Saturday, May 22, 2010

May 22, 2010

"Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul....." I Samuel 17:8
I have been sharing some "giant-sized" lessons we can take from the story of David and Goliath.
Yesterday I talked about why and when we should fight giants. Perhaps you are facing some sort of giant in your life today.
Today I want to talk about an attitude that brought Goliath down. You could call it overconfidence or you could call it arrogance and you would be right either way.
Of course, Goliath had good reason to be overconfident, he was nine feet tall and had never lost in battle. He was tall and he was strong and he was fierce and he was experienced and he had protected all his vital spots with heavy armor. Since no one in their right mind dared to challenge him, it seemed as though his undefeated streak was safe.
There was no doubt about it Goliath was a rock star! And - he knew it.
So, there he stood taunting the army of God. Another day, another humiliation of the enemy. If they sent someone out to face him, he would slaughter them and be victorious. If they refused to send someone out to challenge him then he won by default through intimidation. There was not a man anywhere who could handle him.
But, there was a boy. There was a godly boy. There was a goldly boy who had never heard about Goliath but who was very familiar with God. When that godly boy showed up and heard the taunts and curses of this Philistine, he took it personally. No one fooled with his God! This big guy needed a lesson in respect! It was time for him to go!
Goliath had faced a lot of men. He had never faced a boy. He had faced people who were strong and confident, but none of them had proven to be as strong or confident as him. But there was something different about this boy - different or crazy. This is the first time Goliath had faced an opponent who was not coming in his own strength but in the strength of God. As he was soon to find out, not even the strongest most confident man is a match for God.
David entered the battle with faith in God while Goliath was trusting his own strength. Therein is the lesson.
Anything you do in your own strength will fail. A giant-sized ego is no match for a gigantic God. Strength is nice, but no subsitute for God's power. Confidence is helpful, but humility is better. Experience is a benefit, but faith is superior.
If you are going to battle giants - or little guys, for that matter, trust in God's power and go in His strength. Not to do so would be a huge mistake.