Goldilocks And The Three Bears Series

I. Introduction

These are the stories we learned as children and perhaps now you are in turn telling the same tales to your children or grandchildren. These stories were told by our teachers or at our bedtime to help us drift off to sleep. These tales taught us morals. However, unknown to many of us they also taught us significant spiritual truths! Let's look at one of these fairytales we know so well and see if we can unwrap a spiritual truth that is in it.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Goldilocks. She went for a walk in the forest. Pretty soon, she came upon a house. She knocked and, when no one answered, she walked right in.

At the table in the kitchen, there were three bowls of porridge. Goldilocks was hungry. She tasted the porridge from the first bowl.

"This porridge is too hot!" she exclaimed.

So, she tasted the porridge from the second bowl.

"This porridge is too cold," she said.

So, she tasted the last bowl of porridge. "Ahhh, this porridge is just right," she said happily and she ate it all up.

After she'd eaten the three bears' breakfasts, she decided she was feeling a little tired. So, she walked into the living room where she saw three chairs. Goldilocks sat in the first chair to rest.

"This chair is too big!" she exclaimed.

So she sat in the second chair. "This chair is too big, too!" she whined.

So she tried the last and smallest chair. "Ahhh, this chair is just right," she sighed. But just as she settled down into the chair to rest, it broke into pieces!

Goldilocks was very tired by this time, she went upstairs to the bedroom. She lay down in the first bed, but it was too hard. Then she lay in the second bed, but it was too soft. Then she lay down in the third bed and it was just right. Goldilocks fell asleep.

As she was sleeping, the three bears came home.

"Someone's been eating my porridge," growled the Papa bear.

"Someone's been eating my porridge," said the Mama bear.

"Someone's been eating my porridge and they ate it all up!" cried the Baby bear.

"Someone's been sitting in my chair," growled the Papa bear.

"Someone's been sitting in my chair," said the Mama bear.

"Someone's been sitting in my chair and they've broken it to pieces," cried the Baby bear.

They decided to look around some more and when they got upstairs to the bedroom, Papa bear growled,

"Someone's been sleeping in my bed.”

"Someone's been sleeping in my bed, too" said the Mama bear.

"Someone's been sleeping in my bed and she's still there!" exclaimed the Baby bear.

Just then, Goldilocks woke up. She saw the three bears. She screamed, "Help!" And she jumped up and ran out of the room. Goldilocks ran down the stairs, opened the door, and ran away into the forest. She never returned to the home of the three bears.

Goldilocks became a tasty treat for the bruins in James Katzaman’s account. In another version Goldilocks is tortured and killed by the bears for her transgressions.

I want to point out a couple of things and then take you to today's Scriptural account that this fairytale mimics.

I want you to notice how picky Goldilocks seemed to be. She struggled to be satisfied with the porridge (stolen mind you). She struggled to be satisfied with the chairs. She struggled to be satisfied with the bed. In the process of this constant dissatisfaction, she takes all of the wee bear's porridge, breaks his chair and occupies his bed. Just keep those details in the back of your mind.

Text: 1 Samuel 8:4-22 (TLB)

Finally the leaders of Israel met in Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. They told him that since his retirement things hadn’t been the same, for his sons were not good men. “Give us a king like all the other nations have,” they pleaded. Samuel was terribly upset and went to the Lord for advice. “Do as they say,” the Lord replied, “for I am the one they are rejecting, not you—they don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but warn them about what it will be like to have a king!” So Samuel told the people what the Lord had said: “If you insist on having a king, he will conscript your sons and make them run before his chariots; some will be made to lead his troops into battle, while others will be slave laborers; they will be forced to plow in the royal fields and harvest his crops without pay, and make his weapons and chariot equipment. He will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his friends. He will take a tenth of your harvest and distribute it to his favorites. He will demand your slaves and the finest of your youth and will use your animals for his personal gain. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. You will shed bitter tears because of this king you are demanding, but the Lord will not help you.” But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said, “for we want to be like the nations around us. He will govern us and lead us to battle.” So Samuel told the Lord what the people had said, and the Lord replied again, “Then do as they say and give them a king.” So Samuel agreed and sent the men home again.