Rockey's Thoughts

Introduction (Motivation, Mission, and Method of Operation):

When Satan said, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God,” he was expressing his motivation to rule over God’s angels. The Behemoth metaphorically represents Satan in his desire to fulfill this motivation, and Goliath personifies the spirit of Behemoth in the Bible. Nimrod is the archetype for Goliath and servitude is the curse that empowers the Behemoth. Defiance is the root sin that feeds this motivation. The Behemoth defies God’s government in heaven and rules over the rebellious fallen angels himself. This contributes to the warfare in heaven, and it flows down to the earth where Behemoth inspires mankind to defy God’s government so Satan can rule over them himself.

To fulfill his desire to rule over rebellious fallen mankind, the Behemoth has created an organization of evil spirits under the command of his lieutenant the Prince of Persia. The principality of Persia has been given the power of fear and has been assigned the mission to rule over the darkness in politics and government. These spiritual hosts of wickedness use their weapons of intimidation and deceit to make mankind submit to unrighteous governments. This is expressed in the world through all forms of caste systems that establish a ruling class distinct from those who are ruled. This has brought Persia into conflict with the kingdom of God and particularly God’s apostles, who have received their commission from God rather than from any government of man. It is the conflict of God’s anointing versus man’s credentials.

The Behemoth/Goliath spirits of Persia commonly use the following method of operation in their warfare on the earth. Under God’s government, mankind should be proactive to act in righteousness. In faith they are to act with courage to fulfill God’s vision for their lives. First this evil alignment of spirits uses its size and strength to intimidate and steal the initiative. Next it uses its power of fear to kill courage. After the initiative has been stolen and courage has been killed, then it is an easy matter for this evil alignment of spirits to deceive mankind and to destroy all hope that God’s vision will ever be fulfilled upon the earth.

Reptile: Behemoth. (For scripture references see Addendum 8 – Behemoth.)

Behemoth is perhaps the largest of all the reptiles that God created. He is only mentioned once in the entire Bible:

Job 40:15-24

15 Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.

16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.

17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.

18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.

19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.

20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.

21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.

22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.

23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.

24 He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.

From this passage we see that the Behemoth is an herbivore with great strength through his torso and a tail as big as a tree. His strong skeletal structure is described as stone, brass, and iron. His size and sharp sense of sight make him dangerous to hunt, while his keen sense of smell makes him difficult to trap. Behemoth is associated with rivers and other well-watered environments. He may have been amphibious since it would be easier to support his bulky body in the water than on land. Modern scholars have speculated that Behemoth was a hippopotamus or a crocodile. But a crocodile is a carnivore and a hippopotamus has an insignificant tail. Therefore, the description of Behemoth best fits a dinosaur like the brontosaurus.

There are no direct equivalences in the Bible between Behemoth and the other reptiles that metaphorically represent Satan. His description, though, does immediately precede the description of Leviathan in the book of Job. The research for this project has been much like putting together a picture puzzle - a little piece of information here and a little piece there. It’s not always apparent where the pieces of a puzzle fit when they are dumped out of the box. Some are a solid color with no distinguishing marks. They’re sorted into a pile of like colored pieces and eventually a place is found for them. That’s how it has been with Behemoth. Though he has no distinguishing details that associate him with the Devil, he still came out of the box with the other pieces and he’s a good fit (because of his great size) with Goliath and the political spirit.

In the Bible, a lion often metaphorically represents the political spirit and the function of ruling. In and of itself, the lion is a neutral symbol representing courage, strength, and nobility. On the positive side, the lion is used in association with the holy angels and also the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:4-6 and Genesis 49:8-10). On the negative side, the lion is used to represent the fallen angels and the Devil who “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The lion is also equated with the Serpent, the cockatrice (Basilisk), and the Dragon. (All of the references to lions are included in Addendum 8 – Behemoth.)

Lion = Adder = Dragon Psalms 91:13

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. (See also Is. 30:6 and Jer. 51:37-38.)

Lion = Asp = Cockatrice Isaiah 11:7-8

7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. (See also Ps. 58:4-6.)

Lion = Serpent Isaiah 65:25

25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. (See also Amos 5:19.)

Lion = Devil 1 Peter 5:8

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

The lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah, and the Lord Jesus Christ has as one of His titles “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”

Genesis 49:8-10

8 Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee.

9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?

10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Revelation 5:4-6

4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

6 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Angels may have the form of a lion.

Revelation 4:6-8

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (See also Ezek. 1:10, 10:14, and 41:18-20.)

Lions are used to represent rulers and conquerors.

Numbers 24:8-9

8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.

9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee. (See also Numbers 23:22-24.)

Proverbs 19:12

12 The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favour is as dew upon the grass. (See also Prov. 20:2 and 28:15.)

Ezekiel 32:2

2 Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers. (See also Gen. 49:8-10, Ezek. 38:13, and Dan. 7:2-4.)

Lions were an integral part of Solomon’s throne.

1 Kings 10:18-20

18 Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the best gold.

19 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round behind: and there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays.

20 And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps: there was not the like made in any kingdom. (See also 2 Chron. 9:17-19.)

Lions are associated with the lawgiver and the judge.

Deuteronomy 33:20-21

20 And of Gad he said, Blessed be he that enlargeth Gad: he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head.

21 And he provided the first part for himself, because there, in a portion of the lawgiver, was he seated; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the LORD, and his judgments with Israel.

Lions have been used as executioners.

Daniel 6:7

7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. (See also 1 Kings 13:23-28, 1 Kings 20:35-36, 2 Kings 17:24-27, Dan. 6:12-27, 2 Tim. 4:17, and Heb. 11:33.)

Lions are a symbol of courage and strength.

2 Samuel 1:23

23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. (See also Judg. 14:18 and Prov. 30:29-31.)

Proverbs 28:1

1 The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. (See also 2 Sam. 17:10, 2 Sam. 23:20, 1 Chron. 11:22, and 1 Chron. 12:8.)

Lions are a symbol of pride.

Zechariah 11:3

3 There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.

Lions are stealthy hunters.

Job 38:39-40

39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

40 When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? (See also Ps. 10:9, Ps. 17:12, Jer. 25:38, Lam. 3:10, and Hos. 13:7.)

Lions may be the adversaries of man.

Judges 14:5

5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. (See also 1 Sam. 17:34-37 and 1 Pet. 5:8.)

As destroyers and devourers, lions are associated with Abaddon and Apollyon.

Abaddon and Apollyon Revelation 9:7-11

7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men.

8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9 And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Lions as Destroyers Jeremiah 2:30

30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion. (See also: Ps. 7:1-2, Ps. 22:13, Ps. 35:17, Ps. 57:4, Prov. 23:13, Prov. 26:13, Is. 15:9, Is. 38:13, Jer. 2:15, Jer. 4:7, Jer. 5:6, Jer. 49:19, Jer. 50:17, Jer. 50:44, Dan. 6:24, Hos. 5:14, Joel 1:6, Mich. 5:8, Nah. 2:12, and Rev. 9:17.)

Lions as Devourers Ezekiel 19:1-6

1 Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,

2 And say, What is thy mother? A lioness: she lay down among lions, she nourished her whelps among young lions.

3 And she brought up one of her whelps: it became a young lion, and it learned to catch the prey; it devoured men.

4 The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit, and they brought him with chains unto the land of Egypt.

5 Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.

6 And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion, and learned to catch the prey, and devoured men. (See also: Ps. 22:21, Is. 31:4, Is. 35:9, Ezek. 22:25, Hos. 13:8, Amos 3:4, Amos 3:12, Nah. 2:13, Zeph. 3:3, 1 Pet. 5:8, and Rev. 13:2.)

A lion is used as a metaphor for the Devil.

1 Peter 5:8

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.

God judges the unrighteous lions.

Job 4:7-11

7 Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

8 Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.

9 By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed.

10 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.

11 The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

Archetype: Nimrod. (For scripture references see Addendum 13 – Goliath.)

Nimrod was the first to set up a kingdom of man in opposition to the kingdom of God. Babel was the beginning of his kingdom.

Genesis 10:8-10

8 And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.

10 And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

Empowering Curse: Servitude.

In scripture, the enumeration of the curse that comes with a human kingdom (the government of man) is not recorded until the Israelites rejected God's kingdom. When Samuel was old, they demanded a human king to rule over them and to fight their battles for them.

1 Samuel 8:7-20

7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

8According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.

9Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.

10 And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.

11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.

12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.

14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.

16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.

17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.

18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;

20 That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.

This empowering curse provides a legal right for the forces of the Behemoth to bedevil unredeemed mankind. Here are the attributes of the curse that comes from the government of men:

1. Young men must serve in the army, military conscription (1 Samuel 8:11).

2. Class structure – king, royal officers/nobility, laborers (1 Samuel 8:12).

3. Government bureaucracy (1 Samuel 8:12).

4. Military Industrial complex (1Samuel 8:12).

5. Young women serve in the king's household, sevant conscription (1 Samuel 8:13).

6. Government seizure of property, eminent domain (1 Samuel 8:14).

7. Income taxes (1 Samuel 8:15).

8. Business taxes (1 Samuel 8:16).

9. Property, capital gains, and inheritance taxes (1 Samuel 8:17).

10. Involuntary servitude (1 Samuel 8:17).

11. The Lord will turn a deaf ear to cries for relief. (1 Samuel 8:18).

Under this curse, all land, property, and lives belong to the government and the government may do with them as it likes. Because the people have rejected the Lord, He will not hear their prayers when they call out to Him for relief from the government of man that they have chosen. Summed up in one word this is servitude.

Personification: Goliath. (For scripture references see Addendum 13 – Goliath.)

Goliath was a giant, one of the few remaining Rephaim (a race of giants). Having been defeated and exiled from their native region, Goliath and a few others were living as refugees among the Philistines where they hired themselves out as mercenary champions.

1 Samuel 17:4-7

4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.

5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.

6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders.

7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him.

Goliath steals the initiative from the army of Israel by challenging their champion to individual combat. He defies the army of Israel and his great size intimidates Saul and his army. It causes them to be afraid and to loose their courage to fight.

1 Samuel 17:8-11,16

8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

Goliath’s size, weapons, and words do not intimidate David, a man of faith.

1 Samuel 17:23-27

23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.

24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.

26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?

27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.

When king Saul hears that David is not afraid of the giant and he sees his faith, then he allows David to fight Goliath as Israel’s champion.

1 Samuel 17:31-37

31 And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul: and he sent for him.

32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.

33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.

Goliath looks upon David with disdain. He tries to intimidate him, and he curses him.

1 Samuel 17:40-44

40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.

42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance.

43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.

David answers Goliath with courage and faith that God will deliver the giant into his hand.

1 Samuel 17:45-47

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 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.

David takes the initiative back from Goliath and brings him down with a shepherd’s weapon, a stone cast from his sling. Then he kills Goliath and cuts his head off with Goliath’s own sword.

1 Samuel 17:48-51

48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.

49 And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.

50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.

51 Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.

Later, after David became king of Israel, David’s armies kill four more giants. The Hebrew word for a near kinsperson is somewhat imprecise, so scholars debate whether these other giants were Goliath’s sons or his brothers.

2 Samuel 21:15-22

15 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.

16 And Ishbibenob, which was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight, he being girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that thou quench not the light of Israel.

18 And it came to pass after this, that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph, which was of the sons of the giant.

19 And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines, where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim, a Bethlehemite, slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20 And there was yet a battle in Gath, where was a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born to the giant.

21 And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him.

22 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Manifests In The World As: Caste systems.

The Behemoth/Goliath spirit is behind all of mankind’s vertical divisions and energizes class warfare. This manifests in the world as: upper, middle, and lower classes, nobility and commoners, and the Hindu caste system. This spirit tries to keep men and women from reaching their potential. In the church, this is the Nicolaitan spirit that divides us into classes of clergy and laity. Though there is controversy over what the Nicolaitan sect actually taught, the meaning of the name is “victorious over the people.” Now I’m not coming against pastors. Most are sincere men who are doing their best to fulfill the calling God has placed on their life. They are themselves caught in a system that has lions in the guise of shepherds ruling over the people of God and holding them in subjection. This is in opposition to the five-fold ministry of the saints depicted in Ephesians 4:11-12 that prepares and releases all believers to minister: “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

Revelation 2:15-16

15 So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.

16 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth. (See also Rev. 2:6.)

Weapons: Intimidation, military might, and deceit.

Intimidation, 1 Samuel 17:8-11

8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid. (See also 1 Sam. 17:23-24, 44.)

Military Might 1 Samuel 17:45

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

Deceit, 2 Corinthians 11:13

13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

Steals, Kills, and Destroys: The Behemoth/Goliath spirit steals the initiative, kills courage, and destroys the vision.

This spirit’s method of operation can be seen in Goliath’s defiance of the army of Israel under king Saul. This story is found in the seventeenth chapter of First Samuel. King Saul has led the army of Israel out with a vision to drive the Philistines out from the portion of Israel that the Philistines had occupied. But the Philistines have a mercenary champion, the giant Goliath, who steals the initiative by challenging Israel’s champion to single combat.

1 Samuel 17:8-9

8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.

9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.

The giant kills Israel’s courage with the power of fear and his weapon of intimidation.

1 Samuel 17:10-11

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

And as the foundation of Israel’s courage crumbles, their vision of retaking their occupied territory is destroyed.

1 Samuel 17:24

24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

In the church, how many have had their vision destroyed by the dreaded response: “That’s a good idea, we’ll have to appoint a committee to study it?” Paraphrasing John 3:16, someone in the church has said: “For God so loved the world that He did not send a committee.” God gives vision, callings and commissions, to individuals in His body. Some committees actually get behind people with vision and help make the vision a reality. However, more often than not the Behemoth/Goliath spirit steals the initiative by making the vision the property of a church committee, therefore putting it in the political arena that he corrupts so well. Then he kills the called individual’s courage by detailing all of the reasons that the idea won’t work and why the church can’t afford to do it. Then the committee destroys the vision by voting not to implement the idea or they modify it to the point that the originator can no longer recognize the idea. Then they appoint a political choice to lead the new ministry and, of course, ask the originator to do all of the work. If the originator balks, they are intimidated with the charge of failing to submit to spiritual authority, but which spiritual authority should we submit to: God’s or Behemoth’s? Many God-given visions are never shared in the church because of the power of fear and the intimidation of trying to gain the approval of the Pastor and the church board.

Rockey's Thoughts

Thoughts About

Spiritual Warfare

Area Indoctrination Briefing

Part 10 of 34

Mountain Goats

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