Devotion for November 16, 2013: Moreover David said, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” -1 Samuel 17:37 It may have been in seminary the first time I heard the comparison made between David and Goliath and between Jesus and the devil. It’s not that I had never heard the story but I guess I never really thought about it in that particular way… and now I cannot stop from sharing this story in that regard. David, a small and unassuming boy, came to the camp of Israel. There he heard what all the commotion was about, a giant named Goliath was taunting the fighting men of Israel. Of course none of the men of Israel wanted to go and fight Goliath. Goliath was over nine feet tall and had to seem a giant compared to one of the men of Israel. But David declared that he would go and fight Goliath. And David went, took the stones from the stream and slew Goliath. David, this little boy (probably in his teens) slew a giant that the entire nation was afraid of. So do you see the parallels between this story and Jesus’ fight with the devil? Jesus was a very unassuming man, in fact we are told that “when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him” (Isaiah 53:2). He came to the people of Israel, in a very unassuming way: born of a Virgin, born in a manger, living in Galilee. However, He did not need to hear from the people what all the commotion was about, He, being God, knew. There was a giant running roughshod over the people, Satan. Satan was ruining lives and taking names later. Satan, the father of lies, was convincing not only our first parents, but all people since them, to sin. Satan was this great and overpowering force compared to us mere men… just like Goliath to the Israelites. And Jesus declared that He would set the people free from the reign of Satan and from His control. Jesus was going to live the perfect life and die the innocent death, so that the guilt of all people could be upon Him as He died for the sins of the world on the cross. And Jesus hung on that cross experiencing hell itself as He hung there, until He died. Once dead he was buried for three days; yet on that third day He rose from the dead victorious. He rose to proclaim the victory that He had won over sin, hell, and Satan. This God-man, Jesus Christ, while unassuming in nature, “slew” our greatest enemy, Satan. And it is faith in all that Jesus Christ has done that allows us to know that he lived and died to take away my sins, and allows us to know that because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, I now have heaven waiting for me. This is what faith clings to, like an open hand just waiting for something to grab onto and it clings to this fact that Jesus Christ has done all of this for me. David went into his fight knowing that God would deliver him and give him the victory. Jesus went into His fight knowing that He already had the victory. It is through faith in Jesus Christ that we too have the victory. And just like David we can know that, “He [God, Jesus] will deliver me from the hand of [Satan].” It is not our work that sets us free from our sin; it is only the blood of Christ which has set us free from Satan’s rule. As we enter into our lives and as we go about them, we can be reminded of this fact with the comforting words of Saul, “Go, and the Lord be with you!” This was the message that Saul wanted to send with David into his fight and it is the same message God wants to send with you as you go about your fight with Satan and your old Adam… Go, and the Lord be with you! Depend on Him; Rely on Him; Have faith in Him and you cannot lose, for Jesus Christ has already won the victory for you. Soli Deo Gloria!
Posted on: Sun, 17 Nov 2013 02:05:33 +0000
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