"You come against me with sword and spear and javelin,
but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty..."
I Samuel 17:45
On Friday, I received a call I never could have anticipated. One of my former clients, someone who I’ve not even communicated with in at least a year and a half, called me up and said, “I want to be there Sunday for your Living Stones Fountain dedication.” I was shocked. She lives pretty far away, and although I had talked to her on the phone quite a few times throughout our professional relationship, I had no idea she was keeping up with me and my family through my blog. And so Hannah Smiley with the Father’s House Foundation made the trek out from Glen Rose to Wylie TX. And let me just say, she came with a purpose.
You see, Hannah’s ministry works in Israel, taking pastors and church members on trips to the Holy Land. For whatever reason, she had picked up along the years some stones from the Holy Land, and when she read my blogs about Living Stones, she knew in her heart that God wanted her to come and present these stones to me. Stones she had held on to for a long time. Stones she had refused to give to others who had asked for them. She knew that God would show her when, where, and who they should go to eventually.
So Hannah came, and at the dedication, she presented me with a very special stone from Gilgal, found just a hike from where Joshua’s 12-stone memorial after crossing the Jordan was laid. How awesome it was to finally meet this person I had talked to all those times, but it was even more special to watch her mingle with every one of my other friends, as if they had known each other their whole lives. Isn’t that what the family of God is all about? It came to life in front of my eyes on Sunday, and it was one of the most joyful afternoons of my entire life.
When Hannah first arrived, she also gave me a stone from the Valley of Elah. Never heard of it? I have to be honest, I wasn't sure of it's significance either. But this is the valley where David killed Goliath. So this morning, I decided to ask God to give me a fresh look at an old story.
The stone on the left is from Gilgal, and the smaller stone on the right is from the Valley of Elah
Stop and read I Samuel 17, will you? Prayerfully ask God to give you a fresh look, and please comment on what you see! I see a lot of things I hadn't noticed before, more than I can even write about in this blog, so I'll focus on the biggest impression. What I’ve found is that there’s a lot more to this story than what we tend to focus on…
Tidbit: The first thing I noticed after reading this passage is what was promised to the one who defeated Goliath. Saul promised to give great wealth, a daughter, and a “get out of taxes for free” card for life (v 25). I don’t ever remember reading that before! I wonder how many Christians would take a stand against Goliath today, just for that card!
The next thing I notice is that Goliath was talking a lot of smack (vv 8-10, 23, 43-44). Yes, he was a giant in stature, but his mouth might have carried the bigger load of fear. He hurled insults left and right, and let’s be honest, David threw a few left punches back at Goliath (vv 26 & 36). But what else did David do? He combatted Goliath’s insults with God-talk. Twice he refers to the armies
of the living God (vv26 & 36). He talks about how God has saved him in the past and delivered him from the paw of the lion (vv 34 & 37). He told Goliath “I come to you in the name of the Lord God Almighty! This day the Lord will hand you over to me…the whole world will know there is a God in Israel!” (v 45-47).
You know the story, David took five smooth stones from stream. He had five, but it only took one attempt to hit Goliath right between the eyes. He then used Goliath’s own sword to end his life.
The rest of the Philistines ran off in terror, and Israel won the battle.
So what are the giants in your life and how do you combat them? With fear, like the Israelites? (v 11 & 24) When we face those tough circumstances, do cower or face it head on, with boldness from God? I think there’s more to this old Bible story than a boy killing a big bully of a giant with a sling. I know in my life when I’m going through my own “Valley of Elah” it’s been so easy to crawl up in a ball and wait for the giant to pass, hoping the damage will be minimal. But I don’t believe that’s what God wants. He wants us to face those giants with boldness, just like David. He wants us to use God-talk, not focus on the negatve circumstances we are facing. He wants us to rely on Him, and with faith, press on, just like David.
…and it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to pick up a few stones along the way, because just like Hannah and David, you never know when they might come in handy.
Frank and Beth Banfill with Hannah Smiley of The Father's House Foundation
--Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com