see that sin was a problem then just as it is today, separating them and us from God just as Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 59:2. Likewise, Paul makes this same case in Romans 3-6, and we can see the seriousness of that separation through those Old Testament examples.

God’s Authority

In Genesis 8:13-14, Noah opens the ark to see the dry land in the beginning of one month, but he and his family do not leave the ark until the end of the next month when God finally tells them to do so. In II Samuel 7, David expresses a desire to build a better house for the Lord, but God responds by asking when He had ever asked for such a house; David respects God’s authority and relents. As Paul writes in Colossians 3:17, we need to look to God’s authority for all we do, and the writing of the Old Testament help us understand the completeness of that authority.

God’s Expectations

In Genesis 2:16-17, God lays down a single ground rule for living in Eden, simply expecting faithful obedience. In Genesis 4:3-4, God gives regard to Abel’s offering of faithful obedience. Genesis 22:12 records God recognizing the significance of Abraham’s faith, and Acts 10:34-35 shows Peter expressing that God will accept all who will serve Him in faith and reverence. God’s expectation has always been simple faithful obedience, and we can see that expectation endure from generation to generation.

God’s Love

When Adam and Eve sin in Genesis 3, God approaches them and talks to them. He also, in verse 15, sets in motion a plan of reconciliation for all of mankind. Genesis 12, 26, 28 – these record promises of blessings to the nations. Time and again, we see God deal patiently with imperfect and sinful man. We see His love ultimately in the sacrifice of His son, and how can he be so forgiving and loving to those who continually resist Him?

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

-Isaiah 55:6-8

In Luke 13:34, we see Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem, expressing that continual desire to gather His own to Him, even though they reject Him. II Peter 3:9 reminds us that God is patient with us, wishing that all would come to repentance. His love is still the same.

Conclusion

In I Corinthians 10, Paul writes about some specific events and shows how they point to the New Covenant. Our salvation in Christ began with roots in the times of Adam and Eve, and that plan built up through generation after generation. During that time, the problem of sin persisted, as it does today. Also persistent is God’s love, though, and if we respect His authority and render unto Him the faithful obedience He expects and deserves, then we can hope to be with Him one day.

lesson by Tim Smelser