Saturday, September 30, 2023
Friday, September 29, 2023
Thursday, September 28, 2023
Matthew, chapter 24, comments on the end of human history
Matthew 24:1 ¶ And Jesus
went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him
for to shew him the buildings of the temple. 2
And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto
you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be
thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the
mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when
shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of
the end of the world?
As Jesus leaves the temple with His disciples He lets them know
that this magnificent temple, began by Zerubabel hundreds of years before,
after the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s Temple;
2Chronicles 36:19 And they
burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the
palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
Ezra 5:2 Then rose up
Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to
build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets
of God helping them.
…and finished by Herod the Great, history tells us, will be utterly
destroyed and it was so in 70AD.
The Jews would rebel against their Roman overlords and fight among
themselves as Jerusalem is besieged by Roman general and future emperor, Titus,
son of the Emperor Vespasian. The temple will burn, something Titus insisted
was accidental and against his specific orders. The Arch of Titus, which was built
in Rome to commemorate
Titus's victory in Judea, depicts a Roman victory procession with
soldiers carrying spoils from the Temple, including the Menorah. According to an
inscription on the Colosseum, Emperor Vespasian built the
Colosseum with war spoils in 79 CE – possibly from the spoils of the Second
Temple, Wikipedia tells us.
It is now only represented by the famous Wailing Wall, represented
because the Wailing Wall may not have been part of the actual Herod’s temple.
It is here that the disciples ask about Christ’s return to rule
Israel and the end of the world which gives us a clear context of what is to
come next. A type of Bible interpretation called Preterism, which originated in
the Catholic church or at least was first fully expounded on by that Church at
Rome, insists that all of these events took place when Jerusalem fell, that
Christ is actually, if not physically, ruling over Israel and the events of
Revelation have already taken place. There are full Preterists and partial
Preterists, though.
Matthew 24:4 ¶ And Jesus
answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am
Christ; and shall deceive many. 6 And ye
shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these
things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and
earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All
these are the beginning of sorrows. 9
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and
ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall
betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall
deceive many. 12 And because iniquity
shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the
same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel
of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come. 15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by
Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:) 16 Then let them which be
in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17
Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of
his house: 18 Neither let him which is
in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck in those days! 20
But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the
sabbath day: 21 For then shall be great
tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to
this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And
except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is
Christ, or there; believe it not. 24
For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew
great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall
deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I
have told you before. 26 Wherefore if
they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he
is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east,
and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there
will the eagles be gathered together. 29
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the
Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. 31 And he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
There will be many in history who will claim to be the Messiah or
Christ. A book by a Rabbi Hillel Silver, written, if I am not mistaken, as a
doctoral dissertation in the 1920s was entitled Messianic Speculation in
Israel. Silver outlined how, in the last 2,000 years, many have come
forward claiming to be the Messiah for the Jews or declaring that they knew
when the Messiah would arrive, and then to declare that they knew when the end
of the world would be. A list of Messiah claimants can be found on the online
encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
As a modern example in the 20th century a rabbi named Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who lived from 1902 to
1994, was claimed by many of his adherents to be the Messiah-to-come for the
Jews.
Verses 6 and 7 have been expressed throughout history. Don’t focus
on a single event as there will be constantly wars and rumors of wars. These
things will happen but the end is not here yet. They will, though, at the end
come to a crescendo like the climax of a symphony in our minds, threatening the
destruction of all there is. Followers of Christ will be persecuted around the
world. It has been said that today there are more Christians martyred for their
faith each week than when pagan Rome was at its full power. Others have said
that more Christians have been martyred in the last century than in all
previous centuries combined as Satan’s wrath builds to a fury.
Followers of Christ will be caused to stumble, will betray each
other, and even turn each other into their persecutors to save themselves. Because
of iniquity many will be cold to the gospel truth who may have even been
somewhat zealous in previous times. This is no more apparent than in the last
century of Christianity in the industrialized countries of the West where
religion is often nothing but a sham or an excuse to do wickedly to others in
God’s name.
John 16:2 They shall put
you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service.
False prophets, false Christs, false teachers will deceive
multitudes at this time. While these things mentioned have always happened they
will be very prominent toward the end.
Luke 18:8 I tell you that
he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he
find faith on the earth?
Holding fast to the end is of the utmost importance no matter how
bad things get.
Revelation 2:10 Fear none
of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of
you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days:
be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
1John 5:4 For whatsoever is
born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the
world, even our faith. 5 Who is he that
overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
Revelation 2:7 He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the
paradise of God,,,11 He that hath an
ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh
shall not be hurt of the second death…17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of
the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name
written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it…26 And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works
unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Revelation 3:5 He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father,
and before his angels…12 Him that
overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no
more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the
city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my
God: and I will write upon him my new name…21
To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Revelation 21:7 He that
overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my
son.
The entire world will hear the gospel of Christ before the end
comes and is that not a possibility today?
There will be a temple rebuilt and there will be the abomination
of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, showing that he was not
talking about the era he lived in when he wrote;
Daniel 9:27 And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading
of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 12:11 And from the
time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that
maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Antiochus Epiphanes, a type of the Antichrist after Daniel’s day,
sacrificed a pig on the altar and offered up prayers to Zeus.
The defiling of the new temple will take place in the middle of a
week of years and last for 3 ½ years. See the work being done to build this
third temple at www.templemountfaithful.org.
Then, Christ talks about the Jews final persecution, the Time of
Jacob’s Trouble mentioned in Jeremiah 30 and in Revelation, chapter 12.
Jeremiah 30:6 Ask ye now,
and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man
with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned
into paleness? 7 Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he
shall be saved out of it.
Revelation 12:14 And to the
woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the
wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and
half a time (3 and a half years), from the face of the serpent. 15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water
as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the
flood. 16 And the earth helped the
woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the
dragon cast out of his mouth. 17 And the
dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ.
Don’t believe any man who says he is Christ even if they seem to
perform signs and wonders possibly deceiving the very elect, He tells these
believing Jews and then explains how He will appear as lightning flashing from
the east to the west. He then describes conditions that remind one of the Book
of the Revelation.
Revelation 6:12 And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great
earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became
as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven
fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is
shaken of a mighty wind. 14 And the
heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and
island were moved out of their places. 15
And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the
chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid
themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on
us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the
wrath of the Lamb: 17 For the great day
of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
The people of the earth will mourn and wail when they see Him.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he
cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
The Rapture or Translation of the Church could be described as
this passage ends although the use of And doesn’t always mean something
that directly follows another. And can just add additional information
without indicating a time or demanding that the event after and must be
the next event. This verse got me wondering about whether this placed the
translation or rapture of the Church at the end of the Tribulation as some
people say until, as I read other things in Genesis and outside of the Bible
how and can be used to insert information that was not spoken of
previously not necessarily meaning that it followed after the last events
described.
I’ll give you an example. “Joe was a very successful engineer even
up until his 70s. And he got his engineering degree from MIT.” This is more
used in conversation than in formal writing. Just a thought.
Matthew 24:32 ¶ Now learn a
parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth
leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is
near, even at the doors. 34
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these
things be fulfilled. 35 Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall
also the coming of the Son of man be. 38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into
the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood
came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall
be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women
shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the
house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and
would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45
Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler
over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord
when he cometh shall find so doing. 47
Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall
say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49 And shall begin to smite his
fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day
when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and
appoint him his portion with the
hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
For verse 32 see;
Song of Solomon 2:11 For,
lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of
the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
13 The fig tree putteth forth her green
figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my
fair one, and come away.
The destruction of the city and the temple will tell them that the
things Christ told them about are ready to come to pass. The destruction of the
temple signifies the time of the Gentiles which will end with the translation of
the Church, the thousand year reign of Christ, and the judgment of the unsaved dead.
Every event of history since then has been simply a reshuffling of the deck
chairs on the Titanic. Nations are being prepared, empires swirl around the drain,
and all will be ready for their last stand against Christ in the millennium.
The generation that sees the rapture, the translation of the Church
happen, will live to see it all happen. No man on earth knows when these things
will happen. It will be like the days of Noah until the Flood came. The rhythms
and celebrations of life will continue until the wrath of God is revealed. Then,
as Jesus describes in detail the elect shall be removed. What will He find us
doing when this time comes? The implication in 48 is that this is a false
Christian, one of the tares mentioned in a previous parable, who while claiming
to be a servant is not truly a servant and what could have been theirs is
granted to others he would not deem worthy. There will be plenty of people who
are not raptured or translated who will cry out, “why did I not go with them?”
And don’t think that, oh, things are so bad now, this must be the
end, because they will not be as we think.
…for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
1Thessalonians 5:2 For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
2Peter 3:10 But the day of
the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the
earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Psalm 43 comments continuing the thought of Psalm 42
Psalm 43:1 ¶ Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. 2 For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 4 Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
Psalm 35:1 ¶ «A Psalm of
David.» Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against
them that fight against me.
\
David seeks help from God, deliverance from a people who are ungodly,
from deceitful and unjust persons. He feels abandoned by God in the oppression
caused by his enemies. This is a repetition of the thought of verse 9 of the
last Psalm and these two Psalms appear to be part of the same thought.
Psalm 42:9 I will say unto
God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the
oppression of the enemy?
David and we both plead for God’s leading, His light and His
truth. Solomon let us know.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the
LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
David is confident that God’s light and God’s truth will lead
David to the altar of God and cause David to praise God.
Psalm 116:16 O LORD, truly
I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast
loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to thee
the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD. 18 I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the
presence of all his people, 19 In the
courts of the LORD’S house, in the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the
LORD.
Again, the sentiment is repeated in the last Psalm in verse 11.
Psalm 42:11 Why art thou
cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God:
for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
In David’s depression he still believes that he will yet have
reason to praise God, and that David trusts in God’s deliverance. Again, those
of us facing difficult circumstances can relate to these Psalms and can pray
them back to God as they are so relevant in our day and time.
Monday, September 25, 2023
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Friday, September 22, 2023
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Psalm 42 comments
Psalms 42:1 ¶ «To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.» As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? 4 When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me: for I had gone with the multitude, I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday. 5 Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.
The hunted and thirst driven deer pants after streams of water as
persecuted David pants after God. His soul thirsts for God like the deer pants
for water, for the living God, and David longs to appear before Him.
Psalm 63:1 ¶ «A Psalm of
David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.» O God, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2
To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary.
While his enemies push him and mocking him ask where his God is,
David’s tears have become his food, figuratively speaking.
Psalm 6:6 I am weary with
my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my
tears.
Psalm 80:5 Thou feedest
them with the bread of tears; and givest them tears to drink in great measure.
Psalm 102:9 For I have
eaten ashes like bread, and mingled my drink with weeping,
David attended the services for God on a day of remembrance, a
holy day set apart for the Lord. Hear Psalm 63:2 again;
Psalm 63:2 To see thy power
and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary.
He rebukes his soul for being depressed and downtrodden and tells
himself to hope in the Lord. David has hope and faith that he will yet praise
God for his supernatural deliverance.
Psalm 143:3 For the enemy
hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath
made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. 4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me;
my heart within me is desolate.
1Samuel 30:6 And David was
greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of
all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but
David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
Psalm 27:13 I had fainted,
unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the
living.
These Psalms are such great things to claim and pray for in our
own troubles.
Psalm 42:6 ¶ O my God, my
soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of
Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar. 7 Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy
waterspouts: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. 8 Yet the LORD will command his
lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with
me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. 9 I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou
forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? 10 As with a sword in my bones, mine
enemies reproach me; while they say daily unto me, Where is thy God?
11 Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise
him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.
The needful cry of David continues as he recognizes his depression
over his circumstances. One affliction after another like the waves of the sea
come crashing over him. But he hopes in God and knows that God will comfort
him. He believes that. Yet he still feels as if God has forgotten him. He wants
to know why he must keep mourning over his oppressions from those who hate him.
Their reproach is like a deep wound a sword makes while they, every day, mock
him by demanding, “Where is your God?” Then David repeats verse 5 in verse 11
declaring that God is his hope, that he believes he will yet praise God for deliverance,
this God who will restore him.
Those of us who have been in dire straits can certainly understand
this Psalm. This articulates something we may have felt at being mistreated by
others, a financial circumstance, the loss of a loved one, or being told we had
a potentially fatal disease.
Wednesday, September 20, 2023
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
1Samuel 17 comments
1Samuel 17:1 ¶ Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephesdammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his
spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed
six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. 8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of
Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in
array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man
for you, and let him come down to me. 9
If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your
servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our
servants, and serve us. 10 And the
Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; 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.
Goliath is from Gath, one of the places where the giants were
driven.
Joshua 11:22 There was none
of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in
Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.
With a span being half a cubit John Gill reckoned that Goliath was
just over eleven foot tall although he reports that Josephus said Goliath was eight
feet tall. Here stood a man that could have traced his lineage to some very
interesting verses in Genesis.
Genesis 6:4 ¶
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when
the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to
them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
The resultant
offspring of these sons of God and human women were giants, famous as heroes in
myth and legend. The mythologies of the world have brought us stories of these
great men of renown with various
names and in various forms. The phrase and
also after that shows that this was an ongoing problem even after the
Flood. I will not go into the many websites about and books written on findings
of giant remains in graves and tombs as it is difficult to distinguish fact
from fancy and outright fraud. Sticking with the Bible account, though, we have
many references that would render some of the modern stories about
archaeological finds understandable and believable. Here are a few examples of
the many references to giants with the measurement given so that we see these
were not just National Basketball Association (NBA) style large men.
Deuteronomy
3:11 For only Og king of Bashan remained
of the remnant of giants; behold, his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it
not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon? nine cubits was the length thereof,
and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. [that is between
13 ½ to 18 feet long depending on the
actual length of a cubit]
Other references to show
that there were places where such giants were common are;
Numbers
13:33 And there we saw the giants, the
sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as
grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.
Deuteronomy
2:10 The Emims dwelt therein in times
past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims; 11 Which also were accounted giants, as the
Anakims; but the Moabites call them Emims.
Deuteronomy
3:13 And the rest of Gilead, and all
Bashan, being the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of Manasseh; all
the region of Argob, with all Bashan, which was called the land of giants.
Joshua
15:8 And the border went up by the
valley of the son of Hinnom unto the south side of the Jebusite; the same is
Jerusalem: and the border went up to the top of the mountain that lieth before
the valley of Hinnom westward, which is at the end of the valley of the giants northward:
Goliath’s challenge to Saul and Israel demanding single combat
against someone they would send forward struck terror into their hearts so he
must have been a formidable specimen and possibly a great warrior, an epic hero
to the Philistines. He stands for us as representative of all the seemingly
overwhelming challenges in our lives.
An online encyclopedia speaks of single
combat as a prelude to battles or even starting a battle in his way. Just type
in Single Combat into Wikipedia.
“Instances of single combat are known
from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who
represented larger, spectator groups. Such representative contests and stories
thereof are known worldwide.
Typically, it takes place in the no-man's-land between the opposing armies, with
other warriors watching and themselves refraining from fighting until one of
the two single combatants has won. Often, it is champion warfare, with the two considered the champions of their respective sides.
Single combat could also take place
within a larger battle. Neither ancient nor medieval warfare always relied on the line or phalanx formation. The Iliad notably describes
the battles of the Trojan war as a series of single encounters on the field,
and the medieval code of chivalry, partly inspired by this, encouraged the
single combat between individual knights on the
battlefield, in which the loser was not usually killed but taken captive
for ransom. However, the use of the longbow and the pike square against mounted knights (as at the
battles of Crécy and Laupen) ended this tradition in the 14th
century, although it was continued away from the battlefield, with the pas d'armes and the early modern duel.”[1]
1Samuel 17:12 ¶ Now David was
the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name was Jesse; and
he had eight sons: and the man went among men for an old man in the days
of Saul. 13 And the three eldest sons of
Jesse went and followed Saul to the battle: and the names of his three
sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him
Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 14 And
David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul. 15 But David went
and returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. 16 And the Philistine drew near morning and
evening, and presented himself forty days. 17
And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of
this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to thy
brethren; 18 And carry these ten cheeses
unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and
take their pledge. 19 Now Saul, and
they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah, fighting
with the Philistines. 20 And David rose
up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went,
as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the trench, as the host was going
forth to the fight, and shouted for the battle. 21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the
battle in array, army against army. 22
And David left his carriage in the hand of the keeper of the carriage,
and ran into the army, and came and saluted his brethren. 23 And as he talked with them, behold, there
came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the
armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David
heard them. 24 And all the men of
Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this
man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that
the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will
give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. 26 And David spake to the men that stood by him,
saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh
away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine,
that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27 And the people answered him after this
manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. 28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he
spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said,
Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in
the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou
art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? Is
there not a cause? 30 And he turned
from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people
answered him again after the former manner.
15 But David went and
returned from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
Verse 15 shows that David did not go to battle with his brothers
and that this passage is not a flashback to a previous time as it shows that
David was in King Saul’s court but had gone back home. A verse in the previous
chapter shows that David must have gone to battle at times before that, though.
1Samuel 16:18 Then answered
one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the
Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man
of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
Verse 16 is yet another example of forty days being a period of
testing or trial in the Bible.
Genesis
8:6 ¶ And it came to pass at the end of
forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made:
Forty days is a
period of testing and fasting in the Bible among other things but more
importantly of waiting on God, as Noah must do here. See Moses, Elijah, and
Jesus’ experiences.
Exodus 34:28
And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did
neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of
the covenant, the ten commandments.
1Kings 19:8 And
he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty
days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.
Matthew 4:2 And
when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
Forty days represents a struggle, in this case the men of Israel
facing the contempt of this giant of the Philistines.
David engages the other soldiers of Saul in conversation about the
enemy of God taunting them which draws the contempt of his elder brother who
holds his fighting ability in low regard. We will understand why, perhaps, in
the next passage as David proves himself an adept, what was called in ancient
armies, slinger.
1Samuel 17:31 ¶ And when
the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul:
and he sent for him. 32 And David said
to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight
with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said
to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him:
for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept
his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of
the flock: 35 And I went out after him,
and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose
against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
36 Thy servant slew both the lion and
the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he
hath defied the armies of the living God. 37
David said moreover, The LORD that 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. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.
38 And Saul armed David with his armour,
and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of
mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon
his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David
said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And
David put them off him.
Beware of making extreme statements in a time of crisis like,
“somebody ought to do something,” as you might be required to try to do what
you are provoking others to do.
What is peculiar about this is that David did not bring up any
former military service. He only related how he had killed wild animals to
protect his flock. Perhaps, then, that was what merited the appreciation of the
servant of Saul in the last chapter although one wonders why the usage of such
hyperbole about being a mighty man of war.
David had never used and probably couldn’t fit Saul’s armor. If
you have not used a sword or shield or armor before testing it out for weight,
balance, and fit using it in a battle to the death is not a smart idea. As Saul
was taller than David we can imagine things being awkward and
uncomfortable. David will go it alone
with his own preferred weapon, the sling.
David has complete faith and trust in God that God will deliver
him from this formidable enemy.
1Samuel 17:40 ¶ And he took
his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and
put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was
in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. 41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto
David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw
David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a
fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine
said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the
Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh
unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou
comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to
thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom
thou hast defied. 46 This day will the
LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head
from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day
unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the
earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the
LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and
he will give you into our hands.
Whether David had had combat experience as a slinger as previous
passages have implied or if his experience with the sling was just in defending
himself and livestock let’s talk about what a slinger would have done in an
ancient army. The Greek poet Homer described slingers in the work he is given
credit for called The Iliad. The
slinger was depicted in Assyrian and Egyptian carvings as well as in Roman. Stone
or even ceramic projectiles were slung fast enough to kill an enemy, especially
when striking the head.
Notice that David selected five smooth stones. Five is a
significant number in the Bible as in five piercings in Christ’s body,
Benjamin’s food being five times that of his brothers in Genesis 43:34, the
five loaves in Mark 6:38 that Jesus fed the multitude with, etc. etc. It is an
interesting study.
This chapter is often used as a description of the seemingly weak
and powerless overcoming the strong. It is a part of the English language, the
Davids versus the Goliaths. Goliath is sometimes referred to as trouble in your
life you cannot seem to overcome on your own. And verse 47 tells us in whose
hand the victory lies.
47 And all this assembly
shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is
the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.
1Samuel 17:48 ¶ And it came
to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that
David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took
thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead,
that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
50 So David prevailed over the
Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew
him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the
Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew
him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their
champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the
men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines,
until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of
the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto
Ekron. 53 And the children of Israel
returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they spoiled their tents.
54 And David took the head of the
Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armour in his tent.
55 And when Saul saw David go forth
against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner,
whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O
king, I cannot tell. 56 And the king
said, Enquire thou whose son the stripling is. 57 And 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 And Saul
said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David
answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.
This heroic defeat of the giant Goliath by David, the future king,
has gone down in history as one of the greatest of all combats between a powerful
force and a seemingly weak force. Imagine the Battle of Midway in World War Two
that, for all practical purposes, the mighty and undefeated Japanese Navy
should have won but in a brief period of time the battle went to the Americans
in what one author entitled a book about, Incredible Victory, changing
the war and almost making the defeat of the Japanese Empire inevitable.
David slew Goliath because God was with him as we will slay our
Goliaths if God is with us. The death of Goliath results in a rout of the Philistine
Army who run in terror.
As grisly as it sounds, like many ancient heroes of single combat
David took the head of his defeated enemy to present to his king. Saul is shown
as asking a question we would think he would know the answer to as he has
already offered his armor to David. So, this is one of those statements giving
the hero the opportunity to receive glory. And who are you, young man? So
common sense keeps us from thinking of this as evidence of a conflict in the
Bible. I consider this dialogue between Abner and Saul about David as more
formality and mystery lending gravity to the situation, a sort of formal
statement of events preceded by a question as was common among the ancients.