First Chronicles 17-20

God’s message to me: I have written elsewhere that all the key prophecies have been fulfilled for the end times. One is still in question. Christ said that just before the rapture it would be as it was in the days of Noah. While the sinfulness of man is certainly at that stage this is not the first time that has been true. One point about Noah’s time that people don’t normally consider is the presence of 6 fingered, 6 toed giants descended from the Nephalim. The spirits of these giants were imprisoned after their bodies were killed but are connected to several biblical accounts of demon possession. While we may not see physical giants the alternative would be more possessed people making serious trouble and taking positions of authority through the use of supernatural power. While some suspect this is already happening, the giants of Noah’s time were not in the habit of concealing their power. They used it brazenly. This is something we don’t see yet.

Promises: God will establish you for His name’s sake. If you are working in His will and acting in a manner that promotes Him you will find success to come much more naturally. He wants the world to see examples of His people prospering because of Him. You are not condemned to poverty by your Christianity. In fact God wants to make the whole world know His power through your success. Give Him the glory for the things He has done and you will find He enjoys doing them even more.

Commands: Recognize your place in things. David felt it was wrong that he should have great palaces and homes while the Tabernacle of the Lord was a tent. God told him that is was not for him to build a house for the Lord and that his son would accomplish that goal. David made certain to dedicate great riches to that task so that his son would be able to build the temple quickly and grandly with little wasted time. He did not attempt to step outside God’s will and build the temple himself. He did give God the praise for all his successes recognizing that all of his talents and abilities were from God and that he could do nothing without Him.

Timeless principles: I can do all things through Christ but I am nothing without God who made me. I have been blessed with talents and worked hard to learn skills but without God I could do none of what I have accomplished. He gave me the intellect to learn, the judgment and endurance to work and to lead, the talent for music and the voice for teaching. I am proud of my achievements and thankful to God for the ability to achieve.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Never forget where my abilities come from. Trust God to provide what I need to succeed and thank God for the abilities He gave that lead to every success.

more to learn for in-depth study: Giants are a bible theme rarely visited outside of the story of David and Goliath. Nephelim, Rephaim, Anakim, whatever name is given to refer to them they are of serious importance. Others have done in depth studies of the giants and I won’t try to pretend this brief comment covers the subject but you should learn from them. The Nephelim or fallen ones were angels sent to earth to teach man God’s ways. Having taken a human form these angels fell prey to temptation and took wives of the daughters of men. The result was the giants who were the mighty men of renown. These descendents of fallen angels had no place among men. They did not share the ability of man to find salvation in Christ. Many of the great destructions in the old testament were meant to wipe out this race. The flood, the genocide of some nations in the promised land, wars against the giants by the Edomites and other events mentioned not only in biblical history but the history of the world. Even the Native Americans tell stories of a race of red haired, pales skinned giants with 6 fingers per hand and 6 toes per foot. The practice of raising a hand in greeting is not just a Hollywood affectation. The natives of this land lived in fear of a 6 fingered race and the practice of raising a hand when greeting unknown people was to get a good look at how many fingers they had and to show they themselves had only 5.

tomorrow: First Chronicles 21-23

First Samuel 19-21

God’s message to me: Being chosen of God and serving God does not mean your life will be easy. In point of fact it may make you a target. God can and will protect you from His enemies and use you through adversity if you only continue to do what is right. When your enemies break every rule in the book to get at you, sticking to the rulebook yourself is often the best way to overcome them and win the hearts of those who matter.

Promises: God will provide your needs. When David arrived at the Tabernacle, he needed food and a weapon. The only food available was the show bread which was placed before God and not to be eaten by those outside the priesthood. The priest provided it to him and his men anyway. He also found that the sword of Goliath was kept at the temple. Not exactly a logical place to find it but God certainly placed it where David would find it when he needed it.

Commands: Asking is the best way to find and get what you need and want. God can protect you in battle and out. Running is sometimes the best way to survive. Following David’s activities you can see that God has no problem with people avoiding danger or arming themselves to face it. Remember, God called David a man after His own heart.

Timeless principles: God can reveal the secrets and conspiracies to those who do not see them. David set a simple test which Saul could easily pass. All the king had to do was play along with Jonathan’s deception and wait for David to return but he got so mad that he actually tried to kill Jonathan. Up to that point Jonathan believed David was being paranoid and the king wouldn’t hurt him. After that Jonathan had no doubt his father was out to kill his best friend.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do the right thing even when it is difficult. Fear is not a sin. Retreat is always an option. Weapons are not evil. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. These may seem cliche but reading this passage you see David living up to all of them.

more to learn for in-depth study: Saul was of two minds when it came to David. One mind understood this young hero had done great things for him and his army and that he should be revered. He was Saul’s son-in-law and his son’s best friend. He was a general in Saul’s army and a famous hero. He was loyal and the only one who could soothe his spirit with the music he played. Unfortunately, Saul’s other mind tended to keep a spear on hand wherever he went and routinely tried to put that spear through David and into the wall behind him. He made a habit of sending others to capture David so he could be executed. This other mind was a mindless homicidal idiot.

God was with David and helped him escape assassination attempts then overwhelmed those who came to find him and turned them to the purpose of the Spirit of God to keep them from fulfilling the kings orders. Luckily for Jonathan, God seemed to make Saul a really bad spear thrower. He not only missed David on more than one occasion, but he also missed when he tried to kill his own son. The part of him that hated David was so strong that he wanted Jonathan dead for being his friend. Saul understood that David would be the next king and, wanting his own dynasty to continue, he thought he could undermine the will of God by killing David.

As I mentioned before, you can see some similarities to the story of Percival in king Arthur’s legend. On the run from Saul, David comes to the temple in search of food and arms. He takes the sword of Goliath which he had taken from the giant’s corpse when he killed him. Running to the king of Gath he found that his war record had given a false perception. People singing that “Saul has killed his thousands and David his tens of thousand” had caused outsiders to believe David was king. Since the king of a country was considered a high value target, David was afraid the former enemies would kill him on the spot and feigned insanity to avoid execution.

tomorrow: First Samuel 22-24

First Samuel 17-18

God’s message to me: One man, serving God has an army outgunned. David was a young teen. If the average soldier of Israel is 5’10” in that time period, Saul is about 6’7” and Goliath is 9’9” David is seen as a small youth so you can imagine he’s no more than about 5’8” and not powerfully built. That makes David just a little over half Goliath’s height. When Goliath mentioned sending him sticks, he might have been referring to David's staff but, given the size difference, it might have been a way of insulting David as being little more than a toothpick for the giant. David walked away from the battle without a scratch on him and carrying the head and sword of Goliath in his hands.

Promises: The Battle is the Lord’s. When God is on your side, there is no one who can stand against you. this doesn’t mean it’s wrong to prepare. David couldn’t handle the sword and armor of the king, it was to big for him to use effectively. He did take his staff and sling into battle. While it may not seem like much, he had used these weapons to kill both lions and bears while defending his flock.

This mismatched battle would be like a kid with a .22 rifle going out to battle “Hulk” Hogan in Body armor and packing a small arsenal of military grade assault weapons. No one would expect the kid to come home but imagine the reaction when the kid fires one shot then drags home “Hulk’s” M60 machine gun and helmet. God can use what you have to overcome whatever the enemy brings after you.

Commands: Trust in the Lord to provide your needs. Stand up for His Majesty and let no one denigrate your God or those who serve Him. David offered to kill Goliath, not to gain fame but to shut the big bullies mouth. Goliath had been standing in that field for 40 days yelling about how incapable the people of Israel were and how powerless God was because no one was willing to fight him one on one. David trusted that God would not let that sort of bragging stand and accepted the challenge to battle.

Timeless principles: “If God be for us, who can stand against us” This old saying is as true today as it was when it was first said. While it may not have been those exact words the sentiment dates back at least to Abraham. God doesn’t allow His enemies to denigrate his name and claim victory over Him. They may gain a brief advantage but it is always the prelude to a defeat so overwhelming that none can honestly deny God provided the victory.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Stand up for God. There is no reason to ever allow anyone to insult God, your faith or you for His sake. Not everyone who stood for God survived but, God has never failed to avenge Himself. Never has there been a victory over those who serve Him that wasn’t followed by massive defeat so powerful that it’s supernatural origin was undeniable. God makes certain that no one can honestly say He is powerless.

more to learn for in-depth study: Describing Goliath of Gath: The cubit is the length from the tip of your elbow to the tips of your fingers and the standard is about 18 inches. Cubit is measured differently in different cultures at the time and could be between 18 and 25 inches but, since it is the most likely, I will use the standard 18” cubit for comparison of size. A span is the distance between the tip of your thumb and the tip of your pinky when your hand is spread out. By these measures Goliath was 9foot 9 inches tall. Using any other measure of the cubit and span used in that time would only make him bigger so we can safely say he was at least 9’9”.

His Chain mail was about 156-157 pounds. The spear head alone weighed almost 19 pounds and the shaft of a standard spear would be longer than the soldier was tall. A javelin of bronze on his back refers to the shorter, lighter spear soldiers would carry just for throwing. Just to make things interesting, David took 5 stones from the brook because Goliath had 4 brothers. Described elsewhere in the bible, Goliath was the runt of the litter and his brothers were quite a bit larger.

David’s rank: David was a captain of thousands. In modern terms that would make him a Brigade commander for most militaries with the rank of at least brigadier general (one star). Saul had become fearful and mistrusting of David and wanted him dead. He put him in the military to make him face the enemy. He offered his daughter in marriage so he could force him into battle by David's own choice. David killed twice as many soldiers as Saul commanded and married the kings daughter.

KINGS: David’s relationship with the kings daughter is growing. the king has tried to kill him on a couple of occasions and sees him as a danger to his rule. He has gone from private to Captain overnight and given the job of press liaison or official spokesman for the entire military.

tomorrow: First Samuel 19-21