Read 1 Samuel 17:4-7
A late recruit joins his comrades at the battleground. During the evening around the campfire, he hears the stories of the enemy’s champion. The appearance of Goliath is described in detail. The details he hears are quite a bit to take in. Is it all true? Are they expecting me to fight that guy in this battle?
As he lies in his makeshift bed, trying to get some rest before his first day on the battleground in the morning, he reflects on what he was told. The picture of a giant comes to mind.
This guy is so tall that he is like an immense tree.
His armor is all bronze and there is no way you can penetrate that to take him down.
The spear he carries will easily penetrate your puny armor.
He had been trained for battle. His instructor was one of the best teachers around. These guys must have been exaggerating a bit. They had to come up with some reason as to why there was no progress in overtaking the enemy yet. Surely the battle techniques they had been taught were sufficient to take on the enemy.
The morning hour to rise and face the enemy comes and the newcomer prepares for battle. His expectations are high as he joins the others at the top of the hill to face the enemy. As he approaches the top of the hill, he sees his opponents gathering on the hill on the other side of the valley.
As he takes in the scene of this battleground, he watches one man with his shield bearer descend from the hill. He starts to compare what he has heard to what he sees.
He hears the opposing side cheer on their champion. The sound was like a roar of triumph as the accolades for this warrior echoed throughout the valley. It was a sound that filled each man’s ears and penetrated the very core of their soul.
The opposing side has come against them with a special weapon. They are so confident of this battle tactic that they stand strong and tantalize the senses of those who have gathered to defend their territory.
What is the first impression that rose in this newcomer’s mind? Did the other men around him have the same first impression? To what degree did their first thoughts of this warrior on the battlefield impact and influence their next thoughts and actions?
When we read about the traits of Goliath, what is our impression? Do we see a fierce warrior that is threatening the army of Israel? Can you picture what it would be like if you were one of the soldiers on that battleground looking at Goliath for the first time? Would fear creep in and you listened to the opposing side cheering on their champion?
First Impressions.
Even before one opens their mouth and says anything, our senses start accumulating data within our minds. We apply past experiences, what others have said, and our feelings about what we see, and then form an opinion. We can’t help it. It is part of our nature to do this.
Out of curiosity, I googled “first impressions” to see what organizations have posted from their studies and observations. First impressions are natural for us and come primarily from what we see. Then comes the way you hear what is said, then what is actually said. Can you relate? Do you remember what you thought of a person when they first appeared in your church, place of work, or other social activity? What was your first impression?
Did the main strategist of the Philistine army realize this as he helped plan this offensive attack against Israel? Could he have drawn on the impact of first impressions when he displays the intimidating features of Goliath? Did he realize how he could use this immense-looking man against those they want to bring captive to fear? And then that fear could melt away men’s hearts making them more vulnerable to defeat.
The Philistines used this specific tactic of Goliath in their battle against Israel. But there are other tactics the enemy will use to discourage us when utilizing first impressions against us. In 2 Chronicles 20, the enemy used a vast army that was too much for the King and his people to withstand on their own. These are examples of a physical battle situation.
But don’t other first impressions influence our lives? It may not be a physical battleground, but what about other types of physical struggles, social situations, or even what is going on in the spirit? When we are dealing with the enemy the devil, he devises creative ways to get us to see a situation in a way that puts fear in our lives.
We have an enemy that wants a first impression to impact us negatively. By this, I mean that he wants us to see a Goliath that looks overwhelming to defeat. He wants us to see a giant that comes against us that seems so powerful that we are defenseless to come against it. The enemy wants us to cling to that fierce first impression and not get past it to see that it was meant to throw us off. It could be to keep us off the right path we need to take. It could also be a tactic to bring discouragement to abort something that the Lord wants us to walk within. What is the Goliath that we are facing? Did the first impression of it/him coming into our lives cripple us in fear? Or have we gone past the first impression?
How do we get beyond that first impression?
Humanly speaking, it takes time. You can find some information on Google where it says that Psychologists say it can take eight subsequent positive encounters to offset that initial impression. That’s several times and it needs to be subsequent. And it can take energy and time to go back and face that situation with a positive attitude to overcome it.
In the story of David and Goliath, we see a physical battle taking place. What this series of blogs is exploring is our everyday battles, especially those in the spirit. Yes, plural. Battles. We have an enemy who wants to take advantage of any opening he can get to defeat, capture, and hold us captive. From this story, we can learn some of his tactics against us. This blog exposes a tactic of first impressions that he can use against us.
How big are the Goliaths that are in front of us? Is it sudden news or the experience of an accident? Death? A bad report? Several ‘suddenlys’ can come before us that seem overwhelming?
As we continue through this story, let’s not only find more of the tools the enemy uses against us, but the strategies we have to overcome and defeat the enemy. When we are on the Lord’s side and part of His family, we belong to the winning side. His Word and His Holy Spirit working within us provide the answers and direction we need to get past those first impressions that may bring on fear and doubt. He equips us so that we can see past appearances and get to the heart of the matter. We are provided the tools, yes all the provisions we need to defeat the enemy.
In our next blog, we’ll expose another tactic of the enemy. We have seen Goliath. Now we’ll watch him in action.
