UPCOMING PROGRAMS
DEALING WITH GIANTS
1 Samuel 17: 1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4 A champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span[a] went out. 5 He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he wore a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels[b] of brass. 6 He had brass shin armor on his legs, and a brass javelin between his shoulders. 7 The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.[c] His shield bearer went before him. 8 He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.” 10 The Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel today! Give me a man, that we may fight together!”11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. The man was an elderly old man in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest; and the three oldest followed Saul. 15 Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17 Jesse said to David his son, “Now take for your brothers an ephah [d] of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18 and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back news.” 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went, as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the place of the wagons, as the army which was going out to the fight shouted for the battle. 21 Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22 David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words; and David heard them. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were terrified. 25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
26 David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 The people answered him in this way, saying, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.”
29 David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” 30 He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way. 31 When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
34 David said to Saul, “Your servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. 36 Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “Yahweh who 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.”
Saul said to David, “Go! Yahweh will be with you.” 38 Saul dressed David with his clothing. He put a helmet of brass on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped his sword on his clothing, and he tried to move; for he had not tested it. David said to Saul, “I can’t go with these; for I have not tested them.” Then David took them off.
40 He took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag which he had. His sling was in his hand; and he came near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine walked and came near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 When the Philistine looked around, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field.”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
48 When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gai and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron. 53 The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines and they plundered their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?”
Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I can’t tell.”
56 The king said, “Inquire whose son the young man is!”
57 As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, you young man?”
David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 17:4 a cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man's arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. A span is the length from the tip of the little finger to the tip of the thumb on a man's stretched-out hand, about 9 inches or 23 cm. Therefore, Goliath was about 9 feet and 9 inches or 2.97 meters tall.
b. 1 Samuel 17:5 a shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 5000 shekels is about 50 kilograms or 110 pounds.
c. 1 Samuel 17:7 a shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 600 shekels is about 6 kilograms or about 13 pounds.
d. 1 Samuel 17:17 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel
We all have giants that we face in life. By giants, I mean what seemed to be insurmountable
problems and issues. Giants that you have tried to bring down but which have actually only grown stronger with the passing of time. Giants like fear, personal sin, pride, jealousy, gluttony, addiction, and more.
How do we deal with the giants in our lives?
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Recognize that everyone has a giant. Everyone has an obstacle. Everyone has a challenge.
Everyone has a threat. Everyone has a problem that looms large in their mind.
2. Know that the battle belongs to the Lord. Rest in His nished work as David did. It is a spiritual battle that needs to be fought with spiritual weapons.
3. Attack your giant. Force it into the light of day. Call on God and pray for His power. Then attack.
4. Finish your giant off. Cut off its head. Burn your bridges. Break with the past. Draw lines. Make yourself accountable to others. Stay away from people or situations where you would be unnecessarily tempted, and don’t let that giant back in your life again.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• The devil may be insidious. The devil may be invisible. But he is not invincible. Nor is he omniscient. He has a powerful intellect and from experience knows many things, but he is
not all-knowing.
• If you are a Christian, you come under divine protection and the devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without God’s permission.
• Alexander McLaren said, “He who has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scripture in his hands has all he needs.”
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
God knows how much you can handle. You may not think you can make it, but if God is letting you go through whatever it is you are going through, He has a reason and He will never give you more than you can handle. Remember that.
Monday, 24 March 2014
Dealing with Giants — II1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4 A champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span[a] went out. 5 He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he wore a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels[b] of brass. 6 He had brass shin armor on his legs, and a brass javelin between his shoulders. 7 The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.[c] His shield bearer went before him. 8 He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.” 10 The Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel today! Give me a man, that we may fight together!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. The man was an elderly old man in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest; and the three oldest followed Saul. 15 Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17 Jesse said to David his son, “Now take for your brothers an ephah [d] of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18 and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back news.” 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went, as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the place of the wagons, as the army which was going out to the fight shouted for the battle. 21 Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22 David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words; and David heard them. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were terrified. 25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
26 David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 The people answered him in this way, saying, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.”
29 David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” 30 He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way. 31 When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
34 David said to Saul, “Your servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. 36 Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “Yahweh who 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.”
Saul said to David, “Go! Yahweh will be with you.” 38 Saul dressed David with his clothing. He put a helmet of brass on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped his sword on his clothing, and he tried to move; for he had not tested it. David said to Saul, “I can’t go with these; for I have not tested them.” Then David took them off.
40 He took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag which he had. His sling was in his hand; and he came near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine walked and came near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 When the Philistine looked around, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field.”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
48 When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gai and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron. 53 The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines and they plundered their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?”
Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I can’t tell.”
56 The king said, “Inquire whose son the young man is!”
57 As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, you young man?”
David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 17:4 a cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man's arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. A span is the length from the tip of the little finger to the tip of the thumb on a man's stretched-out hand, about 9 inches or 23 cm. Therefore, Goliath was about 9 feet and 9 inches or 2.97 meters tall.
b. 1 Samuel 17:5 a shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 5000 shekels is about 50 kilograms or 110 pounds.
c. 1 Samuel 17:7 a shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 600 shekels is about 6 kilograms or about 13 pounds.
d. 1 Samuel 17:17 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel
The shepherd boy, David, faced a nine-foot, nine-inch giant and defeated him by the power of God! Pastor Greg Laurie wants to know what "giant" is facing you today. Get help for the serious issues that seem like nine-foot giants.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Dealing with Giants — III1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 2 Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 The Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4 A champion out of the camp of the Philistines named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span[a] went out. 5 He had a helmet of brass on his head, and he wore a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels[b] of brass. 6 He had brass shin armor on his legs, and a brass javelin between his shoulders. 7 The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron.[c] His shield bearer went before him. 8 He stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to set your battle in array? Am I not a Philistine, and you servants to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him and kill him, then you will be our servants and serve us.” 10 The Philistine said, “I defy the armies of Israel today! Give me a man, that we may fight together!”
11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. 12 Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons. The man was an elderly old man in the days of Saul. 13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 David was the youngest; and the three oldest followed Saul. 15 Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 The Philistine came near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days. 17 Jesse said to David his son, “Now take for your brothers an ephah [d] of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18 and bring these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers are doing, and bring back news.” 19 Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took and went, as Jesse had commanded him. He came to the place of the wagons, as the army which was going out to the fight shouted for the battle. 21 Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. 22 David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and said the same words; and David heard them. 24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were terrified. 25 The men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? He has surely come up to defy Israel. The king will give great riches to the man who kills him, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
26 David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine, and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
27 The people answered him in this way, saying, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
28 Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s anger burned against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? With whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride, and the naughtiness of your heart; for you have come down that you might see the battle.”
29 David said, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” 30 He turned away from him toward another, and spoke like that again; and the people answered him again the same way. 31 When the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
33 Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
34 David said to Saul, “Your servant was keeping his father’s sheep; and when a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb out of the flock, 35 I went out after him, and struck him, and rescued it out of his mouth. When he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him, and killed him. 36 Your servant struck both the lion and the bear. This uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “Yahweh who 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.”
Saul said to David, “Go! Yahweh will be with you.” 38 Saul dressed David with his clothing. He put a helmet of brass on his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped his sword on his clothing, and he tried to move; for he had not tested it. David said to Saul, “I can’t go with these; for I have not tested them.” Then David took them off.
40 He took his staff in his hand, and chose for himself five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag which he had. His sling was in his hand; and he came near to the Philistine. 41 The Philistine walked and came near to David; and the man who bore the shield went before him. 42 When the Philistine looked around, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and had a good looking face. 43 The Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” The Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field.”
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of Yahweh of Armies, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today, Yahweh will deliver you into my hand. I will strike you, and take your head from off you. I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines today to the birds of the sky, and to the wild animals of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that Yahweh doesn’t save with sword and spear; for the battle is Yahweh’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
48 When the Philistine arose, and walked and came near to meet David, David hurried, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 David put his hand in his bag, took a stone, and slung it, and struck the Philistine in his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine, and killed him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran, stood over the Philistine, took his sword, drew it out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 The men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gai and to the gates of Ekron. The wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron. 53 The children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines and they plundered their camp. 54 David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent. 55 When Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?”
Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I can’t tell.”
56 The king said, “Inquire whose son the young man is!”
57 As David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, you young man?”
David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”
Footnotes:
a. 1 Samuel 17:4 a cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man's arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters. A span is the length from the tip of the little finger to the tip of the thumb on a man's stretched-out hand, about 9 inches or 23 cm. Therefore, Goliath was about 9 feet and 9 inches or 2.97 meters tall.
b. 1 Samuel 17:5 a shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 5000 shekels is about 50 kilograms or 110 pounds.
c. 1 Samuel 17:7 a shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 600 shekels is about 6 kilograms or about 13 pounds.
d. 1 Samuel 17:17 1 ephah is about 22 liters or about 2/3 of a bushel
Satan wants us to think that he's as powerful as God. Pastor Greg Laurie says that's wrong. Our adversary may be invisible, but he's not invincible! He shows us how to stand against our adversary in the exclusive power of the Living God!
THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS
2 Samuel 9:1 David said, “Is there yet any who is left of Saul’s house, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was of Saul’s house a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”He said, “I am your servant.”
3 The king said, “Is there not yet any of Saul’s house, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
Ziba said to the king, “Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?”
Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then king David sent, and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face, and showed respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.”
He answered, “Behold, your servant!”
7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
8 He bowed down, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look at such a dead dog as I am?” 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house have I given to your master’s son. 10 Till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants. Bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.”
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
The Bible teaches that we should forgive our enemies. Just as God lovingly and graciously extended His forgiveness to us, so should we extend it to others. Forgiving others is beneficial for both our physical health and our spiritual health; we disobey God’s commandment when we choose not to forgive. In 2 Samuel 9, we see David’s example of extending grace to Mephibosheth—a powerful,
simple, sweet, and poignant story of forgiveness.
PRACTICAL PRINCIPLES
1. Don’t let another person form your view of God. Find out for yourself who God is. Until
Mephibosheth actually met David, his idea of the king was skewed. In the same way, a lot of
people think that God is out to get them.
2. Forgive your enemies if they deserve it or not. David could have rightfully engaged in payback on the house of Saul, but he chose instead to forgive. Leave vengeance to the Lord and treat your enemies as friends.
3. Leave the past in the past. David was mistreated and misrepresented during his life, but he did not allow that to affect his actions. Remember that God can take what appears to be a bad thing and turn it into a good thing.
RELEVANT REMINDERS
• Just as David sought out Mephibosheth to extend grace, so God is still seeking out those who cannot help themselves. God offers us a invitation to fellowship with Him at the
“King’s table.”
• Mephibosheth had nothing to offer David. He deserved nothing from David, and he could
repay nothing to David. That describes our state before God.
APPLICABLE ACTIONS
Grace is a demonstration of love that is undeserved, unearned, and unrepayable. Who can you extend grace to today? Is there someone you need to forgive?
Wednesday, 26 March 2014
The Power of Forgiveness — I2 Samuel 9:1 David said, “Is there yet any who is left of Saul’s house, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was of Saul’s house a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “I am your servant.”
3 The king said, “Is there not yet any of Saul’s house, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
Ziba said to the king, “Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?”
Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then king David sent, and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face, and showed respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.”
He answered, “Behold, your servant!”
7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
8 He bowed down, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look at such a dead dog as I am?” 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house have I given to your master’s son. 10 Till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants. Bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.”
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
Sometimes it's hard to forgive those who've done us wrong. Pastor Greg Laurie says the Bible connects forgiveness granted to forgiveness received. It's a compelling discussion of the importance of forgiving those who've hurt us.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
The Power of Forgiveness — II2 Samuel 9:1 David said, “Is there yet any who is left of Saul’s house, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was of Saul’s house a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “I am your servant.”
3 The king said, “Is there not yet any of Saul’s house, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
Ziba said to the king, “Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?”
Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then king David sent, and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face, and showed respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.”
He answered, “Behold, your servant!”
7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
8 He bowed down, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look at such a dead dog as I am?” 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house have I given to your master’s son. 10 Till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants. Bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.”
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
Forgiveness is a tough assignment. But Pastor Greg Laurie points out, forgiveness is not about absolving the perpetrator, it's about healing the victim. Discover how much freedom there is in forgiving that person who's hurt you.
Friday, 28 March 2014
The Power of Forgiveness — III2 Samuel 9:1 David said, “Is there yet any who is left of Saul’s house, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was of Saul’s house a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
He said, “I am your servant.”
3 The king said, “Is there not yet any of Saul’s house, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
Ziba said to the king, “Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?”
Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5 Then king David sent, and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. 6 Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face, and showed respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.”
He answered, “Behold, your servant!”
7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You will eat bread at my table continually.”
8 He bowed down, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look at such a dead dog as I am?” 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house have I given to your master’s son. 10 Till the land for him, you, your sons, and your servants. Bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have bread to eat; but Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.”
Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king’s table. He was lame in both his feet.
If given the choice, some would choose vengeance rather than forgiving an enemy. But Pastor Greg Laurie points out that Jesus modeled the appropriate response as he hung from the cross. Listen in for an important discussion of forgiveness from Pastor Greg's series, "The Greatest Stories Ever Told."
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Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie
P.O. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514-4000
Phone: 1(800)821-3300
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