Perhaps you’re like me and the hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers."
The battle imagery in this classic never resonated with me when I was in my twenties. I had learned of its theology as a child in our very own Sunday school program here at church, but then I was too young to have thoughts of it other than what I was taught.
To me, “marching as to war” and Christianity to me were not congruent. God is peace and love, I thought (and still believe)! Why, then, would we ever go off to war?
I have learned through experience that the enemy wants to win. His greatest challenges aren’t from those lukewarm or so-so in faith. No, the Devil gets riled when he sees those who proactively choose peace and love in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Add justice and mercy to the cause of love and liberation and he will roar like a lion.
Those who take Jesus’ liberating words to heart and then share His message with others don’t always experience the smoothest rides. There are bumps. The enemy never wins when we rebuke his feeble efforts and lies. In the name of Jesus, he cowers or falls flat.
In scripture this Sunday, someone else falls flat—Goliath. In this text, there is no mistaking a battle between the Philistines and the people of Israel.
Align this with the fourth and final piece to the “Shine” sermon series this month and a phrase pops out. It’s found in verse 47b. Here David says emphatically, “This is the LORD’s battle.”
Talk of the enemy doing battle these days is not easy for some because our God IS peace and love. We trust His power and His provisions which never fail. When battling darkness of any kind however (and we all experience darkness at times in our lives), we can all share the theology of this being the LORD’s battle, not ours.
Oh, yes, we are in this battle, but God triumphs because, like David, we shine. The greatest way to fight darkness is with light. See you Sunday so that, with the LORD, we can see how we shine.
Our lectionary text comes from 1 Samuel 17: 41-50. Here it is in the New Living Translation.
41 Goliath walked out toward David with his shield bearer ahead of him, 42 sneering in contempt at this ruddy-faced boy. 43 “Am I a dog,” he roared at David, “that you come at me with a stick?” And he cursed David by the names of his gods. 44 “Come over here, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals!” Goliath yelled.
45 David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 Today the LORD will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 47 And everyone assembled here will know that the LORD rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the LORD’s battle, and he will give you to us!”
48 As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. 49 Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword.
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Dear Lord,
Shine on us so that, like David, we light the way for others who fight giants, darkness, or both.
Amen.