DAVID AND GOLIATH: THE SPIRIT OF FEAR AND THE SPIRIT OF FEAR - CHAPTER 29
ARCHETYPE
= CHIEF OR PRINCIPAL + SYMBOL OR SHADOW
(1 Sam 17:15-18)
But David [archetype of Jesus] went and returned
from Saul [archetype of professing (not saved) Christians, and a type
of the church in apostasy] to feed
his father's sheep at Bethlehem [house
of bread]. And the Philistine [Goliath
– archetype of the worldly unsaved] drew near morning and evening [times of the daily sacrifices in the Tabernacle], and presented himself [for their acceptance, symbolically as their false swine (pig)
sacrifice upon the brazen altar (cross) in place of the Lamb of God] forty
days [the number of testing, i.e.
forty years “in the church in the wilderness” Acts 7:38]. And
Jesse [extant /// to exist (archetype of God – I Am)] said unto
David his son [the Son of God], Take now for thy brethren an ephah of
this parched corn
[the Word of God - God the Father], and these ten
loaves [the Word of God
– God the Son], and run to the camp to thy brethren [his
Second Coming]; And carry these ten
cheeses [the Word of God – God the Holy Ghost] unto the
captain [head person] of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and
take [take up, bring, carry
away, seize (1 Thes 4:17 “harpazo”)]
their pledge [fully redeem
their pledge, their earnest, i.e. pay in full]. THE FALSE CHURCH
Please note that David’s
three eldest brothers willingly remained in Saul’s army, an army that
symbolized the apostatized church in the world. Like typical prodigal sons, they
had gone “into a far country” (Luke 15:12) away from Bethlehem (house of
bread) and their Father, and their Father’s sheepfold. But they had not
“come to themselves” and returned. That is, they had not done as had David
and “returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at
Bethlehem” (1 Sam 17:15), i.e. they had not “Come out of
her [the false church in apostasy],
my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues.” (Rev 18:4). HOW DO YOU COME OUT OF THE FALSE CHURCH? 1.
(John 3:3) Jesus answered
and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [“he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God” John 3:5] 2.
(Mark 16:15) And he said
unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel [to herald (as
a public crier), espec. divine truth (the gospel): proclaim, publish]
to every creature. 3.
(Rom 12:1,2) I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed [changed] by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 4.
(2 Tim 2:15) Study to
show thyself approved unto God, a workman [a
toiler; fig. a teacher: labourer] that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
[to
make a straight cut, (fig.) to dissect (expound) correctly (the divine message)]
the word [logos] of truth. 5.
(1 Th 5:17) Pray without
ceasing. HELD
CAPTIVE
During the forty days that
Goliath was testing the visible church, David and his four
remaining brothers (significantly, five in all – connoting the Hand Ministry)
were busily but quietly engaged back home in Bethlehem doing “my Father’s
business” (Luke 2:49). These four brothers plus the thumb of David
collectively symbolize the Hand of God, the works of the invisible church
for they were clearly not visible nor mentioned at all in the 1 Samuel
chapter 17 scenario. Our Father’s business is that of feeding our Father’s
sheep with the rightly divided Word of God. Meanwhile, David’s
three eldest brothers, wasteful prodigal sons all (Luke 15:11-24), were spending
(literally wasting away – physically and spiritually) all their time
standing around on the unfruitful “rock” (Luke 8:13) of a self-centered
mountain of pride “being conformed to this world” (Rom 12:2) by watching
and listening and thinking and altogether interacting with Goliath (Satan,
the world, mammon: personified by television). In a very subtle way (Gen
3:1), David’s (good ground) three eldest brothers (among the thorns), true
believers all, were being held captive, prisoners, captivated (syn: in bondage,
servitude, slavery) by Goliath and the Philistines (the way side), along with
the vast majority of the Israelite “armies of the living God” (1 Sam 26,36
– i.e. denominations). This is the visible church in apostasy which is
composed of non-believing but confessing (stony ground, “no root” Mat 13:6)
“Christians” (perhaps as much as 80%), and a much lesser number of believing
Christians (among the thorns) who have not “Come out of her” (perhaps 20%). Amen |