From The Archives

Can the hope of Christmas be found in the garden of Eden? Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect relationship with God until they doubted His goodness and pushed beyond the boundaries of His plan. God, however, did not abandon them to their sin’s consequences. As Alistair Begg explains, within the context of Adam and Eve’s rebellion we receive the promise of a cure: the one who would crush the serpent’s head. We rejoice in Jesus’ birth as the fulfillment of God’s promise.

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As Goliath assumed his battle position, he was insulted by what he saw: his opponent clearly lacked both experience and equipment. Standing in one corner of the metaphorical ring, the giant cursed David by his gods, unaware that the unassuming shepherd boy in the other corner was empowered by the one true and living God. Alistair Begg explains that Israel’s only hope rested in God’s provision of an anointed and appointed deliverer. The same God who granted David victory has also secured our victory over sin through Christ, giving us every reason for thanksgiving.

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As Israel stood paralyzed with fear before Goliath, David’s words put this defiant enemy in his rightful place before God. When David volunteered to go and face the giant, though, Saul doubted the young shepherd. Making his case for confronting Goliath, David expressed trust not in weapons, armor, or himself but in the Lord. Alistair Begg examines this exchange between Israel’s spiritually depleted ruler and its Spirit-filled future king, directing our gaze to the ultimate Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

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After forty days of Goliath’s taunting, David was dismayed to find Saul and his army still paralyzed by fear. He had no concern for the king’s reward or his brother’s approval. Rather, emboldened by a zeal for God’s glory, he asked the important question: Who can defy God? As Alistair Begg teaches, God would soon use the hands that delivered food to his brothers to deliver something far greater. No one is too great to be defeated by the Almighty, nor too small to be used for His glory.

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The dramatic encounter between David and Goliath is a familiar, though often misunderstood, story. Taunted and challenged by the heavily armored giant, Israel was dismayed and afraid until an unlikely champion stepped up—a “man in between,” armed with just a slingshot! This story’s central message, though, is not a call to emulate David’s heroic behavior. Rather, teaches Alistair Begg, it’s a story about how God uses weakness to triumph over strength, just as Christ Himself, our ultimate champion, defeated death at the cross.

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God chooses to use unlikely people for unlikely tasks in unlikely places. To serve the Lord, we’re not expected simply to muster up adequate inner strength. Rather, God Himself enables us through His Spirit. We see this illustrated in 1 Samuel when the Holy Spirit descended upon David and departed from Saul, radically altering both lives. To do God’s work, cautions Alistair Begg, we need the Spirit’s empowering. His presence is crucial, even as His absence is dreadful.

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When Saul’s disobedience prompted the Lord’s rejection of his kingship, Samuel was sent to anoint a new king over Israel. This time God, not the people, chose the king. Paraded before Samuel, Jesse’s older sons were impressive to the human eye—yet God rejected them in favor of the youngest, David. Although we see with the eyes, explains Alistair Begg, God sees according to His sovereign will and purposes.

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Those familiar with the story of 1 Samuel know King David as “a man after God’s own heart.” Alistair Begg helps us consider how this description speaks more to God’s character than to David’s. David was not anointed as king because of his personal qualities. Rather, God chose him according to His electing love and perfect will. Many years later, God would choose another King to come from Bethlehem—one even greater, who would be the Savior of His people.

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Watch Alistair Begg as he discusses preaching, marriage and long-term ministry on The Pastor Well Podcast with Pastor Hershael York.

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Watch as Alistair Begg speaks during Southern Seminary's Chapel and looks at four aspects of the ministry of John the Baptist.

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