The Return of the Serpent

In reading the narrative of David and Goliath, I noticed a small detail,
and it got me thinking. The first seven verses of 1 Samuel 17 detail
Goliath’s very impressive appearance. Verse 5 mentions his bronze scale
armor, which weighed more than one hundred pounds. Notice the word scale?
That caught my attention. It reminded me of the serpent in the book of
Genesis and the dragon that appears throughout the book of Revelation.

Goliath embodies evil, and his behavior certainly serves as a reminder of
other Bible passages that reference the work of Satan (which means “the
Accuser”). Goliath shouts abusive and demeaning words at Israel’s army. He
taunts their weakness and challenges anyone to come fight him, one on one,
in a duel to the death. It’s a winner-take-all proposition, and none of the
Israelites seem interested. Verse 11 describes Saul’s men as “dismayed and
terrified.” Despite their weapons and training, no one wants to fight the
giant man dressed in scale armor.

Only the shepherd and eventual king, David, is willing to step up. Not only
does David slay Goliath, he cuts off Goliath’s head (verse 51). David’s
victory echoes the ancient promise God spoke over the serpent in Genesis
3:15: “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” David, the
shepherd (and future king), did what no one else had been able to do. In
victory, he cut off Goliath’s head and defeated Israel’s enemy. He silenced
the serpent-like foe forever.

At its core, Genesis 3:15 is clearly a Messianic promise that anticipates
the victorious death and resurrection of Christ. Satan thought he had the
upper hand when Christ went to the cross. But Jesus defeated Satan’s plan
to subvert God’s work of reconciliation with His creation. Christ’s death
and resurrection accomplished what we cannot. Jesus overcame Satan’s plan,
and He offers hope to
believers that we, too, will overcome death. • Mike Hurley

• David defeating Goliath foreshadows how Jesus, the ultimate Champion,
would one day defeat all evil. What other parallels do you see in this
story between David and Jesus? (John 10:11; Revelation 17:14)

• How did the serpent use words in Genesis 3:1-5? Throughout Revelation,
there are images of an evil dragon, who we learn is “that ancient serpent,
who is the devil, or Satan” (20:2). At the end of Revelation, we finally
see the future promise that Jesus will destroy all that is evil and unjust.
What hope can this promise bring us?

So the Lord God said to the serpent, “…he will crush your head, and you
will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (NIV)

Read Verses:

1Sam.17|Gen.3.14-Gen.3.15