David's Second Goliath

​When we think of David in the Bible, quite possibly the first story we recall about him is him killing Goliath. It’s memorable, for sure! ​​But did you know that David faced more than one Goliath? Most people don't know that David actually fought two giants named Goliath. He also fought many other giants in his lifetime as well.

In 2 Samuel 21, we find Israel at war with the Philistines again, and again there are giants! David was older now. Verse 15, tells us that David grew weary. He was weary, most likely because he was not a young teen any longer. He may have also been weary because of his continual battle against the Philistines. And no doubt, he was weary because of the giants in his life. Sometimes, there are giants in our lives that we only have to face once. One and done. Other times, like David, there are giants that we have to face over and over and over again.

"There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore to him, 'You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.'

After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants. And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down. These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants." 2 Samuel 21:15-22

Four more giants that David and his men had to face besides the one we are all so familiar with—Goliath. And, YES, there is even ANOTHER giant named Goliath!

• “…Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed 300 shekels of bronze [71+ lbs.], AND who was armed with a new sword…” (21:16)
  
  
•  “…Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants.” (21:18)
  
  
• “…Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.” (21:19) [2-3” in diameter and 5’ long]
  
  
• “…a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.” (21:20)

What I want most for us to recognize here today are these two things:

1. David had grown weary of facing giants.
2. David needed help from those around him. (He got that help—verse 19)

"And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam." 2 Samuel 21:19

We are not meant to face the giants in our life, alone! We grow weary. We need help! We need help from God and from those around us. That’s one reason it is so important to surround yourself with good, godly friends and counsel. 

Other times, we are the ones who need to step up and help a friend who is weary of facing giants. It's at those times that we need to be that good, godly friend and counsel.​

Sometimes, we need help! And other times, we need to be the help. ​

If you find yourself in a place where you need help today, remember that God promises to be your Comforter. 

In 2 Corinthians 1, the Apostle Paul is writing to the church at Corinth:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of ALL comfort, Who comforts us in all our affliction, ​

Why?

so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Paul tells us that God is a God of comfort. He's a God Who comforts us in ALL our affliction. Paul also tell us that there is a purpose to our affliction, and that purpose may just be so that we can comfort others.

My grief journey had a purpose. In my "affliction," I have been able to comfort others. If you are on a grief journey today, friend, never forget—it has a purpose. 

More than likely, we will all find ourselves somewhere on the timeline of a grief journey at some point in our life. On that timeline, as in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, we first find ourselves needing a comforter—the Comforter. Then, we find ourselves transitioning into the role of comforting others. That's where we see the purpose and fulfill our role in that purpose.​

If you're on a grief journey today, friend, where are you on that timeline?

• Do you need the Comforter as in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4?
• Or, are you transitioning into the role of comforting others?

I feel at home in Psalm 34, where David says:​

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

• If you feel at home in Psalm 34:18 too
• If you're growing weary of facing giants again and again
• If you find yourself somewhere on the timeline of a grief journey

I've got a book for you!

About The Heart That Heals

"Our choices have consequences. The pathway we walk has a destination. I want you to make good choices so that the consequences will be good. I want your destination to be one that glorifies God. If you’re in a broken place, it may be difficult to make good choices. Is your pathway littered with the debris of brokenness? I want to help you get past all that and learn to be still, and know that He is God." —from the Prologue

The Heart That Heals is centered around Psalm 46:10a, “Be still, and know that I am God.” It’s a book about healing our brokenness. It's about doing the next thing; sometimes, the next thing is to be still and know He is God. 

The book is full of Scripture and practical application. Each chapter challenges you to reflect, apply, pray, meditate on, and memorize Scripture. It’s kind of your homework but in a good way.

Please don’t think you’re alone. You are not! People, just like us, have used the biblical principles laid out in God’s Word to heal their brokenness. You have not come here today by accident. You have found this place and are here today for a reason!

This book is written conversational style with people like you in mind. The book is straightforward. It's easy to understand the simple, yet powerful, biblical principles.

A Few of My Favorites Quotes From The Heart That Heals

“Nothing slips by God. Nothing catches Him off guard or takes Him by surprise, as it does us. He is always in control, always prepared and always waiting and able to meet your particular need, whatever that may be.”

"God never asks us to do anything or go through anything that He will not empower us to do or give us the grace to endure." 

“God uses people who cannot do it alone. He uses the weak, the broken, the people in need like you and me.” 

“Don’t let anyone ever tell you He [God] won’t give you more than you can handle. He will! This is how and when we develop our dependence on Him.” 

“If we were never led up steep treacherous hills, through deep waters and barren deserts, how would we ever learn to depend on His [God’s] all-sufficient grace?” 

What People Are Saying About The Heart That Heals

"The Heart That Heals is like a friend who comes alongside you to walk a long journey. There are moments on the path when your friend lets you cry, or even cries along with you because the terrain is tough. There are times when your friend grabs your hand and lifts you up because you’ve tripped over a tree root you didn’t see. Then there are glimpses of remembered joy when your friend says something funny-and you laugh-and the path seems brighter. And, somewhere along the way, you realize she gets it. She understands. She knows because she’s walked this path before. Thank you for providing a resource that not only offers healing hope, but also a sense of friendship for the journey." — Stephanie

A Prayer For the Brokenhearted

"Father in Heaven, Help us to be still and know that You are God (Psalm 46:10).

Help us not to grow weary of facing giants over and over again (2 Samuel 21:15-22).

Surround us with the comfort we need and
be to us the Comforter that Paul speaks of (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
Give us purpose in our grief journey.
​Help us to be a comfort to others as You have been a comfort to us.

Help us to trust You God as we learn to lean on Your all-sufficient grace.

Psalm 34:18 tells us that You are near to the brokenhearted.
We believe that Lord, and we claim that today.

I pray all of these things over everyone that reads this. —Amen"

​How have you been comforted by the great Comforter? And how have you been able to comfort others with the comfort you've been comforted with?

---

​Thanks for joining the InstaEncouragements weekly Christian link-up! We would really appreciate it if you would grab this IE link-up button, place it on your blog, and link back to this post. Thanks! Have an awesome week! 

If you're new to link-ups, checkout our IE LINK-UP page for a brief explanation and a list of other link-ups to participate in!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

---