Rising Darkness (19 page)

Rugio was aware that the Spirit of God was visiting the camp of Saul. He had seen the Host give way to the visitation and had become immediately suspicious. Lucifer, too, had seen the Lord’s Presence in the camp and had joined Rugio in the center of the valley where Goliath now rested.

“What is going on now?” asked Rugio angrily, as he saw Lucifer approach. “Why is He here?”

“Don’t mind Him,” said Lucifer. “He never stays long. Perhaps one of the men is actually praying!”

“Has it come to that?” said Rugio in a mocking tone.

“The people of God have lost their nerve,” said Lucifer. “We need not worry about them sending anyone to fight your man.”

“Really?” asked Rugio, looking toward the Israelite camp. “Then who is that?”

Goliath’s shield bearer stood and ran to the giant. The man pointed to a figure approaching him from the enemy side.

The Philistine soldiers cheered loudly, gathering their weapons, as Goliath stood to meet the challenger. He was relieved that someone was going to end this incessant delay in the war. The shield bearer was astonished as the challenger came into view—it was a boy!

Goliath looked around to see if someone was coming behind David. Surely the Israelites were not expecting this boy to do their fighting. He scratched his head, confused and expecting that this was some sort of trick.

“Give me my shield,” he said.

“Well, well,” said Lucifer. “I see that Israel finally found a champion. A boy champion. Even I never would have guessed
that
one!”

Michael and Bakka ignored the taunts and stayed close to David.

“You know the rules, Archangel,” said Rugio. “You may not interfere with this battle. This is between humans!”

“Poor King Saul,” added Lucifer. “Reduced to sending a boy to be slaughtered because he could not find a man in Israel!”

“This is the boy whom Samuel anointed king, is it not?” asked Rugio. “He shall be killed before his reign even begins!”

“His blood shall run on this field just as Samuel’s oil ran over his head,” said Lucifer. “Such a wasted anointing!”

“There shall indeed be blood on this field, Lucifer,” said Michael finally. “But it will be the blood of a dog, not a boy.”

The closer Goliath got to David, the angrier he became. Perhaps Saul was mocking him, sending this boy out to fight him. Was this what Saul’s army was made of?

“Hey boy!” shouted Goliath loudly enough for the Philistines to hear him. “Go back and fetch your father!”

Rugio and Lucifer enjoyed Goliath’s comment, as did the men on the Philistine line, who howled with laughter. Michael noticed that the swirling, dark cloud of devils were also enjoying the spectacle.

“Is that your weapon?” Goliath continued, pointing to the staff that David held. “What am I? Some sort of dog that you are coming at me with sticks? By Dagon I will feed your body to the wild animals!”

David studied his adversary—a nine-foot killing machine covered with armor from head to toe, and holding a javelin with a head that weighed some 15 pounds. He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of scale armor. He stood proud and towering, with yellow teeth and eyes as black as his heart.

The Philistines burst out in laughter again.

Lucifer sensed that something was happening as David stopped a few meters from Goliath. He could see an aura shimmering around David, the anointing of the Most High beginning to create a wavy light all around him.

“Better get this over with quickly,” he said to Rugio.

“Right,” said Rugio, who also saw the Spirit resting upon David. Rugio quickly entered into Goliath. The giant felt a surge of strength building inside him. He looked down at David and continued to mock him.

Michael placed his hand on David’s shoulders as the boy began to speak:

“You come at me with sword and spear and javelin? You think those things will overcome the Lord Most High? I come at you in the name of the Lord Almighty—the living God of the armies of Israel! What’s more, it is you who shall be cut down and fed to the wild beasts. It is your head that shall be removed from your evil body!”

David took a step forward. “The battle belongs to the Lord of Hosts, and He will deliver you into our hands!”

Upon that declaration Rugio was thrown from Goliath by a mighty force. Lucifer, too, was knocked over as the faith of David met with the word of God. Lucifer and Rugio looked at each other, worried for the first time about what was happening. Michael continued to stand behind David, and Bakka watched from a distance, making sure no other enemy angels tried to interfere.

“Get back into Goliath and kill David now!” Lucifer ordered.

Rugio flung himself back into the giant just as he was raising his javelin to kill David. Goliath once more felt a surge of power as Rugio inflamed his mind to kill the boy! Goliath stepped up, his javelin at the ready. It should be an easy mark; the boy was without armor and close enough for a quick kill.

Bakka looked at Michael, wondering what he would do. But Michael simply remained behind David in quiet confidence. David reached into his bag and pulled out one of the stones he had picked up a few minutes before.

“Watch him,” said Lucifer. “Kill him now!”

David took the stone and placed it in the pouch of his sling and began swinging it in a wide, circular arc around and around. It was so quiet on the battlelines that both the men of Israel and Philistia could hear the whirring sound of the sling.

Suddenly Lucifer saw the Lord’s Presence manifest itself around David. He cautioned Rugio, who had already seen what was happening. Goliath raised his javelin and took aim at David.
This should pin him neatly to the ground
, he thought to himself.

It was his last thought.

David let go the rock that was in his sling; a hand of brilliant light took hold of the stone and sent it soaring toward Goliath. The giant never knew what had hit him. The stone cracked open his forehead and entered his brain.

Goliath simply stood there for a moment, dazed. His shield bearer wondered what Goliath was waiting for—then he noticed a small trickle of blood coming down the front of the giant’s face from underneath the bronze helmet. Goliath began to swoon a bit.

Rugio abandoned the giant as he felt Goliath’s life ebbing. He looked at Lucifer, who was aghast that the man they had raised to kill was himself dying. Suddenly Goliath fell down and hit the ground face first. He was dead.

Lucifer glared at Michael and vanished, vowing that David would never know peace. Rugio also vanished, but not before he witnessed David grab Goliath’s sword and cut off the giant’s head. A great roar went up from Saul’s camp as the army of Israel swept into the valley, charging the Philistines. With their champion dead, the Philistines lost heart and fled the battlefield.

Michael and Bakka watched David being congratulated by the men of Israel. Even his brothers were proud of him and hoisted him upon their shoulders. Saul came out to meet David. Looking at the severed head of the dead giant, some of his officers showed him Goliath’s enormous weaponry.

But Saul was not looking at the weapons. He watched the men crowding around David, patting him on the back and offering to serve under him should he decide to join the army.

“A great victory for Israel,” said Abner to Saul. “And for you!”

“A great victory indeed,” said Saul, watching the men carry David off toward the camp. “But for me? Perhaps I have traded one giant for another.”

“Sir?” asked Abner.

“Never mind, commander,” said Saul. “For now.”

Bethlehem, 4 B.C.

“Those were such glorious days for Israel,” said Eli, as he relived the moment when David became a hero. “David became one of the greatest kings in Israel’s history.”

“Did he really kill the giant with one stone?” asked Jarod excitedly.

“One stone is all it took to bring down the giant,” said Eli. “But David knew that it was not his sling or stone that brought Goliath down—it was the power of the Lord!”

“And David became a great hero!” chimed in Joshua. “David, the giant killer!”

Jarod rolled his eyes at Joshua.

“David, the giant killer,” repeated Bakka. “Those were certainly marvelous days of service to the Most High, weren’t they, Gabriel?”

“Every day is marvelous in service to the Lord,” said Gabriel. “Even now, tonight, you are assigned to a marvelous situation.”

“Yes, so you have told me,” said Bakka, looking back at Daniel, who was just returning from his watch. “But Daniel is certainly no David.”

“No indeed,” said Gabriel. “But David had his challenges as well.”

Bakka nodded. He recalled how, after killing Goliath, David had become a national hero; how Saul became violently jealous of David and sought to kill him; how David fled Saul’s presence and was on the run for many years; how Saul and his son Jonathan died fighting the Philistines; how David became king in Jerusalem and brought the Ark back to the holy city; how David committed a great sin against the Lord by having an adulterous affair with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered; how his own sons rebelled against him. It was certainly a life that was both glorious and shameful.

“And yet, the Lord loved David and faithfully brought him through the many obstacles he faced,” remarked Bakka.