Here’s a post based upon the third of four points based upon the famous story of David versus Goliath.
Point 3: Consider honoring God’s name more than anything else (24-27)
- Passage: “When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. 25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” 27 The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, “Thus it will be done for the man who kills him.””
- Proof
- A monumental moment in this chapter: “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” (v.26)
- In the last question this is the first theological statement in the chapter (Davis, 183).
- It took 26 verses before we hear something about God!
- This is also the first time David spoke (Davis, 184).
- The words that David said are as theologically heavy as Goliath (Davis, 184).
- David is concern about how Goliath “taunt the armies of the living God.” The root word for “taunt” appears six times in this chapter and translated as “mock, defy, reproach, deride” in verses 10, 25, 26 (twice), 36, 45. This story is about the problem of mockery of God (Davis, 179)!
- The soldiers’ fear of Goliath in verses 24 is a foil of David’s concern for God’s name.
- The soldiers’ focus is only on how Goliath “defy Israel” according to verses 25 which is a foil to David’s concern for God’s name.
- The soldiers’ response to David’s question still only focus on man in verse 27.
- In fact in this story only David is concern for God being mocked a point he made with the first time he spoke (v.26), when he talked to Saul (v.36) and when he addressed Goliath directly (v.45) (Davis, 189).
- A monumental moment in this chapter: “Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” (v.26)
- Practice
- Do you care about the glory of God?
- Do you want God’s name to be honored?
- Does hearing blasphemies by others grieve you?
- Do you live your life for the glory of God?
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thank you for this reblog!
Yankee Whiskey Bravo 😎
Father, in the Name of Jesus, please strengthen and protect us by Your Spirit and Word so our lives would not mock You but bring You glory! We honor Your High and Holy Name above all else!
Good message! Yes, is our zeal for the Lord as fervent as David’s?
May we be zealous for the Lord and display faith in the Lord as David. He wasn’t perfect but there were times when true faith will display zeal for the honor of the Lord in David’s life as well as in our life Amen? Sadly many times the world slander a believers’ zeal as being not nice or ignorant bigotry, etc.
Amen! And some of the opposition the zealous Christian faces comes from the brethren.
Great lesson, brother Jim. Look I get that we are commanded to love. That is clear, and it includes even our enemies. Yet, it is also clearly NOT commanded that we have to stand idly by and watch God be mocked. Of course, God needs no defending, but I do think sometimes we are called to step out boldly and frankly when confronting mockeries. I believe we can still do that and still love a person.
Amen Wally! I do believe sometimes we need to step out boldly and confront mockeries. It’s not mutually exclusive to love. We have to be sensitive to the Spirit and the Word that we really are doing with the right intention of zeal for the Lord and His glory, and also to be right of what’s the situation going on but zealous and righteous confrontation is sometimes the right thing to do! I remember training pastors in one country where the organization that sent me told me for some reason the local pastors laugh at the mention of Christ’s death. My experience there was horrible and there was so much carnality among the pastors from trying to get money from us every day, their stories of schemes of how to get more money from Americans, slandering American support and missionaries, laughing and horse playing when the Word of God was preached, a spirit of lust that was evident on their facebook and the final straw was when I caught someone in a big lie on the last day. I don’t know why they told me some of the things they told me I think it was because I look young and naive in my facial appearance and also because my mom’s ethnicity is that of a neighboring country and they thought I was one of them instead of being an American.
After the big lie the next topic I was suppose to teach was on repentance and it was probably the most firey sermon I preached this past decade. I grieve that men who are supposedly pastors can laugh at the death of Christ, it makes no sense. One of the pastor who laughed protested out loud and said they didn’t laugh. I told them there was a camera recording in the back all our session and he should go help himself and watch it later to hear his own laughter and joking. Also let us not forget that Christ will judge every careless words we ever said. There was silence. I had my church deacon with me that I talked to that night and we believe that it was truly in the Spirit and not my vain imagination nor outburst in the flesh. Needless to say I was never invited back.
I recall you mentioning the carnality issues on that mission but you never really expanded on it. That must have been a tough thing for sure.
You said it right about our intention. I used to argue early in blogging but I don’t think my heart was always right. Now i try to only go as led. Sometimes that leading is to say it like it is. God has a use even for those of us who tend to be pugnacious by nature. Jude tells us to contend earnestly right?
We still , at times, look at the mountain and not at The God who made it. I thank our God for the Holy Spirit who reminds us to look at our Salvation. TY
Wow how true sister, we look at the mountain and not at God; we look at the mountain obstacle and also mountain level difficulties but not the God above all that. Thanks for your comment and your point of the mountain. Praying and remembering you and your situation this Lord’s Day.
Thank you, Pastor.
Amen.
I can do nothing except that God helps me. To Him goes all The Glory.
Amen that is so true. I suppose this week’s back pain has been a lesson for me on that and I thought of how my little experience is just a microcosm of what others are going through in glorifying God with our weakness. Have a blessed Sunday brother RG!
You too, Jim! 😊
Reblogged this on BibleProphecyWatch.
I find it hard to control myself when a non believer mocks God or Jesus. God is teaching me self control in this area, I believe. You know “keep a guard over my mouth LORD”, speacially when we go ministering on Fridays. There are ways to handle mockers and my way may not be the best at times.
Great post pastor Jim.
Hope your back is better and your Sunday was powerful.
I am very passionate as well when I see mockery of God. Only in the last few years have I felt God sanctifying me to be balancing better passion and compassion. Maybe that might be a good idea for a post on here sometime…thanks for mentioning about my back, I think God has been super gracious with my back. I went from an “8” with my back pain (from a scale of 1-10) to a 2 at the present moment. God heals even though He doesn’t have to and we don’t always get what we want; what a merciful and gracious God! God bless your new week!
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