Philistines and by extension Goliath. meta. There is strong...
πππ«π¦π’π© ππ π
πππΆπ©π¬π«@DanielvsBabylon
19 views
Sep 12, 2024
1
Philistines and by extension Goliath. meta.
There is strong evidence that Golgotha acquired its name from Goliath's skull which was buried there by David after returning to Jerusalem with it, thus fulfilling prophecy. I pray the spiritual significance of bringing a giants head into Jerusalem is made more pronounced by this post.
Goliath literally means revealing; conspicuous; taken off; an exile; a soothsayer. Philistine in Hebrew means rolling about; transitory, migrating, wandering, deviant, infidel.
The two armies of 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites and the Philistines, represent two aggregations of thoughts in the mind of every individual: those that know and strive to follow the Truth, and those that are in open enmity and violent opposition to everything Godlike.
We can call these armies Truth and Error. The error army sometimes seems the larger and stronger, because it is principally in the visible or outer expression, while the army of Truth is made up of spiritual, invisible forces.
Ideas are not all of the same importance. Some are
large and strong; and some are weak and small. There are aggressive, domineering ideas, like Goliath, that parade themselves prominently, brag about their
power, and with fearful threats of disaster keep us
frightened into submission to their unrighteous reign.
These domineering ideas of error have one argument
that they impress upon us at all times: fear of results
should we dare to meet them openly and oppose their reign in consciousness. The fear of opposing prevailing ideas, although we know them to be erroneous, is woven into our whole mental fabric. This fear is portrayed by the spear of Goliath, and the narrative most aptly states, "And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam."
The "strong man fully armed," referred to by Jesus, is in the subconscious mind. In the natural man he manifests as physical strength, but in the regeneration he is overcome and his possessions are divided or given to the other faculties as a nucleus around which the higher forces gather. The "stronger than he," who takes away the "whole armor" in which the strong man trusted, is spiritual strength.
The overcoming of Goliath by David illustrates this mastery of the spiritual over the material. Goliath trusted in his armor, which represents the protective power of matter and material conditions. David (spiritual strength) had no armor or material protection. His power was gained by trust in divine intelligence, through which David saw the weak place in the Goliath armor. Direct to this weak place, with the sling of his concentrated will, he sent a thought that shattered the forehead of the giant. This shows how easy it is to overcome any seemingly strong personal and material conditions, when the mind of Spirit is brought into action.
David was sure of himself, because he had slain the
lion that killed his sheep. This lion symbolizes the beast in man; when overcome or, rather, transmuted to finer energy, it becomes a mighty soul strength.
The power of Goliath seems to have existed
principally in his ability to frighten the Israelites. Their fear of him was induced by his great size and his pomp of outer display. Physical strength is prone to brag, and in the vanity that leads to boasting lies its utter weakness.
Knowing this, David approached Goliath in a simple and inoffensive manner, which aroused the contempt of the giant and made him easy to defeat. Goliath stood for his own strength; David went forth with but one idea: to prove that there was a God in Israel. When one goes forth to prove his own strength he sooner or later comes to grief, but he who goes forth to prove the power of God is guided in every way and is the inevitable victor.
The story of David and Goliath is one of the most
familiar of all Bible stories, and it is also one from
which many practical lessons can be drawn. One
lesson that may be considered is the individual's
desire for both spiritual and worldly advancement.
Side by side these desires are striving for supremacy,
each in turn occupying a relative degree of importance in the mind. Even Jesus Christ had presented to His consideration the possibility of ruling over all the kingdoms of this world.
It does not take much of spiritual understanding to
know the futility of so-called material advancement
and power, but it does require very definite and well
directed activity really to correct one's tendencies in
this direction. The lure of pomp and power is great to
the one who does not fully realize the spiritual Truth
that exists under all material manifestation.
The giant of outer splendor often looms up before the spiritual aspirant, but is not conquered by negative measures. The best means are always the simple, direct ones. To meet adversity with its own tactics but arouses it; to meet it with a direct declaration of Truth renders it an easy victim.
We are often scared, even terrified, at the gigantic proportions of some leading thought on the error side, represented by Goliath. Our Goliath may be different from that of our neighbor, but it boasts and brags daily of its strength and it intimidates us with its show of power.
People who depend upon the resources of materiality, as Saul had come to do, often give up in despair when these thoughts of sense continue their bullying methods day and night. There is but one way to meet and subdue them, and that is through the power of love, represented by David, the ruddy-faced shepherd boy.
The smooth stone that David used is the rock of faith, and the sling is the assurance and force with which the mind sends it forth to do its perfect work of destroying error in the stronghold of error thought, the forehead.
Sympathetic love will not bring these results. Love
must have the assurance of Truth and must be sent
forth with confidence, courage, and power, in both
thought and word.
The lesson may be summed up as an illustration of the necessity for having boldness, courage, and fearlessness in demonstrating Truth. For us it means that whenever our spiritual thoughts determine to be loyal to Jesus and make a stand for Truth they have to meet the onslaught of Goliath and the Philistines.
Once again I submit for your edification some archaeological evidence to drive home the point that the Bible is both literal and allegorical simultaneously.
There is strong evidence that Golgotha acquired its name from Goliath's skull which was buried there by David after returning to Jerusalem with it, thus fulfilling prophecy. I pray the spiritual significance of bringing a giants head into Jerusalem is made more pronounced by this post.
Goliath literally means revealing; conspicuous; taken off; an exile; a soothsayer. Philistine in Hebrew means rolling about; transitory, migrating, wandering, deviant, infidel.
The two armies of 1 Samuel 17, the Israelites and the Philistines, represent two aggregations of thoughts in the mind of every individual: those that know and strive to follow the Truth, and those that are in open enmity and violent opposition to everything Godlike.
We can call these armies Truth and Error. The error army sometimes seems the larger and stronger, because it is principally in the visible or outer expression, while the army of Truth is made up of spiritual, invisible forces.
Ideas are not all of the same importance. Some are
large and strong; and some are weak and small. There are aggressive, domineering ideas, like Goliath, that parade themselves prominently, brag about their
power, and with fearful threats of disaster keep us
frightened into submission to their unrighteous reign.
These domineering ideas of error have one argument
that they impress upon us at all times: fear of results
should we dare to meet them openly and oppose their reign in consciousness. The fear of opposing prevailing ideas, although we know them to be erroneous, is woven into our whole mental fabric. This fear is portrayed by the spear of Goliath, and the narrative most aptly states, "And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam."
The "strong man fully armed," referred to by Jesus, is in the subconscious mind. In the natural man he manifests as physical strength, but in the regeneration he is overcome and his possessions are divided or given to the other faculties as a nucleus around which the higher forces gather. The "stronger than he," who takes away the "whole armor" in which the strong man trusted, is spiritual strength.
The overcoming of Goliath by David illustrates this mastery of the spiritual over the material. Goliath trusted in his armor, which represents the protective power of matter and material conditions. David (spiritual strength) had no armor or material protection. His power was gained by trust in divine intelligence, through which David saw the weak place in the Goliath armor. Direct to this weak place, with the sling of his concentrated will, he sent a thought that shattered the forehead of the giant. This shows how easy it is to overcome any seemingly strong personal and material conditions, when the mind of Spirit is brought into action.
David was sure of himself, because he had slain the
lion that killed his sheep. This lion symbolizes the beast in man; when overcome or, rather, transmuted to finer energy, it becomes a mighty soul strength.
The power of Goliath seems to have existed
principally in his ability to frighten the Israelites. Their fear of him was induced by his great size and his pomp of outer display. Physical strength is prone to brag, and in the vanity that leads to boasting lies its utter weakness.
Knowing this, David approached Goliath in a simple and inoffensive manner, which aroused the contempt of the giant and made him easy to defeat. Goliath stood for his own strength; David went forth with but one idea: to prove that there was a God in Israel. When one goes forth to prove his own strength he sooner or later comes to grief, but he who goes forth to prove the power of God is guided in every way and is the inevitable victor.
The story of David and Goliath is one of the most
familiar of all Bible stories, and it is also one from
which many practical lessons can be drawn. One
lesson that may be considered is the individual's
desire for both spiritual and worldly advancement.
Side by side these desires are striving for supremacy,
each in turn occupying a relative degree of importance in the mind. Even Jesus Christ had presented to His consideration the possibility of ruling over all the kingdoms of this world.
It does not take much of spiritual understanding to
know the futility of so-called material advancement
and power, but it does require very definite and well
directed activity really to correct one's tendencies in
this direction. The lure of pomp and power is great to
the one who does not fully realize the spiritual Truth
that exists under all material manifestation.
The giant of outer splendor often looms up before the spiritual aspirant, but is not conquered by negative measures. The best means are always the simple, direct ones. To meet adversity with its own tactics but arouses it; to meet it with a direct declaration of Truth renders it an easy victim.
We are often scared, even terrified, at the gigantic proportions of some leading thought on the error side, represented by Goliath. Our Goliath may be different from that of our neighbor, but it boasts and brags daily of its strength and it intimidates us with its show of power.
People who depend upon the resources of materiality, as Saul had come to do, often give up in despair when these thoughts of sense continue their bullying methods day and night. There is but one way to meet and subdue them, and that is through the power of love, represented by David, the ruddy-faced shepherd boy.
The smooth stone that David used is the rock of faith, and the sling is the assurance and force with which the mind sends it forth to do its perfect work of destroying error in the stronghold of error thought, the forehead.
Sympathetic love will not bring these results. Love
must have the assurance of Truth and must be sent
forth with confidence, courage, and power, in both
thought and word.
The lesson may be summed up as an illustration of the necessity for having boldness, courage, and fearlessness in demonstrating Truth. For us it means that whenever our spiritual thoughts determine to be loyal to Jesus and make a stand for Truth they have to meet the onslaught of Goliath and the Philistines.
Once again I submit for your edification some archaeological evidence to drive home the point that the Bible is both literal and allegorical simultaneously.
View Tweet
2
