DAVID AND GOLIATH: THE SPIRIT OF FAITH AND THE SPIRIT
OF FEAR – CHAPTER 22
FALSE DOCTRINE IS A DEADLY MENTAL DISEASE EMBEDDED
DEEP INSIDE OUR BODY
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At this instant and constantly, there is raging an intense worldwide spiritual battle, a struggle for life and death being fought inside the Body of Christ, completely out of sight and out of comment, an internal hidden battle for the multitudes of souls living “on stony ground” in the Christian church who think that they are in God’s will and are going to Heaven, but they are not, because these “have no root in themselves” (Mark 4:17), i.e. the “root of Jesse” (Isa 11:10; Rom 5:12), His name is Jesus Christ.
1.
(Luke 8:13) They on the
rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these
have no root, which for a while
believe, and in time of temptation [testing]
fall away.
2.
(Mark 4:17) And have
no root in themselves, and so endure but for a
time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth [Goliath]
for the word's sake [who will
you serve?], immediately they are offended [entrapped, i.e. tripped up (fig. stumble or enticed to sin, apostasy
or displeasure)].
A BATTLE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS
(1 Sam 17:1-3) Now
the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were
gathered together at Shochoh [to
entwine, i.e. shut in (for formation, protection or restraint): fence. make an
hedge (Job 1:10)], which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh
and Azekah [tilled /// to surround,
protect or aid: help], in Ephesdammim
[boundary of blood-drops]. And Saul
and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah [an
oak or other strong tree (symbol of the cross)], and set the battle in array
against the Philistines. And the Philistines
[rolling, migratory /// to roll (in dust):
roll (wallow) self] stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel
[he will rule as God] stood on a mountain on the other side: and
there was a valley [“a great gulf
fixed” Luke 16:26] between them.
(1 Sam 17:38,39) And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
SAUL AND THE ISRAELITES (the present professing church)
King Saul along with the Israelite “armies of the
living God” (1 Sam 17:26: the church universal in apostasy) was suffering from
the potentially fatal mental disease of false doctrine. In their confused mental condition, “God is
not the author of confusion” (1 Cor 14:33), they were not in their right
minds (“tombs… cutting himself with stones… and in his right mind”
Mark 5:15; “and when he came to himself” Luke 15:17). The Israelites were
bound up in an ‘Approach-Avoidance Conflict’ by the slender ropes of indecision
(synonyms: hesitation, vacillation, irresolution, wavering, questioning,
puzzling, indecisiveness, doubt). The Israelites knew of
God (objective knowledge, outside oneself) but they did not fully believe in,
place their trust in, have
faith in God (subjective
knowledge, inside oneself - intimate). They were vacillating between belief in
the “still small voice” (1 Kin 19:12) of the invisible God, and
belief in the visible world, symbolized by Goliath who was blatantly
(loudly, vehemently) manifesting himself daily before their faces. They didn’t
know who to believe, the small voice or
the roaring giant, but they could SEE
the giant. “And all the men of Israel, when they saw
the man [Goliath], fled from him, and
were sore afraid.” (1 Sam 17:24). The Israelites and the Philistines were all walking
by sight, except David “(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)” (2 Cor
5:7). It is never rendered that David “saw” Goliath. King Saul, the head of
the apostate church, was well-intentioned, “And if the blind lead the blind,
both shall fall into the ditch” (Mat 15:14). Saul attempted to bind David, to put upon and clothe David with Saul’s own false
doctrine (armor - the doctrines of men - self-righteousness - filthiness), but
David (loving) loosed the
bindings of false doctrine, i.e. “put them off him.” Conclusion:
false doctrine inside the church leads to indecision, which at the very least
nullifies your witness, and can lead to your death – unless you “Come out of
her, my people.” (Rev 18:4).
1.
(Joel 3:14) Multitudes,
multitudes in the valley of decision:
for the day of the LORD is near in
the valley of decision.
2.
(1 Ki 18:20,21) So Ahab sent
unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets [of Baal] together unto mount Carmel. And Elijah came unto all the
people, and said, How long halt ye
between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal,
then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
3.
halt ye = Heb: to hop, i.e. (fig.) skip over; by impl. to hesitate; also (lit.) to limp, to dance: halt, become
lame [i.e. become ineffective warriors], leap, pass over.
4.
(Rev 3:16) So then [spoken to the Laodiceans (a people of (for) judgment); the 7th
and last church; us] because thou art
lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot
[i.e. in
between – indecisive, not convinced], I will spue thee out
of my mouth. [David and his four brothers
were hot for God; Saul and the Israelites were lukewarm for God; Goliath and the
Philistines were cold for God. Everything is God-centered]
Amen
