Last month a woman in California was praised as a hero for rescuing her 5-year-old son from a mountain lion attack in her back yard.  She was alerted by the boy’s screams after he was dragged 45 yards, and began striking and punching the mountain lion with her bare hands until the lion released her child.  She is credited with saving the boy’s life, although he suffered wounds to his head, neck and upper torso and had to be taken to the hospital immediately by his parents.  He was reported as being kept in the hospital and was in stable condition at last report.

        “Words from Above” in the Bible tells of a young boy, named David, who was assigned to watch his father’s sheep.  One day he went to visit his older brothers who were in a battle against the Philistines.  A giant named Goliath challenged the army of Israel to send someone to fight him one-on-one to determine which army would win the battle.  So, David volunteered to fight the giant, but King Saul of Israel was skeptical about allowing David to fight Goliath. 

It was then that David told Saul how God gave him strength to kill both a lion and a bear when they attacked his father’s sheep.  He told Saul that Goliath was defying the armies of the living God, and God would deliver Goliath into his hands.  After Saul gave permission to David to fight Goliath, David picked up five stones from a nearby brook and used one of them in a slingshot to hit Goliath in the forehead to kill him.  He then used Goliath’s own sword to cut off his head and declare victory over the Philistines.

The Bible also speaks about a man named Samson, who was given unusual strength by the Lord, and who was also able to kill a lion with his bare hands when the lion attacked him.  Later he killed 1,000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey.  Samson eventually revealed the secret of his strength to a woman named Delilah, who told it to the Philistines.  The secret was that his hair had never been cut, so Delilah cut it while he was asleep because she was paid to do so by the Philistines.  As a result, they overcame him, put out his eyes, forced him into slavery, and put him on display in their temple.  His hair eventually grew back and God gave him strength one more time so that he was able to collapse the temple on them to kill them.  Likewise, God gives strength to His people today to do His will and carry out His purposes.

Larry R. Steffee is pastor of the Center Hill Brethren In Christ Church on Miller Road in Smithville.  Everyone is welcome to attend.  For informa-tion, you may email lrsteffeetn@yahoo.com.