Scripture: 1 Samuel 17 v 4 - 7: "And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.
7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him."
In this favourite record of the Giant Goliath a Philistine, who challenged Israel to a one on one duel, the shepherd boy, 17 year old David, chose to be the one to respond.
He was outraged that this heathen would insult his Mighty God and refusing King Saul's offer of cumbersome armour, he went forth clothed in light garments and his familiar weapon the sling. He stopped at the river to collect five round smooth stones.
He would only need one but Goliath had four brothers nearly as large as he was, so just in case, he was ready for them too. He called on the Lord to go before him. The Lord he loved and worshipped truly enjoys displays of Faith when the odds are very uneven.
David warned Goliath that His God would fight for Israel and that the Giant would die. The Philistines mocked and laughed at such stupidity. Goliath waved his enormous sword and never saw the smooth round stone that came at amazing speed. It hit him in his forehead and he collapsed unconscious or dead. David used the giant's sword to remove his head.
It was a winner takes all situation. If Israel lost they would become slaves to the Philistines or if Goliath lost, the Philistines would be theirs. Our God showed up by sending in the one with the most faith and empowering him to overcome the obstacle to Israel's security.
He eventually replaced King Saul and became a great ruler, warrior, and prophet leaving us a legacy of beautiful psalms.
Our faith in God gets a great response from Him. He lives up to our expectations. We need to know His will in every situation and accept it because He knows best. We need to know His Word and what our inheritance is.
Faith frightens Satan! He knows when God shows up he had better flee. He thought he had destroyed the Son of God on the Cross but hours later Jesus showed up in Abraham's Bosom, Paradise, where believers were kept until this very moment.
In the true story of Lazarus the beggar and the rich man who saw him begging at his gates every day, the man died and went to Hell. Lazarus died too and went to Abraham's Bosom. The rich man could see and converse with Lazarus and begged him to dip his finger in the water to wet his tongue. But the chasm was too great. The rich man begged Lazarus to tell his family that Hell is real and to believe in God. He could not do that either.
So Jesus repaid the Devil with a terrible beating in front of all his fallen angels and demons. He then took all the believers out of that place to pass through Earth, specifically Jerusalem, on their way back to God the Father in Heaven.
Matthew 27 v 50 - 53: "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."
What a sight that must have been! Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, Ruth, Deborah, the thief on the Cross, and David rejoicing with the people of Jerusalem on their way back to God.
On the day of the Ascension of Jesus to God He told the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come. He would empower them with spiritual gifts and change their lives mightily.
1 Corinthians 2 v 7 - 10: "But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
Satan miscalculated badly. If he and his ruling demons had known that God had planned the death of His Son in order that sin would be forgiven and all believers could become like Jesus and do what He did, Jesus would never have died. But God! He showed up.
Now we have these and many other instances when God shows up. The Burning Bush. The plagues of Egypt. Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Balaam and his Ass. Daniel in the lion's den. The three Israelites in Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace where the Son of God showed up! Jesus alive and doing miracles on Earth for 33 years. It's all written in the Bible for us to learn.
He has a personal relationship with us. He shows up in our lives and situations and changes us forever. If we have had a real encounter with the Lord we can never unsee it. Our testimonies and the testimonies of others reveal the love our Father has for us.
John 15 v 9: "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love."
Prayer: Heavenly Father Thank You for Your intense interest in all Your children here on Earth. You have done everything to ensure our salvation from Satan's Hell. Our part is to make sure that everyone gets the true message. Help us to spread the truth to blot out the lies they believe. Time is running out Lord. Jesus is coming soon. In Jesus' name. Amen.