05/11/2023 - METAL MONSTER

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He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 1 Samuel 17.5

Because of the armor he wore for war, Goliath resembled a metal monster. He also had bronze shin guards over his feet, a bronze shield between his shoulders, and the shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s ax, the tip of which weighed five kilos. In front of this man, who looked more like a robot, went his squire to protect him from any object that might be thrown at him. This was the hero of the Philistines that David had to face.

Goliath was a Philistine and his people sought to wipe Israel off the map at any cost. They were not satisfied until they appropriated the land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 33:3). Likewise, those who serve the devil do everything to take away the blessing of God’s servants, so it is necessary to be in communion with the heavenly Father; thus, the enemy’s attempts will be nullified. If the Christian has any unconfessed sin, he will never be able to resist evil (Isaiah 59.1,2).

During the 40 years of his reign, we can say that Saul had no peace with the Philistines – people from the island of Crete, who settled in the Middle East, occupying the western part of Canaan. There was nothing wrong with that, especially because, by not occupying all the land that had been allocated to them, it would become thorns for them. The Israelites’ mistake was to become relatives of the people there, giving their sons and daughters in marriage. They did not love the Lord!

The Philistines managed to train Goliath to be Israel’s main opponent, since this soldier was almost three meters tall (1 Samuel 17.4). Then they made him like a robot because of the armor he wore, and he also had a squire, who went ahead of him to neutralize any object thrown at him. This made it almost impossible for anyone to fight him. The soldiers of Israel did not stand up to fight him, for defeat was certain, but David came forward to fight against such a man. Be alert!

Now the Israelites were in trouble. The giant gave the army of God’s people the option of someone among them trying to defeat him. If this challenge was accepted at that time, the Israelites would be defeated. The confidence of the Philistines was so great that for 40 days King Saul was silent, for he knew the danger of losing this battle. When you don’t know what to say, it is wise to remain silent. But David was the answer to Israel’s prayer to the Lord!

Today, reading about the outcome of this battle fought by the young son of Jesse fills us with excitement and faith. For the first time, a small boy challenged a warrior accustomed to the battlefield. Goliath’s height was disproportionate to David’s: the Philistine was almost twice as tall as David, who was just over six feet tall, the average height of the Israelites. Watch out!

On that day there would be a combat, for when Goliath challenged the Lord’s people, no one trembled, and that fact drew the attention of this Philistine. Then David appeared, a young man with red hair, small and good-looking, and this was considered an affront to Goliath. David approached the enemy, and the enemy walked towards him. What was heard rejoiced David, who, even though he had been cursed by the giant, could count on the Lord’s help (Genesis 12.3).

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares