FACING THE GIANTS

 David said to the Philistine, “You come against 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 deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, 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 facedown on the ground.

 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.  I Samuel 17:45-51 NIV

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.  I Samuel 17:40 NIV  “The number 5 symbolizes God's grace, goodness and favor toward humans and is mentioned 318 times in Scripture. Five is the number of grace, and multiplied by itself, which is 25, is 'grace upon grace' (John 1:16). The Ten Commandments contains two sets of 5 commandments. The first five commandments are related to our treatment and relationship with God, and the last five concern our relationship with others humans.”  (Meaning of Numbers in the Bible The Number 5Ask a Question!   -   Newsletter Biblical Meaning of Numbers)

Facing the giants in our lives takes courage and faith just like David.  David knew, based on his own experiences, that God had been faithful and he encouraged himself in this.  But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”  I Samuel 17:34-37 NIV

When we are standing up for our faith, especially in these times, we are standing against the world which is trying to dictate who we are supposed to be and what we are supposed to think and what we are supposed to say.  We need to be like David and face the giants not only in the world (media, politicians, etc.) but the personal giants that we face.  God does not operate in a spirit of fear but faith.  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

David was given grace to face the giant.  He knew that with God he was an army and not alone. He chose 5 smooth stones to bring down the giant.  Why did he choose five stones?  It does not directly say in the Bible but some have deduced that Goliath had four brothers that David may have had to deal with.  Also, how would David know that the first stone would bring the giant down?  I believe it was God’s grace that brought the giant down in the first blow.

David used Goliath's own sword to kill the giant.  David used a stone and a sword.  How do we bring down the giants in our lives?  We use a stone, the cornerstone, Jesus Christ and the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.  When my precious granddaughter, Anastasia, was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on one of her kidneys while she was still in her mother’s womb, we, as well as many family and friends used the sword of the Spirit and the Name above all names, Jesus Christ to speak healing over her.  A few days after her birth, the biopsy indicated that the tumor was not cancerous and they were able to remove the kidney that had the tumor wrapped around it and she is now a lively, beautiful, five year old who is a delight and a testimony to God’s grace.  By the way, the name Anastasia in Greek means “Resurrection.”

Face your giants and use the Sword of the Spirit and the Name above all names, Jesus Christ to bring them down!  We are not alone.  We have been given the weapons for our warfare.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.  2 Corinthians 10:4 NIV

Marcella Ward November 24, 2021