DAVID AND GOLIATH: THE SPIRIT OF FAITH AND THE SPIRIT OF FEAR – CHAPTER 16HIDDEN GIANTS01-30-05
THE PRIDE-HUMILITY SCALECommentary: Pride and humility are opposite poles of thought.
Pride is a pattern of thought, and humility is a pattern of thought. In the
Bible, Jesus Christ is the perfect personification of humility, and
Goliath is the perfect personification of pride; both are man plus
spirit. Jesus Christ is a man plus the heritage of the “good” Holy Spirit
(Mat 1:20) – a giant within;
Goliath is a man plus the heritage of the “evil” fallen spirits (Gen 6:4)
– a giant without. Jesus Christ and Goliath are positioned on opposite
ends of the Pride-Humility Scale, i.e. they are perfect pride and perfect
humility, with all humanity in-between. Satan is not depicted on this human
scale because he is not a man, but he is a spirit only. 1.
(1 John 3:2) Beloved, now
are we the sons [teknon; children] of
God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when
he shall appear, we shall be like him;
for we shall see him as he is [i.e.
perfect faith, perfect humility, perfect love]. Commentary:
The Old Testament is a physical portrayal (visible) of God’s Word, i.e. outside
us; the New Testament is spiritual portrayal (invisible) of God’s Word,
i.e. inside us. Is it possible that the giants of the Old Testament are a
visible portrayal of evil thoughts? Goliath certainly manifested a lot of evil
thoughts, i.e. loud strident blasphemy against God, and his armor of brass
has the meaning of “filthiness” in the original Hebrew. (Gen 6:4-6)
There were giants in the earth in
those days; and also after that, when the
sons of God [i.e. fallen angels]
came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the
same became mighty [powerful]
men which were of old, men of renown. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and that every
imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him
at his heart. 1.
giants = Heb: nephil, nef-eel'; a feller, i.e. a bully or tyrant /// to
fall: cast down, divide, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en,
-ing), (cause to) lie down, overwhelm, perish, (make to) rot, slay, smite out,
throw down. 2.
(Jude 1:6) And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day. 3.
God never directly said that the giants were evil, nor the fallen angels,
because that would be judgment, but the giants are always portrayed set
against God and man. 4.
Who is your own worst enemy? You are. And his name is Goliath (exile),
and he lives inside you. Commentary: Goliath is the tallest man in the Bible, and the most prideful man in the Bible. God used the height of persons in the Bible to symbolize their respective pride, as in Goliath, and Saul, and Eliab. By comparison and on that same diminishing continuum, David was drawn as but a young lad (us) and therefore of diminutive height, small of stature. PULLING DOWN STRONG HOLDS WHICH ARE EVERY EVIL THOUGHTCASTING DOWN THE GOLIATHS IN YOUR MIND(2 Cor 10:3-5)
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty [powerful]
through God to the pulling down of
strong holds;) Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought
to the obedience [compliance or submission] of Christ; 1.
carnal = Gk: pertaining to flesh, i.e. bodily, temporal, or (by impl.)
animal, unregenerate: fleshly. 2.
strong holds = Gk: (mean. to fortify, through the idea of holding
safely); a castle (fig. argument). 3.
Nelson Study Bible = Paul destroyed strongholds, cast down towers,
and took captives. The fortress, towers, and captives represent the arguments,
thoughts, and plans that Paul was opposing. Paul cast down all
rationalizations. He took captive “to the obedience of Christ”
every perception and intention of the heart that was against God. We
should not cling to thoughts that do not conform to the life and teachings of
Christ. Paul did not walk according to the flesh or his worldly desires;
instead he conquered the flesh. He explains his strategy in 1 Cor 9:24-27. (1 Cor 9:24-27)
Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the
prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is
temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown;
but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight
I, not as one that beateth the air: But
I keep under [subdue] my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when
I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1.
temperate = Gk: to exercise self-restraint (in diet and chastity)
/// strong in a thing (masterful), i.e. (fig.) self-controlled (in
appetite, etc.):--temperate. 2.
(Gal 5:22,23) But the fruit
of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness [humility], temperance [self-control]:
against such there is no law. THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVILCommentary: Without godly discernment (which fruit to eat), the
fruit of the knowledge of “evil” puffs up, resulting in Goliath (evil
thoughts - exile); but with godly discernment (which fruit to eat), the fruit of
the knowledge of “good” builds up, resulting in David (good thoughts -
loving). What do you eat, i.e. take in? (Gen
2:15-17) And the LORD God took the
man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it [serve, worship it] and to keep it [guard, protect it]. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of
every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. [Why?
Because of their inability to DISCERN the difference] 1.
(1 Cor 8:1) Now as touching
things offered unto idols [something
evil], we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge
puffeth up [to inflate, make proud
(haughty)], but charity [love]
edifieth [to be a
house-builder, i.e. construct or build up]. 2.
(1 Pet 2:5) Ye also, as
lively [living] stones, are
built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 3.
(Psa 127:1) A Song of
degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD
build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep [guard, protect] the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. Commentary:
building up the House of God, building up giants of faith, building up Jesus in
you. Faith (belief) is the substance, the building blocks of God. Jesus is the
chief cornerstone.
1.
(Heb 11:1-5) Now
faith [belief] is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained
a good report. Through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word [rhema] of God, so that things which are seen were not made of
things which do appear. By faith Abel
offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained
witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being
dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was
translated….
Commentary: this is what those spiritual giants of good (all
you Davids) will be enabled to do when you grow up. 1.
(Mal 4:2) But unto you that
fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings [i.e.
make you whole]; and ye shall go forth, and
grow up as calves of the stall. 2.
(Mark 11:22,23) And Jesus
answering saith unto them, Have faith [belief]
in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this
mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not
doubt in his heart, but shall believe [have
faith] that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall
have whatsoever he saith. 3.
(Luke 17:5,6) And the
apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our
faith [belief]. And the Lord said,
If ye had faith [belief] as a grain
of mustard seed, ye might say unto this
sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in
the sea; and it should obey you. (Mat 19:21)
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect
[as Jesus was/is perfect, in humility, in faith, and in love],
go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure
in heaven: and come and follow me. Amen
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