David said to the Philistine: “You come against me with a dagger, spear, and sword, but I come against you in the name of Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel’s armies-you have defied Him. 1 Samuel 17:45 HCSB
The Bible teaches us in Romans 12:18 if possible, to live at peace with everyone. Galatians 5:22-23 teaches us the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness and self-control. Ephesians 5:32 tells us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God forgave you in Christ.
David didn’t fight Goliath because Goliath made David mad. He fought Goliath because Goliath had defied God and God’s army. Goliath is threatening the very army God has defended all these years. David tells Goliath he is going to strike him down, cut his head off and send his corpse to the Philistine camp where the birds will eat it.
Nothing about that sounds very kind, compassionate, joyful, or peaceful does it? David makes it clear to Goliath that he is going down because he defied God.
The Israelites didn’t win wars because they were the biggest, baddest, best equipped army. They won wars because God fought their battles and delivered their enemies over to them. They didn’t win on their own power, but on God’s power.
In David chapter 16, God calls the prophet Samuel to anoint this young shepherd boy David to be King Saul’s successor. God also calls David in chapter 17 to be a warrior for God’s army. God called David to fight against evil. David took his calling seriously.
David relied on God to tell him when to fight and when to be at peace. David was a mighty warrior and Goliath was the first of many Philistines God would deliver over to David.
As Christians, we are sometimes to called to fight. In Ephesians 6:10-18, we are called to be strengthened by the LORD, to put on the full armor of God in order to stand against the Devil’s tactics. We are told to do so in order to be able to resist in the evil day and take our stand.
So what is it, should we be kind and compassionate and put others needs above our own or should we stand up and fight? Yes, we should do both. We should fight against evil. When we do so, we must recognize that the sin is the enemy not the person.
We are told in Ephesians 6:12 our battle is not against flesh and blood (the person), but against the rulers, authorities, against the world powers of darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens (the sin). This doesn’t mean there is sin in heaven, but here on earth there is a heavenly realm. As Christians we are to protect that realm by fighting against evil forces.
We are to be kind to those who are lost. We are to be gracious and loving, but we must fight against evil. We must take a stand for Christ. We must stand against the evil forces. Simply put, we must love the sinner but hate the sin.
It’s overwhelming when we look at the insanity going on in our world today. We must stand against false teachings. We must stand against those things that the Lord considers to be an abomination. We must stand against what God stands against.
In Ephesians 6:17 the only offensive weapon listed is the sword, which is God’s holy word. You can’t fight against what God hates if you don’t know what that is. You can’t know what that is if you don’t study His word. I strongly encourage you to study God’s word.
Know the armor that you must put on each day (Ephesians 6:10-18). Know when to fight and when to be still (Psalm 46:10). We can only know these things through studying God’s word.
When God calls you to fight, suit up and be ready. Don’t back down. When God calls us to fight, He will hand the enemy over to us. Just stand firm, He’s got this.
Have a great day!