Listen to Thought for the Day on BBC Sounds.
A long time ago, God’s people faced an enormous problem.
The problem was huge. Giant!-
And the giant’s name was ‘Goliath’!
The Philistines had come to fight the people of God and they sent their tallest, most terrifying trouper to taunt and torment them.
Goliath hollered “Send out your boldest and bravest warrior to fight against me!
If he wins, we will be your slaves, but if I win, you will be our supper”!
But no one would fight Goliath.
Everyone was terrified of this giant challenge that faced them.
Everybody panicked with fear.
They knew that if somebody didn’t step forward and didn’t rescue them quick, they would all be dead.
But someone did step forward! And somebody did save them. A tiny shepherd boy!
The youngest son in his entire family.
“I’ll fight Goliath” said the lad as he stepped forward and picked up a small, smooth stone from the stream.
Goliath gave a giant guffaw as he set his gaze upon the boy, but God’s anointed rescuer said “It’s not by sword or spear that you will be saved. Only God can do that!” and taking his sling he slung a shot and struck Goliath – stone dead! He slew the enemy and saved his people from all their fears.
That boy, David, grew up to be a great king and if you follow his family tree through generations and generations you eventually reach another boy born to be King! He too came from the shepherd region of Bethlehem, destined to grow up and fight another vicious enemy. Not a warrior called Goliath, but an even bigger problem called ‘death’.
Death had been the enemy of humanity, ever since rebellion first came into this world.
No one could defeat that defiant difficulty.
Everyone was terrified of this wicked foe. No one could reverse it, cure it or even hold it back.
Time after time death mocked its opponents.
Then one day King David’s greater son, the ‘Good Shepherd’ stepped forward in order to save those he loved. He went through a fierce and bloody battle with the greatest enemy ever. He fought the war we could never win.
It was a terrible, vicious conflict that left him battered and bruised.
It seemed that death had won yet again.
But when the large, rough stone was rolled away and Jesus stepped out in triumph from the Garden tomb, the cry hollered out for all to hear, that for everyone who places their hope in Christ
“Death has been swallowed up in victory! Where O death is your sting?
Thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The greatest problem ever, ‘death,’ dealt with decisively by the shepherd king stepping forward in order to rescue his people!
Good morning!