Today, focus is on the account of David and Goliath that appears within the Bible as part of the full revelation of GOD. While the precipitating events that resulted in the death of Goliath were little more than name-calling and taunting Israel to challenge them in battle, Goliath represented and was the “stand-in” for all the Philistines, and was condemned as guilty before GOD their Maker and Judge as being idolatrous, lawless, rebellious, and unrepentant. As a foreshadowing to the coming of Jesus Christ, the express will of GOD (we say, the law) was made incarnate, and appeared having material form as a shepherd boy, who served as an officer of the Divine Court (the Executioner). That a teenager (David) would be used on a battle-field against a veteran soldier who had physical stature as a giant was to make clearly visible to Israel, the Philistines, and all mankind that GOD will impose judgment upon created beings and living creatures, and will operate as the highest authority, power, and sovereign-will present in human affairs. The fighter at “Yahoo! Answers” who uses the ID “Kumquat May” (Level 6 with 10,357 points, a member since April 17, 2012) posted the following:
The bible says thou shall not kill and turn the other cheek but when david brains Goliath dead with a rock suddenly he's a great guy?
Goliath's five year old daughter: "Mummy, mummy, when's daddy coming home. I made a thing in school out of pasta that says world's best dad!"
Mrs Goliath: "Sit down, my poor daughter, I have terrible news. Daddy won't be coming home. He was murdered at work today. Some short man called David threw a rock at his temple and he died having a seizure in the dirt. You'll never see Daddy again, and now we no income it's prostitution for me and slavery for you, if David's army don't rape and kill us before that happens"
Goliath's five year old daughter: " Noooooo! But won't the Lord punish him, Mum, he's against that sort of thing? It's one of the commandments"
Mrs Goliath: "No dear, not this time. I've already heard he's mind controlling one of his zombie writers to put it in his book about how great the man who murdered your father was"
THE GOLDEN ARROW: And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the LORD will work for us: for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few. And his armourbearer said unto him, Do all that is in thine heart: turn thee; behold, I am with thee according to thy heart. Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over unto these men, and we will discover ourselves unto them. If they say thus unto us, Tarry until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up unto them. But if they say thus, Come up unto us; then we will go up: for the LORD hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be a sign unto us. And both of them discovered themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the holes where they had hid themselves. And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armourbearer, and said, Come up to us, and we will shew you a thing. And Jonathan said unto his armourbearer, Come up after me: for the LORD hath delivered them into the hand of Israel. And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his armourbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his armourbearer slew after him. (1st Samuel 14: 6-13, King James Version, KJV)
THE DOUBLE DAGGER: Making and Keeping Justice? (05/25/2017); Judgment, Peace and Warfare? (03/26/2017); Teach Me To Pray (03/21/2017); Carrying Out Divine Law? (03/20/2017); Restoring the Divine Presence? (03/09/2017); The Wisdom of Years? (10/31/2016); Kingdom and One-world Empire (09/08/2016); The Accounts of Giants (05/24/2016); A Note On Spirit Warfare (01/06/2016); Why So Much Murder? (01/12/2013); Confusion 2013 (01/13/2013)
“Kumquat May”, in the account of David and Goliath, GOD is the Judge, and David is a legitimate officer of the divine court, the Executioner. Among mature Christian believers the account of David and Goliath is received as part of the full revelation and “self-disclosure” whereby the active presence who is GOD is made knowable, known, and “visible” to created beings and living creatures. The Bible displays the operations of GOD upon the earth from a divine perspective—that is, using thousands of events, within thousands of lives, over the course of thousands of years. Taken from its context, spiritual confusion surrounds that and many other accounts. Often “David and Goliath” has been presented as merely a story or adventure tale to amuse and entertain, as questionable secular history from the Middle East, and as a peculiar form of communication using diverse literary and poetic devices (e.g., allegory, epic, hyperbole, metaphor, symbolism). Dominated by their appetite, emotion, sensation and mental functions (we say, the flesh) awareness and self-will directs a listener or reader to focus primarily on elements such as the heroism, weakness, vulnerability, and youth of David, or the arrogance, cruelty, prowess and size of Goliath. In effect, mockers, scoffers, sinners and unbelievers remain blind, and fail to see the actions and operations of the account’s most important figure, GOD. They would have to be “born again” in order to clearly discern, recognize, and properly respond to the account as imparting spirit content from the makeup of GOD (such as faith, holiness, hope, longsuffering, wisdom, wrath against sin). Using their own endowment of life essence from GOD (we also say, breath, spirit, word), the listener/reader as a new creation will experience the account as demonstrating divine integrity, righteousness in covenant relationship, the fulfillment of promise and performance of duty, and the inarguable authority, prerogative and privilege of the Creator that may appear as deliverance, judgment, salvation and victory. Consider the following from the Bible:
(1.) 1st Samuel 17: 33-37, King James Version (KJV): 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
(2.) 1st Samuel 17: 45-48, KJV: 45 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. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.
There is far more to be said, correctly applied, and spiritually apprehended. (For example, (3.) 2nd Chronicles 20: 15-18, KJV: 15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you. 18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.) Even so, I trust this fragment will be useful. Be it unto you according to your faith.
THE BLACK PHOENIX
Washington, DC
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