Who Are You

One of my all-time favorite movie scenes comes from (and I am not embarrassed to say this) The Lion King. I have watched the movie too many times to count (don't forget I'm a grandparent), and I have scene the Broadway production twice. In this scene the wise sage, Rafiki, confronts young Simba about his carefree living while his kingdom is laid waste by his uncle, Scar. The following dialogue takes place

Simba: I know what I have to do. But going back means I'll have to face my past. I've been running from it for so long.
Rafiki hits Simba on the head with his stick
Simba: Ow! Jeez, what was that for?
Rafiki: It doesn't matter. It's in the past. (and laughs)
Simba: Yeah, but it still hurts.
Rafiki: Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the from way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it.
(Rafiki swings his stick again at Simba, who ducks out of the way]

This week we are looking at the taunting that the people of Israel faced from Goliath as David shows up at the camp. The story is found in 1 Samuel 17. Goliath stands over 9 feet tall. His armor weighs 125 pounds, and the tip of his spear weight 15 pounds. And he taunts the Israelites for 40 days, morning and night.


For many of us, our past mistakes loom as large as Goliath. No matter what we do, no matter how many times we say we're sorry, no matter how many Bible verses we read or how many worship songs we sing, our past always seems to be there, towering over us like a large enemy we just can't figure out how to bring down.

And like the Israeli army, far too many have become so obsessed with Goliath's taunts, that we can no longer hear God's promises. But David shows up, fresh from the pastures. In the pastures, he has been hearing God, not Goliath. And as David hears the taunts of the Goliath, his response is much different from the soldiers who have allowed their lives to become defined by the giant. David stands and says, "Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?" (1 Kings 17:26). 

One of the quickest ways to forget what God has promised is to focus on the voice of the enemy. Any number of triggers can bring the giant of our past out to taunt us. But like David, we must be careful to never allow fear or our past to define us. We should never allow what has defeated us in the past to define us. As a follower of Jesus, we should allow God to define our lives.

This week, we are going to focus in on three truths from the Word of God that God uses to define our lives.