Rick Godwin says, “Adversity is the breakfast of champions”. Adversity is shaping us all the time! I know of so many people who are going through some time of difficulty or misfortune right now. We all have our giants to face! God wants us to be a people who overcome these giants.

There was an occasion in the Bible when Philistine giants came to wage war with Israel and David, together with his men, and fought them. Four of David’s men faced four giants … and overcame them (2 Samuel 21:15-22).

The interesting thing for me is that the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, does not let us in on how the mighty men overcame their giant opposition. When David fought his Goliath (which is recorded in 1 Samuel 17) his ‘methodology’ is described in much detail, but these four mighty men had to contend with Goliath’s friends and relatives but the “How?” is left out. All we are given are the names of the giants and who overcame them! But, I believe that herein lies the key!

For me this is a great picture of Christ! The record of “HOW” He overcame the greatest giant of all times is given throughout the Gospels and in many other places through the New Testament. Jesus overcame, not by any method, but by “WHO” He was! Who we are is more important than how we overcome! Jesus then went on to give us the keys of the Kingdom so that we can now overcome!

This is exactly how these four mighty men of David overcame. It was who they were, not so much how they did it that was important to the inspired writer of the book of Samuel! I believe that we should be looking less at methodology and more at how much of character and nature of God is in us!

Let’s take a look at these mighty men as they went down to a place called Gob - which means pit. (It’s like they climbed into the bullring/ fighting pit with a giant and at the end of the day only one victor remained).

What we have is four giants, representing strongholds and opposition that we may face, and four mighty men representing the character and nature of Christ that will overcome any opposition that we may face:

The first giant was Ishbi-benob, which means “seated in fruit”. For me, this represents the giant that is stopping our fruitfulness in the Kingdom! The mighty man that overcame this giant was Abishai, the son of Zeruiah. This man was not known as a son of his father but a son of his mother (who was King David’s sister). Abishai means “a desirous gift, a father’s gift or generosity”! Zeruiah means “wounded or cracked through pressure”! So poor Abishai, he was known as son of a “cracked pot”! You know what encourages me ... we all can give birth to a son of generosity that will slay the giant seated in fruitfulness! Abishai was known as a son of his mother not a son of his father! He was known by the character of his mother (who had been “cracked through pressure”) BUT it was the nature of the fathers’ seed that gave him the enduring quality (“desirous gift
of the father”). He was marked by his mothers’ disability, but bore the nature of his fathers’ ability.

We need to place ourselves in intimacy to receive the promise of Our Father and give birth to the nature and character of Jesus and slay the giants guarding the fruit that is rightfully ours! Generosity is the key to breakthrough!

Jesus generously gave all of Himself for us! He never held anything back! Jesus gave so that I may become!

• Jesus was punished so that we might be forgiven (Is. 53:4, 5).
• Jesus was wounded so that we might be healed (Is. 53:4, 5; 1 Pet. 2:24).
• Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21).
• Jesus died our death so that we might share His life (John 10:10; Rom. 6:6, 7; Gal. 2:20).
• Jesus was made a curse so that we might receive the blessing (Gal. 3:13, 14).
• Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance (2 Cor. 8:9).
• Jesus endured our shame that we might share His glory (Ps. 69:7; Is. 53:3; Heb 12:2; Heb. 2:10).
• Jesus endured our rejection that we might share His acceptance (Matt 27:45-47; Eph. 1:3, 4).

What an incredible exchange; the Generous Father gives us His Seed, sown in a cracked earthen pot and a Divine exchange takes place! His character and nature begins to grow in us and the giants will come tumbling down!

The second giant was named Saph, which means -“threshold, a point of entry, the beginning of something new”. This giant represents the new things that God has for us. The mighty man that killed this giant was Sibbecai, which means -“the Lord sustains, or to wrap, fold together”. He was known not by his mother or father, but by his tribe. He was from the Hushathites, which means, “haste”. Sibbecai was a man wrapped in the zeal of the Lord!

Isaiah 59:17 says, “He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.”

This is a great picture of how God goes to war, wrapped in zeal as a cloak! This was an outer garment that was worn over everything. Over all our garments, zeal must be worn! The Kings business requires haste! We will need to be immediately obedient and breakthrough into the new things that God has for us! Am I going to be a point of entry for others? A doorway for others into Salvation, healing and deliverance? Will I be the one people run to for freedom? Will I trigger the supernatural?

The third giant’s name was Lahmi. We have to look at the account in 1 Chronicles 25 to find his name as he is only known as Goliath in Samuel. (Goliath just means great- referring to his size rather then his name). Lahmi means “devourer”. This giant was a Gittite, which means “winepress”. This giant was the great devourer of the winepress. For me this represents the giant that is devouring our anointing.

The mighty man that overcame this giant was Elhanan, which means, “God is Gracious”. The Hebrews understanding of God being gracious is of a superior being stooping down in kindness to an inferior being.
It is when we understand what it is like to live under the Gracious Hand of God like Nehemiah did. He understood the favour that came when His God would stoop in kindness to him and help him in building what was deemed impossible by many. When we get a revelation of the Gracious Hand of God upon our lives, we will overcome any giant that stands in the way! Especially one that is devouring the anointing which should be ours!
The fourth giant had no name, he was only known by his extraordinary features. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, that’s not normal! I believe that this giant represents the giant standing in the way of the supernatural, the extraordinary things that God has always intended for the church to do! The impossible which must become the possible! The unusual which should be the usual.

The mighty man that overcame this giant was Jonathan, King David’s nephew. Jonathan means, “Jehovah has given”. If we are going to overcome, if we are going to breakthrough into the supernatural, it is going to come because God has given. I do not want to manufacture things or try and stir up things for my sake but that God would come and give us the new, the unusual, the extraordinary miracles, visitations and radical salvations that He has promised us!

It is time to face our giants! Not with “methods” or “steps” or “ways” but by allowing the character and nature of our God to grow in us, producing courageous obedient giant slayers that will bring God glory and honour!