When David showed up
Goliath had the entire army of Israel frozen in a state of fear. But David stood toe-to-toe, face-to-face, and eye-to-eye with the giant. David knew his covenant with God was his defense, and his words were his weapons.
Israel was a nation that lived by and relied on their covenant with God. Those who knew their God, and the power of their covenant with Him, were mighty and did exploits in His Name. David was a prime example.
As David assured King Saul that he was well able to slay Goliath, he credited his covenant with God as the power behind his ability…
Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? The Lord Who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine! (1 Samuel 17:26, 37)
Circumcision was the sign of the covenant. By calling Goliath uncircumcised, David was making this very pointed statement, “He may be a giant; he may be strong; but he has NO covenant with God, and that’s why I can kill him.”
David ran at Goliath!
Quickly and bravely David slew Goliath in the Name of the Lord—because of his covenant. The covenant David stood on was made long before he ever faced the giant. God established it with a man called Abram.
God promised to make Abram the father of many nations. He promised to give him a great deal of land as an inheritance so his descendants could live peacefully on it. God also made very specific promises to Abram’s descendants—promises of blessing and victory.
These were incredible promises, and at first it was hard for Abram to believe God actually wanted to do these things for him.
God made a blood agreement
Abram asked, “How can I be sure these things will happen?” The Lord answered by telling him to prepare for a blood covenant. Abram complied. This was familiar language for him. In Abram’s day, the blood covenant signified an absolute and unbreakable guarantee of a man’s word.
Nothing short of a blood agreement could have convinced Abram of God’s desire to bless him. By cutting the covenant with him, God communicated His unfailing love and loyalty on a level Abram could understand and trust.
How does all this apply to you and me?
Paul tells us in Galatians that if we belong to Jesus Christ, then we also belong to Abraham and thereby become “heirs according to the promise”(3:29). We are the unborn generations promised to Abraham when God cut the covenant with him. Through the new covenant, God has promised to care for us the same way He took care of Abraham.
This new covenant is better than the old. The blessings and promises of the old covenant promised to those who keep the terms of the agreement are wonderful. But keep reading and you’ll also find the curse that will fall on those who break the agreement. That’s where our covenant differs. Although we ourselves have been guilty of breaking the terms of the covenant, we’ve been freed from the penalty of it.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law… (Galatians 3:13)
Every demonic and diabolical thing that could ever come against you during this lifetime was placed on Jesus when He went to the cross. He bore the penalty for your sin. He bore all of your sicknesses and carried all of your diseases.
And He totally stripped the devil of his power to harm you! And like David you can stand on that covenant and defeat anything that stands in your way—no matter how big it looks, it’s got NO back!!!
Add a Comment