FIGHTING FEAR (GOLIATH) IN THE LAST DAYS

03-22-20 This message may be viewed live streaming video at youtube.com and tabernacleofmoses.org today Sunday at 11:00 am, and repeated 24/7 thereafter. The video, audio, and study notes are archived.

God is Thought. The brightness of our revelations depends upon the correctness of our doctrines, our building blocks, our Godly Thoughts laid one upon another, ascending into the mind of Christ.

 

(2 Cor 4:3,4)  But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world [i.e., Satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine [Gk: beam forth; a ray of light: dawn] unto them.

 

IN THEIR BLINDNESS, THEY WALKED INTO A TRAP

(1 Sam 17:1)  Now the Philistines [Heb: rolling, migratory] [unsaved people] gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh [Heb: entwined, shut in (for formation, protection, restraint: fenced, hedged], which belongeth to Judah [Heb: celebrated /// used, the hand], and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah [Heb: tilled (syn: plowed, cultivated) /// fenced about], in Ephesdammim [Heb: boundary of blood drops /// cessation, an end (especially of the earth); no further) & blood (that which when shed causes death): guiltliness, innocent] [Heb: end of blood]. 

 

(1 Sam 17:2,3) And Saul [Heb: asked] [i.e., the peoples’ king] and the men of Israel [Heb: he will rule as God] were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah [Heb: a strong tree] [1], and set the battle in array [in battle formation] against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side [of the valley], and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side [of the valley]: and there was a valley [a strong tree, the cross] between them [2].

1.    Commentary: “Elah” = a valley that includes all the previous locations of the first verse through which the river Elah flows. Symbolically, the strong tree is a type and shadow of the cross, and the river Elah is a type and shadow of the Holy Spirit – into which the cross is embedded.

2.    Commentary: Just as Pharaoh and his armies, overwhelmed with evil intentions, blindly walked into the trap of the Red Sea, so too did the Philistines, overwhelmed with evil intentions, blindly walked into the trap of the valley of Elah.

 

FEAR PERSONIFIED

(1 Sam 17:4-11) And there went out a champion [representing all the unsaved Philistines; thus, what happens to him happens to all] out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath [1], of Gath [2], whose height was six cubits and a span [over 12 feet tall]. And he had an helmet of brass [3] [Heb: filthiness (sin)] upon his head, and he was armed with a coat [covering] of mail [Heb: scales (like of a fish), joined plates of metal]; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass [Heb: filthiness (sin)]. And he had greaves [Heb: shin pieces of armor] of brass [Heb: filthiness (sin)] upon his legs, and a target [Heb: a small shield] of brass [Heb: filthiness (sin)] between his shoulders. [1 Sam 17:7] And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels [23 ½ pounds] of iron: and one [What did that one “man” symbolize? See v.40] bearing a shield went before him.  And he [Goliath] 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. 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. And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. When Saul [4] and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed [Heb: broken down by fear; beat down, discouraged, scared, terrified], and greatly afraid [Heb: terribly fearful].

1.    Goliath = Heb: exile /// to denude [Dict: to make naked] (especially in a disgraceful sense); to exile (captives usually being stripped); fig. to reveal: shamefully uncover.

2.    Gath = Heb: a Philistine city /// (in the sense of treading out the grapes); a winepress.

3.    brass = Heb: copper; fig. base (as compared with gold or silver): brasen, filthiness.

4.    (1 Sam 10:23) And they ran and fetched him [Saul] thence: and when he stood among the people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and upward.

 

(1 Sam 17:24) And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

 

FIVE SMOOTH STONES

(1 Sam 17:40,41) And he [David = Heb: beloved] took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones [men are symbolized as stones] out of the brook [the water of the Holy Spirit. What was the name of that stream again?], and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip [Heb: a traveling pouch]; and his sling was in his hand [power]: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man [See v.7] that bare the shield went before him [i.e., in front of Goliath].

1.    (Eph 4:11,12) And he [the risen Jesus Christ] gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: [each office exercises the Word of God]

 

THE BATTLE IS BETWEEN FEAR AND FAITH

(1 Sam 17:45-47) Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield [proclaiming Fear]: but I come to thee [proclaiming Faith] in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied [Heb: exposed (as by stripping); defamed: blasphemed]. 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. And all this assembly [Heb: congregation] 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 [Heb: power].

 

(1 Sam 17:48-51) And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted [Heb: to be liquid or flowed], and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it [David exercised his spiritual power], and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead [the home of the Philistine’s evil thoughts]; and he fell upon his face [prostrate and defeated] to the earth. 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. 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.

 

BE NOT AFRAID

(Luke 12:4-9)  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do [Goliath]. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him [Father God], which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

  
Amen