1 Samuel 17:23-24 Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.
The giant Goliath inflicted the army of Israel with intimidation. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel (vs 8a). He was baffling the battle-line with his blasphemy and provocations. The mighty warriors of Israel were infantilized and incited with derogatory comments about their God and army of Israel. His words made the men of valor flee in great fear. The voice of the 9’9” obese giant would have had a thundering and daunting clap. The Bible doesn’t describe how loud he was, but his voice echoed throughout the camp of Israel as he yelled defamation from the valley of Elah. Scientific studies have shown that extra fat around the face and neck can alter the shape of the throat, which in turn alters the sound of the voice. Short breathing patterns and extra breaths due to being overweight can alter the vocal cords. Hence, the goading of this giant would have been very fear-provoking.
King Saul, the army of Israel, and David, heard the same slanderous discourse. While the rest of the army was fear-provoked, David was prompted to plunge into battle with the pejorative monster. The voice and noise of the demons resound just like Goliath. They spur out malign, mockery and menace. They constantly pound us with doubt, disbelief and danger. They barrage us with imaginary fears of uncertainty, doom and gloom. When streams of fearful thoughts attack we must be prompted to stand up in faith. It must not provoke us to curl-up in fear.
Prompts or Provocations:
1. Prod: The devil has no authority over our lives. All he can do is to prod and provoke us with abrasive anxiety and apprehensions. When we hear the raspy words of destruction, we must raise a banner of praise. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him (Isaiah 59:19b). Praise will fortify us with the divine helmet of protection against the prods of the demons.
2. Pound: Hell does not have a rest day, and demons never go on holiday. Day in and day out they pound us with negative, discouraging and pessimistic thoughts. Just like Goliath, they would defy the authority and power of God over our lives and crucible circumstances.
3. Push: The strategy of the devil is to push and rush us into reactionary decisions. The Holy Spirit will never push us, He will only guide. We follow the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit, while the demons lure and drag us. When pushed and provoked, do what David did – challenge the demeaning voices of the demons.
The voice of the Holy Spirits prompts us to take bold steps of faith, while the provocations of the demons push us into panic attacks.
1 Samuel 17:46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head.
Prayer: Father God, give me the boldness to drive out the provoking voice of demons and be prompted to pray instead of panic. Amen.
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