The Making of a Goliath

The Making of a Goliath
Words of Faith 10-16-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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1 Samuel 17:1-11
[1] Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. [2] Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. [3] The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them. [4] A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. [5] He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; [6] on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. [7] His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him. [8] Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. [9] If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." [10] Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man, and let us fight each other." [11] On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
 
      It wasn't long after David took up his role of court musician that Israel was again in peril at the hands of the Philistines. The armies were drawn up on opposite sides of the Valley of Elah, a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. Here was a stand-off that would set up one of history's most famous personal battles.
      Had the two armies simply rushed into the battle, the Israelites might never have realized that a great "champion" was among the Philistines. Instead, a great game of intimidation began to play out. The champion, Goliath, emerged from the Philistine army and challenged the Israelites to choose a man to fight him.
Such a fight was a ridiculous invitation to defeat. Goliath was a champion of freakish size who stood about 9'9" tall! He wore a bronze helmet, a coat of scaled armor weighing about 125 pounds, and bronze greaves- an armored shin guard between the knee and ankle. He entered battle with a bronze javelin and a long spear with a 15-pound iron tip!
Goliath also had a mouth. His taunting reminded me of the modern-day intimidation techniques used by the stars of WWF wrestling or high-level boxing matches. The more he talked, the more frightening he became, to the point that the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. The Hebrew here means they were "broken down" by confusion and fear. They fell to pieces.
While studying this passage, I had to look up the Hebrew word translated as "champion." I thought it would give insight into this Philistine gladiator's great power and prowess. What I found shocked me. The Hebrew word translated "champion" first of all means "a man." Yep, that's it: a man. The word does mean a man who is in the "flower of their age" or "at the peak of their strength." But first and foremost, it means... a man.
Wow, is there ever a lesson there? The big thing the Israelites were missing as Goliath roared and boasted was that he was... a man. Goliath was just a man, no matter how tall he was or the weight of his armor. He was flesh and blood. He was mortal humanity. He was not undefeatable, invincible, or a "superman." He was a man.
When we confront the problems and "giants" of our lives, we often miss this simple fact: They are "man." They are common. They are dust. The giants we encounter will try to intimidate us, and if they succeed, then there is no battle left to fight-- they have already won. We gain the advantage if we recognize that they are simply ordinary men who can fall.
In the verses ahead, we will see a young man who refused to be intimidated, listen to arrogant boasting, or believe that Goliath was anything but a man-- a man who could be brought to the ground and defeated.
     Are you facing a so-called "champion"? A big enemy who is trying to intimidate you? Don't put up with it. Don't listen to it. Don't be intimidated. Your God is bigger.
 
     Father God, I put my faith and trust in You. You are bigger than any so-called champion. You are bigger than any problem and obstacle that stands in my way. You are the real champion. You are the real victor. And you have made me more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus. In His name, I pray, Amen.
 
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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.