Wednesday 17 January 2018
St Anthony.
1 Samuel 17:32-33, 37, 40-51. Psalm 143(144):1-2, 9-10. Mark 3:1-6.
Blessed be the Lord, my rock—Psalm 143(144):1-2, 9-10.
‘The Lord will rescue me from the power of this Philistine.’
The first reading from Samuel has ‘Hollywood Blockbuster’ written all over it. It is one of the most famous of Old Testament stories. David conquers the nine-feet tall Philistine, Goliath, armed with only a few sticks and stones and his faith in the Lord of Hosts. Interestingly, the Qur’an, the Muslim Holy Book, also retells this story. Both the Islamic and Christian traditions re-fashion this story as examples of their own founders’ later battles against the odds.
Christian tradition sees in this story a pre-figuring of the story of the cross and how Christ overcame the Goliath of death. We shouldn’t draw too close a parallel because the story overflows with racial hatreds. Nevertheless, it does stir something within us of the hope of victory against all odds.
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