Our relationship with God does not need be perfect, but has to be our driving desire. We all make mistakes, that is why grace is essential in our faith. King David messed up, as do we.
— A man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22)
Yeshua represents God’s own heart. He is the image of all that the Father represents, he is patient and longsuffering. The Father also sacrificed his own son who succomed to the will of his Father… not my will but thine be done.
John 14:7-9:: If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Col. 1:15:: Yeshua is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
The big test of Abraham was a sacrifice of his one and only son which did not get fulfilled until the cross:
John 3:16:: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only begotten son…
2 Pet. 3:9:: The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
So what did King Saul do that could not be forgiven and King David do that warranted forgiveness?
Saul offered burnt offerings himself, he did not completely destroy the Amalekites, he consulted a witch, made rash vows, he developed pride and jealousy, he ultimately turned away from God.
1 Sam. 13:14:: (Samuel says to Saul) your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you
1 Sam. 15:9:: Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them
Needless to say, the sparing the best of the animals was disobedience unto the Lord.
1 Sam. 15:23:: For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king.
— David Takes on the Giant
David gained experience in fighting from the lion and the bear. These are indeed formidable animals that can easily kill an unarmed man or woman or an inexperienced fighter. The problem with Israel is that they greatly feared the giant.
1 Sam. 17:11:: When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
Now David was fearless.
1 Sam. 17:34-36:: David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
Additionally, they tried to put Saul’s armor onto David. David refused to wear this armor, claiming he had not tested it. This brings up a point or two. We are to put on God’s spiritual armor: the shoes, the hip guards, the breastplate, the shield, the helmut, and the sword. Man’s armament is not to be used without testing first meaning our knives, guns, and miltary machinery can be effective if thoroughly tested. Even God’s armor needs testing.
Our spiritual defenses are more important than physial. In this case the staff and sling are what is represented by David. The five smooth stones come from the brook. The staff does defend against attack by holding off predators or by pulling sheep away from danger. It is the main tool of shephards. The sling holds the stones that are meant to hurt or destroy a would-be attacker.
Additionally, the uncircumcised Phillistine used a sword and spear:
1 Sam. 17:47-48:: David declared, “this entire assembly may know that the Lord does not save by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hand. When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
Notice that David ran toward the battle line. He did not shrink back nor cower in fear. He was very brave.
What does this tell all of us? Training is key to preparation, even using a substitute like going against lions and bears. We use God’s armament, not worldly weapons, especially without being thoroughly tested. Our weapons are mostly defensive against predators. We do not shrink back but run toward danger. I once met a missionary in Texas who said while all other missionaries left a certain area when danger arose, he went in at this time. All of this takes bravery for God will ultimately send the cowardly to the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8).
In modern times lion and bear attacks are not often but a shephard must always be on guard against attacks. Notice that David mentions a lamb being attacked. It is the young, weak, and vulnerable that often get attacked by predators looking for an easy prey. It is also interesting that the mention this Phillistine is uncircumcised. Maybe a circumcised Phillistine would have been better? Perhaps Goliath’s behavior represents him acting viciously toward his opponent, acting like that of an animal.
In the church we can have baby lambs, lions, bears, and giants. A pastor is a type of shepard and so guards the sheep. Lions, bears, and even savage wolves would like to eat the flock. Apostle Paul told the Ephesians that savage wolves would come in so as to destroy the flock after he left (Acts 20:29).
— Five stones, 5 loaves vs. 12 loaves (David & Yeshua), Fish and Snake(s)
Five stones reminds me of the five loaves. 2 Sam 21:22 actually says there were at least 5 giants.
David’s request for five loaves of bread to Ahimelech:
1Sa 21:3:: Now therefore, what have you on hand? Give me five loaves of bread in my hand, or whatever can be found.”
Yeshua used five loaves and two fishes to feed the five thousand:
Mark 6:42-44:: So they all ate and were filled. They took up twelve baskets full of fragments and of the fish.
Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.
In both Matthew and Mark the comment is made that they had 12 baskets full of fragments left. The baskets could have been both bread and fish (John 6 says only loaves), we are not told but the idea of 12 baskets full goes back to the idea of the shewbread.
Lev. 24:5:: You shall take fine flour and bake twelve loaves from it; two tenths of an ephah shall be in each loaf. And you shall set them in two piles, six in a pile, on the table of pure gold before the Lord.
The idea of 5 loaves and 12 basketfuls of loaves remaining is a symbol of what David did echoed by Yeshua. David probably received all 12 of the shewbread which was removed every Sabbath from before the altar. This shows that Yeshua is the bread of life for all 12 tribes and also Lord of the Sabbah.
Read what Yeshua mentions in regard to receiving good gifts, like the Holy Spirit:
Matt. 7:7-10:: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Now a stone is not as nice as bread unless you are King David and the stones are used to kill a giant. Likewise serpants are not nearly as nice as fish. But hold on there, he may not be talking about actual snakes.
Mark 16:18 says ‘they shall take up serpents’ as a sign of Yeshua followers
Luke 10:19 says ‘I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions’
John 3:14 says ‘Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness’
So are we to handle snakes like Apostle Paul did in Malta? Actually he never tried to pick it up, it just came out and bit him. What about the firey snakes with Moses as the children of Israel passed south of Edom by the Red Sea? They did not try to pick them up but Moses created the bronze fiery serpent so that those bit would recover upon seeing the snake. So there is really no precent for Christians to handle live snakes. One interpretation of the idea of taking up serpents is to take away what has been lifted up. Metaphorically we are to have power to handle dangerous things so as to remove them. As the stone removed Goliath we are to remove the power of the enemy by removing serpents, like what Satan has sent against us. David took on Satan’s power, whether the lion, the bear, the serpent, or even a giant.
But even King David was not always brave. We can look more into that in coming weeks.
Giants:
Ishbi-Benob,
Saph (Sippai)
Lahmi, brother of Goliath the Gittite
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araunah
https://overviewbible.com/david/
https://www.gotquestions.org/bread-of-the-presence.html