Advent: Join the Triumphনমুনা

The Scripture:

"He reached into his bag. He took out a stone. He put it in his sling. He slung it at Goliath. The stone hit him on the forehead and sank into it. He fell to the ground on his face" (1 Samuel 17:49, NIRV).

The Story:

The story of David and Goliath is probably the most popular victory story in the whole Bible. If you listen to sports announcers you will hear them compare teams as if they were David and Goliath. People use their story to explain an underdog versus someone who seems to be unbeatable.

If you’re not as familiar with the story of David and Goliath, let’s unpack it: After the time of Judges, there were kings. One of the kings, Saul, waged war against a nation that was against God’s people. These people were the Philistines, and they sent forth their greatest warrior, Goliath. The Bible tells us that Goliath was nine feet tall – that’s tall-tall. Tall as in, 2 feet taller than the tallest NBA player. You’d want Goliath on your team shooting three-pointers, but definitely not on the other team.

Every day, Goliath challenges the people of God’s army but no one wants to fight him because they’re so scared. But then David walks up: he’s just a young shepherd boy who throws some smooth stones, and Goliath is defeated right there.

You may be asking yourself, “Does this mean I can defeat anyone and do anything?” While anything is possible for God, the main point of this story is that we are not David. We are the people watching David defeat Goliath. We are the people on the sidelines who cannot defeat Goliath. You see, the whole Bible is about Jesus. Every story points to Jesus as the better example. Because Jesus didn’t just defeat a giant: Jesus defeated sin and death when He hung on the Cross and was raised from the dead. Jesus invites us into a Triumph over all evil – not just one villain.

The Bible tells us we do nothing to earn our Salvation or to earn God’s Victory. Instead, it is freely given by Jesus. This devotional is not a manual on how to slay your giant and get into Heaven. It is an invitation to the Good News that Jesus has already taken care of our greatest needs.

The Triumph:

It is good news that we do not hope in ourselves. We are people who choose our way instead of God’s Way, and most of the time that choice ends up making a mess of things. Have you ever told a lie? How did that go for you? For me, it immediately blows up in my face.

Christmas celebrates the fact that we can trust in Jesus and not trust in ourselves. Jesus is the only Perfect Person to ever live, and He has defeated our greatest enemies. Because of this, we can celebrate His Birth, Death, and Resurrection, and we can do so with Hope and Joy!