Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Eighty times. They’d heard it 80 times. Camped out in the Valley of Elah, hunkered down in fear, waiting for the actual fighting to commence, the Israelite men were tired of hearing that tirade. Like clockwork, every morning and evening, the Philistine gargantuan lumbered his considerable bulk to the front of their ranks hurling demeaning insults, odious taunts, and egregious threats at the Israelite army. Just as the malicious words reverberated through the valley separating the armies, they echoed around and around the minds of Israel’s soldiers in a tormenting mental game, destining them to defeat long before a spear would ever be lifted. 

What was Goliath playing at anyway? He was enormous. Measuring nine feet, nine inches, clad in 125 pounds of armor, carrying a 15-pound spearhead tacked onto the end of a medium-sized tree, he was terrifying to everyone with the audacity to look at him. Odd how he wasn’t using his size or his spear to hold his enemy at bay. He certainly could have. He could have walked into battle and killed multiple men at one time. Perhaps he had in the past. Likely men had fainted in fear and been killed or carted away as captives in previous battles. 

So why not this time?  Had he grown weary of easy battles with spears and swords?  Was he tired of being the giant, ignorant lout out beating one ham shaped fist into the other and waiting for the signal to pummel the opposing army? No one extols his intelligence, only his might. Maybe He’s tired of that. Maybe he’s decided to prove he is more than just an ugly, hulking, terrifying warrior. Maybe he wants to be known for something more. Something cunning. Someone wise. A crafty warrior. 

It’s quite a brilliant tactic. The Philistines have been camped across from the Israelite army for 40 days and not one drop of blood has been shed. Everything is at a standstill. Terror is palpable on Israel’s side. Cocky self-assurance saturates the Philistines. They have Goliath, after all. He’s all they normally need. This would not be the first battle won by his competent fighting skills, immense stature, and incredible strength. No one in the Philistine army cares if he wants to taunt and bully the enemy. They are in no hurry. They confidently expect the outcome will be the same on day 40 as it would be on day 100. Let the giant rattle their cage if he wants. Israel’s army doesn’t stand a chance. 

Their thoughts echoed Israel’s fears. No one thought they stood a chance. Every time Goliath came out to spew his ugly speech they retreated like mice scattering from a cat. He’s huge. He’s mean. He’s crammed himself inside their heads. This is no longer a battle of might or power, but a battle of minds and wits. A battle they are ill-equipped to fight. They trained with shields and spears and swords. This battle would be best fought with faith, an art in which they were sadly lacking experience. It wasn’t just a battle for their lives, it was a battle for their very souls. (I Samuel 17:1-24)

I wonder if they realized that. I wonder if they realized their faith in God was being tested. Faith in the very God who had led their people through raging waters and dangerous deserts, who had provided food and water, who never let their clothing wear out for the entire trek through the desert. (Deuteronomy 8:3-4, Exodus 14, Exodus 7:1-7) I wonder if they stopped to take in the fact that faith in the proven power of God would bring them out of that valley as victors. Or were they too bogged down in fear and frustration, anxiety and aggravation, chaos and consternation to grab hold of the truths they knew, place their confidence in God, and faithfully rest the outcome of the battle in His sovereign hands? Were their minds too jumbled, their spirits too distressed to place their faith, their hope, their trust in the God who had never let His people down? (Joshua 21:43-45)

Scoffing, we read the account and, knowing how it ends, we ask how they could be so faithless. They had a history of miracle after miracle, rescue after rescue, saturated with the presence and power of God working on their behalf. Did they really think He was going to fail them now? Was their hope in His power, their faith in His ability, their trust in His promises so weak that a seething giant spewing verbal garbage could derail them so easily? 

Are ours? At a time when we are inundated with information largely comprised of surmise and speculation, how’s your faith? When it seems that you are too small, too feeble, too quiet to be heard above the boisterous crowd, where’s your hope? When you feel you are trapped in a valley, surrounded by taunting, nagging, insulting enemies that won’t give your mind a second’s reprieve, can you find it within yourself to faithfully place your hand in the hand of God and trust Him to lead you victoriously out of the valley?  

See, we all spend time in the valley. Not one of us enjoys it. The valleys of life are largely touted as a place of struggle, strain, stress, and suffering. The light doesn’t filter through as much. There are shadows that make us uncomfortable. There are taunting whispers that tell us we are not enough. There are echoing cries of every fault and shame. There are terrifying catcalls of an uncertain future, possible failure, certain death. The valley is horrible by every account. Except the valley traveled by faith in the unfailing victory of the God who walks that valley too. (Psalm 23)

That’s how David won against the giant. Faith in the valley of Elah. He was familiar with valleys. He’d been in some with his sheep. Alone with a flock of defenseless sheep, David has had to fight for them, even if it means putting his life on the line. Back-up wasn’t coming. Bears have come and attempted to carry off their young. Lions have preyed on the sick, slow, more helpless of the flock. David has gone after every one. He has killed lions and bears and rescued lambs from their ferocious jaws. The power of God that rested on him brought David and his flock deliverance over and over again. Deliverance from the very things that sought his life and the lives of his flock. David knew from experience that he could trust in the power of God to do anything, even in the valley. (I Samuel 16:13; 17:34-37)

So when David came upon an enormous Philistine trash-talking the great God who had continually traveled mountaintops and valleys with him, who had rescued him from wild, savage beasts multiple times, who had proven His faithfulness time and again, David takes offense. The mind games don’t work on him. The threats and insults don’t phase him. The taunts and bullying fall on deaf ears. David knows firsthand what faith in God can do. And he’s ready to do it. 

With five smooth stones, a little slingshot, and a shepherd’s staff, a very young, armorless David confidently breaks through the front line of Israelite soldiers and plays a little mind game of his own. As Goliath rails and rages, David valiantly responds with the Biblical version of “sticks and stones may break my bones”. He says, “You came out here with armor and enormous weapons certain you can kill me. I come out in the name of the omnipotent God of the universe. He fights for me. Today you will die and be eaten by birds so all the earth will know that God is on our side. This is not our battle. This is God’s battle. And our God always wins.” (I Samuel 17:42-47) And so it was. 

And so it is with you too. Buried in the inky blackness of the valley, when the taunting voices of fear and unbelief are tearing at your soul, know these things. You are not alone. God is with you in the darkness of the valley just as He is with you in the sunshine of the mountaintop. (Isaiah 41:10) When you feel too weak to go on, He is your strength. (II Corinthians 12:9-11) When the evil one comes against you with taunts and insults and mind games, pull a David. Straighten your spine. Place every ounce of your brow-beaten faith in the God who has never let you down, and remind yourself how the valley works. The valley is a place of victory. Remind yourself of that. Remind yourself that the omnipotent God of the universe is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. You can trust Him. He will fight for you. It’s His battle, not yours. And your God always wins. A landslide victory that strengthens and bolsters your wavering faith. Victory in your valley of Elah. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

A mountaintop is coming. It will be lovely–sunshine, light breeze, singing birds, beautiful flowers. You’ll be tempted to forget the valley. Don’t. Don’t forget what you came through. Don’t forget the molding and strengthening of your faith. Don’t forget what God did for you there. Don’t let your hope in God falter, your faith in His power fumble, your trust in His plan fail. And the next time you are in the valley, walk confidently. Ignore those voices. Refuse to play the enemy’s mind games. Cast your faith in the God who has brought you through before, rest in Him and let Him fight that battle. You’ll be stronger for it. For in the valley, He restores your soul. (Psalm 23:3; Mark 11:22)