Advent 2023: November 29 - People

Wednesday, November 29th: People

Read 1 Samuel 16-17

David is a man after God’s own heart.  Why that is will be seen as David’s life is told in the Bible.  For even when he sins, he is repentant and seeks for God’s pardon, unlike Saul who came before him and only sought God due to pretense.
 
David is a good view of who our Lord Jesus is.  After we are told of David’s anointing as King of Israel, the next story is the famous account of David and Goliath.

Stop me if you have heard this story before.
 
As the story begins, God’s people are in trouble.  They have gone to war and they have picked a fight with the wrong guy.  Everyone is terrified of him and due to the enemy’s power and might, no one is able to face him.  Day in and day out he hounds the people of God and taunts them to fight him.  If God’s people win, then they would go free.  If the enemy wins, then all of God’s people would be slaves forever.

But finally, a champion strides forth to challenge the might of Goliath.  It is a no name shepherd boy, wearing no armor, who has never fought a battle in his life, but comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna! Oh wait… Not yet.  Don’t want to give it away just yet.
 
But he comes and wins.  Armed with but a stone, he crushes the head of the snake… I mean…the enemy’s head with a single shot and then takes the enemy’s own weapon and slays him with it. 
In a completely unexpected scenario, the hero wins the day.  And to this day we still will use the imagery of David vs. Goliath for people facing impossible odds and coming out on top.

But this story, as I hopefully gave away in my not so subtle hints is the story of Jesus Christ.  The one who comes to save his people from their sins to fight and enemy that no one can do battle against.
 
But Jesus is faithful to his God and confident that God has granted victory into his hand.  Jesus plunders the strong man, to use his imagery in the Gospels, and loots and saves us.  He crushes the serpent’s head in the most unexpected way, on the cross.  We are told that David even picked 5 smooth stones.  A weird number to write down unless you remember the 5 wounds of Christ in his arms, feet, and side.

And Jesus triumphs over death itself, the enemy that none of us can subdue.  And he takes the weapon of death itself and uses it on death.  He has the sword of death like a key that is in his hand.  And Jesus is our Lord and he has freed us.
 
The story of David and Goliath is just another way for us to see and know the victory that Jesus Christ, the True King and Son of David, has won for us.