Threatened With Lifelong Slavery

Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philistine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. . . . Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you will be our slaves!” 1 Samuel 17:4-5, 8-9

GOLIATH WAS UNDILUTED EVIL. He came out day after day mocking the people of God. He was covered head to toe with bronze armor that looked like the scales of a snake. He was like a nine-foot-tall serpent.

But with one smooth stone hurled at Goliath, David crushed the head of the serpent. The victory won single-handedly by the Lord’s anointed became the shared victory of God’s people. They didn’t go out to battle, yet they could claim victory vicariously through the one who faced the enemy as their representative.

Our families face an enemy —an army of enemies, in fact —that is as real, as powerful, and as terrifying as Goliath. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Our enemy is not covered in bronze and hurling heavy spears; he is armed with darkness and deception. He hurls condemnation and lies at us and tempts us to indulge in pleasures that only bring pain. He threatens to enslave us to destructive addictions and defeating patterns and incapacitating fears.

And we would turn and run, certain that we were doomed, certain that we were going to be slaves forever to binging and purging, to pornographic lust, to selfish ambition, to self-righteous snobbery, to materialism and greed . . . except that we have a champion. Just when we are tempted to give way to despair, we hear the voice of the greater son of David saying, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight” (verse 32, ESV).

Jesus, whenever I am tempted to despair, thinking we will never be free of the sins that enslave members of this family, I will look to you, our champion. You have defeated the enemy that threatened us with lifelong slavery to sin and death. Our victory and security come from being united by faith to you.