BiblicalInsights.net

Speaking of Abraham, Paul wrote, “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall they seed be” (Rom. 4:18).  Paul gives us the essential elements of hope.
First, God’s word is essential to hope.  In Abraham’s situation the word of God came in the form of a promise. The promise was repeated to Abraham on various occasions.  However, a complete statement of it is given in Gen. 22:17-18, “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”  Paul references this prophecy and applies it specifically to Jesus Christ as the fulfillment (Gal. 3:16).  This promise was not fulfilled in Ishmael.  It was fulfilled through Isaac (the son of promise).
Second, God’s power is essential to hope.  Abraham and Sarah were old.  Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born and Sarah was 90.  In addition to their old age, Sarah was barren.  Paul mentions both obstacles in Rom. 4:19.  The seed promise could not be fulfilled without God’s power.  “Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Gen. 18:14).  God has the power to accomplish His purposes!  God’s power is also a grounds for hope.
Third, man’s faith is essential to hope.  Abraham’s faith was not weak.  Yea, it was strong!  Abraham is known as the “father of the faithful” (Rom. 4:12; Gal. 5:26-29).
Abraham did not reject God’s promise in the face of his own impotence and Sarah’s barrenness.  He believed God.  He believed the promise that God made to him.  As a result, he hoped against hope.  His faith in God’s promise and power gave him hope in the face of his and his wife’s physical “deadness” (Rom. 4:19).  He was fully persuaded that God could perform what He had promised (Rom. 4:21).  Abraham’s faith in God’s ability to perform His promise was tested when God commanded him to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice (Gen. 22).  Abraham believed that if he took the life of his son, that God could raise him to life again and so continue with His promise and its fulfillment (Heb. 11:19).
Hope is confident expectation of good things to come.  This confidence is based upon God’s Word and God’s power to accomplish His purposes.  Faith in God’s promises working by God’s power gives hope.  Abraham’s hope was realized when Isaac was born.  Isaac’s birth strengthened Abraham’s faith even more.
Without faith in God’s promises and power we cannot please God (Heb. 11:6).  Without faith in God’s promises and power we cannot have hope.  Unbelief is a bandit that robs of hope.  Faith and hope are inseparable and both are based upon God–His faithfulness to His word and His power to accomplish His purposes.

A recent internet article titled, “Nine Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Jesus” affirmed the notion that Jesus was married.  The article referenced an ancient papyrus scrap found in 2014 that referred to the wife of Jesus.  We will examine the evidence for this papyrus fragment
An article published in Biblical Archeology Review (BAR-May/June, 2015) by Harold Shank examined the evidence for the papyrus fragment that stated that Jesus had a wife.  Here are some of the findings and facts:
1. Karen King, a professor at Harvard Divinity School (she currently holds the oldest endowed academic chair in the United States) drafted a lengthy manuscript on the little papyrus fragment, the size of a business card with eight incomplete lines on one side and six illegible lines on the reverse.  This fragment is referred to as”The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” and was given to King anonymously.  It is the only text from antiquity in which it is stated that Jesus has a wife.
2.  King was careful to say that the fragment supplied no reliable historical evidence that Jesus was married, but that some Christians depicted him as married.  King believed the fragment was dated in the fourth century, but was of a composition earlier in the second century.  However, the fragment, dated by Carbon-14 methods, was found to be an eighth century document.
3.  Since the fragment was received by King from an anonymous donor, there is no provenance (historical background) for it.
4.  At first, King submitted her analysis of the fragment to the Harvard Theological Review for publication.  It was accepted and scheduled for publication in January, 2013.  But, it was not published then.  Information about the fragment was also posted online where other Coptic (a form of late Egyptian) scholars could evaluate it.
5.  Leo Dupuydt, Copitc scholar at Brown University, examined it and declared it to be a forgery.  He said, “It stinks.”
6.  Francis Watson at the University of Durham also declared the fragment a forgery.  Other scholars seemed to think it was authentic.
7.  The Harvard Theological Review decided not to publish King’s analysis of the fragment.
8.  After more tests and other scholars weighing in on the controversy, HTR decided to go ahead and publish King’s findings in April, 2014.
9.  The Smithsonian Institution in Washington made a television program about “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” before January, 2013, but after HTR decided not to publish the findings from King, they decided not to air the program.  When HTR published King’s analysis of the fragment, the Smithsonian aired the television program.
10.  Within days of the publication of the new evidence and analysis in HTR, a bombshell dropped on the scholarly world.
11.  The anonymous donor of the fragment had given King another slightly larger fragment from the Gnostic Gospel of John.  It was also in Coptic as the Gospel of Jesus’ Wife fragment.
12.  Another scholar, Christian Askeland, an American Coptic scholar associated with Indiana Weslyan University, and who had recently completed a Ph. D. on the Gnostic Gospel of John knew of another Gospel of John fragment in Coptic called Codex Qau.  He compared it to the fragment of the Coptic Gospel of John that had been given to King.
13.  Askeland found that the text of the small fragment of CGJ replicated every other line from a leaf of the Codex Qau (discovered in 1923 and known to be authentic).  CGJ was a forgery of Codex Qau.
14.  The “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” fragment was written in the same hand and with the same writing instrument as the Coptic Gospel of John (CGJ) which was given anonymously to King.  The conclusion:  if one is a forgery, so is the other.
15.  The overall conclusion:  the fragment, “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” is probably a forgery and since it is the only text from antiquity that states that Jesus’ had a wife, that notion is completely false.
16.  Karen King acknowledges that this evidence is weighty.
Many have attempted to prove that the Scriptures are unreliable.  None of the Gospels indicate that Jesus was married.  Here are a few facts about the reliability of the Scriptures.
1.  Fact:  archaeology has yielded more than 25,000 finds that either directly or indirectly relate to Scripture.
2.  Fact:  The historical existence of some 30 individuals named in the New Testament has been proven.  Jesus is one of those historical individuals.
3.  Fact:  The historical evidence of nearly 60 individuals from the Old Testament has been proven.  BAR lists 52 of these individuals.
4.  Fact:  Only a fraction of possible biblical sights have been excavated in the Holy Land.  There is much more information to be discovered.  (God-Breathed, Josh McDowell, pp. 158-159).

First impressions are the impact that we make upon others when we first meet them.  We may say or do things that they will remember for a lilfetime.  Last impressions are equally as important.  Before Jesus’ death, He met with His disciples in the upper room and told them some very important things.  The Upper Room Discourse is found in John 13-17.
Service Motivated By Humility
Jesus took a towel and a basin of water and washed His disciples’ feet.  Peter protested at first, but then conceded once he realized that if he did not permit the Lord to wash his feet he would have no part with him.  Jesus said, “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (John 13:15).  He further explains this example, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.”  Jesus taught a service model of leadership.  This model, if followed, will lead to greatness in the kingdom of God. It is no surprise that those in the business world have picked up on it and utilize it.  Kip Tindell, CEO of the Container Store leads with respect and emotional intelligence.  He tells his employees that he loves them and can often be seen giving them  a hug.  People will work harder and be more loyal when they believe you love and respect them.  Our greatness is not determined by occupying the highest positions.  It is accomplished by doing good for others and working diligently in the Lord’s kingdom.
Faith/Comfort/Hope
In John 14:1-3, Jesus emphasizes faith in God and in Him.  Comfort comes to the heart through faith in the promises of  God.  Faith and hope are inseparably linked.  If we will follow Jesus, we can live for eternity with purpose and peace.  Only in this way can we know real joy.
Strength
In John 15:1-8, Jesus taught that He was the vine and the disciples were the branches.  “I am the vine and ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5).  Strength and productivity are the result of being spiritually connected to the vine (Jesus).  Spiritual nourishment strengthens the human soul for the struggles of the soul.  In John 15:9-14, Jesus mentions another source of strength.  Jesus desires that they abide in His love.  By keeping His commandments, they will abide in His love.  Then, He commands them, “That ye love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:12-14).  His disciples must abide in love for Him and for one another.  This way they will be spiritually connected to Him and to each other.  They will never be alone!  There is strength in numbers when those we love stay close and supply help.
Empowerment
In John 16:5-15, Jesus promises that after He ascends into heaven, He will send the Comforter (The Holy Spirit) to be present with them and to empower them.  The Holy Spirit  would guide them into all truth.  He would reprove the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.  His word would be the means of communicating God’s grace and goodness to men.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ contains this message of good news (Rom. 1:16).  The power to save men is still found in the gospel.
Unity/Prayer
In John 17:1-26, Jesus prays for Himself, His disciples, and all those that would believe on Him through the gospel.  Jesus prays that His disciples would be one “as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee” (John 17:21).  Spiritual union with Christ is the foundation of unity among brethren.  Christ is the only foundation upon which we can build (I Cor. 3:11).  He is the central force that holds all Christians together.  Jesus prayed for unity and we must pray for it too and then endeavor to keep it.
Love
The golden thread that runs through the entire discourse is love.  In John 13:1, John tells of Jesus’  love for His disciples. John states that Jesus loved them unto the end.   In John 13:34-35, He commands the disciples to love one another.  In John 14:15, He speaks of the disciples’ love for Him.  In John 14:31, He mentions the love that He has for the Father (this is the only passage in the New Testament where Jesus directly affirms His love for the Father).  In John 15:12-13, He speaks of the greatest love, i.e. sacrificial and selfless love manifested in His own death.  In John 15:17, He repeats the command for them to love one another.  In John 16:27, Jesus references the love of the Father for the disciples.  In John 17:23, He tells of the love of the Father for the Son and the disciples.  Finally,  in John 17:26, He prays that the love of the Father for the Son may be in the disciples. The discourse begins with love and ends with love.  Love is the bond that holds every relationship together.
The last thoughts expressed by the Lord to His disciples were designed to sustain them through difficult times and guide them to greater service in His kingdom.  Faith, hope and love are intermingled in these thoughts.  Together, they make a formidable last impression.

The focus of the Gospel of John is to answer the question, “Who Is Jesus?” The answer to this question gives insight into another question, “Who Is God?” In the opening eighteen verses of this Gospel, John uses several descriptive terms to identify Jesus. They are: Word, Creator, Life and Light, Only begotten Son, and Christ.
Jesus the Word
“In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1). John is the only New Testament writer to use the term, Word, to describe Jesus. The Greek word logos is translated by the English term, Word. John is referring to the fact that Jesus is the full and complete revelation of God (deity) to the world. Jesus declares the Father (John 1:18). Every characteristic of deity was possessed by Jesus (John 14:9, Col. 2:9). He is the express image of the Father (Heb. 1:3). To affirm that Jesus is deity is to give insight into the godhead. Clearly, in John 1:1, the Word was with God (distinct from God the Father, but present with Him in the beginning-Gen. 1:1) as part of the godhead. The Word was God (God is from the Greek word theos indicating the nature of His essential being–or deity). The Word is an agent of Creation. Creative power belongs to God alone and Jesus is creator (John 1:3). Therefore, Jesus is God (deity). God (the Triune God) is an eternal, self-existing, all-powerful spiritual being manifested in three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each of these persons share together in one divine essence to form one essential being–the Triune God. This understanding of the godhead is further developed in the Gospel of John. It emphatically refutes atheism.
Jesus the Creator
“All things were made by him…” (John 1:3). “All things…” refers to each item individually considered. Each minute part of the creation is included in the creative power manifested by the Word. “Made” means “came into being.” This refutes the concept of the eternality of matter. Every material thing that exists in the universe had a beginning. “By” indicates agency. Jesus was with God the Father at the beginning of all things (Gen. 1:1, Col. 1:16). Jesus possessed and demonstrated full creative powers–a characteristic of deity. If we deny creation, we deny the true identity of Jesus Christ. If we deny Jesus as creator, we must also deny Him as savior of the world!
Jesus the Life and Light
“In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). Jesus is the source of all life-physical, spiritual and eternal-because He is the creator of all things. All life comes from Him who is the source of life. Consequently, belief in Jesus requires that we reject the notion of spontaneous generation. Spontaneous generation, the notion that non-living things can produce living organisms has never been proven scientifically. Yet, this concept is an important aspect of organic evolution. Not only is Jesus the life (John 14:6), but, He is the light. The word light refers to truth and moral uprightness (John 14:6). Light is in conflict with darkness (error and moral corruption). But, light dispels the darkness (John 3:21). Men love darkness rather than light because the truth rebukes their sinful deeds. The only hope men have to win over sin and death is to come to the light.
Jesus the Only Begotten Son
Twice in the prologue to John’s Gospel Jesus is referred to as “the only begotten Son” (John 1:14, 18). In John 1:14, the affirmation is made that the Word was made flesh. This refers to the Virgin Birth of Jesus. The conception of Jesus was a miracle. Luke describes it in these words, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb…Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall these things be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:31-35). Jesus was (eternally existed) but He was made or became flesh (at a certain point in history) (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is the Second Person of the godhead who took human form and was made in the likeness of a servant for the purpose of suffering the death on the cross and securing our eternal redemption (Phil. 2:5-11).
Jesus the Christ
“…but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). The word Christ refers to the Messiah. Jesus is the anointed one. He was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism (Matt. 3:16-17, Acts 10:38). John the baptist was an eyewitness to this event (John 1:32-34). John’s testimony validates Jesus’ claim to be the hope of Israel and the hope of the world. Jesus Christ gives us grace and truth. Grace is the unmerited favor of God and reveals God’s goodness toward us in the unspeakable gift of His Son (John 3:16; II Cor. 9:15). Truth is the very words proceeding forth from God (the Triune God). The words of Jesus (His teaching, especially His commands) will judge us in the last day (John 12:48).
The revelation of Jesus Christ by John is convincing and faith producing. It is only by believing in Jesus Christ that we can have eternal life (John 20:30-31). Authentic faith in Jesus involves trusting Him and obeying Him (John 3:36). Do you know Jesus? Have you obeyed Him?

Around B.C. 1400, Joshua, the newly appointed leader of the children of Israel, led in a successful attack against the city of Jericho.  Jericho represented the “firstfruits” of the conquest of the land of Canaan by the Israelites.  During this campaign, God forbade Israel from taking any of the spoils from the battle for themselves (Joshua 6:18,19).  The spoils of the battle belonged to God.  The “accursed things” (items under the ban) were dedicated to God.
Sabatoging Success
In Joshua 7:1, 20-21, we are told that Achan coveted some of the items, stole them and hid them in the floor of his tent.  The items were:  a Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver and a wedge of gold that weighed 50 shekels.  Achan stole these items from God.  During the first battle of Ai, Israel mustered 3,000 men to go up against the city.  The total population of Ai was 12,000.  The men able to fight wars in Ai were few.  However, when Israel engaged in the battle with the men of Ai, they were defeated.  Thirty-six Israelites died.  These are the only causualites Israel suffered during the conquest.  Why were they defeated?  The sin of Achan sabatoged victory!  God withdrew His favor.
Securing Success.
God told Joshua that there was sin in the camp.  Joshua set up a procedure to discover the person and his sin.  A search was made among the tribes and families of Israel and Achan was revealed to be the transgressor.  Joshua confronts Achan and says, “My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.”  Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:  When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it” (Joshua 7:19-20).  God had instructed Joshua to punish him.  Achan, his family and his livestock were brought to the valley of Achor.  Achan and his family were stoned and then burnt with fire (Joshua 7:25).  The sin in the camp was purged and so Israel was sanctified before God.  This is the first step toward success.
The second step involved following the strategy that God gave Joshua for victory.  God instructed Joshua to lay an ambush against the city of Ai.  Joshua laid out the plan before his army.  Joshua divides the army of 30,000 men into two groups.  One group of 5,000 would form an ambush against Ai by positioning themselves on the west side of the city.  Joshua and the remaining army would attack from the north side of the city.  Joshua planned to withdraw after beginning to attack, in order to draw the men of Ai from the city.  He said, “…for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them…” (Joshua 8:6-7).  When the men of Ai pursue after the Israelites, then the ambush would arise and go into the city and set it on fire.  When Joshua saw the smoke of the city going up, he would turn his army to fight the men of Ai.  The plan worked.  Israel defeated Ai that day and took all of the possessions of the people for spoil.
Lessons.
Several lessons can be drawn from this battle.  First, you win with God and you face defeat without Him.  Second, you sabotage success by sinning.  God withholds His favor. Third, you secure success thr0ugh sanctification (purging out the sin) and following the strategy God gives for victory.  Part of that strategy involves taking advantage of your enemies’ weaknesses.  The men of Ai were arrogant after they won a minor victory over Israel in the first battle.  This made them vulnerable to ambush.  Following God’s strategy for victory led to triumph.  We have power to prevail over all enemies when we team up with God, remove sin from our lives and pursue God’s will in faith.

In II Samuel 12, one of the most dramatic moments in the life of David is revealed to us.  David is confronted by the prophet, Nathan, regarding his sin with Bathsheba.  David comes face to face with himself, with God’s judgment, with God’s grace and with God’s glory.
Face to Face With Yourself
Facing the truth about yourself is most troubling.  Many avoid it entirely.  The lies we tell ourselves are attempts to conceal the truth about ourselves.  Some questions we must consider are: “Who do you think you are?”  and “Who do you think God is?”  David was the champion of Israel, her greatest warrior, Israel’s most illustrious king, and author of many of the Psalms.  Yet, he was a sinner.  David’s fall began with an indecent thought about another man’s wife.  It grew with site of her unclothed (II Sam. 12:2-4) and it blossomed into lust that concluded in sexual sin.  It developed further in lies and murder.  His sin was accomplished “secretly” as far as men were concerned, but “openly” as far as God was concerned. Nathan was sent by God to confront David about his sin.  God knows all things including the secret things of man. Nathan tells a short story about a man who took another man’s only lamb.  David immediately perceives the injustice of the act and condemned it.  Then, Nathan tells David, “Thou art the man.”  This stunning revelation to David pierced through the lies David had told himself and exposed the truth about him.  This is strong medicine.  But, its design is to save the soul.  David confesses his sin (II Sam. 12:13, Psa. 51:4).  He comes face to face with the truth about himself.  Sin is a great leveler.  David now occupies common ground.  His need for redemption is shared with all others who have succombed to temptation’s power.
Face To Face With God’s Judgment
When Nathan delivers God’s message to David, it contains God’s judgment.  God, through Nathan, rehearses all of the blessings he had given to David.  God gave David everything he needed and more.  He said that, if that were not enough, He would have given him even more.  David’s sin involved ingratitude for all that God had given him.  David was not content.  He desired what God had forbidden. God’s justice rains down hard on David.  God said that the sword would never depart from David’s house.  He told David that He would raise  up adversity against him from his own house.  God would take his wives and give them to his neighbor before all Israel.  Finally, God told David that the child conceived with Bathsheba would die (II Sam. 12:14).
Face To Face With God’s Grace
David confessed his sin (II Sam. 12:13).  Honesty with self shatters pride.  He pleads for mercy, cleansing and grace (Psa. 51).  God answers his plea and pardons his sin (II Sam. 12:14).  God told David, “I have put away thy sin.  You will not die, but the child conceived between you and Bathsheba will die.”  All of the consequences of sin are not erased by God’s forgiveness.
Face to Face With God’s Glory
The Lord struck the child so that it became very ill (II Sam. 12:15).  David pleads for the child’s life.  He prays and fasts.  He lays prostrate on the ground all night.  On the seventh day, the child dies.  David arose, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes and went to the house of the LORD and worshiped.  This moment deserves a long pause for thought.  While many curse God or attack God and turn away from Him after facing similar dilemmas, David in a moment of deep humility and profound reverence, enters into God’s presence and worships.  He enters into the presence of God and contemplates His glory.  There are times in the human experience, when we must let God be God!  David’s loss is great.  His heart is heavy.  His humility before God stays any anger and he quietly draws near to God.  In this act of deep devotion, he reveals his utter dependence upon God (II Sam. 12:16-23).  Here is the man later described as “a man after God’s own heart.”
Before the child died, David hoped in God’s providential will.  He states, “Who can tell whether the child may live?”  David knew God’s revealed will.  But, he hopes in God’s provdential will.  Once the child dies, David knows that God’s revealed will and His providential will are one.  There was no going back.  He must go forward.  Yet, he continues to hope in God’s revealed will–the resurrection of the dead.  David says, “he will not come to me, but I will go to him.”  All is resolved by absolute trust in God.
David’s Journey and Ours
Every person must come face to face with the truth about himself/herself.  Every person must come face to face with God and know His judgment, His grace and His glory.  This is the pathway of redemption.  Everyone who desires to see God and be with Him in eternity must walk it.

In I Samuel 17, the armies of the Philistines and the Israelites were set in battle array against each other in the area of Shochoh.  Saul was king of Israel at this time. The Philistines had a champion named Goliath who was nine feet nine inches tall.  He was heavily armed.  His wore a helmet made of brass.  He had a coat of mail that weighed 5,000 shekels of brass.  He had greaves of brass upon his legs and a target of brass between his shoulders.  He possessed a spear the shaft of which was like a weaver’s beam and the head of which weighed 600 shekels of iron. To complete his armament, a shield bearer went before him.  Goliath was an awesome spectacle.
The giant taunted the armies of Israel.  He challenged them to send out a man from among the army to fight with him.  The challenge involved a winner- take- all element.  The losing side would become servants to the winner.  There would be no more fighting.  The conflict would be resolved by this one battle between two men from opposing sides.
Saul and the army of Israel feared Goliath.  No man dared step forward.  David came into the camp of Israel bringing supplies for his brethren.  While in the camp, David hears Goliath’s taunt and makes an immediate response.  David’s heart was stirred within him and he seized the moment and volunteered to fight the giant.
Saul does not think David is fit for battle.  Saul believes David is too inexperienced and weak.  David persists and relates that God had delivered him from a lion and a bear.  Saul relinquishes and attempts to outfit David with his own armor.  However, David did not approve and rejected Saul’s armor on the basis that he had not proved the weapons.  Instead, he chose a sling, five stones and his staff to face the giant, Goliath.
Ancient armies like Israel had three types of soldiers.  The first was cavalry.  These men were armed and road on horseback or in chariots.  The second was infantry.  These men were foot soldiers who wore armor and carried swords and engaged in hand to hand combat.  The third was projectile warriors.  These men were archers and slingers.  Slingers had a leather pouch attached on two sides by a strand of rope.  They would put a rock or lead ball into the pouch, swing it around in increasingly wider and faster circles, and then release one end of the rope, hurling the rock forward to its mark.  Slinging took an extraordinary amount of skill and practice.  In Judges 20:16, the Bible indicates that some slingers could throw a stone within a “hair’s breadth.”  An experienced slinger could kill or seriously injure a target at a distance of up to two hundred yards.  Paintings from medieval times depict slingers hitting birds in midflight.  The Romans had a special set of tongs made just to remove stones that had been embedded in some poor solider’s body by a sling.
David had no intention of honoring Goliath’s call to single, hand-to-hand combat.  He was a slinger and would strike the giant from a distance.  His strategy was an important part of his victory.  He runs toward Goliath using both speed and agility.  He attacks the giant from a comfortable distance and takes him by surprise.  He aims at Goliath’s forehead–the giants most vulnerable point.  He puts the stone into the sling and hurls it around and around, faster and faster and at six or seven revolutions per second, he releases one end of the rope and sends the stone speeding toward its target.  Eitan Hirsch, a ballistics expert with the Israeli Defense Forces, recently did a series of calculations showing that a typical-size stone hurled by an expert slinger at a distance of thirty-five meters would have hit Goliah’s head with the velocity of thirty-four meters per second–more than enough to penetrate his skull and render him unconscious or dead.  This is the equivalent of a fair-size modern handgun.  David could have attacked Goliath in a little more than a second.  David changed the shape of the battle.  He used strategy, skill, speed, and surprise and won a great victory.
The duel reveals our assumptions about power.  Saul and the army of Israel feared Goliath because they measured his strength in terms of physical might.  David is small and weak, but reveals that power can come forth in strategy and substituting speed and surprise for strength and using skill to defeat an opponent.   In many ways, David had the advantages and used them to execute a great victory.
The duel also reveals assumptions about the enemy.  Saul and the army of Israel thought they knew Goliath, but did they?   Goliath was certainly big and had proven himself adept at hand-to-hand combat.  However, his size also worked against him.  He was heavy and slow.  He asks for David to come to him.  He cannot maneuver well.  His giant size may have been attrributable to acromegaly –a condition where a binign tumor on the pituatary gland causes an overproduction of human growth hormone.  A side effect of this condition is poor eye sight.  Goliath may have had difficulty seeing David.  David carried only one staff.  But, Goliath mentions staves (plural).  Golaith did not respect David.  Instead, he mocks him.  He seem oblivious to what is really going on around him.  He is dull rather than sharp.  David exploited his enemie’s vulnerabilities which led to his triumph.
David also possessed some intangibles.  David had tremendous faith in God.  He was confident that he could defeat Goliath because of past victories that God had given to him over a lion and a bear.  He was courageous because of his authentic faith in the living God.  In short, David had heart!
Goliath was defeated by a smaller, in some ways weaker, but smarter adversary.  David used strategy, speed, surprise, and skill to defeat Goliath.  His spirit was strong and his confidence was high.  He never doubted his ability to win.  He knew the vulnerabilities of his enemy and exploited them.  In the end, David triumphed and began a long career of military accomplishments.
As we begin a New Year, let us go forth in the spirit of David.  Let us be smarter in fighting our adversary the devil.  Let us go forth in the strength of the Lord.  Let us connect with God by faith and obedience to His will for the “battle belongs to the Lord.”  (reference:  Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath, pp. 3-15).