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b'In reading the narrative of David and Goliath, I noticed a small detail,\\nand it got me thinking. The first seven verses of 1 Samuel 17 detail\\nGoliath\\u2019s very impressive appearance. Verse 5 mentions his bronze scale\\narmor, which weighed more than one hundred pounds. Notice the word scale?\\nThat caught my attention. It reminded me of the serpent in the book of\\nGenesis and the dragon that appears throughout the book of Revelation.\\nGoliath embodies evil, and his behavior certainly serves as a reminder of\\nother Bible passages that reference the work of Satan (which means \\u201cthe\\nAccuser\\u201d). Goliath shouts abusive and demeaning words at Israel\\u2019s army. He\\ntaunts their weakness and challenges anyone to come fight him, one on one,\\nin a duel to the death. It\\u2019s a winner-take-all proposition, and none of the\\nIsraelites seem interested. Verse 11 describes Saul\\u2019s men as \\u201cdismayed and\\nterrified.\\u201d Despite their weapons and training, no one wants to fight the\\ngiant man dressed in scale armor.\\nOnly the shepherd and eventual king, David, is willing to step up. Not only\\ndoes David slay Goliath, he cuts off Goliath\\u2019s head (verse 51). David\\u2019s\\nvictory echoes the ancient promise God spoke over the serpent in Genesis\\n3:15: \\u201cHe will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.\\u201d David, the\\nshepherd (and future king), did what no one else had been able to do. In\\nvictory, he cut off Goliath\\u2019s head and defeated Israel\\u2019s enemy. He silenced\\nthe serpent-like foe forever.\\nAt its core, Genesis 3:15 is clearly a Messianic promise that anticipates\\nthe victorious death and resurrection of Christ. Satan thought he had the\\nupper hand when Christ went to the cross. But Jesus defeated Satan\\u2019s plan\\nto subvert God\\u2019s work of reconciliation with His creation. Christ\\u2019s death\\nand resurrection accomplished what we cannot. Jesus overcame Satan\\u2019s plan,\\nand He offers hope to\\nbelievers that we, too, will overcome death. \\u2022 Mike Hurley\\n\\u2022 David defeating Goliath foreshadows how Jesus, the ultimate Champion,\\nwould one day defeat all evil. What other parallels do you see in this\\nstory between David and Jesus? (John 10:11; Revelation 17:14)\\n\\u2022 How did the serpent use words in Genesis 3:1-5? Throughout Revelation,\\nthere are images of an evil dragon, who we learn is \\u201cthat ancient serpent,\\nwho is the devil, or Satan\\u201d (20:2). At the end of Revelation, we finally\\nsee the future promise that Jesus will destroy all that is evil and unjust.\\nWhat hope can this promise bring us?\\nSo the Lord God said to the serpent, \\u201c\\u2026he will crush your head, and you\\nwill strike his heel.\\u201d Genesis 3:14-15 (NIV)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\n1Sam.17|Gen.3.14-Gen.3.15'