Finish the Job!!

1 Samuel 17:51 Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.

In 1 Samuel 17 we read about Goliath, a giant, who stood over 9 feet tall.  Goliath was a Philistine, a nation of people who were enemies of the Israelites; God’s people. 

1 Samuel 17: 8-11, 16 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. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! 9 If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves! 10 I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who will fight me!” 11 When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. 16 For forty days, every morning and evening, the Philistine champion strutted in front of the Israelite army.

Goliath taunted the army of Israel day and night.  The Israelites were afraid of him and hid behind rocks and in their tents whenever he came out.  There was no one in all the Israelite army who was willing to go up against this giant. 

As 1 Samuel continues we read that Jesse sent David to visit the camp of the Israelite army.  David took provisions for his brothers and gifts for their commanders.  He was to check on his brothers and then to take word back to Jesse.

As David was talking with his brothers Goliath came out.  When the Israelite army saw him they ran in fright.  Those standing near David began telling him how Goliath came out every day asking for someone to fight him and defying the armies of Israel. After inquiring about the reward to be paid to the one who fought the giant and being taunted and ridiculed by his brothers, David was taken to King Saul.  He told the king that he would fight Goliath. 

1 Samuel 17: 32-37 “Don’t worry about this Philistine,” David told Saul. “I’ll go fight him!” 33 “Don’t be ridiculous!” Saul replied. “There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” 34 But David persisted. “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats,” he said. “When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, 35 I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. 36 I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! 37 The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

It is important to note here that David is not relying on his own strength but on the strength and faithfulness of God!!

We know from reading further that David went up against Goliath with 5 smooth stones he picked up from the brook and a sling shot.  After hitting the giant in the head with a stone and knocking him unconscious, David finished the job. 1 Samuel 17:51 says, Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head.

In our lives we all face giants. We may face giants of worry and fear, giants of sin and bondage, giants of doubt and discouragement, giants of pride and self-centeredness, giants of anger and bitterness, etc.  Whatever the giant, the reality is this; Christ has paid for our freedom.  He has made the way for us to live free from the bondage of the giants the enemy sends to attack our lives. 

Often we are able to knock the giant down and receive momentary relief.  We often try to defeat the giant through our own strength and will power.  These are temporary fixes and will not bring us the freedom Christ paid for. 

We must be like David and once the enemy is knocked down we must cut off his head; relying on God’s strength and faithfulness not our own strength!!

Let me give an example: If the giant we are facing is worry and fear then we must learn to take our thoughts captive. When worry and fear rear their ugly head we must refuse to give in to their lies and deception.  We have an entire Book full of promises about God’s ability and desire to provide for all our needs and to take care of us.  There is not one thing that we face or one thing the enemy can throw at us that God cannot or will not see us through. 

If we choose each time to resist the enemy’s lies we can cut the head off the giant of fear and worry, if however, we choose to dwell on the lies and begin to try to figure things out for ourselves we give the enemy power in our lives and the “knocked down” giant will get up and fight against us again.  He will try to trap us and hold us in worry and fear.

Another example, if God is dealing with us about our thought life (a huge giant in many believers’ lives) and what we put before our eyes (i.e. movies, books, T.V. shows, etc.) then we must learn to take every thought captive and we must rid our home and our lives of everything God reveals to our hearts.  If we do and we refuse to continue watching and reading things that negatively feed our thought life, we cut the head off of the giant.  If however, we have a few favorite movies, books, or T.V. shows that we continue to hold onto and watch, justifying them for any reason, we have only momentarily knocked down the giant and he will rise again to re-bind our hands and feet in his chains of bondage. 

The only way to be totally free is to make a clean break from those things that feed the giant in our lives.  The awesome thing about this is that we never have to do this in our own strength. 

Philippians 4:13 (NLT) tells us, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

In Zechariah 4:6 (NIV) God told Zerubbabel, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

Whatever giant you are facing today, let us be like David and cry out to God and ask Him for His strength to resist the enemy.  Believing Him for the strength to not only knock down the giant but to cut off his head as well.  Stop feeding the giant and cut off his head!!