~ Modern Newspaper
Headline 2 ~
Headline
~
“Hate Crime Results in Death: Investigators are Studying the
Rock Involved”
This
Series
~ I hope these posts lighten your day as we take a light-hearted look at some
Scripture verses and related spiritual topics. Some of these views or concepts
may be well known to you, but hopefully others will be new.
Scripture ~ “Now the
Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at
Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in
Ephes Dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they
encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the
Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood
on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.
“And
a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath,
from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span [9’9”]. He had a bronze
helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the
coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs
and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like
a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a
shield-bearer went before him. Then he stood and cried out to the armies of
Israel, and said to them, ‘Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I
not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves,
and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then
we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you
shall 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 and all Israel heard these words of the
Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
“Now
David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse,
and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of
Saul. … The three oldest sons of Jesse
had gone to follow Saul to the battle. … David was the youngest. …
And
David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and
came and greeted his brothers. Then as he talked with them, there was the
champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the
armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David
heard them. And all the men of
Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. …
“Then
David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for
the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For
who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the
living God?"
“Moreover
David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the
paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine."
And
Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!’
“So
Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he
also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and
tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, ‘I cannot
walk with these, for I have not tested them.’ So David took them off.
“Then
he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from
the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his
sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine
came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went
before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained
him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to
David, ‘Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?’ And the Philistine cursed
David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, ‘Come to me, and I will
give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!’
“Then
David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and
with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of
the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you
into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I
will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air
and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a
God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save
with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into
our hands.’
“So
it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that
David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put
his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the
Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he
fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a
sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no
sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the
Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and
cut off his head with it.
“And
when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.” Now the men
of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as
the entrance of the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the
Philistines fell along the road to Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron” (1
Samuel 17:1-52).
~ Robert
Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT
LIFE NOW blog.
* * * * *
Bible Version:
Quotations are from the NKJV unless otherwise noted. Emphasis is added.
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