Wrestle14

1 Samuel 17:53 And the children (sons) of Israel returned from hot pursuit (dalag) after the Philistines, and they spoiled (plundered) their tents.

What God referred to as divided in verse 52, as "the men of Israel" and "Judah," are now referred to as united, i.e. "the sons of Israel" in verse 53. "Israel" means, "God prevails." I believe this can be taken as evidence that after Israel and Judah fought side by side to defeat the Philistines this time, that for a short time thereafter they remained together as one nation. They came back from chasing the Philistines as one unified army, unified by believing, and experiencing the power of their God, Yehovah, to deliver them. This is what unifies believers today. When believers share with one another how they have been delivered, it unites them as one body (James 5:16). Back in verse 45 David referred to whom the Philistine had cursed, as the "armies" (plural) of Israel, which is now an "army" (singular) of God.

"hot pursuit (dalag)" - i.e. to burn, inflame, kindle. At a point in the chase the Philistines could feel the heat! After running for a short time, heat and exhaustion began to affect the fleeing Philistines who were running for their lives. They began to slow down and tire as the pursuit became hot. In verse 52 the Hebrew word for "pursued (radaph)", means to simply to follow after. But here in verse 53 dalag implies that the sons of Israel caught up to, and were overtaking the Philistine soldiers at the end of the pursuit, because the pursuit was hot. This is the part of the pursuit that was hot. This change in word usage implies that during the chase, the Israel soldiers completely closed the distance between them and the fleeing Philistines. Verse 52 tells us that Israel was hot after them "until you enter the valley, and to the gates of Ekron." Ekron is about 25 miles due West of Jerusalem. This is where the main body of the Philistine army was overtaken and killed by the sons of Israel.

"and they spoiled (plundered) their tents" - When the pursuit began "the Philistines" had to get up immediately and run for their lives. They had no time to go back to their tents to retrieve their valuables. This is how Satan and his little devil spirits must flee when you resist them.

1 Samuel 17:54 And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.

"The Philistine" Goliath, is named six times in scripture (6 is the number relative to mortals and to the anti-Christ). He is named twice in this record, once at the beginning, and again when David comes on the scene. Throughout this record God refers to Goliath as "the Philistine." Goliath was a hero and celebrity among his own people. He was famous throughout all of Israel for his size and bravado, and for his ego and boldness also. David's possession of the head of "the Philistine" was a more intense display of superiority than the placing of the foot upon the neck. Possessing the head symbolized the utter destruction and humiliation of the enemy. Any fame that was attached to Goliath, now became attached to David, the possessor of Goliath's head.

"but he put his armor in his tent." - In David's own tent he put the armor of "the Philistine." The armor would always be a reminder that any appearance of physical power and strength is only a mirage compared to spiritual power.

In the chronological order of events, verse 54 is out of place. This apparent intentional insertion beside, between, or among other verses that flow with the timing of events, is a figure of speech called Parembole. A figure of speech is used by God in His Word to single out and identify a point or points which are of paramount importance in guiding the reader into the intended understanding of the passage. Figures of speech help to make the point or points of the whole narrative.

The two major points that verse 54 make are: 1) What is the overwhelming power and authority of holy Spirit available to believers, to overrule circumstances in the physical realm, 2) and that believers should never forget God's ability and willingness to deliver the enemy and his spoils into the believer's hands, as typified by David putting in his tent the armor of "the Philistine." See Ephesians 1:19 - 2:1. Romans 8:2-15 is a long Parembole that shows the relation between flesh and Spirit, i.e., the Old man and the New man, the Old nature and the New divine spiritual nature, about which we are to renew our minds.

1 Samuel 17:55 And when Saul saw David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "The son of whom (is) this youth, Abner?" And Abner said, "(As) lives your soul, O king, I do not know."

Verses 55-56 are a Parembole also, focusing on DAVID'S IDENTITY, which draws our thoughts to JESUS CHRIST'S IDENTITY of which David is here a type, and ultimately to OUR IDENTITY in Christ Jesus, as sons of God, and parts of the one body of Christ.

"(As) lives your soul, O king, I do not know." - Up until this time David had no popular fame or renown, even among his own people. Barely anyone outside of his immediate family knew him, about his beliefs, his heart toward Yehovah, and his walk with Yehovah. But, Yehovah knew him very well.

1 Samuel 17:56 And the king said, "Enquire you whose son (is) this hidden one (elem)."

"hidden one (elem)" - something kept out of sight. From Heb. 'alam, to veil, conceal from sight.

If you renew your mind to the in-depth knowledge of the Father's Word, and build your believing in His power, then the Father could call you out at anytime to work with Him. The father could call you out from being "hidden" so to speak, or, "off the bench" and into a situation in which he needs the ability of your particular part of the body. David was called "off the bench", as being hidden from the adversary, from out in the sheep fields, right to the physical and spiritual front lines of the battle. The Father will not call you into a situation if you are not ready.

One thing Satan can never forget is that Elohiym always has more power and authority in any situation, and is a lot smarter. Satan gambles every time he attempts to steal, kill, or destroy people, not knowing if Elohiym will intervene on their behalf. The knowledge and believing of people toward God and His son Jesus Christ, determine whether they are eligible to receive God's intervention. What determines Satan's victory or defeat when he attacks believers, is the same criteria; it is how well the Father's believers are prepared in their minds with the knife of the Spirit, the knowledge (Hosea 4:6) of Yehovah's Word, and believing (Hebrews 11:1) in Him! The difference between believers and unbelievers in any attack, is that believers already have the in-born spiritual ability of Christ in them (Colossians 1:27), the Father's spore (1 Peter 1:23), the ability to defend themselves, and the authority to use it!

Take heed. God has already given believers all things which pertain unto life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Life and Godliness comes through getting the knowledge of Him, of Yehovah, who called US unto knowledge and virtue. Let's answer Him. WE have to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) with His knowledge, WE have to put on the new man (Colossians 3:10, Ephesians 4:24), WE have to choose to grow and walk spiritually by OUR own free will. WE have to do OUR part. WE have to follow His instructions, from cover to cover. If WE decide that it's more valuable to US to master OUR 8 to 5 jobs than to master Yehovah's Word form cover to cover, that's OUR decision to not make the Father first in our lives, and learn ALL the things pertaining unto life and Godliness. Then WE have no right to blame God for OUR own decision to stay stupid, so that when Satan attacks WE don't see it coming, nor know what to do.

David came into this position "off the bench" to work with God to defeat "the Philistine" because David had previously set his heart's desire on Yehovah, to know His Word and thereby come to know and believe in Him. David had made this his number one desire in life. David valued the knowledge of Yehovah's Word above all else, and as Yehovah honored David's believing, Yehovah gave David the desire (Psalm 10:17, 145:19, Proverbs 10:24) of his heart, and this is what transformed David into having a powerful spiritual walk with Yehovah, a spiritual walk powerful enough to defeat "the Philistine."

1 Samuel 17:57 And when returned David from striking the Philistine, then Abner took him and brought him before Saul, and the head of the Philistine (was) in his hand.

"striking the Philistine" - David opened up a keg of spiritual whip-ass on Satan. David "struck" him. If we are not willing to "strike" Satan with God's Word, which is the knife of the Spirit, then we are never going to defeat him in anything in this present life. First of all we need to have some WORD of God in our heads, then we need to get past our spiritual constipation and speak it! STRIKE!!! Read the records in the Gospels about what Jesus Christ did when he was tempted by Satan. He "struck" Satan with his Father's Word!

"the head of the Philistine (was) in his hand" - in the scriptures the "hand" is often used metaphorically to represent one's ability to do something. To this day we use this figure of speech Metonomy, exchange of noun. For example: "it's out of our hands," or, "it's in God's hands now." This phrase metaphorically represents the literal fact that the power and authority to defeat "the Philistine" which is a type to Satan and an anti-Christ, was within David's power and authority, within his ability, and he exercised it. This power and authority that was in David's "hand", in now in the "hands" of believers, because of the spiritual new birth from above. Saul saw the power and authority given to David by God, when David came before him, with "the Philistine's" head in his "hand." God has put it in our "hands" to strike and defeat Satan in life's competitions because it's the resurrected "Christ in you (Colossians 1:27)." All of life's situations are now in our "hands", and "under our feet."

1 Samuel 17:58 And Saul said to him, "Whose son (are) you, young man?" And David answered, "The son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

The question for believers is, whose son or daughter are you, spiritually speaking? If you have been born above with God's spore (1 Pet. 1:23) in you, the resurrected Christ in you (Col. 1:27), the gift of holy Spirit in you, then whose son or daughter are you? Jesus first words in the scriptures are in response to his earthly mother and father who were searching for him.

Luke 2:49 And he enunciated toward them, `Why is it that you were seeking me? Don't you know that I must be into the things of my Father?'

This record in 1 Samuel has taught us about the mind of Jesus Christ which was in David, a man after God's own heart, which mind should be in us. We should all be in one accord and in one mind with the mind of Christ (Php. 2:1-13).

SUMMARY

We as believers must learn to walk by the Spirit of God in us, and not by what we see with your eyes or hear with your ears. But, what we see and hear with our physical senses must be filtered through the knowledge of God our Father's Word in our renewed mind, which wisdom and power in us shall reveal to us the truth, the identity and cause of what's behind what we see and hear. Then, our knee-jerk action should not be in response to what we physically see and hear, but to what the Father says in His Word about it, and how we should resist it. We must know the Father's Word, what is our spiritual armor and how to use it. Our action should always be based upon what the Father's Word says for any given situation. This is why studying Jesus actions in the gospel writings, as well as the actions of his types throughout God's Word, is so vitally important. We are commanded to (2 Tim. 2:15); "study" is in the imperative mood in the text, a command.

Our spiritual walk should include constant prayer for the needs of those around us, and for our own needs. The other important content of our prayer is to continually have praises and thanksgiving to the Father as the fruit of our lips (Heb. 13:15). Praisings and thanksgivings are highly acceptable "sacrifices" to the Father in this age, and keeps our bond with Him warm and close, and helps keep us pleasing in his sight.

We should not hesitate to use the knife/sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17). If we are ashamed to speak the things of God at our job, in public, around our family, etc., then Satan and his little demon spirits already know where they can attack us, where we won't speak out, confess with our mouth the specific God's Word necessary to defeat them. If there is any circumstance in which we are hesitant to speak God's Word, then in these circumstances he already has an advantage over us. This is why the devil works through other mortals in the world to pressure believers not to speak God's Word with their mouth. If the things of God are not popular in the locations where we live and work, then we can see how the devil already has strong influence over those people and circumstances, over those who are ashamed of God and His Word, because they are not His children, and do not have God's Spirit in them. They do not respect the name of Jesus Christ, and they are ashamed of him who shed his blood for them, and Jesus Christ is an embarrassment to them. You speaking God's Word causes them to feel shame and embarrassment on account of their own unbelief.

Most of the time, social customs and cultural habits will act as hurdles against us who are acting upon the Father's Word. We don't want to be offensive or harm anyone, but when it comes down to either hurting some one's sacred feelings, or getting the job done spiritually, we shall be defeated by not giving the Father's Word preeminence in our hearts and on our lips. We must keep the commandments of Him and His son Jesus Christ, and man-made customs and culture must be temporarily set aside if necessary, to carry out the Father's Word.

When we're called "off the bench" by God the father and/or His son Jesus Christ, the first thing that those with unbelief shall hurl at us shall be belittling insults, virtually exactly like Goliath accosted the children of Israel and David. This comes from unbelievers who have been taken by the adversary, who as a roaring lion goes about taking unbelievers at his will, not theirs. They don't know they're being manipulated by demon spirits. We must stay focused upon the Father's Word and remember that we are not dealing with blood and flesh, but with the spiritual force or forces behind it, i.e., within them. And we must deal with those opposing spiritual forces with appropriate spiritual force based upon the Father's Word. We must know our armor, the detailed and specific knowledge of God's Word, and how to use it, speaking it on our lips, especially in prayer. In God's Word, Goliath is an exaggerated example of how people in the world accost us every day, with their confusion, and even sometimes with an evil intent from demonic possession. We can learn to recognize opposition from the devil, the adversary through others. As we have received God's Spirit in us, the devil can place his spirit in others, at anytime, because it is at his, the devil's will (of possession by Satan himself: 1 Pet. 5:8; Mark 4:15; Luke 13:16; Luke 22:3; John 13:27; Acts 5:3; Acts 26:18. Of demon spirit possession: Luke 4:33; Luke 9:39; Luke 13:11; Acts 16:16).

Our level of knowledge of the Father's Word is directly proportional to our believing, and spiritual agility. Our believing and spiritual agility grow as our mind becomes renewed with the knowledge of God's Word.

We must learn about, and remember our spiritual identity. If we have received God's Spirit in us then we are sons of God, with Christ in us (Col. 1:27), God's wisdom and power. Then we have been raised up already with Christ Jesus (Rom. 6:4; Rom. 8:11), because we have been given an earnest/down payment of God's Spirit NOW, while we are yet still alive before Christ's return and our physical resurrection, which makes us NOW, even before our resurrection, a "new creation in him" (Col. 1:27), with our Father's spore in us, the Spirit nature of Yehovah Himself. We must learn to use it by giving less importance to walking by our five senses, and more importance to the spiritual ability in us, to walk by the Spirit of God in us, using our knowledge of the examples in God's Word which teache us how to walk Spiritually, as Jesus Christ did!

Eph. 6:10 Of the remainder [of you], be inherently empowered (endunamousthe) in the Lord, and in to the power (kratei) of the strength (ischuos) of Him.

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14