When David sees Goliath threatening Israel, notice his intense concern for the glory of God's name and the honour of God's people: "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" (1 Sam 17:26). While the Israelites were all as unbelieving as their forefathers who had wandered for 40 years in the wilderness, David knew what God had done to the Canaanite giants through Joshua and Caleb. And so, he offered to go and fight Goliath.
When Saul laughed at David saying he was just a youth (David was probably about 17 years old now), David told Saul about some incidents in his private life, which he had never told anyone about before - not even his parents. He told Saul, "When I was tending my father's flock, sometimes a lion or a bear would come and take a lamb from the flock. I would go after the wild animal, rescue the lamb from its mouth and kill the wild animal. I have killed both the lion and the bear." (17:34-36). David had known what Samson did when the Spirit came upon him. So after Samuel had anointed him, David felt that God would help him too, just like God helped Samson. And God did.
How many shepherds in Israel would go after a lion just to save the life of a wee, tiny lamb? When God saw this care that David had for the littlest lamb in his flock, He decided that David was fit to shepherd Israel. When Satan gets hold of a weak brother, it is the shepherd's duty to go after Satan in spiritual warfare and to rescue that brother from Satan's grip. That's the type of shepherd God is looking for today.
This story also teaches us that we have to slay the enemies in our private life first, before we can face Goliath publicly. If you have not overcome the lion and the bear in your private life, don't imagine that God will call you to face Goliath in public. Many would like to have a public ministry that demolishes Satan's fortresses. But they must start with destroying Satan's fortresses in their own mind first. They must show a concern for God's name and for the little lambs in private first.
Saul then told David to at least put on his (Saul's) armour. That would offer some protection against Goliath. Was David to trust in Saul's armour or in God? Finally David took it all off and went forth trusting in God alone. He told Goliath, "You have come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord" (v.45). Thus he killed Goliath with a single stone and used Goliath's own sword to chop off his head.
This is how we are to go against Satan today. And God uses Satan's own weapons (Goliath's own sword) to destroy him. "Through death, He destroyed him who had the power of death" (Heb.2:14). Once Goliath was killed, the other Philistines ran away (1 Sam.17:51). This teaches us that once we kill the giant sin in our life ("the sin that so easily entangles us" - Heb.12:1), we will find that many other sins in our lives are conquered too.
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Zac Poonen ( - Present)
God called brother Zac Poonen to a new work early on in his Christian experience. The movement is now called Christian Fellowship Churches where the New Covenant of New Testament Christianity is clearly preached.Brother Zac Poonen has written 25 books most of them being on the deeper Christian life. Many of these have been translated into a number of languages and have been circulated widely around the world. He clearly and passionately shares the narrow way of Christian discipleship that is neglected by so many modern preachers.
Recommends these books by Zac Poonen:
Through The Bible by Zac Poonen
The Final Triumph-A verse by verse study of the book of Revelation by Zac Poonen
Beauty for Ashes by Zac Poonen
Zac Poonen is a former Indian Naval Officer who has been in full time ministry in India for nearly 50 years as a Bible teacher and preacher. He holds responsibility for a number of churches in India and abroad. He currently pastors the Christian Fellowship Church in Bangalore, Karnataka.
He has written more than 25 books and numerous articles in English - which have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages. His messages are available on audio and video format.
Like the other elders in his church, Zac Poonen also supports himself and his family through what he describes as "tent-making" and does not receive any salary for his services. He does not receive any royalties for any of his books, CDs or DVDs, that are published by Christian Fellowship Centre, Bangalore.