You may have noticed the box under the altar. That’s where our Alleluia is buried. You see, Alleluia is our song of joy, and nowhere is our joy more complete then when the victory is won.
Sometimes a whole army was represented in battle by a single warrior, set in battle against another. In this way, a whole army’s victory or defeat could be accomplished by one man. Goliath of Gath was the champion of the Philistines.
And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And his shield-bearer went before him. He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us.” And the Philistine said, “I defy the ranks of Israel this day. Give me a man, that we may fight together.” When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 1 Samuel 17:4-11 ESV
The defiant taunts of the enemy had disheartened the whole army of Israel None from Saul’s army dared to battle one on one against this brute. None, that is, until young David came bringing food for his brothers as they served in Israel’s army. David was determined to silence the blasphemies and curses shouted by the giant. He refused the kings armor and weapon, and trusted in the Lord. He took only his staff, sling and five stones and went to meet Goliath.
And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. v. 43
But with one stone, the son of Jesse laid low the Philistine, and cut off his head using Goliath’s own sword.
Jesus is the champion sent by God to fight for us against the enemies we were powerless to resist: sin, death and the devil. As the army of Israel could not sing songs of victory or cry out shouts of joy as long as their enemy taunted them, we also cannot sing our Alleluias of joy while Satan taunts us. The unconquered champion of hell can overpower any man except God’s own champion. Jesus absorbed the taunts and curses of the enemy as he went to do battle on the cross, carrying two sticks of the cross to the battle field of that rock called Golgotha. There, what looked like sure and disastrous defeat was changed to victory, when Jesus seized the foe’s sword of death and used His own death to decapitate the enemy. Jesus won the battle by the hurling of one stone – the stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. Jesus resurrection is complete victory.
We are the army of Christ. Helpless to battle the great foe, our Champion, the Son of David fought for us. On Easter, once again, return our shouts of victory and our songs of Alleluia.
Rejoice with me in Christ’s victory.
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