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Saturday, February 12, 2011

Who is this Uncircumcised Philistine?

"for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" [I Sam. 17:26]

When David went to the camp of the armies of Israel to bring his brothers food, he came upon a very disturbing sight. Across the battlefield stood the giant, Goliath, a champion of the Philistines, challenging and mocking the armies of the children God. But the size of this champion and his armies was not what was disturbing, it was the reaction of the Israelites. They cowered in fear before this giant, sure of their imminent destruction.

But this boy saw a different picture. He saw a Gentile standing in the worst possible place: in defiance of God. This boy had more courage and faith than the entire armies of Israel, and says in I Samuel 17:26 "for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" The rest of the story is familiar to all of us, as young David goes out and defeats this great champion, not by any might of his own, but by the will of God. In fact, my favorite passage in this story is in verse 45 of I Samuel 17: "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." David didn't care how well armed the giant was, because David was armed with the living God of Israel, a force that could withstand any opponent.

We are equipped with that same God today and can overcome any enemy we're faced with if we'll only trust in that power as David did. When the world of unbelievers ridicules us for our beliefs, when temptation comes knocking at our door, when we're struck with tragedy in our lives, we must put our trust in God who will fight along side us and help us to overcome even the largest of giants this world has to offer.

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