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In Samuel 17:31-37, David has been brought before King Saul.  People have heard David’s bold words about how Goliath had to be faced.  Saul has sent for him.

When David expresses that he will fight Goliath, King Saul says this is impossible due to his youth and inexperience.

David shares the story of fighting against a lion and also a bear who had attempted to rob sheep from the flock he was entrusted to watch.  During this story, we can gleen a critical lesson that David learned from the lion.

He says that a lion came and took a sheep from the flock.  He went after the lion and smote (or struck) it.  What he used, we don’t know.  But it was enough to apparently either knock the lion silly or seriously distract it.  David had enough time and opportunity to rescue the poor sheep out of the lion’s mouth.

After the magnificent rescue, however, the lion arose and attacked David.  David had hand to hand combat (or hand to paw) with the lion.  I wonder if he still carried scars from the ordeal.  He won the fight and killed the lion.

When he went out to fight Goliath, he showed that he had learned one important lesson from these experiences:  finish your enemy while he is down.  That may sound merciless and brutal, and it is.  But in war, one does not always have the chance to negotiate.  When a Philistine is planning to kill you and subject your nation to slavery and humiliation, you don’t think twice about it.  David didn’t.  He struck down Goliath to the ground, just like the lion.  But then he immediately went over, took the Philistine’s sword and severed his head.  This time, there would be no chance for the enemy to leap up and counterattack.

What about you?  I’m not talking about the realm of flesh and blood.  Are there areas in your life where you have been at war with the devil and you have gained a partial victory?  Don’t stop now.  Press on through to a complete and total victory.  Finish the battle!  If you give the devil a foothold, he will turn it into a stronghold from which he will attack every area of you life possible.

Be done with sin.  Be done with slavery to lusts and passions which will devour and enslave you.  Be done with weights which will hinder your walk with God.

FINISH THE BATTLE!