Slaying Your Giants pt. 1

Female Announcer: During those times of life when the problem seems unsolvable, it's important to remember that there are no unsolvable problems for God. No challenge is too great for God to handle. No difficulty is too difficult for Him to unravel. This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message, "Slaying Your Giants," Part 1. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to HopeLives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: I have been attracted this week and impressed by what's going on in the Middle East. Probably because I've traveled to the Middle East so many times. The Middle East is involved in a full-scale war. The entire area is a tinderbox ready to explode. Israel's incursion into Lebanon in the last few days has really heightened the tension in that whole area. And there are a lot of questions that are being raised now that I think nobody has real good answers to. Will Iran be drawn into this war? Will the United States be involved in a larger global conflict? Will Israel occupy significant chunks of Lebanon? Will Hezbollah use ballistic missiles to attack Israel? You know, we don't know what the outcome will be. But here is one thing for certain, one thing to keep in mind: battles in the Middle East are nothing new. Ever since the time of Abraham, when Abraham and Hagar have Ishmael, and Abraham and Sarah have Isaac, and so you have the descendants of the Jewish race. You have Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the 12 sons of Jacob, the tribes of Israel. But then you have the Muslims coming through Abraham and Ishmael, and they believe that Ishmael is the child of promise. And so, peace has eluded the lands of the Bible for centuries and the animosity, the hatred, the bitterness between these people is just enormous. Now, our message this morning though, focuses on another battle in the Middle East. Although this battle took place in another time and another place, it has lessons that are vital. It's a story that you know well, a story that you may have even told your children. It's a story about David and Goliath. But yet, there are fresh lessons in that story that relate to an end-time people waiting for the coming of Jesus. You might even have taught your children to sing, "Only a boy named David." You know that song? "Only a little brook." I would sing it for you but it would empty the church. First Samuel chapter 17, take your Bible please and turn to First Samuel, the 17th chapter. We are looking here at verses 1 and 2. An ancient story, a story that is centuries old, a story that is millenniums old, but a story whose lessons speak to us at this time and this place. A story that is whose lessons are ever new, ever fresh, a story from the Old Testament today. First Samuel chapter 17. Now, the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered together at Soko which belongs to Judah. They encamped between Soko and Azekah in Ephes-dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel, verse 2, were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and they drew up in battle array against the Philistines. Now, in the Old Testament, who were the Philistines? They were a very uncircumcised, heathen people. Now, they had advanced technology for that day, and the Philistines had a formidable military. They had powerful armies with superior weaponry to Israel. And they frequently entered into Israel's territory. So you see these battles taking place. The Philistines worshipped a god called Dagon, and they were a people who practiced ancient occult practices, practiced divination, practiced astrology. You know, astrology and astronomy are a lot different. Astronomy is the study of the stars, astrology you look up and try to see patterns in the stars. They were typical spiritualists. They used fortune-telling, they read omens, they interpreted dreams. Now, the Philistines, the Babylonians, and the Egyptians were the three great mighty powers. Now, a few years ago, I led a tour to Israel, I've led many tours to Israel, and we went up to the Elah Valley. I was in search of Khirbet Qeiyafa. Now, Khirbet Qeiyafa was a city that was reported about in National Geographic. And this city was a city that was excavated in 2011 by Southern Adventist University team. And when they excavated it, they had to excavate 200,000 pounds, or 200,000 tons of stone. I mean, it was just an amazing excavation. And our team under Dr. Michael Hasel was there excavating that. Now, I was interested in that for this reason. When you read the text of Scripture that we just read in First Samuel chapter 17, when you read that text of Scripture, it gives a very precise location of Khirbet Qeiyafa. It says, "The Philistines gathered together their armies to battle and were gathered together at Soko, which belongs to Judah, and they encamped between Soko and Azekah." So, if we could find Soko, if we could find Azekah, and if we could look across the valley, we might be able to find Khirbet Qeiyafa where the Israelites camped. And so, we knew where Soko was, we knew where Azekah was, and we looked at the valley, looked across the valley, and there were the ruins of a Jewish city. Now, how do you know you've come to a Jewish city? Well, you excavate Soko, you excavate Azekah, and you say, "What did these people eat?" And you find about 15% of pork bones, of pig bones. You know, that has to be a Gentile city. You excavate Khirbet Qeiyafa, what do you find? No pig bones at all. Must be a Jewish city. You look at the gates and you determine from the gates, the way the Jews built, that this must be a Jewish city. Now, here's what amazed me. Once the teams discovered that made the front page of National Geographic, once they discovered Khirbet Qeiyafa, you can stand at the gates there and you can look, there's Soko, there's Azekah. And when I stood there looking across the valley, it is the exact, precise location, exactly that the Bible talks about. Once again, archaeology confirms the truthfulness, the authenticity of the Word of God. We take the Bible in our hands, and we sense that this book is not simply the product of cultural imagination, but this book is the divine Word of God inspired by God. Do you know that there are over 100 names of people and geographical locations that are mentioned in the Bible that we now have found in archaeology? Over 100. You can look at the names of people, and you can look at those names, you can look at the names of locations, and they are found here in Scripture. Now, let's look at some of the vital lessons we can learn from an experience that took place right here. So, if you're looking to the left of your screen, there's Khirbet Qeiyafa. This is the camp of Israel. The valley in the center is the Elah Valley. Here is Soko up on the right where the Philistines camped. David came down into that valley from Khirbet Qeiyafa. Goliath came down from Soko. They met in the middle of the valley and they battled together. And this is where David slew Goliath. Now, let's look at some of the lessons we can learn. Here's lesson number one. Lesson number one puts it this way: giants are huge and Goliath was large and terrifying. What are the giants that you face in your life today? I want you to think of giants as something that's huge that you're facing, that's a problem you can't solve. I want you to think of giants as something that's absolutely terrifying that strikes fear into your heart. First Samuel chapter 17. First Samuel chapter 17. The title of our message is "Slaying Your Giants." First Samuel 17, verse 4 to 7. "And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines named Goliath. He came from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span." Now, how much is a cubit? A cubit is the distance from the end, from the elbow to the end to the tip of the finger. It's about 18 inches. That's what a cubit is, about a foot and a half. So, how tall is Goliath? He is six cubits. That's about nine feet. A span, the span of your hand, so he's over nine feet, nine feet five inches. Now, if you are David, how old is David here? Probably he's in his teens. He is not old enough to go into military service. So he's back out tending sheep. He's not known for his large, huge stature. So here you have this giant approaching you. He's huge, he's terrifying. Now, also we see something else about the giant, verse 5. "He had a bronze helmet on his head. He was armed with a coat of mail. The weight of the coat was 5,000 shekels of bronze." Now, that's 5,000, how much is that? 150 pounds. 150 pounds. Now, how many of you have ever carried on your back a 150-pound pack? Have some of you carried a pack? Some of you may have carried a 150-pound, but that's not all. We get the size of the armor on his legs and the javelin between his shoulders. That's a staff of spear like a weaver's beam. Look there, for example, at verse 5 and 6 in the text. It's quite amazing when you look at it. He has this huge, huge armor on, 150 pounds. But in addition to that, he has a staff that's the size of a weaver's beam. He has an iron spearhead that weighs 600 shekels, you can hardly even carry that. Let's do some comparisons.
Female Announcer: We'll be right back with Pastor Mark Finley. We thank you for listening and hope you're enjoying today's message. Our mission is to attractively present the Christ-centered biblical truths of Scripture in a practical, relevant way to people around the world so that they may experience the abundant life that Christ offers and effectively share with confidence His life-changing truths with others. You can support this ministry and help us reach even more by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.
Mark Finley: If you look at sports today, who are some of the tallest people in sports? Well, what's the average size of an NBA player? Six feet six inches. What's the average size of an American male? Five feet ten. What's Goliath? Over nine feet tall. Nine feet tall! What giants are you facing? I want you to think about Goliath's size. Nine feet tall, so strong and muscular. He could, he could carry 150 to 200 pounds. I want you to think of him taunting the people of Israel. First Samuel 17, verse 10 says this: First Samuel 17:10, he says, "The Philistine says, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man that we may fight together.'" "I defy the armies." What giants are defying you today? What giants are facing you today? Here was a challenge that was too large for Israel to ignore, but too great for them to confront. Here was a problem that was too big for them to solve, but too great for them to run away from. Here was a difficulty too enormous for them to make believe it didn't exist. The armies of Israel could not change the fact that they were confronted with the giant. And there are a lot of problems in our life that are giants. They terrify us. They're huge. They're too big for us to solve. In the face of the giant's challenge, the men of Israel were confused, they were perplexed, they were terrified, they were afraid. There are times too, that we just wish our problems would go away. I don't want to deal with this. But the giant stands there, staring us in the face. What giants are you facing today? What challenges, what problems, what difficulties are almost overwhelming to you? What fear strikes your heart? What concern terrifies you? We all face giants in our life. Not one of us is ever going to get through this world without facing our giants. For some, our giants are health problems, financial problems. For some, our giants are family issues. For others, our giants may be fear, worry, or anxiety about some situation that we're facing that's overwhelming. For others, our giants may be discouragement, despair, or doubt. For some, our giants are temptations or trials or some trauma we've experienced. But here is the incredibly good news. Our giants need not traumatize us. Our giants need not terrify us. Our giants need not discourage us or lead us to despair because, because there is a giant slayer in the land. Hallelujah. David was not intimidated by the giant. Why wasn't David intimidated by the size of the giant? He wasn't intimidated by the size of the giant because the size of his God was bigger than the size of the giant. He was not troubled by Goliath's boastful claims because he served a God whose promises of deliverance were greater than Goliath's boast of defeat. When things seem out of control, God is still in control. Giants do not intimidate those whose God is bigger than the giant. Giants only intimidate you if your God is smaller than the giant. When things seem out of control, God's in control. Now, the story of David and Goliath has powerful lessons for us today. Lesson number one. God is always bigger than the biggest giant that you ever face. Now, here is lesson number two. Often the challenges of life do not disappear quickly. We would wish when we prayed, "Oh God, I'm praying for this! God, I want this giant to go away! I want him to leave!" Often the giants, often the challenges of life don't disappear quickly. Now, I want to show you something fascinating. First Samuel 17, verse 16. First Samuel 17 and verse 16. The Scripture puts it this way: "And the Philistine drew near and presented himself 40 days, morning and evening." So, I want you to think about this statement for a few moments. Every day for 40 days, Goliath entered the Valley of Elah and shouted his defiant challenge to Israel. Every day their fear grew more intense. So, it wasn't that Goliath walked into that valley in one day and said, "I defy the armies of Israel. Send down your warrior." Not at all. How many days did he go there? 40 days he walked through that valley. 40 days he said, "I defy you." 40 days their hearts trembled with fear. 40 days they were traumatized. Often the giants that we face do not disappear quickly. Have you ever noticed the number of times in the Bible that 40 is used? Have you ever noticed that? The number 40 is significant in the Bible. And this is what 40 represents, as I'm going to show you. 40 represents in the Bible always a time of testing, and always a time when God is testing our faith to strengthen our faith. So, 40 is a representation of a God that wants to strengthen your faith in trial and restore your relationship with Him in that trial. During this time of trial, the Holy Spirit leads us to deeper, deeper commitment to Him. So, let's look at some times in the Bible where 40 days are used. I'll list the text, but we won't go over them all. Noah enters the ark, and as he's in the ark, it rains for 40 days and 40 nights. So, just think about that. Thunder is crashing, lightning is flashing, Noah's in the ark, but he's testing his faith. Noah's there praying. It's testing his faith that the ark is going to survive in that storm. Look, Israel spies out the land for 40 days. What's that? It's a test of their faith of whether they believe God is powerful enough for them to face the giants. You think of Moses on Mount Sinai, 40 days, in Exodus 34. What's that all about? It's testing the faith of Israel, whether they believe that God is sufficient enough to guide their nation. Oh, we go on. You look at Elijah, he fasts 40 days as he goes to Mount Horeb, as he's fasting. Is God sufficient? Can God supply him food? Can God challenge the heathen? Jonah preaches to Nineveh, 40 days. What's this all about? It's giving Nineveh time during that period to repent of their sins, and it's, it's testing their faith. Jesus fasts in the wilderness. How long does Jesus fast in the wilderness according to Matthew 4:2? How long does he fast there? 40 days. What's that all about? Jesus is preparing for his three and a half years of ministry. And he goes and faced temptation of Satan where he's tested and he gets strength from the Father, and he says, "By the Word of God, there will be victory." So, what is this 40 days all about? In each of these instances, there's a 40-day period of trial designed by God to give time to develop deeper trust, a closer dependence on Him, and a renewal of spiritual strength. Now, I am not suggesting to you that your trial is only going to go on for 40 days, not at all. But what I'm saying to you is this: many of the trials that we go through in life are not solved in five minutes. They're not. And God has a divine purpose in that to strengthen our faith. When we face our giants, God often lets us go through a period of testing to deepen our faith and then vividly demonstrate His power. Life's challenges are not often solved in an instant. At times we have prolonged trials. And God's purpose in this is to increase our confidence in His power to save and allow us time to develop a belief system that will not fail when times get tough. Are we facing difficult times in the future of the world? Are we facing that? Are we facing times according to Revelation chapter 12, 13, and 14, when church and state will unite? Do we still believe that? Is that still going to happen? Indeed it is. God is preparing you and me today to face those trials by allowing us to face our giants and allowing us to know that God is bigger than our giants, and to develop our faith when we face those giants. I love what it's put in the book "Reflecting Christ." And in the book "Reflecting Christ" it says this: "Trial is part of the education given in the school of Christ to purify God's children from the dross of earthliness." So, if you are facing your giant today, if you're facing some trial today, you are in the school of Christ.
Female Announcer: You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at HopeLives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to HopeLives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.
Mark Finley: And He is working in your life to purify us from our earthliness. It is because God is leading His children that trying experiences come upon them. Wait a minute, because God is leading us, that's why sometimes we go through trial experiences. It's exactly. Trials and obstacles are His chosen methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of success. So, God allows us at times to go through trials not because He wants to destroy us, but because He wants to deepen our faith and trials and obstacles are what everybody? They are His methods of discipline and His appointed conditions of what? His appointed conditions of success. We are in the school of Christ, and our loving Heavenly Father is getting us ready for heaven. And part of that process is helping us to face our giants and by the grace of God to slay them. Our giants reveal how big our God is. The strength of the giants we face pales into insignificance into the enormity of Almighty God. David was just a young lad with a sling and five smooth stones. His youthfulness and simplicity of the weapons he used, a sling and five smooth stones, only confirm the power of God. Giants fall in the face of men and women of faith who acknowledge their weakness and learn totally to depend on God. Lesson number one. Our God is bigger than the giants we face. Lesson number two. Problems are often not solved in an instant. God gives us time to develop faith. Lesson number three. Don't let doubt ever keep you from the victory over your giants.