Nobody has ever succeeded in waging war against God. Goliath of Gath, with his abnormal huge size and prowess, his military weapons, and backed up with a tough army, came all the way from Philistine to fight Israel. Confident of victory, and perhaps that nobody would accept his arrogant challenge, which would also turn the scale to his favour, the General challenged the army of Israel. He requested them to bring their best soldier to fight him, fight the man mountain?
Nobody came out, not even King Saul, the tallest man in Israel and their military leader. They were all running rather to nooks and crannies to hide. He cursed them and their God, still, nobody challenged him. The story was the same the next day. David, a youth, his dad had sent to enquire about his brothers in the battle front, heard the challenge and could not stomach the insult. He knew what nobody knew, not his elder brothers, nor King Saul, that it was not his people the Philistine champion was insulting, but God, the Living God.
He came forward boldly in response to the challenge. The champion and the Philistine soldiers saw him, as well as the soldiers of Israel from their hiding places, and wondered. “Stubborn youths of now-a-days who, would act before hearing well,” they might have ridiculed him. They saw when he had a session with King Saul and might have thought that the king was rebuking him for his youthful exuberance. It was clear in their mind that the king would not allow him to commit suicide by ever imagining that he would fight the giant, a top military brass! They might have thought that he had given up his silly ambition when he refused to wear the battle armour and rather came out with a catapult. Imagine!
Strangely, while Goliath was cursing and boasting of his might, David was saying something about God. To him, it was a battle between Philistine and God. Goliath could not, and had no reason, to think that way. Referring to the army of Israel, he told Goliath that it was God, the Almighty, who owned the army he had defied. Goliath still did not imagine that. David was imputing that as he had declared war against Israel, he was committing suicide by making God his enemy. In split seconds, somebody was on the ground, but it was not David. It could not have been Goliath. His head was cutoff with his sword. It was not possible to be the giant. Alas, it was! The Philistines, seeing their General dead, oso! Yesooo!
To win any war, God does not need military weapons and battalions of soldiers. Had Goliath known that, he would have surrendered, accepting defeat. A proud man might not do that. He would, like a fly, destined to death, according to Ndigbo, follow a corpse to the grave. And so it was with Goliath, the giant. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was wise in withdrawing the death penalty he had pronounced on God’s children, when he saw a glimpse of God’s supreme power. The Egyptian Pharaoh would have lived and his son succeeded him, but the youth died with his fellow first-born sons, while the first sons of God’s people lived. It happened when Pharaoh made himself God’s enemy. He perished also in the Red Sea for pursuing God’s children. Imagine!
It is not possible that someone will declare war on the son of a Governor, and the Governor will still be in good relationship with him. If you make a child of God your enemy, you have made God also your enemy. In this way, some people have become God’s enemy without knowing. If a Christian offends you, follow due process and ensure that you effect reconciliation with him. Scheming evil against him will be to your detriment because God will fight for him.
It is imprudent for a man to fight someone he knows that is greater than him in all aspects of life. It was obvious to anybody, including the cuddling, that the death of the Lord Jesus was driven by envy. While His disciples went to their homes, the soldiers mounted a security guard to ensure that His disciples would not steal His corpse. Aware of the expertise of Roman soldiers, you can guess the number of soldiers posted there! On the resurrection morning, God’s angel rolled away the stone that covered the tomb for the Lord Jesus to resurrect. He did and the angel sat on it, waiting for who would make fim! Seeing what had happened, the Jewish leaders bribed the soldiers for them to accuse His disciples of stealing His corpse! Till now, the soldiers have not been arrested for sleeping on duty, nor the disciples, idle and unarmed civilians, for disarming the armed soldiers, even when warning them not to preach in the name of Jesus.
Military tacticians use strategy to enter their enemy’s territory to assess their military strength. It helps them to know how to camouflage their soldiers and equipment, and also in their movements. All these require time and expertise. How then can you be an enemy of God, Who knows when you are conceiving any idea in your mind, and Who knows more than you in the things concerning you and what your tomorrow will be? Where is the wisdom, for you to be the enemy of God, in Whose palm is your life? Do you not know that if He switches off your life with the liberty you have in switching off your phone, it will be death?
“No weapon fashioned against you shall prosper,” God told His people, not withstanding all the Goliaths that will challenge them at any time. It means, God declaring victory for His children ahead of a battle. It makes the believer very comfortable and never to be intimidated by the enemy. He will not, however, hide under it to commit any form of sin. He will apply it if he lives in righteousness. David, as young as he was, knew it but others did not. God’s promise in the Bible can benefit only the Christian, who knows and applies it. A child of God can know and benefit from what his Pastor does not know and in consequence, will not benefit from.
It is possible for a lady to be denied promotion or the opportunity of travelling abroad because she refused to sleep with her boss. A lady may be denied admission into the university under a similar guise or be failed in her degree examination for refusing sex for marks. A child of God may be punished by his company, and denied his rights for refusing to compromise his faith. A Christian Custom officer, in those days, was posted deliberately to a very remote place because of his refusal to join his colleagues in accepting bribes. It forced him to resign. Thank God, he travelled to England later for further studies. These are some of the ways some people can make themselves the enemies of God.
For further comment, Please contact: Osondu Anyalechi: 0802 3002-471; [email protected]
