Last week, our lesson was titled "The Christian Warfare." In this week’s study, Paul continues the use of military metaphor to describe the reality of the Christian warfare. We might at times ask what meaning a biblical illustration actually looks like in real life. I would suggest that much of this week’s lesson was exemplified in the life and experience of David, and we can find real-life glimpses of our study in a well-known Old Testament story found in 1 Samuel 17.

Our focus goes back approximately three millennia, when the teenage son of Jesse goes to the battlefield at his father’s direction to deliver food to his three older brothers. As Joseph and later Christ experienced, David’s brothers doubt his motives and integrity and accuse him of wickedness in his heart. Perhaps there were seeds of envy springing up from his previous anointing at the hands of Samuel.

We see a young man who is offended when Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, taunts the "armies of the living God," and no one is willing to stand up for Israel. Outspoken David is ushered into Saul’s presence, and after the king is persuaded to let David fight, Saul offers his own armor and sword to him for the battle. However, David replies that he cannot function in them and instead picks up five smooth stones, taking with him a bag and a sling.

David then goes to battle in the name of "the Lord of host, the God of the armies of Israel." His victory over the Lord’s enemies demonstrates that "the Lord does not deliver by Sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lords and he will deliver you into our hands."

The ultimate determining factors in David’s victory were not Saul’s armor or Goliath’s words, size, and armor. David, the anointed of God, found victory by trusting in God’s words of promise (Deut. 20:1–4).

So how do we sort through the cultural situation of that time to determine the continuities and discontinuities that allow us to go from David’s world (in 1 Samuel) to Paul’s world (in Ephesians) to our world? How do we find meaning in that story that applies to our day?

Obviously, one major discontinuity is that there is currently no theocratic kingdom such as the one that David defended in his day. Had all of Israel’s kings and the children of Israel been faithful to God and his covenant they would have been a light to the nations in the spiritual and civic realms (Deut. 4:5, 6). God had previously predicted their failure through revelation to his prophet Moses. Their hearts—not God’s covenant—were at fault (Deut. 5:29; Heb. 8:8).

Indeed, Paul understood this discontinuity, stating that instead of an earthly theocracy the "Jerusalem which is above is our mother" (Gal. 4:26). The authors of Hebrews and Acts tell us that the Son of David is now seated at the right hand of God awaiting "all things to be subject to him" (Heb.1:3, 13; Acts 2:30–36). So the battle at the time of Paul as well as our own is a "spiritual one," awaiting the dawning of the new kingdom that occurs only at the appearing and delivering up of that kingdom to the Father at Christ’s second coming (1 Cor. 15:24–28).

During the "in-between" times, Satan, the prince of this earth, has been defeated at the Cross, but he remains the prototype of "principalities and powers of evil and spiritual rulers of this present darkness," and powerful deceptions still remain in existence (John 16:11; Eph. 6:12).

Spiritual continuities that exist in all three ages might include the following:

• "Girding the loins with truth" is the continual truth of God—given in his word for all ages—which moves us to hope, integrity, and faith in the struggles of life. Just as David and Paul were prepared for their foes by God’s promises to Israel, so should we (2 Sam. 7:28; Rom. 3:1, 2).
• Christ, our "heavenly warrior" of the past, present, and future, put on "Righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation" (Isa. 59:16–20). Today, by faith, we rest in the salvation he brought to us—and continues to bring—as we abide in him.
• Today, we should "shod our feet with the gospel of peace," proclaiming that "Our God Reigns" and that the exalted victorious Son of David is seated in heavenly places ever prepared to defend his people (Isa. 52:7; Rev. 19:6; Heb. 2:8).
• We are to take up the "shield of faith" to extinguish the flaming missiles of the enemies of God. We acquire that shield by hearing and receiving the "good news" of God’s Son (Eph. 6:16; Rom.10;1 Cor.15:1–4).
• We are to carry the "sword of the Spirit," which is the only "active" weapon in our arsenal. This sword is the Word of God, which is to be spoken and lived in love (Eph. 6:17; Eph. 4:15).
• In essence, we are clothed in spiritual armor by putting on Christ and his promises. As David and Paul learned, trust in their life led to victories as a result of their relationship with God and his Word. So, too, should we develop a relationship with them (2 Sam. 22; Ps. 32; 2 Cor. 4:4).
• Just as David was the mediating champion of Israel in the defeat of God’s enemies in the day of his battle, so did the Son of David, the Davidic Messiah, win the spiritual battle for us at the cross. Christ will ultimately win total physical and spiritual victory over his enemies at his coming and deliver those who have faith in him. On that day, the birds of the air will devour "all Israel’s" foes as they did David’s (1 Sam. 17:46; Rev. 19:17, 18).

In all of these illustrations, I suggest that we are to see God as the "cause and source" of all redeeming grace. We should avail ourselves now of the "means" of grace, as did David and Paul. Today, these means include responding to the Spirit of God and receiving Christ as our Savior, reading and trusting God’s Word, fellowshipping with and serving others, singing the songs of Zion in our hearts, and believing that our Creator Redeemer God reigns over the affairs of his creation.

However, I would also suggest that in the day of battle victory will not ultimately come because we mortals have cooperated with God in making that armor. Rather, It is through his good Spirit that we are enabled to trust in the unchanging steadfast love of the "Lord Our Righteousness." Victory will come through his good Spirit, which brings remembrance of God’s mighty historic acts of salvation, and faithfulness to those who love him and eagerly await his appearing.

Through God’s good Spirit, we are mindful that our battle has and is won by our champion, representative, and substitute, who’s name is the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

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