Who’s got your ear? Who are you listening to? What is the dominant voice in your life?

For the Israelites in 1 Samuel 17, Goliath was this dominant voice. For forty days all 9ft plus of this armour clad warrior trod down from the Philistine battle lines to his valley of defiance. There, he bellowed his abusive mockery at God and his people.

The Israelite army heard this thunderous voice, echoing across the valley each day. They were understandably dismayed and terrified about their certain defeat. They were destined to be enslaved by the Philistines.

We need to question the source of the voices we hear, especially when they become a dominant voice in our lives like Goliath. What is going on behind the scenes? The source of Goliath’s voice is clearly Satan booming out death, defeat and dismay for the LORD’s people and full of disdain for the LORD.

Living in this world, Satan’s voice is behind a great number of the things we hear regularly. Who will silence this hate-filled mockery?

Step forward the rugged Bethlehem boy, David, who enters Goliath’s satanic stronghold alone. No armour, sword or speech; just a sling and the name of the LORD as his battle cry. He stepped forward representing all of Israel, their fate on his shoulders. Yet David was confident: “The LORD will deliver me,” was his heart’s cry.

This battle reminds us of another bloody battle that took place. Jesus, the man of sorrows, also went alone as man’s representative into Satan’s stronghold. He became a public spectacle of weakness, lifted up on a cross. Satan disgraced and seemingly defeated the son of God. Yet Jesus knew when he was lifted up, Satan would be driven out. Like David finished off Goliath using the giant’s own sword, Jesus silenced Satan with his own weapon. The very thing Satan sought to destroy Jesus with, the cross, was the means by which Jesus defeated the accuser’s power.  “Jesus came to turn men from the power of Satan to God so that they might receive forgiveness of sins.”

 

Has Satan been in your ear? Telling you “You are not good enough, you are a disgrace, give up following God, enjoy a little sin, live for today.”

David’s smooth stone skimmed through the air and sunk into Goliath’s forehead, he fell to the floor with a thud, the voice of Satan silenced. David silenced Satan for a time in his generation. Jesus has silenced Satan for all of time for those who have Christ as their representative.

One of Satan’s chief weapons, the accusation of unforgiven sin, is silenced by the victory of Christ at the cross. Today, the voice of Satan is in this world, but you do not need to listen to him. He is a sergeant major barking his orders, but if you are in Christ you are no longer in his army and no longer need to heed his voice. Rather listen to the voice of the saviour who tells us “In me you may have peace.”

Giles Woodcraft

Listen to Giles’ message from 1 Samuel 17 here.