Friday, January 7, 2011

Giants seem INSURMOUNTABLE

In the last posting we set up the story of David and Goliath from 1 Samuel 17. From this story we can see three characteristics of giants. First, Giants seem INSURMOUNTABLE.

The very name "Goliath" means "great." And great Goliath was, at least from a physical standpoint. The Bible says that he stood "six cubits and a span." Now when you read that I doubt many of you let out an audible, "Ohhh" or "Ahhh." Why? Because you probably have no idea what a cubit or a span is. Let me help you get the reality of the situation.

In today's culture we consider anyone over 6 foot to be a tall person. At the time of my writing this posting the tallest player in the NBA stands 7 feet/6 inches tall. The tallest man in the world comes in at roughly 8 feet/5 inches. But using these Biblical measurements, Goliath would have beat both of them standing somewhere in between 9 feet/9 inches tall and 10 feet/6 inches.

And he wasn't just tall - he was also strong. His armor alone, as described in 1 Samuel 17, weighed between 175-200 pounds and just the head of his massive spear weighed 25 pounds. To the fighting men of Israel, Goliath - all 10 feet of him - appeared to be insurmountable.

Does that sound like a giant your facing in your life or ministry? Are you looking up at an obstacle, be it a problem or a person, that seems insurmountable? Take heart! In my next few postings we will see two more descriptions of giants and then 5 steps that we can take to face those giants that are in our lives and ministries.

Feel free to leave a comment or to email me at skdistler@gmail.com

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