He held his hand up to his forehead to block the suns rays.
Whatever it was, it was in the Philistine camp. He found himself walking towards the edge of their camp, on the side of a mountain. Men all around him, stopped what they were doing to look at the dark blob in the sky. They came out of their tents, and like an ocean wave moving towards shore, they went in closer and closer to see, to the very edge of camp.
King Saul was already at the edge of camp. He was whispering with the commander of the army, Abner. They clearly didn't have a clue what was going on in the enemy camp.
Someone started shouting further down the line. "Did it just move? It moved!"
Together, the army of Israel watched as the dark blob indeed starting to move. It was coming straight for them!
Oh, my...a giant!
The giant walked into the middle of the valley, were the battle was to take place. Everyone was quiet, except for the sound of shaking knees.
The giant was wearing war armor. He had a huge bronze helmet on his head, a coat of mail covering his large torso, and bronze armor on his legs. A javelin was slung between his shoulders.
The giant raised his fist into the air, punching the sky with word and fist. "Hear me, nation of Israel. Why have you come out to draw up for battle? I am the Philistine Goliath, and you are servants of Saul. Choose a man from among your ranks, and send him down to me. If he his able to kill me, then the Philistines will be your servants. But if I prevail against him, and kill him, then you shall be our servants."
He heard a some men break the ranks, and start running. Others vomited on the ground in front of them. King Saul didn't try to negotiate a better plan. There was no better plan. If they refused Goliath, he would probably march into their camp then and there, and kill all of them.
Goliath snarled and spit onto the ground at his feet. He stomped on the wet spot, and kicked the clump in their direction. "I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together," Goliath shouted.
He could feel blood rushing to his head. Who would King Saul choose? Already, men were starting to desert. Maybe he should run, too. He didn't want to be picked. The thought of standing just a few feet from that giant...his stomach turned and he took his turn vomiting.
Based on 1 Samuel 17:1-11
We are going to be looking at the famous David and Goliath chapter, but we are going to be looking at it one snippet at a time.
When I've read the beginning of this chapter, I've always just kind of read it. As a writer, I know that this is setting the stage for the really cool stuff that will happen on the next page. However, when I read this chapter this time, I saw a ton of stuff in the beginning, too.
The Philistines and Israelites were at war. Nothing new there, but this time, the Philistines pull something new out of their hat. A giant. Goliath was about 9 feet and 9 inches. That's big! My husband is 6 feet, 6 inches. Already, that's tall and I have to strain my neck to look at the man. I can't imagine another four feet onto him!
Goliath came out all big, bad, and scary. He was the very definition of human war machine. This guy could flatten the Israelite camp like pancakes, and they knew it, too. 1 Samuel 17:11 says, "When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid." and 1 Samuel 17:24 says, "All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid."
Wait, what about this, "I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3)" ?
They had no reason to be afraid, to hide, to be hyperventilating so hard they have to breathe into a paper bag...or maybe they would use a wine skin. Point is, they had no reason to worry.
My first response to freak out. Kind of like this guy...
"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into the barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Matthew 6:26
I am of more value then the birds. You are worth more then the birds. God will not let a giant flatten you like a pancake. God will take care of you. We don't need to hide in fear anymore. We don't need to panic when stuff gets crazy. This is especially important in my own life right now, so I'm not saying this all just to say it. I'm saying it because you and I need to believe it and live it.
Otherwise we will end up looking like these guys...
"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him." Mark 11:23
Now, I haven't tested this on a flesh and blood giant...but I can either believe God, or ignore His Word. We can either believe that He will take care of the giants, mountains, and the people who dishonor us and Him, or we can hide.
Don't lose sight of God like the Israelites did in that camp so many years ago. All they saw was the angry, tall giant, and really, God is even bigger.
V. Joy Palmer
Check out http://snackpackdevotionsforkidz.blogspot.com
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