“And [King] Saul said to David, You cannot go against this Philistine to fight against him; for you are a young man, and he a man of war from his youth” (1 Samuel 17:33).
Saul, like everyone else in the army, was focused on the size of Goliath. Basically, Saul said to David: Kid, he’s big, you’re small. He is strong, you are weak. He is a warrior and you are a young shepherd. He can, and you can’t. But David had God’s point of view rather than that of Saul. The apostle James wrote:
“Consider all the joy, my brethren, when you fall into various trials (or we might say when you encounter various kinds of giants), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience do its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask it of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:2-5parenthesis added).
Notice that the word “wisdom” here is the greek word Sophiewhich means to have a higher perspective, as in an aerial view of the scenario, Or, said in another way, to obtain God’s point of view. James said that when we face giants of all kinds, we should ask God to give us his 40,000-foot view. This is what David did:
“Your servant has killed the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he defied the armies of the living God. » – 1 Samuel 17:36
This is not just a joke or a polite way of cursing the giant. David had God’s view of the giant, who was uncircumcised, meaning he was not in covenant with God. Everyone else was consumed by the size of Goliath and forgot that they were the people bound by a covenant with God Almighty.
“Understand therefore that the Lord your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and who lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commandments.” – Deuteronomy 7:9
They had a covenant with a God who kept their covenant – a covenant that said God would bless them, protect them, keep them, deliver them, provide for them, lead them, guide them, help them, and fight for them! This is the covenant that Israel had with God. But do you know what the Scriptures say about Christ’s disciples?
“But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been entrusted with a ministry far superior to the ancient priesthood, for it is he who meditates for us a much better covenant with God, based on better promises. » – Hebrews 8:6
This means that when we facing giants in lifewe must have God’s perspective, reminding us that no matter the circumstances, the giant is really not too big. And remember, we fight with the support of a new and better covenant that promises to bless us doubly, to keep us doubly, to deliver us doubly, to provide for us doubly, to rule us doubly, and to guide us… because it’s much better!
Photo credit: ©GUnsplash/Anh Nguyen