Fear Sells

I Samuel 17:1-11

If I can make you fear the results of the future, you are my prisoner.  It is one of the best marketing schemes going, how much would gold be sold for today if it was not for the merchant of fear.  It goes like this the dollar is not stable, the big crash is just around the corner, and if you want to eat you better have gold. They forget to share with you that no one has a system to deal with the using of gold if the dollar had no value.  Go to your local grocery store with a gold coin and if they would take it what is its value, whatever is printed on it.

But fear sells today as it did in the time of King Saul, the Philistines had gathered their army for battle, they are on one mountain and Israel and King Saul with the army of Israel are on the other.  There is a valley in between and I’m sure you are hearing from both sides, my daddy can beat your daddy, the most amazing thing happened, a Philistine giant comes into the valley, he is with his shield-bearer out in front.  His name was Goliath and if it were not for a shepherd boy named David, we would have never remembered his name.

Goliath of Gath, his height was six cubits and a span, now that’s big, and he was 9’ 3” tall, and he was ugly.  What is important is that he understood marketing, and he knew that fear works, and it worked very well that day.  Listen to what he is wearing; “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.”  That is somewhat impressive in that most of Israel’s army is standing there with no armor and a pitchfork! 

But it’s the shield-bearer that is going to be the front man who is going to close the sale.  Picking up the story in 7b –11, “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.”

Fear sells, then and now, and the people of God had no understanding of whose army they were in, much like the Christian army of this day.  And the Christian is not facing a Goliath of Gath, it is his neighbor who likes that he speaks, and talks about football with him but if asked what his neighbor believes about Jesus, he is fearful to address the question.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice