David and Goliath on Palm Sunday
David and Goliath on Palm Sunday
No, that title is not a typo or a misprint. David and Goliath on Palm Sunday is intentional, not a televangelist trying to curse the corona virus.
In fact, it is fairly easy to see from a canonical standpoint. A canonical approach to Scripture is a recognition that the key stories of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) were written intentionally to foreshadow characters and events in the New Testament. Just as the pattern of Adam’s actions foreshadowed the actions of Noah or that the zig-zag pattern of Jacob’s life parallel and foreshadowed the same zig-zag pattern in the portrait of David, so also these same Old Testament characters ultimately were written to anticipate Jesus in the New.
For instance, the pattern of the lives of Jacob, Joseph, and Moses all are directly parallel to the pattern of the life of Jesus. The patterns number into the hundreds. In the same way, the pattern of the life of David, the royal seed who became king of Israel, anticipates the pattern of Jesus, the greater Son of David, the royal king of Israel. So, it is no surprise that David’s encounter with Goliath should not in some way foreshadow Jesus.
Both Matthew and Mark’s portrayal of Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem pauses at the Mount of Olives. Mountains[1] are key signals in the biblical narrative that God’s redemptive program is about to leap forward. As the Mount of Olives faded into the background, his approach to Jerusalem on so called “Palm Sunday” included the crowds’ startling acclamation:
Hosanna. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Psalm 118:25.[2]
The festive crowd shouted “Hosanna” to Jesus, meaning, “Save us,” a remarkable plea. Their plea was followed immediately by, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Well, you’ve read those words before, I’m sure. But perhaps, they rolled over your head without attracting much attention. Let’s read them again. “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Where else have you read those very words? And, what does the phrase have to do with David and Goliath? Well, if nothing came to your mind, it is quite understandable. The only other place in Hebrew Scripture[3] where someone comes in the name of the Lord is found in 1 Samuel 17:45. Young David, the shepherd boy, responds to the taunts of the seed of the serpent, Goliath, by boldly saying,
You come against me with a dagger, spear, and a sword,
But I come against you in the name of the LORD of armies. 1 Samuel 17:45
Goliath was armed with massive accouterments, military experience, an intimidating, physical bulk. David had none. But he was not without a weapon. His weapon, summarized with the phrase, “to come in the name of the Lord,” is unique to Psalm 118 and 1 Samuel 17:45. That’s right. Only twice in the entire Old Testament. Very striking! So, merely a coincidence? Let’s compare.
David the shepherd came in the name of the Lord to deliver helpless Israel from its oppressors, the Philistines, and specifically the giant Goliath. Goliath is portrayed as a seed of the serpent in 1 Samuel 17. Like the serpent portrayed in the promised land in Genesis 3, Goliath is dressed in scales, is also a trespasser into the promised land, taunts the royal seed of the Messiah (David, the shepherd), is a seed of the serpent, and receives a death blow to his head by that seed of the woman. By the death blow to the seed of the serpent, Israel is saved from its oppressors. The seed of the woman has defeated the seed of the serpent.
So, why did Mark and Matthew insert Psalm 118:25-26 to portray Jesus’ approach to Jerusalem? Well, Jesus is the royal seed of David, the seed of the woman, Israel’s shepherd, he’s in the Promised Land, he is without weapons, and he came in the name of the Lord to save God’s oppressed and helpless people from their enemy. By Jesus’ death on the cross, the serpent’s head—the business end--was crushed (Genesis 3:15).
The cry of the people to Jesus on that festive day, Hosanna, save us, is answered. They recognized that their plea for salvation would be answered by the one who came in the name of the Lord.
Jesus is the greater David who came in the name of the Lord and defeated the ultimate Goliath. This is why it’s fitting to talk about David and Goliath on Palm Sunday.
Like the crowd on Palm Sunday, you, too, can make the same plea to him: Hosanna! Save Me, and he will. No better day than Palm Sunday to shout Hosanna, asking Jesus Christ to save you.
Thank you for reading.
[1] Other mountains play the same role: Mt. Ararat, Mt. Sinai, Mt. Zion, etc.
[2] Psalm 118 is a celebration of the Lord’s eternal covenant faithfulness (hesed) and is the Psalm most often quoted or cited by New Testament authors. Some have found as few as 20 instances while others have observed up to 60 echoes or allusions or quotes by the authors of the New Testament. Modern scholars are befuddled as to why the NT authors quote or allude to Psalm 118. But the reason is fairly simple: they do not understand the canonical construction of the Old Testament. Psalm 118, like the rest of the Psalter, is messianic in character.
[3] A fruitful Bible study can be experienced by chasing down all the references in the New Testament that refer to coming in the name of the Lord.