DAILY BYTE
There is an awesome story in the Old Testament that illustrates everything that we have been talking about so far this week. Remember the story of David and Goliath? (If you don’t, quickly go and read 1 Samuel 17). Well, that whole ruckus began with the Israelites and Philistines fighting each other. The two armies were facing off – each camped on opposite sides of a valley. They were literally growling at one another and bristling with fearsome intent.
Then the Philistines played their trump card and parted like the Red Sea before a 7 foot giant who marched out into the middle of the valley. And from that moment on, this giant named Goliath, dominated the scene!
This huge man would stride up and down the valley, brandishing a massive 13kg spear while he teased and provoked the Israelites. Goliath was the living embodiment of everyone’s worst fears! Each day he would strut into that valley and challenge the Israelites to choose a champion of their own to fight him.
Every time he did this, he made every soldier there a little more of a coward. There were soldiers decorated for bravery in that Israelite army who stood rooted to the ground from fear - they were slaves of it. Their entire outlook, the way they looked at life, their worldview became Goliath-dominated (or fear dominated).
In much the same way our own worries, stresses and fears can loom ‘giant-like’ over us and we begin to feel helpless in their presence, too afraid to step out and face them head-on. We live with fear or Goliath-dominated worldviews, and we don’t fully realise it but it affects us big time.
The story of David and Goliath illustrates exactly how living with fear affects us by showing that the same debased worldview that treated Goliath as important, treated David as insignificant. David arrived on the scene carrying food and refreshments for his brothers but was treated with absolute scorn by them. Their emotions and perspectives had become so ruined by Goliath watching that they became incapable of seeing and receiving a simple act of friendship.
Listen to what Eugene Peterson has to say on this:
‘The moment that we allow evil [and fear] to control our imaginations, dictate the way we think, and shape our responses, we at the same time become incapable of seeing the good and the true and the beautiful.’
It’s like if we are not careful, then fear will drive out love! Fear and love are not opposites but they do oppose one another. It’s either love that will be driving out fear; or fear that will be driving out love. It’s either love that will be removing fear’s power over our lives or fear that will be removing love’s power from us.
This means that if we allow fear to run unchecked within us, our loved ones can be treated with scorn, anger or neglect. This is because our fear, our Goliath, is sucking all our emotional energy and focus.
Fear drives out love by dominating us in such a way that we can no longer see what is good and true and beautiful in our lives.
We become so consumed and preoccupied, and our worldviews become so warped, that we can no longer appreciate the gift that our relationships are too us. And like David’s brothers, we begin to treat our loved ones as unimportant.
PRAY AS YOU GO
Lord, forgive us for the times we allow fear to control our imaginations, dictate the way we think, and shape our responses so that we are no longer able to appreciate the truly important things in life. Help us to deal with our fears in such a way that we can still give full appreciation to everything that is good and true and beautiful in our lives. Amen.
FOCUS READING
1 Samuel 17. 10-11 NIV
Then Goliath said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.
