David with the Lion and the Bear and Goliath!

Psalm 110
Of David. A psalm.


1 The Lord says to my lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”
2 The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying,
“Rule in the midst of your enemies!”
3 Your troops will be willing
on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,
your young men will come to you
like dew from the morning’s womb.
4 The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind:
“You are a priest forever,
in the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand;
he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead
and crushing the rulers of the whole earth.
7 He will drink from a brook along the way,
and so he will lift his head high.

Reflection: David prophetically utters these words, which will be in regard to his kingship over the people of God, but also will be restated by Jesus in his retort to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:43-45. David was uttering a prophecy that the reign he would enjoy and victory over the enemies of Israel would be a foreshadowing of Jesus’ victory on the cross, which initiated His reign over the earth. Jesus’ victory would be counter-intuitive in that it was not a military victory, but a victory over sin, death and the power of the devil.

1 Samuel 17:32-58

32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.”33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.”34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”38 Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. 39 David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. 41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!” 45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” 48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. 50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. 51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent. 55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?” Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.” 56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.” 57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head. 58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him. David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

Reflection: What a great story and great material for Hollywood. We see no lack of drama as the shepherd boy David explains to King Saul that God has prepared him for this moment, as he has been faithful to his duties to watch over the lambs and sheep in the field back home. As they were attacked by the lion or the bear, David looked them in the eye, seized them by the hair, and killed them. I.e. David is no wimp! In this faithful service as a shepherd, God was preparing David to be a shepherd for the people of Israel. When David was drawn into the situation with Goliath taunting the armies of God, he could do no less than handle Goliath like the lion or bear attacking the flock.

And we see unlike Saul, David’s motives were to make God’s glory known, and was not motivated by the adulation it would bring him. When Saul learns of David’s heroic act, he sends for him. In time his curiosity of David’s courage and authority, which comes from the Lord, will turn into jealousy that David possesses the very qualities that he lacked, and for which Samuel rebuked him and took away his kingship.

What are the lions, bears and even “Goliaths” in your life? Where is God calling you to be faithful? When you are faced with challenges to what God is trying to do in and through you, do run from them or look them in the eye? May God grant us the courage like David and the zeal to be consumed with God’s honor both in our churches and in our families. We can be sure if we are advancing God’s kingdom, we will face our own “Goliaths”, but like David we can fight with the weapons he has prepared us with in everyday life. I.e. Prayer, the Word, the power of the Holy Spirit and Christian Community!

John 3:27-36

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. 33 Whoever has accepted it has certified that God is truthful. 34 For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. 35 The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.

Reflection: John the Baptist, like David, was concerned about one thing; making Jesus known. John wanted the spotlight to be on Jesus the Messiah, not John the Baptist. John was the messenger and wanted to be careful to distinguish between his role and Jesus’.

Part of that role is to testify to what we have seen, heard and experienced. As God has called us into a covenant relationship with Him through His Son in the power of the Spirit, we like John are called to be his messengers wherever God sends us. We may spend some time in the wilderness like John, but eventually we will have a chance to give testimony to what we have seen and heard. As we testify on Jesus’ behalf we have a promise in verse 34, that the words of God will come through the Spirit who God gives us without limit. As we are called on to give testimony to our experience of God’s grace and mercy, the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say like he did John.

Where is God calling you to be a messenger of the Good News? How does your becoming less and He becoming more help you in this challenge?

Give us life, and we will call on your name. Psalm 80:18

Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:52


Into the world we go, Lord, telling of your tender mercy and healing power. Life is granted by your death alone—empower us to share what you have done. Like people with a new lease on life, let us dance and sing to you our king. Alleluia! Amen.

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