The Woman and the Dragon
Revelation 12:1-6 reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend of min last year. He said he didn't read the Bible because there were people eating dragons or dragons eating people. He didn't have a reference as to what chapter or book, but just that people said that it was in the Bible and so he didn't believe it. He was missing the context and he was missing the symbolism. the woman represents Israel, the dragon is Satan and the man-child is Jesus. Jesus, after being born, was going to be eaten (tempted) by Satan, but instead Jesus went to God's throne in Heaven (did what was honorable to God). After Israel (through history) gave "birth" to Jesus he did what God wanted and fulfilled what he was to do rather than what was tempting and earthly.
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God's Power is Bigger Than Your Biggest Problem
Do you know the story of David and Goliath? Not the claymation cartoon from the 1960s (as us old people may remember) but the boy who slay a giant that struck fear into the Israelites. There are some points to take home from 1 Samuel 17.These points were taken from a message by Pastor Kerry Shook from Woodlands Church (link at the end of the blog).
First, we you must attack the giant in your life. We do not do this with reckless abandon, but with God's power and direction (1 Samuel 17:45). How do we know what God wants from us? We must read His word. We must talk to Him. We also have to look at who we are and how we are designed in order to carry out the plans God has for us. David did not cower in fear or pretend like it wasn't there. He faced it head on. What is your biggest fear right now? Is it a relationship? Is it health? Money? Job?
David's instinct after knocking Goliath down was to cut his head off (1 Samuel 17:51). He did not celebrate and pat himself on the back. He wanted to be rid of the Goliath and the fear he was causing in the battle. David didn't want the giant to only be knocked down, but wanted to be rid of the fear and problems Goliath caused. How can you cut off your giant's head? Are you spending too much money? Cut up the credit cards! Are you always getting drunk with your friends? Find new friends that can keep you accountable. There is something major in your life that is causing a problem that needs to be severed from your life. Extreme measures are needed for extreme problems.
David also had an expectation of more giants to come. Life has issues that will not always be the same thing over and over again. But what do we learn by doing the same thing over and over again. 1 Samuel 17:40 tells us that David selected 5 stones from the stream. Why 5 stones? We learn in 2 Samuel 21:15-22 that there were 4 more giants that were related to Goliath. David may have known this before hand which is why he could have selected 5 stones in stead of just one. He was preparing for what else may be around the corner. Once one giant is destroyed we must be ready to face more in the future.
If you would like to see the message from Kerry Shook on David and Goliath in a message called "Giant Killers" please click here.
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