Servants or Spirit Filled
There's a difference between living under the spirit of our age and living in the power of the Holy Spirit of God.
Goliath's question to Israel is important for many theological reasons. Notice how he sees the Lord's people:
1 Samuel 17:8 (ESV) He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
"Are you not servants of Saul?"
A question fraught with errors. The people of Israel were called to be servants of God. But Saul had so manipulated the circumstances for his authority and importance in the mind of the people they became associated with HIS servants instead of the Lord.
This passage paints a picture for us. You have the army of Israel as a shell of their calling. God called them to be a kingdom of priests to bless the Earth. Instead, Saul dragged them down into an abyss of confusion and fear. Instead of walking in God's promises, they were running for their lives.
This is what it looks like to be a servant of Saul. Oh, there will be a few victories. You will even win some important battles that God has called you to win (see the Amalekites). But in the end, you wind up full of fear and intimidated by Goliath and unsure of an answer:
1 Samuel 17:11 (ESV) When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
The portrait scripture paints here is intentional. For this is our reality. We live under the domain of a spiritual "Saul." An angel wanted to be God and he was cast down to earth. His name is Lucifer and he is described as the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) and the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). He traffics in fear for he seeks whom he may devour. He comes to steal, kill and destroy because for him it has always been about him. And through deceptive means, he stole the authority of Earth from Adam.
Now in 1 Samuel, there is one under the authority of Saul in whom is the Spirit of God. David shows up and sees the battle line from an entirely different perspective. The giant is not an obstacle but rather a foreigner - an "uncircumcised" Philistine who has no inheritance rights among God's people in the land! He will defeat this giant and yet Saul will reign for quite some time. But the tide will turn in the favor of those who trust David even though it appears Saul is in charge.
This is what it looks like to be a Christian on the Earth. Spiritual Saul is on the rampage, trying desperately to wipe out those who follow and love David. But for those who follow the true and better David, Jesus, there is a promise the ancient Israelites did not have - the promise of the Spirit. You see, the Spirit was limited in the Old Testament to a very few. But in the New Covenant, the Spirit is available to all who believe on Christ. Those who believe can receive that Spirit and walk in authority and power to resist Saul's charge.
We are not servants of Saul, Christians, we are temples of the Spirit. The spirit of our age is fear, anxiety and increasingly, suicidal. The Holy Spirit is NONE of that! He is Power, Love and Sound Mind for those who love Christ. Walk in that and don't let the devil convince you otherwise.
Goliath's question to Israel is important for many theological reasons. Notice how he sees the Lord's people:
1 Samuel 17:8 (ESV) He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.
"Are you not servants of Saul?"
A question fraught with errors. The people of Israel were called to be servants of God. But Saul had so manipulated the circumstances for his authority and importance in the mind of the people they became associated with HIS servants instead of the Lord.
This passage paints a picture for us. You have the army of Israel as a shell of their calling. God called them to be a kingdom of priests to bless the Earth. Instead, Saul dragged them down into an abyss of confusion and fear. Instead of walking in God's promises, they were running for their lives.
This is what it looks like to be a servant of Saul. Oh, there will be a few victories. You will even win some important battles that God has called you to win (see the Amalekites). But in the end, you wind up full of fear and intimidated by Goliath and unsure of an answer:
1 Samuel 17:11 (ESV) When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.
The portrait scripture paints here is intentional. For this is our reality. We live under the domain of a spiritual "Saul." An angel wanted to be God and he was cast down to earth. His name is Lucifer and he is described as the "prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2) and the "god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). He traffics in fear for he seeks whom he may devour. He comes to steal, kill and destroy because for him it has always been about him. And through deceptive means, he stole the authority of Earth from Adam.
Now in 1 Samuel, there is one under the authority of Saul in whom is the Spirit of God. David shows up and sees the battle line from an entirely different perspective. The giant is not an obstacle but rather a foreigner - an "uncircumcised" Philistine who has no inheritance rights among God's people in the land! He will defeat this giant and yet Saul will reign for quite some time. But the tide will turn in the favor of those who trust David even though it appears Saul is in charge.
This is what it looks like to be a Christian on the Earth. Spiritual Saul is on the rampage, trying desperately to wipe out those who follow and love David. But for those who follow the true and better David, Jesus, there is a promise the ancient Israelites did not have - the promise of the Spirit. You see, the Spirit was limited in the Old Testament to a very few. But in the New Covenant, the Spirit is available to all who believe on Christ. Those who believe can receive that Spirit and walk in authority and power to resist Saul's charge.
We are not servants of Saul, Christians, we are temples of the Spirit. The spirit of our age is fear, anxiety and increasingly, suicidal. The Holy Spirit is NONE of that! He is Power, Love and Sound Mind for those who love Christ. Walk in that and don't let the devil convince you otherwise.
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