When one plan fails, the enemy will try another, but every time the devil comes at us, God will make a way of escape! The Bible says in Psalm 34:7 that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him.” That means no matter where we are—whether we’re in our house, on the job, or out in the streets—God has angels standing guard around His people! Oh yes, He does! So when the enemy tries to come for us, those angels go to work on our behalf. And sometimes, God strategically positions people to help, to promote, and to protect us.
David: Friends, Foes, & Favor
David and Jonathan’s friendship became tighter than the lid on grandma’s pickle jar. Their friendship wasn’t just casual; it was covenant-level serious. Jonathan even gave David his royal robe, his armor, and his weapons. That’s like giving someone your Netflix password and the last slice of cheesecake. That’s deep, folks. Most of us have friends, but a covenant-level friendship is a special kind of friendship.
David’s Victory
Being an obedient son, David got up early that morning and headed to the battle to check on his brothers as his father instructed him to do, “And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle” (v. 20). The armies would go down into the valley in battle array, but no one from the army of Israel would step forward to face Goliath. They were all shout, but no fight.
DAVID’S ROOTS: RUTH & BOAZ
Boaz is a type of Christ! But Ruth, the destitute Gentile, is a picture of all who are lost in sin and separated from God. Just like Ruth couldn’t redeem herself, we couldn’t save ourselves either, but Jesus stepped in! Just like Boaz showed favor to Ruth when she didn’t deserve it, Jesus showed favor to us when we didn’t deserve it. Just like Boaz redeemed Ruth and restored her inheritance, Jesus redeemed us and restored everything sin had stolen from us. Now we are heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus (Ro 8:17).
The Lord Said to My Lord
From the time Jesus entered Jerusalem challenging the compromise and pride of the religious elite in Judaism, the people in power rejected Jesus of Nazareth as anything but a troublemaker. The chief priests, scribes, elders, and other elite religious leaders were completely mystified as to who this Jesus was, but they rejected the idea that He was the Messiah. So, they probed and questioned Him, observed and tried to find fault with Him, but they came up short each time they tried to defame Him.
THIS IS MY VICTORY SONG!
Our victory is not dependent upon elections or economic conditions. Pandemic or no pandemic, I’m still singing my victory song because an old rugged cross was lifted up against the backdrop of the Jerusalem sky, and with His last breath Jesus declared, “It is finished!” The war has already been won, and this is my victory song!