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This Sunday I focused on one of the most well known stories in all the Bible. David and Goliath!
Nothing says Happy Mothers Day like reading 1 Samuel 17:46, “Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your heard. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals.”
I attacked the story from two different angles. The first was a short examination on how David faced the giant. I wanted to clearly point out that at no point in time was David ever intimidated by Goliath. He was confident from start to finish. If we are ever going to defeat the giants in our life we need to transition from being intimidated and full of fear like Saul and the Israelites (1 Samuel 17:11) and become fearless and confident in who God is like David (1 Samuel 17:32). Further, David didn’t wait for the giant to come to him but he charged right at it. I know for me that I often become paralyzed by the giants I face. In fact if I do show any motion it is flight. I run away (1 Samuel 17:24).
The second angle was one that came to me just a few weeks ago and the idea is what if instead of seeing myself as David I saw myself as Goliath? Jeremiah 17:9, says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” and I am always prone to see myself as
the victim
the underdog
the one who is facing the giant
but what if I took a moment and tried to accurately self access what is going on in me.
This examination led to three Goliath’s that rise up in me.
The Goliath of the mind – This is the anxious mind that is full of worry. This traveling down the road of self talk that leads to criticism, pessimism, and bitterness. This happens when we don’t trust God and fail to see a bigger picture. Romans 12:2 states that we need to renew our minds. We need to counter our normal thoughts with Biblical truth.
The Goliath of the mouth – I love how James states that our mouths are like a fire. So much potential for good but when unguarded it becomes a destructive force. Our words have the power to encourage or destroy, heal or hurt. It is our Goliath mouth that lies and gossip are spread. In James the author states that we have the ability to tame animal and beast but our mouths are yet to be controlled. We must continue the pursuit of being quick to listen and slow to speak.
The Goliath of the heart – In the heart is hidden the true giant. In one moment all is calm and then the next moment we have the Incredible Hulk rise up. Just under the surface is burning anger. Or the Goliath heart is the addiction of fantasy, sex, or alcohol. The tricky thing about the Goliath heart is that we have tremendous clarity to see in others but have no eyes to see it in ourselves. Only the Spirit of God can awaken us to it for we are quick to deny, blame, or excuse away the darkness that is in our hearts. Further complicating matters with the Goliath heart is even being exposed to it doesn’t cause it to leave. Confession, repentance, and obedience are required to take down the Goliath.
An additional side thought I had while preparing this weeks message was what happened in 2 Samuel 11. The beloved David that took down the giant in full confidence and devotion to the Lord became a Goliath himself. He saw something that was not his, stole it, and tried to cover it up. He saw himself as bigger than he really was and sent him on what Bill Hybels called a Swan Dive in a message you can view here.
Possible next steps:
1. Read through the book of James
2. Ask the Lord to reveal the Goliath in you
3. Confess what the Lord reveals to God and someone
This was by far the best book on the theology of technology that I have ever read. Dyer chooses to move beyond the typical approach that technology is neutral – meaning technology is neither good or bad but rather can be used in good and bad ways. Instead Dyer adds layers to the conversation suggesting a multiplicity of ways technology changes us. Following the Biblical story of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration this book offered numerous insights into the shaping power of Technology on our life and souls.
