Friday, August 13, 2010
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
DAVID'S GREATER SON
The story of the young shepherd boy who killed the 10-foot giant Goliath with one stone is one of the most famous in the whole Bible. We hardly need to recount how David with only a staff, a slingshot, and a pouch carrying five stones went forward to fight while the rest of his army hung back in fear.
There are many lessons we can draw from the account of David and Goliath. We can learn that when the Lord promises something, He always delivers. We can learn that when we face giants in our own lives, troubles and distresses, God will be with us. We can learn how foolish it is to put our confidence in ourselves like Goliath did. He trusted in his own strength to give him the victory. We act just as foolishly when we try to handle everything ourselves without listening to the Lord's counsel and guidance or when we act as though we must fight alone against our problems.
The lesson of David and Goliath, however, also reminds us of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our greatest enemy is not Goliath, it is our own sin. It is the wickedness in our own hearts, the disobedience of our own actions. Our greatest enemy is that behavior which would separate us from God once and for all were it not for Jesus Christ.
Our greatest champion is not David, but it is David's greater Son. For it was Jesus who suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, and the third day rose again from the dead. It was Jesus who was punished by His Father -- punished by God for all our guilt. It was He who made satisfaction for our sins so that we could escape eternal death.
'Tis He whom David did portray
When He did strong Goliath slay.
Hallelujah!
Oh, sing with gladsome voices!
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 211:2)
