August 2, 2024 

Today's Reading: 1 Samuel 17:20-47

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 17:20-47; Acts 26:24-27:8

This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (1 Samuel 17:46).

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Wasn’t it enough that David slew the giant Goliath? Did he really have to cut off his head, too? Often, God’s acts of judgment seem extreme to us. It’s enough to turn a lot of people away from the Old Testament and even the Church. Sometimes, the blood and gore do seem extreme, but when it comes down to God’s enemies, He goes all the way to make sure that you are saved and protected from all evil. He leaves no stone unturned. God is almighty and powerful. God saves His people.

So often today, Bible stories like David and Goliath are twisted into turning you and me into the hero. They’ll say if we believe enough or trust God enough, He’ll make us strong to defeat our enemies, whatever “Goliath” in your life stands against you. No! Sure, David was revered after he defeated the giant. He became more and more popular with the people. His success grew. But David didn’t slay the giant Goliath for his own glory. He did it so that “all the earth would know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:46). After a small stone from a sling brought the giant down, David put the fear of God in the Philistines by leaving no doubt that their champion was dead by the hand of God. The Philistines fled.

God acts so that all may know that He is God. It was the same for the Israelites when God acted to bring them out of Egypt. The ten plagues, the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, all of it was so that Egypt and the nations would know that Yahweh was the one true God. Yahweh is mighty in power. Yahweh saves His people.

The blood and gore of the cross are gruesome, but God left no one in doubt that His only Son was dead. He was cut off from the land of the living (Isaiah 53:8). But so that all may know that He is the One True God, He raised His Son to life again, life imperishable. Not even death can stop the Lord from saving His people. Jesus has defeated death. He cut off its head.

Isn’t it enough that Jesus died and rose? Does He have to wipe out all of God’s enemies? Even the New Testament can get pretty gruesome when it comes to the final defeat of God’s enemies. Jesus treads the winepress and is covered in the blood of those who defied the living God. Remember: God acts so that all may know that He is the One True God. In Jesus, He acts for you. At His return, the victorious Christ brings the final defeat of sin, death, and the devil and renders them powerless, all for you so that you can “live under Him in His Kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness” (Small Catechism, Explanation of the Second Article). In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Wisely fight, for time is fleeting; The hours of grace are fast retreating; Short, short is this our earthly way. When the Lord the dead will waken And sinners all by fear are shaken, The saints with joy will greet that day. Praise God, our triumph’s sure. We need not long endure Scorn and trial. Our Savior King His own will bring To that great glory which we sing. (LSB 668:3)

-Rev. Joel Fritsche, director of Vicarage and Deaconess Internships and assistant professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

The Lutheran Confessions play a vital role in the church—both centuries ago, and today. But, do they apply to the daily life of a layperson? Pastor Andy Wright offers a resounding “yes” in his book, Faithfully Formed. He quotes, summarizes, and synthesizes key teachings from the Confessions, revealing their relevance in the daily lives of ordinary people.