Dr Paul Allen

The Need for Textual Criticism Sherlock Holmes said, “There is nothing like first-hand evidence.”1 Unfortunately, the original documents (technically called “autographs”) of the Old Testament books all perished due to time and natural causes. But they did not disappear before scribes copied them, and then later scribes copied those copies, and on and on. We, therefore, possess only copies of the originals. And what is more, our copies differ to varying degrees when compared to one another. Almost every ancient book is in this situation: the original is lost, and only different manuscript copies remain. However, through the discipline of textual criticism, we can have a high degree of certainty as to the content of the original Old Testament manuscripts. Avid English Bible readers have already encountered the differences in our manuscripts. Most have seen the solid line that appears after Mark 16:8 or John 7:52 with a note saying something like “This passage does not appear in (some of)...

As David looked out to the battlefield, there stood Goliath of Gath, the Philistine giant, defying Israel’s God. In David’s hands were a few small stones. Did anyone believe this shepherd boy could stand against a warrior like Goliath? As David walked onto the battlefield, he responded to Goliath with words meant to reassure Israel that they had a better champion than the Philistines. Did anyone believe these words? And who was the identity of this champion? The Lord God of Israel. All the assembly today will know, David said, that “the battle is the Lord’s” (1 Sam. 17:47). Israel needed to learn a profound lesson. They were absolutely helpless before Goliath. The lesson was never to be missed: You can’t win this battle, so the Lord must fight and win for you. Sadly, many Christians still haven’t learned this lesson. The most common interpretation of this passage places the responsibility squarely on us to slay the Goliaths in our lives. Some of the best-selling Christian books today p...

If they haven’t read it, most people have at least heard the story of David and Goliath of Gath (“the Gittite”). The names of the hero and villain have iconic status. But how many people know anything about the giant Goliath, other than that he lost his head to a boy named David from Israel? Other giants in the Bible Second Samuel 21:15–22 and 1 Chronicles 20:4–8 tell us that there were other unusually tall warriors among the Philistines. The lists are not identical, but putting them together we read that there were four: Saph (also called Sippai), Lahmi, Ishbibenob, and an unnamed warrior.  The descriptions are similar to that given to Goliath, noting “great stature” and the dimensions of their weaponry. Unlike Goliath or any of the other named warriors, the unnamed giant is said to have six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. This malformation, known as polydactylism, is only mentioned in the description of this giant. The Bible does not mention it when it discusses o...

If they haven’t read it, most people have at least heard the story of David and Goliath of Gath (“the Gittite”). The names of the hero and villain have iconic status. But how many people know anything about the giant Goliath, other than that he lost his head to a boy named David from Israel? Second Samuel 21:15–22 and 1 Chronicles 20:4–8 tell us that there were other unusually tall warriors among the Philistines. The lists are not identical, but putting them together we read that there were four: Saph (also called Sippai), Lahmi, Ishbibenob, and an unnamed warrior.  The descriptions are similar to that given to Goliath, noting “great stature” and the dimensions of their weaponry. Unlike Goliath or any of the other named warriors, the unnamed giant is said to have six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. This malformation, known as polydactylism, is only mentioned in the description of this giant. The Bible does not mention it when it discusses other giant clans. There ar...

The Promulgation of the Law at Mount Sinai, by the illustrators of the Figures de la Bible, 1728 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) While God characterized him as “a man after His own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14), David also developed a good reputation among the people: “The commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed” (1 Sam. 18:30). The fact that his name was esteemed meant he himself was esteemed. When we say that someone has a good name, we mean there is something about his character worthy of our praise. When Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the commandments for the second time, he “called upon the name of the Lord. Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in loving-kindness and truth; who keeps loving-kindness for thousands, who forgiv...

David Slaying Goliath (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Bible uses human examples in order to help us on our own Christian pilgrimages. From Hebrews 11 and 1 Corinthians 10 two principles in particular could be discerned. First, the Bible uses past examples of men and women who trusted in the Lord despite extreme hardships to show us that even in the face of the many difficulties that we too face in life we have strong reasons to trust in the Lord, as did the saints of old (Heb. 11).  Second, the Bible also points to examples of unbelief in order to warn us not to head down that path, or to turn back if we are already giving ourselves over to the deceitful pleasures of unrepentant sin (1 Cor. 11). These principles were derived from examining ways that the New Testament uses human examples from the Old Testament . What about Old Testament stories that are not mentioned in the New Testament as examples to follow (or avoid)? Is it legitimate for us to look to these stories as ...

David and Goliath, a colour lithograph by Osmar Schindler (c. 1888) (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands." ( 1 Samuel 17:47 ) These were the ringing words of faith uttered by young David as he faced the Philistine giant, Goliath . Without armor, or spear, or shield, and with only a sling and five smooth stones, David confronted the nine-foot champion of the pagan army in the name of the true God , and soon the giant lay dead with his face to the ground. The battle must always be the Lord's . "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against . . . the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" ( Ephesians 6:12 ). Spiritual battles are not won by bullets, nor by ballots, nor by any human means. "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember th...

Saul and David. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) David and Saul (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) He was ruddy, With a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the LORD said, “Rise and anoint him; he is the one” (1 Samuel 16:12). David is one of the most remarkable characters in the Bible . Because we are so familiar with him, we often fail to realize how remarkable he was. David’s potential was highly developed in many areas. In fact, he showed what every one of us would be like if God gave us the grace to overcome more of the effects of Adam’s sin. First Samuel 16:12 says David was handsome and physically unblemished. But today we will study primarily his talents and accomplishments. David was a shepherd, which was a difficult task that required more skill than we twentieth century city-dwellers can imagine. Not only did David possess this skill, he showed commitment and bravery in facing both a lion and a bear in order to defend his flock. David was also a musician. He played so s...

Many people fail at work and in life because they focus too much on the obstacle rather than the opportunity. I’m sure it’s often true in my own organization. Perhaps it is true in yours. When something goes wrong, we spend hours dissecting it. We often refer to these sessions as  post mortems —which literally means “after death.” Shouldn’t that be a clue that we are on the wrong track? I am not suggesting we should stick our heads in the sand. But I do think we should spend more of our time and other resources focused on what we want to create, where we have been successful, and how we can  leverage our strengths . The story of David and Goliath provides an excellent example of someone who focused on the opportunities rather than the obstacle. Thousands of sermons have been preached about this story. Hundreds of books have been written. But as I was reading the story again this past weekend in  1 Samuel 17 , I was struck by how useful it is in a business or leadershi...

There is an unmistakable correlation between the miracles God did in history and the unusual commands He gave those who obeyed him. Over and over he asked His servants to do ridonkulous things in order to release His miraculous power. In each case obedience was desired and required. Miracles always occur on the other side of obedience. That is where David kills Goliath . It’s where there the Israelites obtain the Promiseland. When Jesus told Peter to cast his net on the other side of the boat it was not the different side of the boat that produced the miracle. It was a matter of obedience. It was doing what Jesus said as ridiculous as it may have seemed in that moment. - Noah had to build the ark for the coming flood in order to find safety. -Abraham had to leave his familiar surroundings to discover a new dream. -Moses had to stretch out his hands over the red sea to experience deliverance. -Esther had to boldly go into the King’s presence before God rescued his people. ...