“For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26
People are so easily offended these days. And more times than not, beliefs and opinions that support a biblical world-view are quickly labeled as offensive in our culture. Yet many Christians remain silent when belligerent statements about God and Scripture are made. So, how easily should a Christian be offended; and by what? In today’s passage, David the shepherd boy teaches us the first characteristic of becoming a giant slayer. We should be offended by what offends God.
Too often though, we’re more like David’s brothers and the ranks of Israel. They became so used to hearing Goliath’s defiance of Israel’s God that it didn’t strike their ears the way it did David’s. It was like, “Here comes this guy again with his usual anti-God rhetoric.” The fact that he was big and intimidating kept them quiet and well behind the battle lines. David, on the other hand, was incensed by Goliath’s disregard for the Lord. And, it caused him to act.
The more often we hear or see something, the more we become accustomed to it. Make no mistake, the media and entertainment industry intentionally treat the things of God with contempt. Their goal for decades has been to change the way our society thinks – and they have. Many times, believers pay to watch things that should actually anger us.
Christians have been playing defense for so long that we’ve gotten comfy behind the battle lines. But before we can face the giants of our culture, we need to once again be offended by what offends God. Like David, we need to step out in faith and say, “Who is this? How dare they talk about the living God that way!”
Think about the ways you’ve heard God’s authority challenged this week. How have you seen a disregard for what God considers holy and sacred? Have the courage to step out in faith and act. Determine to not allow anything into your mind that is offensive to God. Would you watch that show or movie if Jesus was physically sitting next to you? The giants of our culture are big, loud, and well-equipped. It may seem as if all you have is a small stone. What good is that against a giant? Well, it’s enough to make a difference somewhere when you trust it to God.