I am on a bit of a David-and-Goliath kick right now, for three reasons.

• One, because I just got back from vacation where I saw an incredible production of David’s life at Sight and Sound theater.
• Two, there’s an amazing new show on Amazon called House of David that I just finished watching.
• And three, because the story of David and Goliath is a picture of the spiritual battle we all find ourselves in every day.

Now, even if you aren’t a Christian, you know the story of David and Goliath. The small Israelite boy who used a sling to destroy the giant champion of the Philistines.

But when we say Goliath was a giant, what do we mean? Well, I Samuel 17 says he was six cubits and a span. I have enough trouble converting English to Metric, and my yardsticks growing up did NOT have an edge that measured cubits and spans.

Scholars will tell us that six cubits and a span amounts to anywhere from 9-foot-9 to 10-foot-6.

And yet those same scholars will tell us in the next breath that this must be some kind of mistake, because obviously, nobody can be 10 feet tall. Even Christian scholars will teach that this must be some kind of typo in the Bible.

Well, call me old-fashioned, or call me a fundamentalist, but I believe that the whole Bible is God’s Word, and that God doesn’t make mistakes.

So I take this to be literal truth. But I also take it to be weird.

And I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.

Turn to I Samuel 17, and let’s get weird.

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0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - The Origin of Goliath

8:10 - The Origin of the Anakim

11:40 - The Origin of the Nephilim

14:25 - Life Update & Mailbag

22:20 - Closing Thoughts

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

We often talk about HOW to do spiritual warfare.

But we don’t often talk about WHY we do it. WHY do we have to have these struggles with spiritual beings?

WHY does God have us fighting on this spiritual battlefield against enemies we can’t even see?

WHY does God allow us to be afflicted and tormented by demons or unclean spirits that we are so defenseless against in the physical?

Well this week, I’m on vacation with my family, but I wanted to share this message I recently preached at the church where I’ve been serving as Interim Pastor the past few months.

The message was called Binding, Loosing and Why We Fight. I’ve spoken about prayers of binding and loosing on this podcast before so I didn’t bother including that portion of the message, I’m just sharing today that last section of it: Why We Fight.

And in true preacher fashion, I said it would take 5 or 10 minutes, it took more like 15 or 20.

But I do believe it will be helpful and instructive to all of you listening as well. Thanks for tuning in today. If you need to get in touch with me, I’ll check my email when I get back from vacation: WeirdStuffInTheBible.com.

We’ll be back with another traditional episode next week. But for today, here’s some thoughts on WHY we engage in spiritual warfare.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!

Ephesians is famous for a line in chapter 6 about who we wrestle with in spiritual warfare. We’ve even quoted it several times on this podcast.

Verse 12 says

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

And man, there’s a lot to unpack in that single verse alone. It talks about the various hierarchies of fallen angels and demons and all those spiritual entities who fight against us for dominion of planet earth.

But wait- this kinda just comes out of nowhere. I mean, Ephesians starts by talking about the purpose of the church. Then it gives some good moral guidelines and application. Then it starts talking about wives submitting to their husbands and husbands submitting to Christ and children obeying their parents and employees obeying their bosses- and then out of the blue, it starts talking about spiritual beings and the armor of God-

And where did that come from? What ties all this together?

I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.

Turn to the book of Ephesians, and let’s get weird.

Check out the new website! www.weirdstuffinthebible.com

Sign up for the weekly newsletter! Get additional insights and Bible study tips for unpacking strange things in scripture. Enter your email here:

https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/

You can also find a list of past newsletters at that same link so you never have to miss one.

0:00 - Introduction

2:00 - Ephesians Explained

4:00 - Chapter 1

6:10 - Chapter 2

8:10 - Chapter 3

10:40 - Chapter 4

16:00 - Chapters 5-6

22:15 - Chapter 6 & the Armor of God

24:25 - Next Time & Mailbag

If you want to get in touch, my email is weirdstuffinthebible@gmail.com

Hosted by Luke Taylor

If you’re intrigued by strange Bible stories, uncovering Bible mysteries, or learning about unusual biblical teachings, this podcast is for you! Dive deep into weird Bible facts, biblical controversies, and the supernatural in the Bible, while exploring the hidden stories of the Bible you may have never heard. Get a fresh perspective as we explain the Bible in ways that challenge the norm and uncover the unexpected. I’m so glad you’re here- don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE so that you never miss an episode!