Christ’s first coming and the story of David and Goliath

Notes from Stephen Bohr’s “The Genesis Code” #9: The Giant Slayer

Both the story of Christ’s first coming and the story of David and Goliath must be understood in the context of the enmity “between the serpent and the woman”

Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”

Christ came to bruise the head of Satan and give him a deathblow at His first coming, even though Satan would not die until later.

Goliath received a bruise from a stone, but then David had to later give Goliath a death blow:

1 Samuel 17:49-51 Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. 50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.
And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

When the story takes place Saul is king over Israel. Before this confrontation with the Philistines, Saul rebelled and was rejected by God and lost the kingship, even though he temporarily still had the position at this point:

1 Samuel 15:26-28 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”
27 And as Samuel turned around to go away, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

Before the story David had just been anointed as king over Israel:

1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

Other parallels:

David is from Bethlehem, Jesus is from Bethlehem

David is sent by his father to his brothers who misunderstand him, Jesus is sent to his brothers who misunderstand Him.

The Philistines demand a battle between champions and technically Saul should have fought the battle – David is the substitute.

Saul’s human armor is useless, David is unable to use it. David must rely on spiritual armor and make God his rock, fortress, deliverer, and shield:

Psalm 18:2-3 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
. So shall I be saved from my enemies.

David was the shepherd of his father’s sheep. David was willing to give his life for his sheep.

John 10:11 (Jesus) I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Goliath represents serpent of Genesis 3, taunted Israel for 40 days

God provides supernatural power to those who dedicate themselves to work in His name and for His purposes:

Goliath came with human armor that weighed 157 pounds, the tip of his spear weighing 17 pounds, (Patriarchs and Prophets page 646) reports that the scales of armor were so tight no dart could penetrate

1 Samuel 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

Goliath cursed David by his gods:

1 Samuel 17:43 So the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

When you use someone’s name you are calling on their authority and depending on them.
Putting God’s reputation on the line places you firmly on God’s side.

After the cross, Jesus similarly gave Satan a deathblow but Satan is still alive

Saul represents Adam – after losing his authority, Adam loses all battles against sin and is subject to death.

Adam had a perfect body, was created in a perfect garden fully mature, with perfect mind yet he still failed.

Christ was born as baby with a genetic and cultural influence of 4000 years of sin

John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Jesus similarly claimed the name of His father:

John 5:43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

Jesus came as an anointed king:

Luke 4:16-21 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Just like David, Jesus’ brothers don’t believe:

John 7:5 For even His brothers did not believe in Him.

The first Adam came with flesh, the second Adam (Jesus) came with the power of the Spirit:

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

Ezekiel prophesies about Christ referring to him under the name David after David was 400 years dead:

Ezekiel 37:24 David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them.

Ezekiel 34:23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd.

Jesus represents the new David in the lineage of David:

Luke 1:69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of His servant David,

Jesus is also the good shepherd:

John 10:11-14 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. 12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.

David wrote the famous Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd

Jesus also prophesied to be born in Bethlehem:

Micah 5:2 “ But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
. From everlasting.”

Jesus tempted 40 days just as Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days:

Mark 1:13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

Jesus came to destroy works of the devil:

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

At Christ’s second coming He will finish the destruction of Satan and sinners:

Revelation 19:17-18 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, 18 that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”

The same account of destruction of the sinful worldly kingdoms is described in prophecy in Ezekiel chapters 38 & 39.

Why is this important? It teaches us which weapons are mighty and need to be used in the spiritual warfare we face today. We are to use the same weapons as David used: The name of Jesus.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds

The apostles use the name of Jesus:

Acts 4:8-10 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: 9 If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, 10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.

We can similarly invoke His authority to resist temptation, break bad habits, respond to challenges that face us as long as our desires match the desires of God:

John 14:13-14 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

We are always too weak to resist Satan. We can always call on a stronger older brother who has proved He can beat Satan under the worst possible conditions and now has infinite strength.

We have power of attorney. We can become a cosigner with God. God’s name has credit history because of the cross, our name is useless, but He allows us to use His name.