Entanglement Or Enlightenment

ENTANGLEMENT OR ENLIGHTENMENT

1 Samuel 17:1-52, 1 Samuel 18:7

This is more than a story but a type of the believer in their battle against the enemy and a mediator Jesus Christ who brings victory

THE PROBLEM

1 Samuel 17:1 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered together at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim.

1 Samuel 17:4, "And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span."

The Philistines had gathered their armies together to battle Israel – they were at Sochoh in Judah – Israel’s territory – Judah meaning praise – the enemy had possessed the praise of Israel – everyday the Philistine champion Goliath challenged the armies of Israel to produce their champion so that in a one on one fight this issue of war could be settled – Israel to this point could not – champion in the Hebrew means – middleman or mediator

The Israelites were camped between: Sochoh - that word means entangled or entwined and Azekah - means a strong spark or light or enlightened in Ephesdammim meaning the place of blood or boundary of blood – this speaks of being under or in the blood of Christ – without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins – under the blood speaks of protection and provision of salvation

The problem with Israel was that although they had a boundary of blood which speaks of the covenant protection of God - they lived as a defeated army because they were in the midst of entanglement and enlightenment -

Entanglement – we are told the Israelites were concerned with their natural sight they saw a giant – Goliath – as a result they were dismayed – afraid – which led them to flee - 1 Samuel 17:24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid.

Enlightenment – David was enlightened which we see by his speech - he called Goliath uncircumcised meaning outside the covenant protection and provision of God – he said the battle is the Lords – he fought Goliath in the name of the Lord -1 Samuel 17:47 “Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

The enlightened mind is the Mind of Christ – renewed in the word – through the Holy Spirit – the natural mind is an entangled mind – not being able to discern spiritual truths - 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

If it is not life it is not God – we need to be able to overcome the enemy as a result of the revelation of what God has done for us which is revealed in His word

THE POWER

There wasn’t anyone in the camp of Israel that even felt they could stand against the enemy except when David arrived - David’s confidence was in the Lord -David said “the Lord can do it" – he knew that greater was He who was for him than he who was against - he declared the word – he took five smooth stones and used one to slay the enemy - in the Bible stones can represent God’s word – Jesus said in Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whosoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock” God’s people are spiritually "made" out of the Word of God, then God’s people are also symbolized as stones (1 Peter 2:5). - the smooth stone is the word you know how to handle – truths that you understand and can use for your weapons – altars are built of uncut stones – the pure word - Babylon builds its tower with counterfeit stones (man made bricks) - that’s why Babylon is a picture of false religion –

1 Samuel 17:16: "And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days."

Luke 4:1-4 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”